haggard Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 18 minutes ago, slonezp said: A $100 dollar St Croix feels like a $40 Ugly Stick The first two rods I bought were a $120 St Croix and a $37 Ugly Stik. Even at my newbie level, I can feel the difference, no comparison. Just my experience and opinion. You know what they say about opinions 2 Quote
BigAngus752 Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 5 minutes ago, reason said: The trick is figuring out if you really want it, or if you just think you want it grasshopper. Are you fast enough to grab this St. Croix Legend from my hand? 1 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 5 minutes ago, haggard said: The first two rods I bought were a $120 St Croix and a $37 Ugly Stik. Even at my newbie level, I can feel the difference, no comparison. Just my experience and opinion. You know what they say about opinions So, I would never own a G Loomis or St Croix. They won't make me a better fisherman, help me connect more, help me land more fish, and the "fatigue" factor is negligible. That being said, the only good Ugly Stick currently made is their trolling rods. The rest are sub par to say the least. Try yourself a $100-$150 rod that is not St Croix or G Loomis. You'll be surprised. Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 1 minute ago, slonezp said: That being said, the only good Ugly Stick currently made is their trolling rods. Well, opinions are like... Compared to my older rods, Berkley Enforcer for example, I felt that the GX-2 I got for my Trion was a vast improvement. I'm working with a fixed-income budget, so my sights have to be lower. When I can get a full rig (President/Aird-X) for that same $100 - I'll grab it. Quote
superkamikazee Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 To be fair, the daiwa airdx is way too good a rod at $50. 1 Quote
Super User Deleted account Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 26 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said: Are you fast enough to grab this St. Croix Legend from my hand? While playing my flute and without ripping the rice paper. I remember really looking forward to the next episode as a kid, a week seemed like an eternity then, now a year is like a flash. 1 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 Just now, MN Fisher said: Well, opinions are like... Compared to my older rods, Berkley Enforcer for example, I felt that the GX-2 I got for my Trion was a vast improvement. I'm working with a fixed-income budget, so my sights have to be lower. When I can get a full rig (President/Aird-X) for that same $100 - I'll grab it. The problem with the Ugly Sticks is they are too bendy. Too much like an ice fishing rod for my liking. A 6-1/2 to 7 ft rod needs some backbone that should reach 2/3 to 3/4 the length of the rod. The standard Ugly Stick doesn't have that. 1 Quote
Super User Koz Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 I say to each his own, as long as you're enjoying it. Last year I bought a Lew's Mach II baitcaster combo for around $170 and for me that's an expensive fishing purchase. Then again, when my growing son needs a new baseball bat those cost $300 - $400 each and I'm sure many think that's a steep price. Quote
Super User PhishLI Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 22 hours ago, EGbassing said: What would you rate your Aird-X out of ten? I've been thinking about getting one but I can't decide. My brother picked up the 7'H casting and the 7' MH spinning. I tried both out on the boat and thought they were just fine. They're both truly "fast" sticks, so keep that in mind. When he told me what they cost I was really impressed. Before then I'd tried out a number of less expensive rods in the same price range just to get a feel for them. The AIRDs definitely feel like they could be priced quite a bit higher than many in the same range. Also, the build quality does not look like $55 at all if that matters to you. A few months ago I carted the 7'MH 2pc casting on amazon. Just left it there. When you do that the algorithm does what it does and the price tends to drop eventually. I logged on a few weeks ago and was alerted that the price had decreased to $37. SOLD! I'd wanted something I could keep in the back seat for whenever I wanted to drop into any of the local spots nearby for a few casts. I hit by a spot late afternoon on sunday. Threw out an IMA suspending lipless. Got a few swipes instantly and was able to feel what was happenening nicely. A 19" pickeral crushed the IMA and fought well on the way in. The AIRD didn't snap. I didn't feel like I was suffering at all fishing with it. It balances about an inch in front of the reel nut with a 6.5oz Pflueger Supreme XT saddled on. The 7'MH is rated up to an 1 oz. The rod loaded well with the 3/8oz IMA. Definitely not overloaded. I'm not going to rate it on a scale. I will say that lt looks and feels like it could cost quite a bit more than it does. A screaming bargain at the street price, IMO, if you like a fast action stick. If I happen to blow it up on a tree branch I won't cry for too long given the price. I'd replace it with another one for sure. 1 Quote
Pikeman12 Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 I love my okuma celios. 30$ rod, caught tons of bass on it. Love it. Used to have a pflueger trion on it, but its a light and i was able to find a nice shimano stradic 1000 for free to slap on it. One of my favorite setups honestly. 1 Quote
BassHawg2293 Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 I used to know nothing but ugly stick and a Mitchell 300.. in the pond fishing days no one could've convinced me differently. Nowadays since I have a boat I do buy middle of the road gear. I can 100% say better gear makes a difference. Some stuff performs great for 1 season, but spending just a little more for better quality is the way to go I think. I'll never buy a $300-$500 rod or reel though. I can say that Quote
Smungung Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 Ultimate bang for buck combo from walmart granite outdoors bait caster for 30 dollars and a berkley cherrywood casting rod for $14 free shipping as well Quote
Super User jimmyjoe Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 I've got rods from $35 to $200, and reels from $15 to $250. I had other stuff that got me to this point, but I've resold it. I have what I have now because it does what I want and it does it the way I want it to do it. Some people look down on me because of the expensive stuff. Some people look down on me because of the cheap stuff. I really don't give a rat's ass. I'm there to catch fish and satisfy myself. What they think is their problem. jj 1 Quote
