Does an upper end Baitcaster make you better?

[nd1225]

I would say overall no. I have seen plenty of guys win our local tournaments without "high end gear". Experience and knowledge do a long way. Now, does fishing with my steez and NRX make it more enjoyable, absolutely. I would say I feel more bites with my NRX or Z bone than I do with my other rods, and I RARELY have backlashes with my steez or SV 103's, so that definitely helps. But in regards to technique, presentation, lure selection depending on conditions, etc. high end gear doesn't do squat. 

[Hulkster]

I would totally argue that it makes you a better fisherman.

 

With better gear you:

 

-can cast much farther (to cover more water and therefore get more strikes)

-detect bites you might otherwise miss (with less sensitive rods)

-get a better hookset when you do get a fish on

-have much less casting fatigue with lighter and better balanced setups.

 

How is this not making you a better fisherman??

 

It totally is.

[lo n slo]

2 hours ago, reason said:

No. 

what he said

[Dtrombly]

With just having gotten into the higher end side of things in the past 2 years or so.. I wouldn't say that it's made me a better angler, but it has made my time spent on the water much more enjoyable. And that's worth it to me 

[Tywithay]

3 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

Can you give me an example of a sub $60 reel with this feature?

 

I have a lot of BC reels that cost $100 and under from Daiwa, Pflueger, Quantum, Abu Garcia, Kastking and *** and none of them come with a cast control, spool tension knob that has a clickable adjustment.

Revo X has the clickies for $99 retail. Can be found for around $70.

[Cak920]

It won’t necessarily make you a better fisherman but for me I can say 100% going from a $50 dollar casting reel my first times trying them to a $140 dollar reel made a HUGE difference. It made it so much easy. Casted farther with no backlashes compared to frequent backlashes which ultimately means much more time on the water and more fun during that time.

[WRB]

Will a poor quality baitcasting reel make you a better angler? the answer is more obvious, no. Will a good quality baitcasting reel make you a better angler? the answer should be obvious, yes.

If you are constantly fighting the reel performance, getting backlashes because the spool doesn't spin freely or gears jam and makes noises your concentration isn't on fishing.

Have you ever gotten more then you paid for, not often, more then likely you get less.

So the question is how much to pay for good reliable quality? Where to start looking?

The answer is simple; between $100 to $200 for a standard size baitcasting reel. Look no further then the top 2 best selling reel manufactures today; Diawa and Shimano.

Good quality reels, with annual maintenance, will perform a lifetime.

Tom

[tstraub]

4 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

Can you give me an example of a sub $60 reel with this feature?

 

I have a lot of BC reels that cost $100 and under from Daiwa, Pflueger, Quantum, Abu Garcia, Kastking and *** and none of them come with a cast control, spool tension knob that has a clickable adjustment.

I have an eagle claw/ W&M Brent Chapman combo that retails for $60 for the rod and reel. The tension knob does click.  It's far from a high end reel just an example of a cheep usable reel with a clicker.

 

I also have a BPS extream from a few years ago it's discontinued now but I think it retailed for around 60. I think I gave about 40 for it on clearance.

[Columbia Craw]

I'm convinced there is a point in which poor performing equipment can be a liability but the stuff is not what makes you a better angler. It's what's between your ears.  You don't have to spend a bunch of money to get the gear that will allow you to be efficient on the water. 

[JustJames]

Let see here, I got to fish top of the line shimano (in the past) a few days back, they are conquest 50 and scorpion Antares pair with Tenryu rods. Would it make me a better angler? NO becuz I got skunked big time. BUT for sure they make my fishing more enjoyable and also perform better for specific techniques. 

I still don't understand why ppl have to worry about what other use. Some, money is no object, some best bang for buck and some just wanna fish and don't care about equipment. To be a better fisherman or not only YOU who can answer it. Whatever their pick, kudos to them as long as fishing involved.

Buy what you like as long as you enjoy using it or just plain looking at it.

[islandbass]

13 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

I am not convinced that your rod and reel have a great deal of impact on "catching" fish,

but better equipment makes the "fishing" more enjoyable. 

 

This says it all. 

 

To the op, I agree with you about your golf analogy. 

 

Better equipment might not make you a better angler but it should make the fishing experience more enjoyable. 

 

Same thing with gear for just about any hobby. Lance Armstrong could out cycle me with a huffy, even if I had the lightest carbon fiber bike with campagnolo record or Shimano dura ace components. It ain’t the bike ... it’s the engine. 

 

Put a steez casting reel on a Loomis nrx and I can still show you I’d get just as skunked from the bank with my first rod and reel, which I dubbed my $20 “Walmart Special”. 

 

The extra money for the higher end reels gives you refinement from with the enjoyment factor is kicked up another notch. 

