Fishing Insurance: How Much Cost for Guides, Boat, etc.?

Going fishing, no matter is it a day trip or three weeks vacation, can unfortunately go wrong.

Your gear could be stolen or lost, and as an angling lover you know how pricey it can be. Your boat could sink, your trip could be canceled for any reason.

Even worse is if you get injured on your fishing trip. You break a leg, you cut yourself badly...

Unfortunately there are endless possibilities of bad scenarios.

Don't get me wrong, fishing for trouts, carps or pikes on a wonderful summer day is not very dangerous but as we insure our cars, houses or ourselves when we go on skiing holiday, we should think about sports fishing insurance too.

There are many insurance companies offering sports fishing insurance policies of different values and coverage.

There are different options for everyone, including beginners who want to be safe, or fishing guides and coaches.

Even if you think you don't need sports fishing insurance for yourself, keep in mind you could accidentally do some damage to another person who will want reimbursement and it could cost you a lot.

Here I will mention all the basic information so you can decide easily:

• Why do I need a Fishing Insurance policy?
• Should I Insure My Fishing Gear, Boat, Clothes, etc.?
• What about travel insurance for fishing trips?
• How much does fishing insurance cost?

Why do I need a Fishing Insurance policy?

Anything could go wrong. It is better to buy a sports fishing insurance policy and not use it, than to desperately need one while not having it.

There are companies that are specialized in sports fishing insurance policies. Unfortunately in most countries they are rare or non-existing. United States and United Kingdom have the most options, and they some of them cover foreign citizens too.

Sports insurance for fishing Guides, Coaches

Fishing coaches and guides should have a fishing guide insurance. Guides are on the water all the time, taking care of themselves and as well taking care of their clients. Also, they are responsible for the clients. Companies that sell sports fishing insurance also have insurance policies for guides and coaches. Those options usually have higher liability coverage. Also, if you are a coach your gear is used by inexperienced people and can easily be damaged. Those policies are a bit more expensive than for amateur anglers and prices depend on where do you work, what kind of service you provide and your country of residence. If you are a fishing coach check your local insurance companies for quotes.

Sports insurance for Fishermen

For insurance companies, fishing is considered to be a sport and has to be declared while buying an insurance policy. If you are participating in any sport there is a higher risk of injures or property damage. Your personal fishermen insurance will cover:

• Injures while fishing (personal accident).
• Your sick leave if you are unable to work while injured (lost earnings).
• Damage or loss of sports equipment.
• Damage to another person/property (public liability).

Sports Fishing Team Insurance

If you participate in any kind of contest or public manifestation you need to insure your team. There are team insurances that cover usual accidents during contest, as well as during practice sessions or trips. This is not the same as a travel group insurance, as that one is for amateurs and just recreational fishing. This kind of fishing team insurance policies are similar to and other sport team insurance.

Should I Insure My Fishing Gear, Boat, Clothes?

The answer is definitely YES! You should insure your fishing gear.

Most of the sports fishing insurance companies cover fishing gear up to some amount of money. And you know how expensive gear can be. If you lose a few lures it is no problem, but rods and reels can cost a fortune.

Items you should insure are:

• Fishing rods
• Reels
• Fishing boats
• Fishing clothes
• Boat motors

Your gear could be stolen, lost or damaged in an accident. While travel insurances cover stolen or lost gear, everyday fishing trips which are not a part of travel are not covered. Your fishing gear is your property and you can insure it. There are specialized insurance companies providing that service at different cost and that will be mentioned later on.

Advantages of insuring your fishing gear:

• You don't have to worry if your equipment gets stolen or lost.
• You will get money back if you lose your equipment in any accident (for example a fire at the place where you store it).
• If you accidentally damage someones gear and that option is covered by your insurance you will not lose money.

Before you buy insurance policy, make sure you:

• Make a list of your gear
• Save receipts of expensive items (if you have a 1000€ fishing rod receipt will be necessary for the insurance company if you ask for reimbursement).
• If you keep your gear in your car or garage make sure its not visible and it is locked as companies won't cover gear theft if you failed to protect it properly.
• Keep in mind that proper fishing gear maintenance is necessary. If your boat sinks because of your negligence you will not be able to claim the money.

