How much would you spend on a rod and/or reel?

[Shockwave]

This one is inspired by the post in the tackle section regarding $100+ swimbaits.  How do you guys feel about super high dollar rods and reels?  I was looking at some JDM stuff and came across these which made my jaw drop:

 

Megabass Monoblock

 

KALEIDO INSPIRARE TKIC-611XMH-BK USED!!!!!

 

We're basically talking about $1000 gear here.  The rod is almost a grand USED!  Would you spend that kinda cash on gear?  What's your limit?  

 

I set a hard limit at $200.  I'll drop $200 on a rod and another $200 on a reel.  I can tell the difference between a $100 rod/reel and a $200 rod/reel.  I'm pretty hard on gear so knowing that, I can't justify spending more on gear that I'm gonna be rough on.  Your thoughts?

[the reel ess]

The most expensive combo I have is a $100 rod and $130 reel. But it is my dedicated frog combo and I didn't want to skimp. I still use 3 Berkley Lightning Rods for presentations where sensitivity doesn't matter. I tend to spend more on reels because i've had some cheap junk in the bast. I do have a Falcon rod that would have cost me $120 new, but I bought it used from a friend for $50. Deal of the century!

[Brett's_daddy]

That all depends on my financial situation. If I was independently wealthy and had money coming out of my ears and no worries in the world because everything else was taken care of then I wouldn't have any trouble blowing ridiculous amounts of money on fishing related items. Since that is not the case I have a hard time bringing myself to spend over $100 on a rod or reel. My most expensive rod is $110 and my most expensive reel is $130 and the most expensive bait that I've ever purchased is $30 and even at these prices there was definitely a pause asking myself if I really needed something that expensive. Buy the best that YOU can afford...don't worry about keeping up with the Joneses as the Joneses may be in another (higher) income bracket then you are and while it might not put a strain on their wallet it could bankrupt yours. The fish don't care if your rod cost $100 or $1000 or if you're fishing with a $5 jerkbait or a $25 jerkbait...fish with what you can afford and have fun. Unless you have a legit goal to become a professional angler in which case you DO need to keep yourself on a level playing field with your competition but if you choose that route you have to have some capital to start with or you'll never make it with all the competition!

[Robin]

I tend to have higher dollar limit on rods than reels. I can definitely feel the difference between a $300 bottom contact rod vs a $150 bottom contact rod. Although there is a difference in the premium dollar reels, I tend to limit myself to

$200 MSRP reels tand search for "deals". I generally do not feel that spending much over $200 on a reel gives you as much "bang for the buck". That being said, I have accumulated a few premium price reels over the years and I do certainly enjoy them.

[Mike L]

Wouldn't spend it even if I could afford it. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[OnthePotomac]

I settled long ago on BPS Carbonlite rods and on sale price ($100)  I don't fish tournaments and these rods fill my needs nicely. I have an unfair advantage for reel buying because I have two adult daughters, who do well and so I get generous gift cards for special days. I only have one $270 reel though (Chronarch MGL).  If not for gift cards I would not have that.

[GReb]

44 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

The most expensive combo I have is a $100 rod and $130 reel. But it is my dedicated frog combo and I didn't want to skimp. I still use 3 Berkley Lightning Rods for presentations where sensitivity doesn't matter. I tend to spend more on reels because i've had some cheap junk in the bast. I do have a Falcon rod that would have cost me $120 new, but I bought it used from a friend for $50. Deal of the century!

 

Thats awesome. I scored one similar 2 weeks ago. Got a falcon cara from a friend for $70. After taking some light sandpaper to the cork it is in pretty good condition. Honestly he used it probably a dozen times over the 4 years he’s had it

 

I always spend more on rod than reel. Only one of my 7 rods retail for under $100. I have several that range in the $200-250 and can tell the difference.  My opinion on reels is there are several sub $100 that can handle most anything under an ounce and have very good brakes and drag. 

[Tywithay]

My Antares/Destroyer is about $1k including line. I don't think I'd have an arsenal of equipment that expensive, but if I really want it, I buy it.

[Boomstick]

My target range for a rod is typically around $100-160, with the Avid X I use for finesse being the exception. I will look to spend more on rods depending on presentation -- for example the rods I use for soft plastics are generally my most expensive.

 

For reels, it really depends if it's casting or spinning. I will spend around the same $100-160 price range for a quality casting reels (that retail up to $200), but I am usually able to find quality spinning reels like the Pflueger President or Daiwa BG for $50-80 (that retail up to $100).

 

I wouldn't hesitate to get something cheaper if it's not something I would use too often as well.

[Beetlebz]

I generally get the best I can afford when the need arises. I got a lot going on normally with medical bills and such, sometimes I can afford to drop a few hundo if I need a rod or reel, sometimes I can't. Sometimes I can wait a bit to save up. 

 

On rods I consistently spend 130 to 150 or so but I have a soft spot for favorite fishing defender lunkers edition.

[HeyCoach]

I’ll spend somewhere around $100-$120 for a rod and the same for a reel.

 

I did have a Falcon rod and Shimano reel and an Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0 and Orra reel get stolen last year so I bought a few cheap combos to get by with. 

 

I’m thinking about slowly upgrading my current lineup since most of them are $50-70 Bass Pro/Cabela’s combos except for a Mojo bass rod and Lew’s reel. 

[SMITTY0045]

I max out at about $200 for a rod and $200 for a reel, I can’t convince myself to spend more on a setup that I’m only dedicating to one technique

[MisterDeadeye]

The most I would go, if I could afford it, would be something like a JDM Shimano DC reel. I don't follow the flagship reels because I'm not anywhere near comfortable enough to spend $700 on a reel, but I think the Antares DC is in the ballpark. 

