$300 rods and $250 reels..

maybe this sport has past me by.. but to spend, $300 on a rod.. how much “more feel”, can you get from a $300 then from a $100 rod.. or even a decent low end graphite rod..

when Gander had their grey Guide series rods for $70.. they were simply great.. and even $100 area on a St. Croix is “acceptable” .. but how much, “actual feel” can you get..

and even if its 10 % more.. if you fish a ton, your feel comes to you.. meaning.. that you catch more fish by catching MORE FISH..because you feel them so well.. but how do you justify the extra $200?

its the same with a reel.. an old Cardinal four is a smooth as you can get.. Yes, the line can get under the spool.. but that’s operator error.. meaning that you aren’t watching your reel.. or even the Newer 30 year old C4 black Cardinal..

again.. how much “more” feel or bearings, or what ever, do you think will make a difference..

its like the Rapala thread.. $17 or $25 in the spring.. equals one 15 lb northern with a mouth full of teeth and your plug.. I have a great hook speed.. and yet I remember one day of being bit off like 6 crankbaits without moving the boat.. and catching a limit of pike and a limit of bass.. stacked fish.. cold water..

what I am saying is.. how do you justify it all. especially in this economy.. trust me bait shops aren’t “making more” on a $15 crankbait then they are on a $8 one.. in fact they may be making less.. not counting the cost of buying all this inventory.. and the concern of theft.. I mean each $15 lure cost the same of three.. but only takes the room of one..

I don’t know.. maybe the sport is leaving me behind.. and if so.. well, its time and plently of space for new blood and new thinking..

I just can’t see the worth.. and justify the triple of the cost for products.. The average guy only has so much ability.. and spending the extra $200 per rod and $200 per reel, won’t get him over the hump any faster then just plain time on the water..

sorry for the rant.. but we don’t want to be like the boat and outboard industry.. and price ourselves out of business..

and this is the fastest way to do so.. to say.. YOU HAVE TO HAVE or Spend “THIS MUCH” to be successful..

right now we are losing replacements, License sales keep dropping..

this is the next step in losing more fishermen. pricing them out of the industry..

comments about the thread welcome .. please no personal attacks, as this is not an attack on anyone, but a note of concern towards the future of our sport..

I can’t agree more. Everyones trying to look better than everyone else. To hell with the Jones’s.

I buy the equipment that works the best for me and covers the most applications. On the other side of things, I don’t spend time in strip clubs, gambling, at a tavern, smoking etc… The money that I spend on my fishing equipment is my only real luxury items.

If you asked my wife what she thinks about it, she’d probably tell you it’s fine. She’s told me several times that she’s happy to know that when I say I’m going fishing, that’s really where I am.

All that being said, I research the crap out of any major equipment purchases so I tend to know the difference in rod sensitivity etc… Some of my favorite rods are Gander Tournament series (The gray ones for like $80), but I have my St. Croix also.

There’s more than one kind of fishing. Like whoever writes the cabelas catalog, they’re great at fishing and they don’t catch fish.

But, no one is telling you that you have to buy whatever thing. Or that people that do are bad. They just can.

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But, no one is telling you that you have to buy whatever thing. Or that people that do are bad. They just can.

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Exactly. Who can decide for another what is “acceptable” or “enough” when it comes to quality or price?

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comments about the thread welcome .. please no personal attacks, as this is not an attack on anyone, but a note of concern towards the future of our sport..

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I was at a sports show type event over the weekend where a company had ice rods with reels on sale for $7 each. Or 3 for $20. Point being… as long as price point options exist I really don’t see what you’re trying to get at. There’s nothing wrong with the availability of high end rods or reels and the decision to purchase one is a personal one.

when you break a $300. rod you get to drink alot more beer to wash away your tears.

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comments about the thread welcome .. please no personal attacks, as this is not an attack on anyone, but a note of concern towards the future of our sport..

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I was at a sports show type event over the weekend where a company had ice rods with reels on sale for $7 each. Or 3 for $20. Point being… as long as price point options exist I really don’t see what you’re trying to get at. There’s nothing wrong with the availability of high end rods or reels and the decision to purchase one is a personal one.

