this pretty much is across the board with any sport.
golf, fishing, baseball
have you priced out a baseball or softball bat recently? my dad was looking at my bat rack in the basement and was like, “how much was that?” i told him i bought it used but they retail for 440. “WHAT” was his response.
its their own money to spend i guess. i do enjoy, however, when a guy who smokes a pack a day and drinks 30 pack a week tells me i’m wasting my money.
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If you bought a $100 rod in the 70’s, it probably compares in principle to buying a $300 rod today.
Very true. Back in the late 70’s I bought a Garcia 5500 for I think about $50. My Dad blew a gasket…”Are ya nuts? How can you justify throwing money around like that?” etc. I asked him how much he paid for his old Pflueger knuckle buster with the “jeweled action”. He said he bought it in the late 50’s for about $20. I told him “$20 in the late 50’s ? Are you nuts?”. Pretty much the same thing I guess.
Rootski
Whether you are a cheap skate and only buy 10 dollar rods or driven to perfection and love the 300-400 dollar gear-IMHO, the only tackle that matters lyes between your ears.
Too many people buy all the latest gear, have 60 thousand dollar boats and yet run over wingdams. Until people start placing a dollar value on EDUCATION, they will be what we called in ski instruction as “terminal intermediates”-people never reaching their true potential-living life frustrated like a flathead tossed on the shore.(Sorry BK, knew I could drag you into this!)
Want to learn to fish, hire a teaching guide, rent good videos and read every book you can on the game you pursue, then go out there and apply the knowledge you obtained-that is what seperates the men from the boys.
I am sure Dustin Stewart could catch more walleyes dragging jigs with a snoopy pole than 90% of the God given population with $400 St. Croix’s or G. Loomis’s.
Price of tackle has NOTHING to do with ANYTHING, conversely, it has everything to do with this “get everything for nothing” and “immediate gradification” world we live in.
Educate yourself and enjoyment will follow. 
Ive tried some high end St Croix rods and there sure is a difference in them compared to the typical $70 to $100 dollar rods I usually fish. Does it mean they catch more fish? For the typical angler I would guess not. For a more experienced angler the answer is yes. A high end fishing rod is not going to teach a guy how to fish.
Maybe I missed it being mentioned, but with the recent influx of hybrid lines, the braids, rod sensitivity is almost of moot issue. But advent of that line has brought a whole new demand to the rod industry in that guides cannot be made of cheap materials if the braid line is the primary line of choice for that angler.
Reels are maybe a more impostant consideration for me. I want reliability in the instand anti-reverse and a drag that is ultra functional. Retrieve rates vary and don’t mean a lot to me other than in casting reels.
I big on buying the best that a person can afford. I did not say to buy and break the personal bank. Regardless, buying the rods and reels has to be a personal decision. But when we hear all this talk about sensitivity in high-end rods from some guys and then see pics with the reels spooled with braid, I’d bet the reel and braid could be put on a much less-expensive rod and you’d feel just as much. Mono line is an entirely different animal from braid or super-lines and I think a better assessment of a rod’s real value can be made if one thinks about what type of line he intends to use on it.
this is still a very good discussion.. an appropriate for the time of year and the weather we are having…
you wouldn’t have this discussion in April with the temps being 65 out and the river open…
it would be who cares.. lets catch fish… lol , Lol, LOL.
Boy do I ever feel stupid with my Shimano 16dc Trinidad @ 750$ retail. 
The way I see it I get every cent of the money I spend back when I purchase high end equipment weather it’s Shimano reels that don’t fall apart in a week or custom Thorne bros rods that I’m sure will out last me. For the amount my equipment gets used a 6500c3 or a gander rod is just not up to the task.
You keep using the term “sport”.
Fishing is a hobby and it can be done very cheaply and with kids.
Competitive fishing is a “sport”. Those boys are going to spend money.
(Funny thing ………..my cane pole catches as much today as it did 20 years ago.)
More then anything when people move up in their financial class they will move up in the type and price of equipment they use. Doesn’t matter if it’s trucks, cars, boats, rods, reels or furniture for their house. More of a mine is bigger then yours mentality. 
Just one guys opinion. 
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you wouldn’t have this discussion in April with the temps being 65 out and the river open…
it would be who cares.. lets catch fish… lol , Lol, LOL.
Unfortunately I am afraid the hot topic in April will be on the flooded rivers. 
