Rods/reels - what do you consider expensive?

[Geezle]

I didn't want to jack the other thread about crazy expensive rods, so I figured I'd fire up a new one.

The title really says it all...as far as rods and reels go, what do you consider expensive? What about entry or mid level...or the craaaaaaaazy expensive stuff?

If you're going to spend more on one than the other, is it the rod or the reel?



I'll add my thoughts in a bit :)

[SCHOOCH]

What i consider expensive is usually around $400 for spincasting/baitcasting gear, for my fly setups they usually run me $1200+ for rod/Reels. I would concentrate more on the rod over the reel just like Walleye guy said on the other thread.

[MtnGiant]

I dont think it would have been a problem if you joined in on the other thread.

They are basically the same thing and will get a lot of crossover comments.

Personally.....I would have this moved over.

Just a thought... so we are not bouncing back and forth.

[rmatei]

Anything more than a $100 for a rod or a reel is nothing more than a fisherman with too much money to spend.

[MtnGiant]

Anything more than a $100 for a rod or a reel is nothing more than a fisherman with too much money to spend.

That's very wrong....but as all will say....to each his own.
"You get what you pay for"... is a very accurate common saying.

[Bigdad013]

I usually spend, 300 rod and 300 reel. Got enough now, lets see if they last 20 or more years. Mine are all for downrigging. The problem is, taking people fishing and they dont know the cost of them and treat them poorly. Now before heading out, they get a speil on prices and such, and to treat them with a little respect.

[new LT]

Buy the best youcan afford at the time anything more is to expencive anything less is to cheap.
I like to match rod to reel why have a caddy with a VW engine. Unless you can see buying a better rod or reel to match down the road.

[toddjler]

here`s my 2 bits
- me and a buddy sitting on the dock at hasse lake killin time, one ugly stick meduim/light, one fenwick walleye class medium/light both the same length, both with 14 pound fireline,same brand pickeral rig, same 3/4 ounce casting wieght.
-fenwick catching one and two inch perch one after the other,ugly stick nothing.
-switched rods to see if it was the human facter, not so thought i felt something on the ugly stick, gave it a slight jig to see if there was a response nothing, watched fenwick catch three more, figured lets check the bait reeled up and suprise suprise there was a four inch perch hooked the whole time.


price difference ugly stick on sale a canadian tire 29.99,fenwick 89.99 at wholesale sports.

not the most money for either but huge difference in sensitivity.


now its to fenwicks fishing side by side

[Junglefisher]

Entry level <$100 for the combo.
Mid level $100-$300 for the combo.
Expensive $300-800 for the combo.
Crazy expensive >$800 for the combo.
I'll tend to spend more on the reels, mostly because they tend to outlast the rods and a smooth drag, even line lay etc is more likley to save you a fish or two rather than a light rod with expensive guides.

[Kurt505]

Buy the best youcan afford at the time anything more is to expencive anything less is to cheap.
I like to match rod to reel why have a caddy with a VW engine. Unless you can see buying a better rod or reel to match down the road.

Excellent advise, not just for rods and reels, but life in general!

As I age I find "expensive" is measured more on how much I want something, rather than the price tag that's on it. Expensive things I don't need, but some of the things I "need" just cost a lot of money.

[AppleJax]

Entry level <$100 for the combo.
Mid level $100-$300 for the combo.
Expensive $300-800 for the combo.
Crazy expensive >$800 for the combo.
I'll tend to spend more on the reels, mostly because they tend to outlast the rods and a smooth drag, even line lay etc is more likley to save you a fish or two rather than a light rod with expensive guides.

Pretty much what I would say, saves me from typing :)

[Walleyedude]

Entry level <$100 for the combo.
Mid level $100-$300 for the combo.
Expensive $300-800 for the combo.
Crazy expensive >$800 for the combo.

X3.

[BeeGuy]

I find everything in fishing too expensive. I don't want to buy gear, I want to catch fish.

That said, a lot of my gear is second hand.

