Unfortunately for anglers, acquiring all the fishing gear you need can begin to get expensive, but there are several things you can do to make finding and purchasing fishing gear more affordable.

One way to get cheaper fishing gear and tackle is to track down what you need on ebay. Ebay fishing gear can provide an affordable alternative to buying everything new from the store or catalog. In many cases, the fishing gear you find in the ebay fishing section may be new, still in the package, or barely used. The fishing gear on ebay may be posted by consumers who have no need for the merchandise any longer, or maybe they didn't have the luck they hoped for. In other situations, wholesalers and retailers will post overstocked or out of season merchandise to recuperate some of their costs and keep from carrying that inventory for a year.

Of course the standard ebay practices and safe guards still stand with ebay fishing merchandise. Seller ratings are important and one must always be wary when doing business over the internet. However, the possibility exists that the expensive, almost new rod and reel combo listed for a bargain price is in perfect condition, could be a piece of junk considering what it costs. The only way to know is to physically find one and examine the quality or to get in contact with someone who has used this pole.

One of the best outlets for finding out the quality of fishing gear is to seek out a fishing forum online. A fishing forum may have a section for product reviews and ratings, or you can start a new thread and ask if anyone has used or heard about the product you're considering. You may discover from fellow anglers on a fishing forum that the heavily discounted item you have your eyes on is a dud and should be avoided.

Fishing forums are also a great way to track down good deals on fishing gear. Usually anglers are quick to tell when they got a good deal and don't mind passing that information along to others. However, just because someone says a product is the best they've used doesn't mean that it's necessarily top shelf quality.

Many times stores will create bargain bins full of slow moving, or out of season products. After a certain point, companies try to dump their inventory to make room on the shelves for better selling, more profitable products. When this happens, you can get some fairly aggressive deals. However, if you take advantage of these offers, you might end up buying some fishing gear that you won't be able to use for six months. For many anglers, the wait is worth it considering the price these items typically have.

There are good deals out there all the time for anglers but, like the fish, they usually won't fall in your lap. You have to be on the lookout and find the deals before they're gone.