What about travel insurance for fishing trips?

While fishing on a local river bank travel insurance for fishing trips is not necessary, and your peronal insurance will be enough.

But if you booked a holiday in another country than you absolutely need one. Depending on insurance policy you buy, it can cover varieties of cases.

Maybe you booked everything and got sick, or your fishing gear was stolen on the way. Maybe you got injured while fishing on some remote island. Travel insurance policies should suit your trip.

Are you going to fish in remote dangerous places? Then your policy should cover emergency evacuation. Are you going to a place with history of bad weather and there is a chance a hurricane could force you to cancel your trip? Make sure your policy covers natural disasters. Is the country you are going to full of thieves who prey on travelers? Insure your equipment. Maybe nothing happens to you but the charter company cancels the trip from some reason, and they refuse to return the money.

Sports fishing travel insurance should cover at least the following:

• Medical costs and hospital visits.
• Emergency Medical Evacuation.
• Accidents and third party liability.
• Cancellation of flights/hotel bookings/charter bookings.
• Luggage and gear.
• Documents.
• Legal expenses.

Some insurance companies offer discounts for groups so if you are not traveling alone it would be the best that all of you buy a group policy. If something goes wrong for all (for example: bad weather postpones your trip) it will be less paperwork and hustle or all of you if you have just one policy with one insurance company.

If you are a frequent traveler you should consider annual coverage because it will be cheaper than a short term one trip policy. Options vary, some are restricted to continents or countries, some are worldwide but excluding the medically most expensive countries like US or Australia. Be careful and read the contract carefully.

How much does fishing insurance cost?

There are different types of fishing insurance and different insurance policies.

Usually, the more you pay the more you get. If you look for insurance companies specialized for fishing, in Europe most of them are in UK, they will have similar prices. As already mentioned, most important thing while buying fishing insurance is to read the contract carefully.

Fishing gear annual insurance for amateur anglers that covers your gear and also up to 90 days of fishing outside your country cost about 75€ for UK citizens. That will cover up to 2000€ for equipment. For 16 000€ equipment you need to pay 360€.

There are similar options are available in other European countries too. 

Keep in mind those prices vary from one insurance provider to another and these are just examples. Do your research before buying.

Most companies have a limit per fishing item or do not reimburse 100 percent of the value, but they come close to it.

Public liability in those insurance policies is huge, up to a few million.

In some companies you don't have to chose their gear values, you can provide yours, and they will calculate how much you need to pay according to that.

Annual angler travel insurance that is valid world-wide including US, can vary between 150$ and 200$.

Single two-week trip with similar insurance coverage costs about 30$-50$. For groups or families insurance companies usually offer 10-20% off.

When it comes to fishing boat insurance, prices can vary, depending on a boat type and size, and of course, the country where the boat is used.

In the USA, you will pay between 200$ and 500$, where the small fishing boats are on the lower end of a given price range.

If you have a small boat in the UK, you can get the basic third-party insurance for just over 60£, but the prices go up if you want premium cover, or you have a larger, more valuable boat.

Insurance for fishing guides is more expensive than for amateur anglers going on a vacation.

In the USA, guides need General Liability insurance. These types of insurance depending on a providing company, cover equipment like boat or ATV too. Those offering charter services, will most likely pay between 400$ and 1200$, depending on numerous factors.

Both fishing boat insurance, and insurance for fishing guides, are valid for 12 months.

As already mentioned, these prices can vary, and these number are here to show you what to expect.

For detailed calculations, ask in a local insurance company ...

Conclusion

Fishing gear, same as fishing trips, can be expensive.

Buying a sports fishing insurance, fishing gear insurance or fishing travel insurance will make sure that you stay safe and you do not lose money.

We always think nothing bad will happen to us, or we think "its only one weekend" trip but accidents usually happen when we don't expect it.

Considering how much money we spend on our gear, buying fishing insurance is negligible cost.

Insuring your property or vehicle is normal, even mandatory, so why not protect our fishing equipment and our health when we are doing what we love?