I think it depends on how one fishes. If one is the type that the lightest jig in the jig box is 3/8 ounce I think just about any rod reel will get it done. Your not going to take that same rod and use a 1/16 ounce jig and have any idea where it is at. If one is going to finesse the mid to upper end rods are where it is at. Reels to me are a different story spinning reels any mid range reel is fine for me, it only holds line. Baitcasters that is a different story hard to compare a $50 baitcaster to a $150.
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Price of tackle has NOTHING to do with ANYTHING
“”
Maybe, maybe not, I’d sure hate to rely on that snoopy rod casting musky baits all day. 
I think we all hope that we get what we pay for, and that it sometimes costs more to get that item.
But no, high priced equiptment doesn’t make you a better fisherman, but equiptment that works well will.imho
And that might be the key here, what works well for you..
Al
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Unfortunately I am afraid the hot topic in April will be on the flooded rivers.
Property damage and the extra work it takes to move stuff to high ground sucks…
…but for the high water? Bring it on! Most stay away because of the high water/flooding reports…and the locals like it that way!
RRR is going to be mad at me now!
I’m a tournament angler on a pretty tight budget and most of my rods and reels would probably be considered middle of the road. I try to find the best value out there while shopping and generally have my limits on what I’m willing to spend on new fishin poles/reels. Through the experiences of becoming a better angler, I have learned where low budget or middle of the road equipment just wouldn’t get the job done for me and an upgrade was in order. I can honestly say there is no substitue for a couple of the higher end rods I have in my arsenal and were well worth every penny. Ever try to hook a 6 pound smallie at the end of a cast in 20+FOW on a carolina rig with an “average” rod? If the wind was blowing 15MPH would you even feel that fish bite? In those conditions, inferior equipment=lost or missed fish. Do I need a 100 rod to take my 6 year old out bluegill fishing with bobbers because it has a nice “feel” to it? absolutely not.
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when you break a $300. rod you get to drink alot more beer to wash away your tears.
If I had to REPLACE a $300 rod, it would be a month before I could replenish the beer budget in order to be able to drown my sorrows
The rods that give me the most joy of all of my rods are the cheap ones. I’ve got more big channel cats on my 26 dollar ugly sticks than any other rod I’ve owned. My ultra light bluegill rods where all bought from a barrel of give away rods. I own a few nice Avids I use for walleye fishing and it was painful to me to lay out for them but I always reach for them first when I’m after eyes.
I wish someone would start a “mid range” gear thread for some of the gems out there. In every thing that I buy, I usually look for those mid range products that are really high end at a lower price. I usually find them from reviews or by hearing about them from other people, thus I would love to see a thread started.
I remember when Premium was a cheap beer. Then it got fashionable and they bumped up the price. Guess what, it is still a cheap beer.
Good topic- I’m a very firm believer in owning the best equipment that you can AFFORD. These days, I can’t afford what I used to, and I really can’t see the gain in owning a $300-$500 reel(rods are a seperate category). In most cases, the only difference I can see on them is the body material and losing an ounce in weight.
But what I’ve REALLY been shocked by is the sky-rocketing price of some of the baits we use. I’m not talking the $20-$30 “signature series” crap. I’m talking the mainstay, use ’em everyday type baits-whether they be cranks, spinnerbaits, jigs, whatever. Anybody else seem to think average price on this stuff has gone thru the roof in the last couple of years?
-Rev
Now that I am old enough to say it, I’d just like to say, “When I was a kid, a Rapala would cost $4 and we thought that was expensive”.
Boy do I miss those days as a kid rummaging through fishing magazine after magazine and walking down to the Holiday sports store with $10 to buy some fishing stuff.
What were we talking about again?
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I think it depends on how one fishes. If one is the type that the lightest jig in the jig box is 3/8 ounce I think just about any rod reel will get it done. Your not going to take that same rod and use a 1/16 ounce jig and have any idea where it is at. If one is going to finesse the mid to upper end rods are where it is at. Reels to me are a different story spinning reels any mid range reel is fine for me, it only holds line. Baitcasters that is a different story hard to compare a $50 baitcaster to a $150.
I can honestly tell you that I have finnessed fish in over 30 foot of water on Lay lake or Logan Martin lake for spotted bass, with extremely good success with a All Star Classic.. $69 top end, $49 at Walmart, spinning rod.. using 8lb triline xl and an 1/8 oz sinker.. 1/4 oz if there was current.. and not more..
now.. can you do that YOUR FIRST DAY OUT? no.. you cannot.. you must learn feel..
sometimes you need to start heavy.. Feel the bottom.. and then as the day progresses, drop your weight down.. meaning if you are fish 30 FOW..and you haven’t done it for a while , start with a 3/8oz bullet weight.. and after a few hours.. try that 1/4 oz.. and maybe the next day.. drop to 3/16ths.. or the 1/8..
but I have done it with the above mention rod many, many times.. always with success.. meaning I could feel the bottom and could feel the fish..
the more you fish.. and the more fish you catch.. the more you feel..
and it increases at an increasing rate..
but nothing, not rods or reels replaces time on the water.. and actually catching fish.. even dinks..