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Like James said. But what about houses, vehicles, boats, tennis shoes, jewelry and more. If people are willing to spend the money for what they consider they want or need and they have the funds, there will always be a price point for them. Everyone has different hopes and dreams. I do enjoy my legend Elite and it is a much better rod them my Avid. I’m not saying spending the money is right for you, but I choose it for me.

after selling tackle since 1972, I can tell you that the average guy doesn’t know anything about what he is buying.. Nothing.. He is buying price point.. but now..if you ‘raise the point”.. to $300 or $200 or what ever for “quality”.. you do exactly what the boat and outboard companies do.. you price your self right out of business..

and again I will site this example.. I am working my booth at the Indianapolis sport show.. Gaylans.. ( the precursor to “[censored]”,) is the 50 foot booth across from me.. and Mr. Gaylans is selling a Garcia 753 combo.. Since he is MR. GAYLAN.. He can and did dictate the price of ANYTHING..

so he says to me.. “Bob.. watch this..” and proceeds to hand this combo out to passersby at $29.99.. and guys took them and bought them.. and after ten minutes he says watch this .. and the next group he tells them its $19.99.. well now guys take the rod and shake it and spin the handle but no buyers..

finally he says NOW WATCH THIS.. and tells the next group that the combo is $14.99.. Now NO ONE WOULD TAKE THE ROD FROM HIS HAND.. and I am directly across the aisle watching this , learning from this .. and laughing my butt off..

I am sorry, but this industry and most industries are based upon price points.. and that you get a “certain quality ” at a price point..

what I don’t want to see is a “price point” where we destroy ourselves.. just like OMC did.. just like the boat industry did..

just like BASS did when instead of holding tight the 150 hp limit.. it finally bought into the 200 hp plus.. and priced bass boats out of the limit..

ask Ranger “are they selling more boats now.. or back in 1980.. or 85.. or even 95.. before BASS and tournys’ only had a 150 hp limit.. and those engines were horsepower at the head and not the prop… meaning that today’s 150 hp is probably 15% stronger then back then..

its price points and license sales.. and the concern for our sport.. we need EVER LICENSE SOLD.. so that our sport continues.. We should kiss every perch jerker for buying that license so that we can continue our sport.. and when we lose one or two.. or 100,000 like we have..

it hurts.. and $300 rods don’t add to the sport.. they only make it more elitest..

Good Post…
Regardless of your income…your decision on what to spend your money on…and how much, is a personal choice. There have always been expensive rods/reels.
In the 1960-70s, when gasoline was 20 cents a gallon, owning a $100 Fenwick graphite rod or a $70 Fin Nor reel was just a dream…I could only afford $25 Shakespeare or Zebcos.
Today my retirement income is only 45% of what I made working, and that includes SS.
I spend about 90% of any “extra” earnings on fishing equipment… I spend lots of days on the water and the few $350 rods I have are well worth the money to me. I have weaned out, sold, and traded several rods to end up with three expensive spin rods that I really feel are the best tools for my singular hobby… FISHING!
I don’t drink, smoke, go or out much, and buy a lot of my clothes at JC Pennys …but I will pay for a good rod if I feel its worth it…

Go down to Everts and fish one day with a Legend Extreme…I think you will love the rod…but if you don’t feel its worth the money TO YOU…then you have lost nothing
Walmart and Gander Mt still have oodles of rods and reels under $50… I don’t think high priced rods/reels is whats reducing our legion of fishermen…as much as a change in cultural values/pursuits.

Fisherman have a choice of what they want to buy, and luckily you still have the option to buy reasonably priced or high priced equipment. I do own a lot of high end equipment, but it is only with certain types of applications. My trolling rods I see no reason to buy even a mid range rod. My live bait rigs, and jig rods for me are a different story. Is a Loomis GLX that more sensitive over an IMX that you can tell the difference. For me no, and I own both. Now compared to either a GL2 or lesser blank, and I would say without a doubt there is. I started out buying St. Croix premier rods and fished for years with them. After trying different rods, I have upgraded from all of my original premiers over the last 10 years. How many more fish would you catch using an IMX vs. a cheaper rod I have no idea, but I know if the bite is a really subtle bite I feel that it can make a difference. Last fall I was sitting in a bar eating dinner on Rainy Lake, and had to listen to a drunk guy spout off how his rod and reel he bought at a garage sale for $5 works just as well as all of those high buck pieces of S%^T the guys are wasting their money on, and how his 14′ smokercraft gets him anywhere he wants to fish, and that anyone who buys a Ranger is an idiot. To people like him, I agree that maybe that small boat suits him just fine, and his garage sale items catch plenty of fish for him too. That is great for him. I would rather not listen to him spout off, but that is his choice. I would say this, don’t knock equipment until you have tried it high end or low end. I know a few guys that have fished with me that have tried a rod or two of mine that had the attitude that high end rods were a waste of money, that have now changed their minds, and I have fished with some fiscally friendly equipment that I thought performed really well too.

