While I was dipping shrimp from the rear livewell and Dad was getting drinks from the cooler, I heard a distinct splash.

Six-year-old angler Jimmy decided he’d had enough fishing for the day and simply dropped my favorite ultra-lite rod and reel combo over the side and sat down on the deck.

Not to be outdone, his 7 1/2-year-old brother Eric instantly followed suit giving his outfit a toss out and into the deep dark waters of Charlotte Harbor.

Dad wasn’t pleased and soon a successful fun day turned into a not-so-fun discipline day as we hauled two now very upset and tearful young anglers back to the dock.

Needless to say, after settling up at the end of the day for guide services and the agreed upon price for needlessly lost equipment, there wasn’t much left for tipping.

The problem was replacing the equipment. Since I buy good quality equipment for clients to use and grew up without a silver spoon, I’m a bit obsessive about taking care of things and my equipment lasts quite a long time.

Actually the problem wasn’t replacing the items with the catalogs, the shelves, all lined with shiny new reels and the racks brimming with rods, the problem was sticker shock!

I’m convinced that equipment manufacturers believe that all Americans just got huge raises and are suddenly flush with money.

Have you been rod and reel shopping lately? If you want to stay in a good mood, don’t go or be prepared for some serious sticker shock.

My old ultra-lite reels, still working great after years of hard client use, cost in the $80 range. The new 2020 catalog shows them starting at $229 dollars! How about a reel for $479 or maybe treat yourself to a new spinning reel at only $1,419.99!

Like everything else, prices are out of hand with no end in sight. One would have to be a medical or law “specialist” to afford them.

Since everything has doubled and tripled in price the last few years, has the quality of the products increased with the prices? When examining the very same model reels used by other guides and friends, manufactured a few years and beyond my $80 series, I find, and they will all testify, that the quality and durability has slowly gone down over the years.

I’ve never minded paying a little extra for good quality. These days we are paying a little extra, plus 30-60% more.

Quality? Not so much, it seems.

How long do the internal rattles in your new $10 lure keep rattling? One season, if you’re lucky. I have lures from the early ’60s that rattle like the day I bought them.

While it seems we are being held prisoner by ever increasing prices for all things from angling equipment to $350 ice chests, refrigerators, cars, food and medicine, it pays to properly maintain what you already have by using good maintenance practices.

Everyone knows saltwater is the enemy, as rust never sleeps, so at the very least give your rod and reels a good rinsing with fresh water after a day’s use. Better yet a mild scrub with soap and water and a soft brush will add years to a rod and reels useful lifetime. Rinse, dry and keep well lubricated.

Think your case of rod and reel sticker shock is bad? Go new boat shopping for a real eye-opener and why the good quality used boat market is so strong these days and why it pays to take good care of what you already have.

For example; I recently sold my well maintained Action Craft flats rig for only $1,500 less than I originally paid for it after owning it for 7 years.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at 239-282-9434 or captgeorget3@aol.com.