As Americans forgo expensive vacations, costly dinners and shopping mall splurges, many are opting instead for the quiet simplicity of fishing, according to the sport fishing industry and reports from bait shops and fishermen.

From the icy north to fly-fishing streams in Texas, angling is on the rise. For families, it’s an inexpensive outing. Those with a knack for it can trim their grocery bills. And for newly unemployed, it’s something to do.

Fishermen are slackers in the best of economic times, so it’s entirely possible some of the 650,000 people who found themselves enjoying free time this February spent some of it on the lakes and rivers.

As for the concept of trimming grocery bills, the Underground can only laugh in a bitter, cynical fashion.

Unemployed folks do not travel far to fish, instead opting to fish the brownlines close to home. And if it’s one thing we’ve learned talking to brownliners, it’s that nobody eats what they catch – absent a desire to glow in the dark or set off airport metal detectors.

See you in the soup lines, Tom Chandler.

fishing, recession, fishing during recession

Sadly, I still have to actually earn a living, and with the recession taking its toll on marketing budgets, that particular reality is intruding on my bubble.

Which means – instead of fly fishing – I’m holing up and working, a sad state of affairs given my aversion to the stuff. (Work I mean. Like most fly fishermen, I have little stomach for honest labor.)

Out here soon? I hope so.

That means we’ll see damned few fishing posts on the Underground for a couple more days – at least until a few undone biz-related chores find their way to the “done” stack.

And though I contemplated flying to Washington in my private jet (sitting on my $21.7 Million annual salary), I probably couldn’t convince those Congressional cheapskates to fund a $25 Billion bailout of the Underground.

It’s yet another example of the unfairness of politics.

Too Much Fly Fishing Clutter?

You might still see a post or two about interesting stuff, like this mention that Field & Stream’s FlyTalk blog asked its readers to list the fly fishing media they read. He contends there’s too much clutter out there, but on the Internet, the reader’s in charge, so the concept of clutter seems odd – you don’t have to visit what you don’t want to read.

The Underground’s already received a couple mentions, and if you’ve got a minute, sneak on by and let ‘em know what you read.

fly fishing, fishing, recession

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9. Simms meets entry-level wader price point by introducing new breathable "wader shorts"

8. Top fly fishing magazine sells soul to advertisers and exotic destination lodges at 60% of last year’s price

7. High price of gas means fly fishermen are fishing same water, but driving less and making much, much longer casts

6. Buster Wants to Fish gang seen drinking tap water instead of cheap swill PBR

5. The Orvis Guy photographed fishing in last year’s tweed jacket

4. Guides attempt to convince clients that Ritz crackers and government surplus cheese are "euro gourmet" lunch

3. Fly fishers suddenly convinced they can "cast to the backing," but turns out SciAnglers saving money by making fly lines 40′ long

2. Redding Fly Shop testing Vespa Scooters to see if they can pull a drift boat

1. Donnie Beaver has only enough cash to illegally post half as much water as year before

The signs are inescapable, Undergrounders. See any of your own?

In the late 90s, I wrote a series of ads for the ill-fated Cope & McPhetres fly shop, which closed after the owners realized they could make a bazillion percent more profit selling boat parts instead of tippet material.

The above ad was particularly popular (the customers kept repeating the headline to the staff), but it reminded me we’re facing some pretty turbulent times right now.

The economy’s slowing. By summer, gas will soar over $4/gallon. Houses aren’t selling, investment banks are collapsing, consumer credit is tightening, and yes, we’re facing a few other things I won’t bother to mention.

Has All the Turmoil Affected Your Fishing Plans?

Are you reconsidering your fly fishing travel plans?

Staying closer to home? Buying less gear?  Trying to make your own tippet with a pasta maker and a double boiler?

In January, I asked the Undergrounders to discuss their 2008 fly fishing plans. Now I’m asking you to take a deep breath, and think for a second.

Has the bad news changed those plans?

My answer is (surprisingly) "Yes" — though I’ll save the explanation for later. What’s yours?

Yes, You Win Something Just For Playing

The poll below is just to tally the big picture; I really would like you to also add your thoughts in the comment section.

And to make it worth your while, I’ll randomly select a winner from the comment section below (using atmospheric scattering to generate a random number) and send you a FREE copy of Kerplunk by outdoor humorist Patrick McManus.

It won’t help you find a job, sell your house, or make gas more affordable, but while you’re reading it, you may just forget about all that crap.

See you in the cheap seats, Tom Chandler.