Now days General Motors makes a $11,000 car and they make a $70,000 car – I am old enough to remember when they made the $2,000 Chevrolet Vega and a $18,000 Cadillac – the each one was the right car for the person that bought it.
I have $49.99 American Rodsmith fiberglass cranking rods, a few $300 rods and everything in between. I got to feel a G Loomis NRX that had a $475 price tag on it last weekend and I believe I will own one. That 7’1″ MH fast action spinning rod, is what I have been waiting for to fish the 40′ to 70′ depths.
One could argue you can get by with a Humminbird Super Sixty flasher instead of a Humminbird 998 SI. Both will help you catch fish. Equipment is like trophy status – it is in the eyes of it’s beholder.

Funny you mentioned $300. rods Rat.

Back in the 80’s when I was into fly fishing, I was drooling over a Fenwick Boron X fly rod. I couldn’t justify spending $300. on a fly rod when my other three rods didn’t total $300. combined. I think the FW became tired of wiping the drool off around my mouth and for a birthday she told me to go get one.

The only time I regretting buying it was when I laid out the cash on the counter. Not that I get to use it much, but it is still, 30 years later my most favorite fly rod.

Bottom line is, I believe there will always be the good, better and best rods/equipment with prices to match. Using that system, anglers will always find the right equipment for them.

Listen I have $100 “Skylines” from the 1970’s..and they are my “favorite ” rods..

its just that you guys with the bait shop..

how much more do you have to lay out in advance to have those $15 crankbaits.. ? in the hopes that they will sell. and then.. what happens if Cabelas or Gander puts them at a loss leader? and sells them for less then you guys can buy them for? which as you know, happens all the time..

its “whats being sold” to be successful.

now I am NOT ADVOCATING BUYING JUNK OR TRASH.. I am not.. and I have gotten in more trouble from my former bosses, because some guy with his kid walks up to me and says.. hey this INFERIOR REEL, is a good as that Cardinal.. and I would out and out tell him, exactly what he didn’t want him or his kid to hear.. No Sir.. these reels are for guys who are limiting their success, by using a coffee grinder,, or a bail that will eat your line or what ever.. or a rod that is so thin at the top that I am shocked that it makes it out the door of the store , and two good hook sets snaps that in a heart beat..

but there is a difference between quality and trash and the BMW..

its just right now.. All I see being sold are the BMW’s and those types of price points..

and this goes hand in hand with the Rapala price thread..

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now I am NOT ADVOCATING BUYING JUNK OR TRASH..

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But you just said your favorite rod is a Skyline.

Night!

boy .. at the time.. there was no better rod.. superior feel back then.. it took Lew Childre to finally come up with a different, non parabolic rod..

and yes I can take that post and smile..

rods have climbed many mountains since that Skyline..

I have a Flippin stick that has more graphite then all the rods in your shop put together.. it weighs about 5 pounds.. but it’s got 1/4 inch walls of 100 % graphite..

Since when is quality not quality? Give me an old school Mitchell 300 or a new Abu 6500. What I am saying is we know real quality when we see it, instead of the newest gimicks. At least us cat guys do.

Interesting topic, and no, the sport is not leaving you behind. There are all different types of anglers out there and there is a rod and reel also out there that fits to their needs. Yes there are rods and reels out there that are expensive, but at the same time the option to buy a quality rod and reel for a smaller price is out there as well. Its not like you have to go out and buy that three hundred dollar rod or else you will catch no fish. That isn’t the case at all! In fact that twenty dollar rod will sometimes out fish that three hundred dollar rod. It all comes down to personal preferance. Every fishing rod is a good rod right? Cause it catches fish, and that is what we love to do. I am actually kinda glad that we have all the different price points because it meets the needs of every fisherman or fisherwoman. The only difference between the three hundred dollar rod and the twenty dollar rod is that the higher end rod allows you to feel the fish breathing on your jig

Hey Doug, I just move up to the 7000″i”‘s last year.

