Going back to budget?

[swhit140]

On 1/2/2020 at 7:38 PM, JediAmoeba said:

I have bought a lot of six gill rods lately.  They are very nice for the price - they run BOGO's on their rods so you end up with 2 for about 160 dollars. 

Which rod model did you go with and how did you like them?

[JediAmoeba]

25 minutes ago, swhit140 said:

Which rod model did you go with and how did you like them?

So far I have 8 - 2 Akylos Casting rods, 1 Akylos Spinning, 2 Cypress Casting, 1 Brute, 1 SpIce rod and 1 Kranken.  

[FishingGeekTX]

I have to some degree.  I really believe all that sensitivity stuff is all just marketing.  A fragile rod is also a cruel joke..it's an outdoor hobby that has an incredibly long lever being pulled unpredictably, often while traveling in a boat with trees, stepping around them, etc.  I just..it's not a place for fragile anything IMO.

 

Four megabass (levanet, orochi, 2x destroyer).  Two snapped, one destroyer had the 2nd guide pop off after the crankbait clipped it.

None of my other rods have been damaged or broke, making me feel like that $$$ super sensitive is really just super-fragile.  Incredible looking rods though.

I now buy rods based on:

weight

overall feel/look (action/tip primarily)

durability (impossible to determine, but I still try to imagine)

$$/warranty

 

I wish more rods listed weight, its my #1 factor.  And I wish action/tip was data-driven objective, and not just hand-waived.  I have bought whippy rods and really stiff rods, all same ratings, makes it really difficult to trust.

 

 

 

 

[DitchPanda]

I also believe there's a place for expensive and budget gear... I have a few rods in the $150 and up category mostly used for bottom contact lures..while most of my moving bait rods are Berkley shocks which are $50..I do have several falcon bucoo rods I use for cranks and lipless which are much higher end than the shocks but I only bought them cuz I found them years ago at wal mart for $27 bucks each

I will say that while I don't think the bucoos help me catch more fish than the shocks they are definitely nicer to fish with...much lighter more comfortable and just a different feel to them

Guess I'm saying like Bluebasser I save my money for sensitivity based lures and use budget rods where I can unless of course I come across that sweet deal where you can upgrade quality and still downgrade cost by being in the right place at the right time

[Derek1]

What Price range are we calling Budget. When I got started a couple years ago I thought my $120 carbonlite rods were nice expensive rods. Then once I got more into it and started reading online I realized $120 was where Some of the decent brands started and then went up. 

[MN Fisher]

24 minutes ago, Derek1 said:

What Price range are we calling Budget. When I got started a couple years ago I thought my $120 carbonlite rods were nice expensive rods. Then once I got more into it and started reading online I realized $120 was where Some of the decent brands started and then went up. 

All depends on your spending allowance

 

For me, budget is anything under $70 - which most of my rods and reels fall under. Decent is up to $150...anything over that is out of my budget range

 

Even a couple of my 'decent' items fall under 'budget' as I paid less than retail for them.

[TnRiver46]

I've never paid over $40 for a rod, most of mine are $12.99 at academy. I would not enjoy fishing with a $200 rod, id be as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs 

[Bird]

Some of these threads have got some age to them and I may have already posted. Lol

 

I don't usually cut corners on gear but also try to stay in the best bang for the buck category .

 

I do carry a time tested, bullet proof Mitchell 300 mated to a lightning Rod but can feel an instant gain in balance and performance when I grab higher end gear.

 

Off balance and a couple of ounces add up on repetitive motion.

[PhishLI]

I fish off a boat and a kayak, but the majority of my fishing is done by first walking through the woods in the dark and fishing with trees close by. I also lean my rods not in use at that moment against trees when I'm wading. Between snagging tree limbs on the way in, unavoidable at night while carrying 4-5 rods, leaning rods against tree limbs, and occasionally swatting branches on the backswing, which happens sometimes, $140 is my limit. I park $300 reels on some of them, which might seem goofy, but I like cool reels. Up to this point I haven't busted a single rod, but that's because I've capped my spending at $140 per rod. The second I give in and buy a pricier rod it'll get busted pronto, no doubt. I know, you know it. That's how it goes. Truthfully, I'm quite happy with my choices at that price point and below. You get a pretty good stick these days, even at lower prices than $140. High end tech makes it's way down stream. Even a $54 Daiwa Aird X fishes just fine.