Why on earth would anyone spend $400 on a bass rod?

[FattyWnnaCookie]

I have a couple of the Scott Martin signature tournament rods, priced around $120 dollars and I love them. They are rods designed by Scott himself, and they are the same ones he uses across the country during tournaments. He swears by them, and now so do I.  I am planning on getting more to complete my arsenal for this year. However, I recently saw a video where someone affiliated with St. Croix gushed about the "Legend Xtreme", a rod priced at 400 dollars. The reviews for the rod, as you would expect, are great.  My question is, how much better can this $400 dollar rod be compared to a $120 rod that a pro uses in tournaments everywhere? How can someone justify that much more money, surely the performance cant be worth that.

[Darren.]

Probably because they can  

 

Me? Not a chance -- unless I won a lottery  

[CroakHunter]

14 minutes ago, FattyWnnaCookie said:

  My question is, how much better can this $400 dollar rod be compared to a $120 rod that a pro uses in tournaments everywhere?

It's about $280 better.

 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

A person might ask if he would use those rods if he didn't benefit financially or not sponsored by Okuma. I could see him pimping lightning rods if the pay was right. 

[flyfisher]

Go buy one and fish it and then say why or if it is worth it.  Also remember to be skeptical of pros who endorse rods...there may be rods on their deck that look like the box store ones but it is only in badging.

 

 

 

[Jelvas]

Why on earth would anyone spend $1000 on a Iphone?

 

See what i did there?

 

 Different people have different tastes, and everyone values things in a different way. I do not fish for food, i fish cause it gives me pleasure, not only the act of catching the fish itself but all that it´s related to fishing...  including the gear!

 

-Does a $100 rod/reel do pretty much the same thing and catches the same fish as a $400 one? Absolutely!

 

-Is it the same amount of fun? Nooooooooooo..... 

 

Higher end gear is, above all other things, that...  super fun to fish with!

 

 

[tander]

I will say if you can afford it and want it, go for it. If you think it will make you a better fisherman then it probably will (more confidence). I personally would not pay over $200 for a rod and so far, $160 is the most I have paid but I have no problem with fisherman buying expensive gear if it makes them happy.

[FattyWnnaCookie]

10 minutes ago, Jelvas said:

Why on earth would anyone spend $1000 on a Iphone?

 

See what i did there?

 

 Different people have different tastes, and everyone values things in a different way. I do not fish for food, i fish cause it gives me pleasure, not only the act of catching the fish itself but all that it´s related to fishing...  including the gear!

 

-Does a $100 rod/reel do pretty much the same thing and catches the same fish as a $400 one? Absolutely!

 

-Is it the same amount of fun? Nooooooooooo..... 

 

Higher end gear is, above all other things, that...  super fun to fish with!

 

 

Well thats kind of my question. What about the rod its self is fun? It can only change so much before it is just another rod with a higher price tag. I can gauge the difference in a phone because of its internals and capabilities that come with the bigger tag. However, with a bass rod, does the rod it self really continue to change with almost triple the price. I will almost certainly never get a chance to use one, so i can't really figure it out for myself.

 

[Fried Lemons]

 Expensive gear is not something you need to be a good angler. One thing I will say from experience however is that once you experience fishing with a high end product, you will not want to go back to gear that does just enough to get the job done.

[Angry John]

33 minutes ago, FattyWnnaCookie said:

Well thats kind of my question. What about the rod its self is fun? It can only change so much before it is just another rod with a higher price tag. I can gauge the difference in a phone because of its internals and capabilities that come with the bigger tag. However, with a bass rod, does the rod it self really continue to change with almost triple the price. I will almost certainly never get a chance to use one, so i can't really figure it out for myself.