Rat you were ‘spose to smile when I said that…but Dean isn’t going to be smiling if you directed the “in your shop” piece to me!

Dean’s shop, I’m just the stock boy. Which reminds me, I think I forgot to do that today.

Now I’m going to bed.

No.. with all honesty , I cannot, CANNOT, say, that every rod is a good rod.. sorry.. but there is too much trash out there..

its just the difference in Feel between a lower end “quality rod” and the ROLLS ROYCE”…

its like on a bass boat.. if your boat runs 60 out of the box and you are happy.. that’s great.. but each MPH cost MORE MONEY THEN THE LAST.. and you can double the price of your outboard trying to get say another 6 mph.. which.. is only 10 % more.. is double the price worth 10% more ?

really..

I will be happy to continue this discussion tomorrow.. but look forward to the posts from later tonight..

thank you all for GOOD DISCUSSION.. no personal attacks.. and an open point of view.. and trust me .. if there is something out there that I “don’t know about. some new rod process or what ever.. I am listening..

I just haven’t heard or seen it yet.. not to justify the price difference.. but I don’t know it all.. and I never, ever will..

I am , however.. willing to learn..

I wish you all well.

I didn’t see anyone mention the price of trolling motors or depth finder/gps units. Talk about something that has gone thru the roof ! Someone mentioned the price of automobiles…the price keeps going up, but the mileage sure don’t keep pace with the price…we should be getting 70mpg !

I had a few skylines, they were my favorite.
Rods prices are insane. Ebay…
I’ve added 6 top end All star rods, old but still in the plastic for a grand total of just under $300 with the shipping! Platinums.

Good thing you guys aren’t fly fishermen! Talk about inflated prices. There are a lot of $700 and $800 fly rods for sale out there. You can also spend less than $100 and get a great rod. I have a 9 foot 8 weight I bought for $25 off the discount rack at Gander. I can reliably drop a big Bass Bug 75 feet away with it, and I’ve caught hundreds of fish with it. So exactly what would the $700 rod do that the $25 rod doesn’t? I don’t get it. Same thing with reels. There are the Pfluegers and Okumas and SA reels for less than $100 but if you want one with ahigh quakity drag, they’re going to look you in the eye and ask you for $500. It’s crazy.

Rootski

I think there is a value point in rods and reels.Reels seem you have to get in the near $150 for spinning and $200-$275 for baitcasting to eliminate enough plastic,potmetal and aluminum to have something that will last.Guessing a Cardinal 4 would now cost at least $150 if they still made them.I use the Stradics,Chronachs and Calcuttas.Do have Cardinal 3,4 and 7 to compare.Nice as they are built I’m not going back{caught 16 1/2# northern on #3 with 6# line}For rods I’ve gone to Shamano Crutial $129-$159.Have use rods cheaper and $100s more and am very happy with these.Great feel great warranty.If you break a lifetime rod thats not made anymore they upgrade no charge.

REELS: I believe there is no question higher quality is better. I would sure hate to have a Brown Trout of a life time on the end of my line and loose her because I went cheap on a reel and she smoked the drag on one of her big runs.

Considering the components inside of a reel and their potential for failure, I wasn’t afraid to spend some cash.

RODS: The “feel” of rods is another discussion. I personally believe that high quality rod means better feel for the bite and more importantly, what your bait is doing down there. Higher end rods allow you to better place your bait. I can tell you I do not own any $300 rods, but I did spend months handling them and comparing how they felt with $100 – $150 rods. Of course “feel” is a perceived notion and it’s hard to quantify. However I’ve handled friends “junk” rods in a side by side comparison in my boat (same line, bait, etc) and there was no question how a better rod can make you a better fisherman. It’s amazing what those “junk” rods miss or what info they do not provide to you.

Of course these are just opinions.