Today I picked up an Abu 5600 C3 in unused condition for $20.

I spend most of my cash on good line, good hooks and other terminal tackle.

70% of my lures are the ones you guys lost and I scavenged.

[huntsfurfish]

Entry level <$100 for the combo.
Mid level $100-$300 for the combo.
Expensive $300-800 for the combo.
Crazy expensive >$800 for the combo.
I'll tend to spend more on the reels, mostly because they tend to outlast the rods and a smooth drag, even line lay etc is more likley to save you a fish or two rather than a light rod with expensive guides.

Sounds pretty close to what I would say

[Okotokian]

Expensive to ME is more than $250 for a spinning outfit and $600 for a fly rod/reel, not including line, flies, etc.

[THERICARDO]

Entry level <$100 for the combo.
Mid level $100-$300 for the combo.
Expensive $300-800 for the combo.
Crazy expensive >$800 for the combo.
I'll tend to spend more on the reels, mostly because they tend to outlast the rods and a smooth drag, even line lay etc is more likley to save you a fish or two rather than a light rod with expensive guides.



Agreed! My last 4 setups have all been in the $300-800 range, AS much as I love my old setups and caught a ton of fish with them I just believe my new gear is superior and gives me more confidence in general..


Great Thread by the way, this should get interesting

[javlin101]

For me about 250.00 for combo works. Got tired of the CT $30.00 to $60.00 combos. You know oops the handle fell off, whoops the bail won't close, the drag locks up when a fish hits the lure, darn where did that screw come from. I will say though I have a Berkley cherry wood rod that is 20+ years old and is one of the most sensitive rods I've owned and is still in great shape.

[WayneChristie]

only fish for one species in summer so all others are just incidental. my favourite rig for spinning is under 200 including the line, and for baitcasting the same. can detect a hit from a 4 inch chub or 8 inch walleye, and still strong enough for a 1000 pound fish. dont need or want anything else. but thats just me. I think a reel with a non fail smooth drag is more important than the rod, as long as the rod is unbreakable. I am upgrading my hooks, going to heavy duty Gammas, 2 straightened hooks is 2 too many. altho one was all dodgers fault :bad_boys_20:

[Alberta Bigbore]

Entry - reel$1-$100 rod $1-$80
Decent - reel -$100-$150 rod $80 -$150
Quality -reel $150 - $300 rod $150 -300
Holy Molaaay - reel $300-700 rod $300 -500++

[MtnGiant]

Entry - reel$1-$100 rod $1-$80
Decent - reel -$100-$150 rod $80 -$150
Quality -reel $150 - $300 rod $150 -300
Holy Molaaay - reel $300-700 rod $300 -500++

Hahahahahaha......the Holy Molaaay classification is how my lil woman reacts when I tell her the price of when I buy new gear. LOL
And my latest aquisition is a $2000 Willow and Cane bamboo fly rod.

[EZM]

I'd agree with most guys in terms of quality and the suggested price points.

I will, however, say that a reel is more important to spend a little more on than maybe the rod. I'm mostly a mid market rod guy - $75-$120 but my reels start at $150-$200 and go up from there.

Having said that my last few rods have been pricey - and they have pleasantly surprised me with their weight, feel and performance.

Line is critical and perhaps the single most important consideration. I like power pro braid and run a high quality fluorocarbon leader.

Good terminal tackle ( rated for break strength ) is also a serious consideration.

No steel leaders for me and no mono-filament available on my boat. The old crummy ugly sticks are in the garage and there they will stay forever unless my wife needs a stake for her tomato plants or one of the neighborhood kids need a good ol' fashion whippin'. lol.

Like my dad used to say "I can't afford to buy cheap stuff"

[huntsfurfish]

I'd agree with most guys in terms of quality and the suggested price points.

I will, however, say that a reel is more important to spend a little more on than maybe the rod. I'm mostly a mid market rod guy - $75-$120 but my reels start at $150-$200 and go up from there.

