Price breakdown level

[bassheel]

Just curious on what you guys think. I know everyone  has a different budget but are my price categories about right?  Budget price under 100, mid grade 100 to 250, high grade over 250. I know inflation  has took its toll on reels and rods. I remember  a glx was around 250 so my thinking might be off a little or is it behind the times?

[Junger]

Depends what your disposable income is. High end for me would be anything over $500, which is coincidentally the threshhold where I talk to my wife about any purchases beforehand.

 

A reel for $250 here, a rod for $250 there, she doesn't care, so that's my strike zone.

 

If you're talking about how manufacturers market, what you listed seems about right, except high end stuff is like $400+ imo.

[CrankFate]

High end is somewhere from about $350 and up. $250 here or there is fine with me, but IMO, I see little gains in utility for most gear over $250, but fishing style might matter because I prefer softer rods and they tend to be cheaper. With reels, I see no benefit to something over $250 with another $50-90 in bearing and drag upgrades as worth it. I think a $250 reel with high end bearings is probably better than a stock $500 reel. At least for me. I also don’t like a lot of bling, I want quality and function. And wasting money on overpriced bearings. 

 

People I see who saturate themselves with the most expensive everything that just came out because it’s expensive and just came out don’t enjoy anything but the new thing, 6 months later they’re onto something else.

 

Im looking to make the setup an extension of my arm, where I am used to what I’m using and know what’s happening underwater.

[GreenPig]

 It's all a balancing act. Spend too much on gear and you must work overtime to cover it, which means giving up fishing time. 

[Jrob78]

I would bump your numbers up by $50, -$150, $150-$300, $300+ but otherwise I agree. The majority of my gear is in that mid range, $150-$300 and I think above that you reach a point of diminishing returns in a lot of cases. There is also a lot of quality gear in the budget range below $150. Get in where you fit in.

[ww2farmer]

I want to fish more and work less....there fore I use "budget" Dobyns Fury rods, and $100 Daiwa Reels. I do all right with this "junk" out of my leaky tin can with dual hamster power. I know many many guys with the finer things in life that have no time to use them, because they spend it all working to pay for it. You only get one ride on this rock, I'm not wasting it working. If that means I have to make due with lesser gear...so be it.

[blckshirt98]

I bucket them into 4 groups -

Budget ($0-100) - they'll catch fish but might not be as light or sensitive as other rods on the market, might break on you, might lose a guide, wear and tear might come faster than normal.  Warranty may be lousy.

Quality ($100-200) - take care of the rod and it'll last you for years.  It'll be light and sensitive, should have quality components, will have a decent warranty from the manufacturer.

Specialty ($200-300) - Rods that requires something "extra" on top of a quality rod - a more sensitive blank, a stronger blank, a beefier butt/handle section, better guides, a longer blank, more sections, etc.  Surf rods, swimbait rods, boat rods, travel rods that require 3-4 sections, technique specific, etc.  Strong warranty, usually lifetime.

Luxury ($300 and up) - people with disposable income where price is not an issue and just want the best blank, best guides, best handle, best real seat, that money can buy.  Usually warrantied for life.

I have a few "Budget" rods that I either bought when I first started out or got as freebies at store sales.  Most of my rods are in the "Quality" range.  I have a handful of rods that were over $200 but those are the swimbait/surf/trout/technique specific rods, and only a couple of rods that (retailed) for over $300.

[redmeansdistortion]

I have all budget rods, some of them over 20 years old and no problems at all.  I have fished higher end rods and do think they're really nice, but I can't justify that kind of money on them.  I have other hobbies that are money pits too so I gotta spread the funds around a bit.

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

I bucket them into 4 groups -

Budget ($0-100) - they'll catch fish but might not be as light or sensitive as other rods on the market, might break on you, might lose a guide, wear and tear might come faster than normal.  Warranty may be lousy.

Based on this criteria - I have nothing BUT budget rigs...though I try for the best quality I can in those. Necessity brought on by being on a fixed-income with very little 'wiggle-room'.

[blckshirt98]

"Budget" is a misnomer there are a countless number of solid rods available under $100.  The $80 Shimano Clarus and $40 Shimano Scimitar rods were my workhorses when I first started fishing and they still perform like the day I bought them in both the surf and freshwater.

[jbsoonerfan]

Fishing gear is a lot like golf clubs. You can buy a brand new set of sticks for $2,000 and you "might" improve your game by a stroke. Same thing with rods and reels. You can spend $100 on a rod or $400 on a rod but if you don't know how to catch fish, it won't matter. Give me (a 9 handicap) a brand new set of DXG's (super expensive clubs) and Rory a set of Wilson's from Wal-Mart and he is going to beat me down. Same thing with fishing. Give me an Antares and a Megabass Destroyer and give EE an Ugly Stick and an Abu silver max and he makes me look silly. Like others have said, I think there is a point in which price doesn't give you much of an advantage. Experience and knowledge are priceless. 

[blckshirt98]

It's all confidence.  Sometimes the expensive gear gives you that confidence, sometimes you have that confidence regardless of the gear you use.  This morning I saw some guy fishing with his buddy (who had a normal setup) but this guy was rocking a 2.5 foot Barbie baitcaster as his rod, I kid you not.

[NYWayfarer]

I would add another category, “cheap/entry level” $50 and under. 

 

Cheap for the people that don’t like to spend a lot of money on gear. The types that stress that you can catch just as many fish with a stick, line and a hook so why spend a lot of change.

 

Entry level for those that are just getting into the sport but don’t want to spend a lot of money in case they don’t like it. 

[greentrout]

i own bps 2 pc. tourney specials i bought for 39.99 normally 49.99 ... rt2 graphite ... they are light sensitive and have plenty of backbone .... 6'6" med and mh .... t rig spinnerbaits lipless cranks topwaters and frogs are fished with them .... 

 

i'm no pro .... not even close ... fish 2 to 3 times a week and i've never felt cheated by my rods ...

 

recently, picked up a kastking perigee II 2 pc. rod with m/mh tips 7'0" for 40 dollars on sale .... it's the best of the lot .... they are telling the truth when they claim "affordable innovation" ....

 

and i ain't broke ....

 

good fishing ....