greentrout Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 Shakespeare Agility normally 30$ got on clearance 6'6'' med. fast. 15$... been a workhorse... good fishing ... Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said: I'm there to catch fish and satisfy myself. What they think is their problem. I think the whole point of this thread is to show that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a rig that will work. Some of us don't have the type of money to drop $200 on a reel and another $150 on a rod. This year I added a flip/pitch/frog rig to my collection and replaced my old spinner/chatter/buzz rig - total cost for both setups was about $250. I won't have on-water experience with these until ice-out, but from my bench-testing, these are going to work just fine. Quote
Super User jimmyjoe Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 36 minutes ago, MN Fisher said: I think the whole point of this thread is to show that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a rig that will work. Some of us don't have the type of money to drop $200 on a reel and another $150 on a rod. Exactly. That describes half my stuff. The Quantum rod for $25, and the Quantum reel for $15. The Fenwick Eagles on sale. The clearance Daiwa reels. The Cabela's rod on Christmas sale for $29.99. But I have more expensive stuff, too. I didn't get it to show off. I didn't get it to brag. I didn't get it just because it was expensive. And I didn't get it because the cheaper stuff wasn't any good. Sure it's good. I got the expensive stuff because it did a certain thing that I wanted to do, and the other stuff didn't. I'm retired, and spending a lot of money hurts. But I'm sure not gonna enjoy fishing after I'm dead. Wherever I go, I meet some people who think no one should have or use expensive stuff. That's wrong. And I meet people who think no one should use cheap stuff. That's wrong, too. Get what works, and satisfy yourself, no matter what the equipment happens to be. Like I said in the post above, I'm there to catch fish. I apologize if I seem rude, but this subject really hits a sore spot with me. jj 4 Quote
Smalls Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 Price doesn’t always reflect quality. I’ve got some cheap gear that has lasted me a long time. But if I’m looking at two reels, a $60 one of mediocre materials and a much better quality reel for $120, I’m buying the more expensive one. I’ll likely get more life out of it. The point if if diminishing returns works both ways. There’s a certain price where higher end gear just doesn’t give you much more advantages. There’s also a price point where if you go under, it’s impossible for the manufacturer to have made it of quality components, and likely cut corners producing it. Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 1 minute ago, jimmyjoe said: Wherever I go, I meet some people who think no one should have or use expensive stuff. That's wrong. And I meet people who think no one should use cheap stuff. That's wrong, too. Get what works, and satisfy yourself, no matter what the equipment happens to be. I think that's a balanced look. If you CAN afford it, and want it...then get it. Would I want a Revo-STX or Patriarch reel? Yes. Would I want a Loomis or St. Croix rod? Yes I just can't afford the mid-range to expensive things at all, so I get the best I can with what money I have. 1 Quote
Super User jimmyjoe Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said: I think that's a balanced look. If you CAN afford it, and want it...then get it. Would I want a Revo-STX or Patriarch reel? Yes. Would I want a Loomis or St. Croix rod? Yes I just can't afford the mid-range to expensive things at all, so I get the best I can with what money I have. I understand. I was there for many years. I still caught fish, and I still had fun. Life's great, ain't it? jj 1 Quote
GReb Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 Different levels of gear help different levels of fisherman. More advanced anglers get more out of higher end gear. The golf comparison is the best. A pro v1 isn’t going to help a 20 handicap spin a wedge. It will make all the difference to a scratch golfer though. Now at some level it becomes an enthusiast item where the gains are so minimal the price difference is just for pure pleasure. Some guys like knowing they have the absolute best so they can say without a doubt the problem is them not the gear. Confidence comes into play as well. Bottom line is find the gear that is allows you to perform at your best whether that’s a $50 rod or $200. You are always the most important factor though. The rod and reel is just an extension of you. Quote
Super User JustJames Posted January 23, 2019 Super User Posted January 23, 2019 Sorry I don’t buy gears base on price alone. I buy gears base on 1.comfort 2. Feature 3.color then price. I’m not gonna hold humongous/heavy reel to fish Senko all day even the price is right. I’m also not gonna use tiny super light weight magnesium super expensive 10 bearings with Huddleston 8”. I don’t mind cheap gear but if I have choices I would get nice/fancy one first and I believe most would do the same. So I think we should all enjoy whatever we have or can afford don’t worry about what others have. BTW I love my bantam MGL but my SLX get more use. Quote
bayvalle Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 6 hours ago, haggard said: The first two rods I bought were a $120 St Croix and a $37 Ugly Stik. Even at my newbie level, I can feel the difference, no comparison. Just my experience and opinion. You know what they say about opinions Agree. I have both...no comparison. Although both the Ugly stick and St Croix have a purpose. Quote
ike8120 Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 I have a mixture of both, My new setups are under 200 bucks since I was able to get on sale. But I buy what I can afford. I would love a 200 buck reel but my 60 buck reel will do just a well. Being cheap(less expensive) is not always bad ,may not last as long. Quote
LuffDaddy Posted January 23, 2019 Posted January 23, 2019 I absolutely LOVE budget gear. I just started getting into bassin heavily back in June of last year. I now have 7 baitcasters and 4 spinning setups. Not one complete set up cost me over 150. Most i got for under 100. And I'm able to pretty much cover about technique. Always feels good knowing I put together everything i need for less than someone could spend on one combo! Quote
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