During the 2025 open-water fishing season, I spent more time with a slip-bobber rod in my hands than during any other previous season since I was probably a kid. Here is what happened.

Buying stuff for fishing isn’t the best investment we could make from a strictly traditional definition of investing. Rarely can we sell a rod, reel, lure, or whatever for more than we paid for it. But some items that we should use when we go fishing are good examples of smart investments. Not investments for financial gain, but investments for our well-being. I’ll explain.