 

As for the rod, honestly I can't see myself spending more than $200 at the most. If I knew someone who had $300+ rods and if I actually got to fish with them, I would possibly consider spending more, but it's hard to imagine justifying spending that much for a glorified stick. 

[Angry John]

I wonder of all the people who say they are only willing to spend 200 have ever fished a true high quality setup.  There is just a total difference in the experience.  The is always a sub group in every group that are enthusiast.  Those are the people willing to pay to fish what they want.  If you ask the question to the group at large you will always have more people who are not willing.  Are you trying to find this sub group or find comfort in a limit that you set for yourself.  How much money someone spends is very personal and those that spend the big bucks are not always ready to share due to being humble or deal with being called ridiculous. 

[Tywithay]

24 minutes ago, Angry John said:

I wonder of all the people who say they are only willing to spend 200 have ever fished a true high quality setup.  There is just a total difference in the experience.  The is always a sub group in every group that are enthusiast.  Those are the people willing to pay to fish what they want.  If you ask the question to the group at large you will always have more people who are not willing.  Are you trying to find this sub group or find comfort in a limit that you set for yourself.  How much money someone spends is very personal and those that spend the big bucks are not always ready to share due to being humble or deal with being called ridiculous. 

The way I see it, you're only on this rock for a short while, so if you have the means, go for it. If anyone is worried about what others will think, they're doing this whole thing wrong.

[long island basser]

My most expensive rod Is a Dobyns champ extreme, retails for $340.

While a very nice rod and I like it, not worth it IMO. My less expensive rods ($100 -$140) I like just as much.

Most expensive reels are at $200 each, a Lews tournament pro and pro z.

I like my two Shimano castitas better which retail for $100.

 

[greentrout]

Spent up to 130.00 for a reel never a 100.00 or more for a rod and I feel just fine...good fishing...

[kenmitch]

If I was to set a hard limit on rods and reels it would probably be something like $100 a rod and $150 a reel. I won't pay full retail price for either one so the hard limit isn't too low. Just got to wait for the right deal or deals to get the most value for the money. I'd up the limit on either one for the right deal. 

 

My most expensive combo would be my Abu Garcia Revo MGX SHS pared with a Abu Garcia Vendetta Next Gen 6' 6" medium fast rod. Got the reel on a 1 day BPS deal in late 2016 for $175 and bought the rod at retail but had a gift card to offset the price. I did look at more expensive rods but wound up with the Vendetta as I liked the feel of it in my hand....Combo feel more like an extension of my arm than a rod and reel. lol

 

2nd most expensive combo would be the BPS CarbonLite 2.0 baitcaster 7' Medium Heavy Fast combo I picked up back in Feb when BPS had them on sale for $120.

 

[Arcs&sparks]

I’ve spent a lot more on beer and cigarettes over the years than the 50 rods on my racks.  There’s worse ways you can spend your money

[soflabasser]

I will spend more money on gear for big game fishing in the ocean and nowhere near as much for bass, which almost any rod and reel can handle.

[Catt]

6 hours ago, Mike L said:

Wouldn't spend it even if I could afford it. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

I would buy a $200 combo & goto the lake for a month!

[Angry John]

3 hours ago, long island basser said:

My most expensive rod Is a Dobyns champ extreme, retails for $340.

While a very nice rod and I like it, not worth it IMO. My less expensive rods ($100 -$140) I like just as much.

Most expensive reels are at $200 each, a Lews tournament pro and pro z.

I like my two Shimano castitas better which retail for $100.

 

The dx743 I have might be the biggest disappointment I have ever been in a rod.  My avids are way better.

[CroakHunter]

$250 dollar combos for me. And that's including line. Mainly dobyns fury's, lews tp-1, falcon bucoo and daiwa tatula ct, fuego ct, or tatula sv.

[onenutinthewater]

4 years ago I would have said that spending $300 on a rod is ridiculous- this was before I tried them. Now I own about 15 of them and my most expensive combo is a light weight set up for trout coming in at just over $700. I figure after a lifetime of using crappy gear I deserve the best.

As long as I can pay cash why not? Life is short use what makes you happy!

My current favorite rod is a $65 JDM Teton...

A $30 ugly stick would catch just as many fish but after using quality gear its tough to go back. I would never go back to fishing out of a rubber raft either but it was fun at the time.

[th365thli]

So many facets to this. To start, I would spend as much as I need so that I don't feel disadvantaged. Meaning that I don't feel like I'm losing ANY fish or missing ANY bites because of my gear. This is about $100-$200 for rods and above $120-$200 for reels. 

 

For cover or bottom contact applications I'll shell out on the upper end, like my football jig rod or my t-rig/jig rod. You'll need both backbone and sensitivity. For MOST reaction I never felt a need to spend a lot of money. When they hit it, they hit it. the Lews TP1 is the best chatterbait rod I've ever used, and it's only $99.

 

For reels, I've had many many $99 dollar reels, most of which I look upon favorably. The only issue is that they tend to not last as many seasons as the more expensive ones. This is the only reason why I shell out more, just for durability. I've found even bumping up only about $30-$50 dollars yields a better return on investment. 

I could never justify spending more than $200 for either. I can certainly understand why people do it, and there's some NICE stuff out there. But it's kind of like a $1000 guitar vs a $5000 guitar. At some point you're not losing any functionality or "sound quality". The margins become almost nothing.