Old Rat
I think the difference on our thinking is your talking lake and I am talking river and current pitching light jigs to wingdams and current breaks. Lake is much easier to get by with a different setup. IMHO
It’s not necessarily about how many more fish you’ll catch for the $$ you spend on equipment. To me, it’s more about the enjoyment you get out of the hobby. Under most conditions you won’t catch 3Xs the fish on a $300 rod vs. a $100 rod. But if you’re feeling those subtle hits, or able to work the bait just right to avoid snags, or you out-catch your buddy by just one fish, you might have a bigger smile on your face at the end of the day.
The beauty of fishing is that you can have a blast with a cane pole or a $300 combo. If we all forget that you can have fun without the fancy equipment, maybe we’ll have something to worry about. 
Logan Martin and Lay Lake are part of the COOSA RIVER System..Lay Lake is unique in that the Corp tries not to change river stage.. meaning that flow is prevelent alot due to the height of the lake..
trust me .. these are not Okauchee Lake.. or any other Wisconsin type of lakes… and I primarily fish the up river aspect of these bodies of water..
so I am comparing river to river.. and I am not kidding..
btw.. if you ever want to fish some really neat stuff, I highly encourage you guys to take the 14 hour drive to Birmingham.. spend a day on Guntersville , and spend a couple of days on Logan Martin, or Neely Henry..
it WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER RIVER FISHERMAN HERE…
says the man who has been going there since 1981..
Easter week is a really good week on those bodies of water..
catching a spotted bass that would break like records in nine other states puts a big smile on your face in a hurry..
sorry .. back to the topic at hand..
Traveling that far is out for me…
…I spent too much money on my rod to afford the gas. 
I have to stop drinking so much coffee in the mornings.
it helped that My best friend lives there.. so air fare was the most expensive part of the trip.. I slept on his couch for many a night, many a year..
its a really nice couch to sleep on.. especially after fishing hard for 7 or 8 hours in a day..
If you run a pencil to any boat or any fishing gear,more than likely,none of it would be justifiable vs buying a fish sandwich somewhere.
Having a passion, love of a hobby or sport is what gets folks through some tough times and or the demands of day to day life.I really am not sure it is possible to measure that value. Thank goodness,not everyone thinks the same or it would be a pretty boring world. The power of choice in our market and the options we have are a blessing and a privilege in my opinion.
Is the glass half full or half empty?I guess it is all in how you want to look at it….but we can all agree that we are all very fortunate that someone took the time to show & teach us the fishing side of life. It is up to all of us to keep passing it on,regardless of the gear involved.
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If you run a pencil to any boat or any fishing gear,more than likely,none of it would be justifiable vs buying a fish sandwich somewhere.
Having a passion, love of a hobby or sport is what gets folks through some tough times and or the demands of day to day life.I really am not sure it is possible to measure that value. Thank goodness,not everyone thinks the same or it would be a pretty boring world. The power of choice in our market and the options we have are a blessing and a privilege in my opinion.
Is the glass half full or half empty?I guess it is all in how you want to look at it….but we can all agree that we are all very fortunate that someone took the time to show & teach us the fishing side of life. It is up to all of us to keep passing it on,regardless of the gear involved.
Amen to that! 
what excellent words.. thanks for a great statement from Everts resort..
If you want to be a cheapskate and can get massive enjoyment out of a 10 dollar rod–go for it. But, don’t rip on the guy who wants to buy a 400 dollar G. Loomis or Croix due to his level of fishing being where he can benefit from the increased sensitivity.
It’s always the same in our society these days–the have nots tearing down the people who have. Go ahead and use your canepole, or 10 dollar snoopy pole if you want–but to say that people are “wrong” for having nice equipment is just pure jealousy.
Next thing you know, people will be posting that the only wrench needed to ever work on a vehicle is a cresent.
So what’s wrong with thinking a guy spending $400 on a rod is nuts? Or the guy not spending it is a cheap skate? Jeez, we can’t have opinions anymore? I’m tired of people having a say and others chastising like it’s not acceptable. For the record, I had the best gear at one time and thought people were cheap skates for not having the same. Now I think those of you that spend $500 on rod are nuts. So there. 
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