My Best Fishing Investment
Posted by Pete Robbins on Jul 11th 2021
Those of you who live in states where every boat ramp is free or just costs a couple of bucks may not understand this, but on the Potomac River there’s a limited number of ramps and an arms race when it comes to pricing. The three ramps I’m most likely to launch at are Pohick Bay ($11), Leesylvania State Park ($20) and Hope Springs Marina ($20). On this side of the river, most larger tournaments go out of Leesylvania, and even for those of us who no longer fish derbies it’s most centrally located.
The price is outrageous – and I’ve heard the understandable complaints from people coming from low cost ramp states – but the flip side is that it’s a tremendous facility. It has two super-wide boat ramps where depending on the skill of the trailer-backer you can launch up to five boats at a time. It has jetties which not only hold lots of retread fish, but also protect the ramps from waves. Perhaps most importantly, and perhaps because of the high cost of entry, your trailer is safe there. I’ve never heard of any problems with theft or vandalism. You don’t have to look over your shoulder to see if someone’s gonna whack you with a motor toter. I once accidentally left my tow vehicle windows open all day and came back to find my spare trolling motor, extra rainsuit and expensive sunglasses still there.
Nevertheless, it’s pricey. If you’re just going out fishing for a few hours, it’s the type of factor that might make you think otherwise. That’s why I’m proud that for once I made a good financial decision – over a decade ago I invested in a “lifetime launch pass” for Virginia’s state parks. At the time, I think Leesylvania cost $8 or $10 a pop. Then it went up to $13 (which is a pain in the butt not only because of the cost, but also because on days when there’s no attendant it requires odd denominations of bills to put exact fees in the envelope). Now it’s twenty bones. In 2019, I used the ramp 17 times. Last year I used it 16 times. Even factoring in the time value of the money I spent years ago, it was clearly a good investment especially when you factor in all of the years prior. It encourages me to fish. It makes me feel ok if I can only fish in the morning. It sends me to Leesylvania even if I just want to make sure something is working properly on the boat. And I don’t need to carry cash. That doesn’t even factor in the times I’ve used it at other state parks. For once I’m glad I shelled out the bucks on something other than tackle.