 

Fair warning. Once you go try the next class of reel up, you might find it harder to go backward. Something about the dark side they say. ?

 

fortunately for me, I am disciplined enough to know for my needs and purposes, I need not go higher than the curado class of reels and its counterparts. 

 

As a bank angler, I know there will be days I just won’t be able to get to the fish and as a result, it won’t matter whether I use a high end or low end rig. 

[swimmingjig]

Just stay around 150-200 price range . Nothing lower than these. You don’t really need super high end like anteras dc or Steez sv tw to become a better fisherman,but the mid range like curado or tatula will make fishing day easier. I rather pick up a comestic worn but funtional used over the unknown brand baitcaster . 

[Bluebasser86]

Will it? No. Can it? Yes. 

[puddlepuncher]

I had a fishing buddy tell me he was jealous of some of my setups, I told him I was jealous of his discipline.  

[Catt]

ROTFLMAO ?

 

Better: improve on or surpass (an existing or previous level or achievement).

 

If ya can't locate & catch bass before ya bought that Shimano Antares...ya aint gonna be able to locate & catch em afterwards!

 

In y'all's understanding if KDV switched from those lower end Quantum products to upper end Daiwa or Shimano products he would become a better angler!

[NHBull]

^^^^

[MickD]

Substitute the word effective in place of "better."  Same answer?  I don't know how one can argue that better equipment, within reason, does not make one a  more effective fisherman.  More so for less skilled fishermen than highly skilled fishermen, but always true.  For example, even highly skilled fishermen cannot make a less durable reel more durable, and if it fails, that's time off the water.

[optimator]

If my gear is good it's one less variable. If I don't have to worry about it I'll concentrate better and have more fun. So yeah, it helps. 

[ohboyitsrobby]

No it doesn't make you a better fisherman. Namely because you'll still be the same guy fishing the same places with the same lures regardless of what reel you have. Learning what to throw, when to throw it and where are what make you a better angler. I'm of the belief that rods are WAY more important than reels.

[WRB]

Highly skilled golfers, trap & skeet shooters wouldn't think of competing with low end clubs or guns, balance and fit affects performance. Fishing isn't any different, skilled anglers rely on rods and reels that are balanced and fit their needs. Could a champion trap shooter hit 25 straight with a model 870? yes. A pro golfer can shoot par with 3 clubs, would they compete against other skilled golfer or shooters without their balanced and tuned equipment? no, because they are better with their high end equipment. 

Agree high end equipment will not make a low skilled angler more knowledgeable or more skilled caster, only practice will improve casting mechanics and observation and study can improve knowledge. Today you don't need to spend over $100-$200 for high performance reels or rods. 

The $200 model 870 shoots straight, the & $1,500 Peruzzi O/U shoots straight, the $30 discount reel casts good, the $200 Shimano casts good, the higher end will perform for decades.

Tom

 

[Catt]

If you were mediocre before ya bought high end gear you will be mediocre after ya buy high end gear!

 

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

If you were mediocre before ya bought high end gear you will be mediocre after ya buy high end gear!

 

Yeah, but I enjoy fishing more. 

[Bent]

22 hours ago, Hulkster said:

I would totally argue that it makes you a better fisherman.

 

With better gear you:

 

-can cast much farther (to cover more water and therefore get more strikes)

-detect bites you might otherwise miss (with less sensitive rods)

-get a better hookset when you do get a fish on

-have much less casting fatigue with lighter and better balanced setups.

 

How is this not making you a better fisherman??

 

It totally is.

 

I agree with all of these points, but the degree of improvement is worth discussing.  Better equipment results in marginal improvements, and there are diminishing returns for every extra dollar spent.  The difference between a $200 combo and a $1,000 combo is immaterial when compared to the differences introduced by other variables - location and presentation determine success.

[Andy007]

 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

If you were mediocre before ya bought high end gear you will be mediocre after ya buy high end gear!

 

23 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

Yeah, but I enjoy fishing more. 

Would you prefer to be a mediocre fisherman with fancy gear or a good fisherman with mediocre gear?

 

Better gear might make you a bit more efficient(cast a few feet further or get an extra cast or two in) which might mean you could catch more fish?

Give KVD a zebco 202 combo and he'll still catch fish or you can give a fisherman that fishes the wrong place with the wrong bait at the wrong time a $1000 combo and he still won't hook fish!

[Catt]

2 minutes ago, Andy007 said:

Better gear might make you a bit more efficient (cast a few feet further or get an extra cast or two in) which might mean you could catch more fish?

 

 

If that's what y'all are counting on to beat me you're in trouble ?

 

I'll what will make y'all a better Fishermen, today electronics!