Having said that my last few rods have been pricey - and they have pleasantly surprised me with their weight, feel and performance.

Line is critical and perhaps the single most important consideration. I like power pro braid and run a high quality fluorocarbon leader.

Good terminal tackle ( rated for break strength ) is also a serious consideration.

No steel leaders for me and no mono-filament available on my boat. The old crummy ugly sticks are in the garage and there they will stay forever unless my wife needs a stake for her tomato plants or one of the neighborhood kids need a good ol' fashion whippin'. lol.

Like my dad used to say "I can't afford to buy cheap stuff"

That depends on the use. For walleye riggin n jigging, rod is more important.

[Walleyedude]

that depends on the use. For walleye riggin n jigging, rod is more important.

x2 lol

[EZM]

That depends on the use. For walleye riggin n jigging, rod is more important.

I don't disagree with you on that exception - my thoughts were, in general.

Definitely want a super sensitive, fast action tip to nail those little bait stealin' buggers.

Snappin' up one of those little googly eyed buggers when they are playing games with you feels like a triumph some days - more excitement when you get even with them and drop them in the fry pan later .......

Clever fish taste better.

[CanadianBadass]

Pretty much what I would say, saves me from typing :)

X3 .. I personally have spent 400 on my spincast combo, and for my larger gear ( sturgeon ) I have spent about 175$ for spincast combo

I am in flooring, I have managed a flooring store now for 7 years, and I will personally throw in and agree with the " you get what you pay for "

Theres nothing that ****es me off more then someone saying " I need something really cheep" , and then 2 years later they come back and say I sold them cheep stuff! lol lol it is true what they say !

[Alberta Bigbore]

X3 .. I personally have spent 400 on my spincast combo, and for my larger gear ( sturgeon ) I have spent about 175$ for spincast combo

I am in flooring, I have managed a flooring store now for 7 years, and I will personally throw in and agree with the " you get what you pay for "

Theres nothing that ****es me off more then someone saying " I need something really cheep" , and then 2 years later they come back and say I sold them cheep stuff! lol lol it is true what they say !

$400 on a ... spincast?

[CanadianBadass]

$400 on a ... spincast?

combo. My reel and rod ! .. I went thrus 3 walmart specials in about 1 season..... I went and dropped some better coin on better gear and I spent abou 400$ for the reel and rod ,

[CanadianBadass]

$400 on a ... spincast?

not just the spincast reel , lol my wife would flip out ! lol

[CanadianBadass]

:scared0018:$400 on a ... spincast?

and maybe closer to 350-375 ish

[Alberta Bigbore]

do you mean Baitcaster?

[pikergolf]

As EMZ alluded to earlier in a different thread, there is a sweet spot. 150 bucks should get you a heck of a reel if you leave off the bells and whistles. The AG C3 casting reels are a heck of a reel for the money and I dare say if your spending more on something else, your paying to much, most of it in unnecessary bearings and fluff. Rods are the same, the tried and true can be had for a decent price compared to the newest, coolest. New models cost in ads and development, and sell offs of older stock can be a heck of a deal. A good parallel would be golf clubs, a new driver 500 bucks, two year old tech. 100 bucks at a clearance house, maybe fishing isn't quit as bad, but you get the pic.

[CanadianBadass]

do you mean Baitcaster?

Sorry meant Spinning reel , Not SPincast , Open Face !

[CanadianBadass]

Agreed! My last 4 setups have all been in the $300-800 range, AS much as I love my old setups and caught a ton of fish with them I just believe my new gear is superior and gives me more confidence in general..


Great Thread by the way, this should get interesting

I totally agree with Confidence Thing 100% , :sSig_cool2:

[Wild&Free]

This one day I head down to the local steelhead run behind the sawmills back home. It's a drive up spot, long run, lots of room so the two vehicles parked there didn't give me a pause. I walk down the little trail to the bank and low and behold there's 14 fly rods setup all with reels and line ranging in length from 9' to 17', plus the group of 7 Euro tourists in the water up to their nipples standing on the fish each with fly rods in their hands, most in the 10-12' range. Aside from standing on the fish they were a good group of guys and despite the language barrier I helped them pick some flies to get them into some coho along with the steelhead. I estimate there must have been over 25'000$ worth of rods/reels and line sitting on the bank. Crazy expensive.