 

Step one is to realize that you do not need a 400 dollar rod.  Step two is to never try one because the experience may completely change your mind.  Stay ignorant and be happy... I dont fish megabass because i cant afford them.  I have and fish st croix sc5 rods and i like them a lot.  It did not drive me away from the other rods i own but they work well for what i have them for.  All of your rods dont need to be high end and you can absolutely crankbait fish with an uglystick and do just as well as anyone else.  What i enjoy is some of the finer flavors of life and a nice jig rod makes me happy.  The features you compare in rods are  total weight, guides, handles, blank material and appearance.  Take a look at a high end rod and all of those things will be top end and it makes a difference.

[Catt]

I have 3-4 friends who are ridiculously wealthy.

One is an avid angler that owns a Bass Cass Jaguar with a 400 Merc hanging off the back. He would not buy a $200 simply because it's $200, his has dozen Shimano G. Loomis Conquest MBR Casting Rod.

 

Extreme? Not for his budget, he fishes offshore in a Hatteras GT70 Convertible.

 

You think our rods are high!

 

As for me it's about personal preference!

 

For years I was G. Loomis fan until I tried a Shimano Crucial 

[Raul]

Why on earth would somebody spend 50K in a bass boat ? I do perfectly fine with my 12 ft aluminum tub powered by that massive 6.5 HP Johnson outboard, hell, I bet I have caught more 10+ lbers than most of the fellas in this board from it than they in their fancy bass boats.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Why would anyone spend $60,000 for car, $70,000 for a boat, $25,000 for a motorcycle, $500,000 on a house.....?????

 

Because they can, and they get joy from doing so. 

 

Buy within your means and enjoy the fruit of your labor regardless of whatever price point that may be at. 

 

[S Hovanec]

2 hours ago, FattyWnnaCookie said:

However, with a bass rod, does the rod it self really continue to change with almost triple the price.

 

 

Actually it does.  The higher end rods have better components.  More R&D goes into the design.  St Croix designs their own tapers and blanks.  They just don't pick a blank that a manufacturer has and build a rod on it like most imports.  The mandrels the blanks are rolled on aren't cheap.  Higher quality resins, better cloth.  USA made vs import.  You said those rods are around $120.  That would buy the set of guides on one of my spinning rods.

[rippin-lips]

It’s called get in where you fit in. We all have different budgets and to some a $300 rod is crazy talk. No, you don’t need it to catch fish. I’ve been outfished by an old man using a St.Croix 1st gen rage spinning rod. However, I get a sense of enjoyment from using high end gear. A mart uses his line of enigma rods and has zero problem catching fish with them.  

[Turkey sandwich]

I mean, the component and craftsmanship elements are huge, but if you're on a budget, it's about practicality.  I own $400+ rods and $100 rods, and fish both ends of the spectrum regularly. 

 

For a crank bait rod, where sensitivity isn't the kind of concern it is for a drop shot rod, a jig rod, etc, you can do really well on any level with an inexpensive moderate graphite or glass rod.  However, for presentations requiring greater sensitivity (generally your faster action sticks), high modulus graphite, expensive resins, guides, corks, and a preferred reel seat can make a big difference. 

 

Another reason to spend money (especially with very thin, high modulus graphite and delicate guides) is long term or lifetime warranty.  Now, more than ever, you get what you pay for with guides, too.  If you fish braid, having harder rings can make a big difference in longevity, do less damage to your line, and make a big difference through your connection.  

 

Ultimately, it's all preference and budget.  Do I catch more fish with my Legend Elite jig rod than the older Rage it replaced?  I have no idea, but I genuinely enjoy fishing it a lot more.

 

 

 

[jbmaine]

Every $ we spend on fishing is spent to make the experience more pleasurable and satisfying to us. Out side of a stick, a piece of string, a hook, and a can of worms, everything we buy is an option, a luxury, to make it more fun. My wife and I are middle of the road. We have low to middle of the road gear because that's all we feel we can afford. It works well for us and we have fun.

That being said, if we ever won the lottery we would have the top end of everything. Would it make us better fishermen, who knows? But if we could afford it, Why not have it.