About 20 years ago my dad bought me my first reel, a Mitchell 300a. I used that reel for 15 years before the first cleaning and maintenance. It hauls in fish just as well as when it was new. While I don’t recommend wanton neglect of your equipment, quality does weigh in my decision to buy fishing gear. You can spend under $20 for a 30 year old Mitchell on Ebay and it will most likely outlast your fishing career. I don’t fault anyone for buying nice gear, if I had the cash I’d probably have a 18′ riverpro with a 350 hp jet motor. But for now my ’72 14′ mirrocraft with a 15 hp evinrude puts me on the fish. I don’t feel any need to “keep up with the Jonses” when it comes to fishing equipment. I prefer to focus on catching fish. DFresh- you like the old Mitchell 300s’, wait until you splurge $25-30 for a 400 series!

One question I have is this: how PO’d would you be if someone who did choose to use the high end equipment were coming on here saying, “what’s with these cheap idiots who won’t step up into the modern age and buy good equipment?” You’re basically saying that because someone places a different value on something than you do, they’re wrong. I know you said that you’re not attacking, but you are. Your repeated posts show your belief. You’re not asking a question.

And where does it stop? Are posts coming about sled heads who buy the newest and best snowmobiles instead of driving their old 70’s sleds? How about motor heads who are buying all the best add ons for the cars? Or just a guy who has a new truck? Fly fishermen were mentioned – there are rods out there for $1000+. What about computer geeks and their high end computers? Skiers? What about bow hunting? Why do guys need the new Mathews bow? Why can’t they use a recurve?

The reality is that technology will continue to improve as time goes on. It’s a fact. Reality also says that things are more expensive now than in the 70’s. If you bought a $100 rod in the 70’s, it probably compares in principle to buying a $300 rod today.

That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Familiar topic.

All about what you feel comfortable doing I guess.

I am neither a sponsored pro, or someone who has accountants pay for it all, so do I have any $300+ rods?
No, would I like a few, sure, but I’d like a Ferrari too.

But I get by just fine without either of them.

I just wonder how many “average” fishermen own $300+ rods, or are we just dealing with a few overall?
And how many paid full price for them.

No offense to high end rods, but after fishing with a few, I do agree they’re nice, but I’d rather spend my extra money on quality reels. imho
And it’s been a long time since I’ve believed what the pros on TV tell me to use.

So, if you can afford it, go for it, there is something about holding a high end piece of equipment in your hand, and I think some can/may develop a more positive attitude towards their fishing, nothing wrong with that.

And yes the cost of fishing has gone up like everything else, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do well without buying upper end equiptment.

Al

well there were two posts yesterday that caused my post.. one about the drop shot rods.. and the other about the $17 rapalas..

and I am not attacking.. and I even stated twice or more that maybe the sport is “passing me by”.

but like other posters stated, and this is especially about rods..How much “more feel” can you get from a quality 70 to 100 dollar rod as opposed to a three to five hundred dollar rod? 1% ? 5%? 10%?

I thought that my use of the outboard engine was a great example.. out of the box you get 60 MPH.. However if you want the extra 6 other MPH its gonna cost you double..

is it worth it?

thats all I am asking..

is it WORTH IT.. to some.. I suppose .. YES.. it is..

but for the most of us.. the price point to “SUCCESS” isn’t that price point put too high?

and again at what cost or price point does it come back to hurt the industry?

meaning.. I can’t afford to go fishing and be “successful” unless I spend $800 or $900 on ONE ROD COMBO.. so I am not going..

and that’s percived failure.. that others are catching fish, and you are not because You can’t afford that price point equipment..

that’s not an attack.. that’s a concern about the future of the sport..

there are still a ton of us out there making less then $50,000 per year.. I don’t see a lot of those families being able to afford 5 $900 rod combos’ this year.. and paying the rent , heat, lights, gas and food..

that’s were the concern is.. and its not an attack..

its a concern about our sport..

I never intended to imply any one was wrong in their choice of gear, just that you don’t have to spend $300-400 on a rig to get something very fishable. It doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario. As an example, I put a used abu 6500 on a St. Croix rod I got off Ebay. Total rig cost was $80. There are a few minor cosmetic flaws, but at that price I can have several great rigs for the price of one premium combo. I was just trying to offer encouragement to those with limited fishing budgets who might feel discouraged by some of the “big boys” with all their shiny new toys. I guess I’m more worried about catching fish than having all the latest and greatest gear.