I had a 80$ omni forester 9.5' ultra light spincast with a 50$ 1000 series shimano reel. I landed 6 steelhead in between those flea flickers, watched them land 2.

I don't think I've ever spent more then $250 with taxes on a rod and reel. I'm with Beeguy on this, most of my 'expensive' gear I pickup second hand. The new rods I have bought, Trophy XL for springs, Shimano Convergence for steelhead/coho, Fenwick walleye series ML, all cost less then $150 each and have proven to be some of the best equipment I've had. A $400 St.Croix or G. Loomis might feel a little better, or have a slightly more sensitive tip, but for the extra few hundred dollars, not a worthwhile investment imo. That's gas money to the coast. I miss that UL omni rod though... for $80 I've never owned a rod more sensitive, though I did learn not to walk with my rod tip forward.

[Kokanee9]

After $85 - $150 for a spinning rod, the difference in quality goes up slowly compared to the price. A $300 rod does not mean it will be twice as good as a $150 rod, whereas a $90 rod may very easily be at least twice as good as a $45 rod. Competition between rod makers is fairly fierce in the $50 - $120 price range

I imagine you already know this Geezle because you have fished enough and probably bought enough rods also.

I was wondering when you were going to chime in. At what point do you believe quality starts to go up slowly compared to price?

[BeeGuy]

Picked up an unused Abu 5600 yesterday for $20.

:sHa_shakeshout:

[MtnGiant]

Picked up an unused Abu 5600 yesterday for $20.

:sHa_shakeshout:

We know.....you already said that yesterday....remember?????

Nice find....if the condition is good enough

[Fishnafterwork]

$400 on a ... spincast?

Shimano Stella .... 800$ :)


A guy can dream

[Fishnafterwork]

Starting fishing with cheaper gear... Upgraded as I could... I spent a ton of dough ( thanks to EZM) on some good quality top of line gear for sturgeon and I can say I'll NEVER look back ... It's all in what u want and for me the 2 sturgeon I lost ( 1 in Fraser and other here in AB) like Wayne said was 2 too many
Since getting the good gear haven't lost a set yet :)

Sturgeon, coast, fly setup >1000
Medium dink fish gear <300
with a few go to's >500


But to awnser the original question for me the most expensive gear is the cheap gear that fails....

[MtnGiant]

Starting fishing with cheaper gear... Upgraded as I could... I spent a ton of dough ( thanks to EZM) on some good quality top of line gear for sturgeon and I can say I'll NEVER look back ... It's all in what u want and for me the 2 sturgeon I lost ( 1 in Fraser and other here in AB) like Wayne said was 2 too many
Since getting the good gear haven't lost a set yet :)

Sturgeon, coast, fly setup >1000
Medium dink fish gear <300
with a few go to's >500


But to awnser the original question for me the most expensive gear is the cheap gear that fails....

Words of Wisdom......and so true :sHa_shakeshout:

[BeeGuy]

We know.....you already said that yesterday....remember?????

Nice find....if the condition is good enough

Don't remember but still stoked.

Brand new conditions hahaha :sHa_shakeshout:

I feel like a baller now with my utilitarian $100 reel.

[Okotokian]

And my latest aquisition is a $2000 Willow and Cane bamboo fly rod.

See, that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. You're more like a collector than a sportsman there (beautiful item/piece of art, but not more effective as a fishing implement than a modern rod half that price).

[Geezle]

After $85 - $150 for a spinning rod, the difference in quality goes up slowly compared to the price. A $300 rod does not mean it will be twice as good as a $150 rod, whereas a $90 rod may very easily be at least twice as good as a $45 rod. Competition between rod makers is fairly fierce in the $50 - $120 price range

I imagine you already know this Geezle because you have fished enough and probably bought enough rods also.