                                                      Jim

[HookRz]

Because it would be silly to throw $50 Japanese baits on an $80 dollar rod? 

 

Which leads us to another question....

[Sam]

Fatty, because the bass know the value of your rods, reels, line and tackle and they will hit the more expensive stuff first.

 

OK, just kidding.

 

I have a friend who has old and cheap equipment. When a reel falters he throws it away and gets another $30 one to replace it.

 

He can out fish about 95% of the guys on this Forum.

 

The high end rods are supposed to have better transmission characteristics and are lighter so you can use them all day and not get fatigued.

 

I use my high end rods for tournaments. Otherwise, the less expensive rods and reels are fine for prefishing and fun fishing.

[68camaro]

I have one custom made rod over $400, I use it for blade baits. It's made by guy who does it part time and has big following with 4 plus month wait. With a custom you get exactly what you want - everything from size, handle type & length, to color to action and everything in-between. For example, mine was built on 7'6" Point Blank blank cut down to 7'3", it's made for exactly what I wanted it to do.

 

I have mostly Dobyns, Megabass and another semi-custom rod but neither is in class like this.  Its ability to throw bombs and insane sensitivity is unparalleled. 

 

Now with that said did it make me a better fisherman, don't know, but it really increased confidence and I now use and have much more success with bladed baits than before i had it. It's just so sweet and so much fun to fish, it kinda has feel like my Megabass Aaron Rogers spinning rod I use for finesse baits but has other design advantages and fishes up to 3/4oz.

 

Now why did I buy it? I'll quote Darren's response...."because I can". I don't say this arrogantly but I know it sounds it. It's just that I am at the point in life when disposable income is more than when younger. I would never buy a rod this expensive when I was in 20's, 30's, or even 40's. But I am 54 almost 55, our financial house is in great order so I do have disposable income that allows me to enjoy some finer things without blinking.

 

Do I need a $400 rod with reel to match? No, but I enjoy the search, interaction with builder and fishing with rod that I helped design. But really I could fish with sub-$100 rod and still catch fish so the argument can be made why buy a $300 or $200 or $150?  Heck, I go to my little pond sometimes and struggle and down the bank are a group of 12 years olds having a time of there life using walmart bought setup and catching fish under bobber/worms....

 

I used to collect and target shoot 1911's several times a week. Fishing is cheap compared to some shooting sports, so I figure now that I  don't shoot so much I am actually saving money:)

  

[NHBull]

I will never tell a man how to spend his money, but if I was counciling a noob, I would say that  the jig rod is where he should focus extra $$$'.

The GLX is as high as I am prepared to go.

 

[S Hovanec]

46 minutes ago, HookRz said:

Because it would be silly to throw $50 Japanese baits on an $80 dollar rod? 

 

 

Kinda like putting steel wheels and hubcaps on a Benz, huh?  They're all round and will roll, but one just looks better and gives more pleasure!

[N Florida Mike]

I wouldn't try to tell someone how to spend their money but even if I was rich monetarily , I don't think I could spend 400.00 on a rod, or even 300.00. 

I think the most I've ever spent on a COMBO was 130.00.

I'm happier and content catching fish with what I have , which is definitely not high-end.

 

[fishwizzard]

43 minutes ago, 68camaro said:

 

I used to collect and target shoot 1911's several times a week. Fishing is cheap compared to some shooting sports, so I figure now that I  don't shoot so much I am actually saving money:)

  

Yep, this is why nothing about fishing, other then boats, seems excessively expensive to me.  

 

 

[Fishin' Fool]

I bought 2 NRX's two years ago when they were on sale. I kept 1 and sold the other for what I paid for it. Once you use a rod like that it spoils you. I was okay with Johnny Morris rods prior but after fishing a NRX I wanted to throw my Carbonlite in the trash. Like the others have said fish what you can afford to buy.