I was wondering when you were going to chime in. At what point do you believe quality starts to go up slowly compared to price?

Oops...I got busy and kinda forgot about this thread :o

For me and my situation, I consider an entry level rod to be in the sub $50 area...at that price range I have a couple Shimano Sojourn rods that were about $30 that I like and still use.

Mid range I'd put in the $50-$120 area. I have a couple rods in this price range too, and they're definitely nicer to use than the $30 ones.

I'd consider rods in the $120-$200 range to be expensive, and anything above $200 to be very expensive. I don't have anything in this price range.

Reels are a little different. For spinnin reels I'd consider $50-$80 to be entry level. I've found a number of decent reliable reels in this price range, though I find if you go below the $50 mark quality drops drastically. For baitcasters I've concluded that for the most part they don't get decent until you hit around the $80 mark.

The rest I find similar to the rods...mid level $80-120, expensive $120-200, and crazy expensive $200+

The gear that I use most often is in that mid range...reels are on average about $100-140 depending on the application, and rods are in the $90-120 range. I started out on a very limited budget a couple years ago with entry level gear, and it absolutely did work...and some items, like those Shimano Sojourn rods will likely be around for a long time, but as I spend more time fishing things get upgraded a little, and I have somewhat nicer gear. It's kind of an evolution I suppose. Had I not started off with the entry level stuff I probably wouldn't have the appreciation that I do now for the gear I currently have, and I absolutely do notice the difference between my Compre and my Rhino rods.

Now, as for the debate as to whether more should be spent on the rod or the reel...I vote the reel. At least for the fishing that I do. I'm typically found bait fishing from shore on the NSR or chucking hardware for pike somewhere, so I don't need a *SUPER* sensitive rod like some of the hardcore walleye guys...I'd rather put a little more into a nice smooth, reliable reel with a decent drag system. That having been said, most of my rods/reels are matched fairly closely price wise.

[Master_Baitcaster]

Oops...I got busy and kinda forgot about this thread :o

For me and my situation, I consider an entry level rod to be in the sub $50 area...at that price range I have a couple Shimano Sojourn rods that were about $30 that I like and still use.

Mid range I'd put in the $50-$120 area. I have a couple rods in this price range too, and they're definitely nicer to use than the $30 ones.

I'd consider rods in the $120-$200 range to be expensive, and anything above $200 to be very expensive. I don't have anything in this price range.

Reels are a little different. For spinnin reels I'd consider $50-$80 to be entry level. I've found a number of decent reliable reels in this price range, though I find if you go below the $50 mark quality drops drastically. For baitcasters I've concluded that for the most part they don't get decent until you hit around the $80 mark.

The rest I find similar to the rods...mid level $80-120, expensive $120-200, and crazy expensive $200+

The gear that I use most often is in that mid range...reels are on average about $100-140 depending on the application, and rods are in the $90-120 range. I started out on a very limited budget a couple years ago with entry level gear, and it absolutely did work...and some items, like those Shimano Sojourn rods will likely be around for a long time, but as I spend more time fishing things get upgraded a little, and I have somewhat nicer gear. It's kind of an evolution I suppose. Had I not started off with the entry level stuff I probably wouldn't have the appreciation that I do now for the gear I currently have, and I absolutely do notice the difference between my Compre and my Rhino rods.

x2 same for me forsure!!


Now, as for the debate as to whether more should be spent on the rod or the reel...I vote the reel. At least for the fishing that I do. I'm typically found bait fishing from shore on the NSR or chucking hardware for pike somewhere, so I don't need a *SUPER* sensitive rod like some of the hardcore walleye guys...I'd rather put a little more into a nice smooth, reliable reel with a decent drag system. That having been said, most of my rods/reels are matched fairly closely price wise.

Again id have to agree, i opt for anicer reel any day, even though like you mentioned, most of my setups are similar in pricing. I have, however, become somewhat of a gear addict. lol