NathanDLTH Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 Bassheads, I’ve traveled the road of fishing gear ie tackle, rods, reels, line and short of buying a boat or going hardcore swimbaits a lot of time has gone into gear. By gear I mean rods more then anything else, I spend more time and money frankly on rods then anything else. Lately, I find myself going deeper into rods. I’ve bought and sold enough to make most people sick. Not trying to justify my habit or desire, but I’m trying ti understand this hole I am going down. Please help me out here, I’m half tempted to sell off the higher end stuff and be content with the middle of the road rods which perform just as well. 1 Quote
The Maestro Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 In on 10 page thread before thread lock due to grown men getting their feelings hurt over internet comments. 1 4 Quote
Super User Boomstick Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 Most of my rods retail around $150 or so and I've paid significantly less than that. In the past year, I added a few higher end rods for vertical presentations. I still opt to use cheaper rods for moving baits and really have no reason to upgrade those. I just made another post how I'm fairly content with my rod setup right now and for once Black Friday is approaching and I don't have a whole lot to buy this year. So I did pretty well without going too far down the rabbit hole too badly. Fortunately I have had a lot of input from a lot of other users on several of these rods so I knew exactly what to expect for power and action so I didn't buy a rod hoping it would have a certain bend and end up with something different. That said, I got my youngest son the St Croix Victory Full Contact Finesse 7'3" H/XF rod and I am really impressed with this rod for the money. It's a bit better balanced than most St Croix rods, the fit and finish is also better than most and it's quite sensitive as well. As the carpal tunnel and arthritis in my hands gets worse, it's possible that I might find myself using a Berkley Cherrywood someday in the near future and not knowing the difference. 2 Quote
NathanDLTH Posted October 25, 2021 Author Posted October 25, 2021 35 minutes ago, The Maestro said: In on 10 page thread before thread lock due to grown men getting their feelings hurt over internet comments. Am I missing something? Or are guys just getting soft and threads getting locked because of it? Quote
Super User jbsoonerfan Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 Are we going to beat this dead horse again? Buy what you can afford and enjoy!!!!!! 9 2 Quote
NathanDLTH Posted October 25, 2021 Author Posted October 25, 2021 22 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said: Are we going to beat this dead horse again? Buy what you can afford and enjoy!!!!!! Guess this has been covered. Okay, thanks. 1 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 the math is always the same. Thirty $80 combos cost the exact same as eight $300 combos. Seems like the better purchase is the gear you're going to use rather than accumulate. 8 1 Quote
QED Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 The law of diminishing marginal returns applies to most things, including fishing gear. If you can appreciate and afford high end gear, then that is a nice option. But note that many sponsored bass fishing pros do fine using what might be characterized as mid/upper tier consumer grade stuff. Get what you can afford and enjoy the fishing! 5 2 Quote
Phil77 Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 Watched a guy in my old yak tournament club absolutely smoke everyone with those ugly white and orange Walmart lews combos last year. He still uses them after all the money and higher end hear he won last year. It's your money, there are worse ways to spend it so keep feeding the bait/gear monkey. 2 1 Quote
Super User Hammer 4 Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 Be it high end, or the bottom of the line combo, as long as your catching fish, and having fun, that's all that counts. End of story. 11 Quote
Super User ATA Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 8 hours ago, NathanDLTH said: I’ve traveled the road of fishing gear ie tackle, rods, reels, line and short of buying a boat or going hardcore swimbaits a lot of time has gone into gear. story of my life. 1 Quote
Krux5506 Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 I bought most of my lower end gear several years ago and some of it is seeing the end of it's road now. The stuff I use the most, like a rod exclusively for spinner baits, is what I'd replace with something of higher quality. I did the same with a finesse rod for ned rigs. Basically, whatever lures/styles you like fishing the most, I'd say spend the money on higher quality gear for that application. 5 Quote
Super User OkobojiEagle Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 More tackle won't solve the absence of fish... oe 5 1 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 7 hours ago, NathanDLTH said: Guess this has been covered. Okay, thanks. No one ever bashes low end gear or its owner. I'll tell you in advance where this same high-end-gear-bashing thread always ends up. Name dropping - "the pros are like me and people who buy high-end gear are incompetent" Colloquial humor doesn't translate across geography. Sarcasm transliterates on the internet, and never works, unless your goal is to leave a rotting taste in the reader's mind. No one defines their dollar crossover point the same as anyone else, though I guess Van Staal is high-end gear to everybody. No one cares about your math any more than you care about theirs. 7 Quote
Jaderose Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 Buy what you can afford to buy and enjoy the heck out of it. If you enjoy high end gear and are not spending the mortgage, go for it. If you catch fish and enjoy an old Zebco on a $20 dollar rod, go for it. Either way, you're doing it right. Beyond that, who cares? 6 Quote
DaubsNU1 Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 I'm still fishing the Cabela's branded rods I picked up in the 1990's...they do just fine. I'm a cheap wretched when it comes to certain things...but willing to spend good $$ for quality in other areas. Get what you can afford, and fish the heck out of it. 1 Quote
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 On rods, Ive been more disappointed with my $300-$600 higher-end purchases and more impressed with my $100-$200 mid tier buys. So far as fishing gear is concerned I dont buy the adage "You get what you pay for." 1 Quote
Super User Tennessee Boy Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 11 hours ago, NathanDLTH said: Lately, I find myself going deeper into rods. I’ve bought and sold enough to make most people sick. The question that you need to ask yourself is why are you going deeper into rods. If you are a connoisseur of rods and enjoy collecting fine rods then buy the rods that make you happy. If you are just trying to catch more fish, spending more on rods is not the answer. 4 Quote
evo2s197 Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 Buy what makes you happy, you'll never get bashed if you decide on budget oriented gear, only high end stuff gets bashed. Quote
QED Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said: No one ever bashes low end gear or its owner. I'll tell you in advance where this same high-end-gear-bashing thread always ends up. Name dropping - "the pros are like me and people who buy high-end gear are incompetent" Colloquial humor doesn't translate across geography. Sarcasm transliterates on the internet, and never works, unless your goal is to leave a rotting taste in the reader's mind. No one defines their dollar crossover point the same as anyone else, though I guess Van Staal is high-end gear to everybody. No one cares about your math any more than you care about theirs. You taught me a new word, which doesn't happen frequently since I scored in the 99th percentile on my SAT/GMAT/LSAT exams. Kudos. BTW, my math matters more since I majored in theoretical mathematics! ? 2 Quote
Johnbt Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 "If you enjoy high end gear and are not spending the mortgage, go for it." Paid off the mortgage in 1997. I'm lucky I don't own more junk - expensive and inexpensive - than I do. 2 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 Specific to rods and not counting fly rods, all niche-specific, I fish 2 rods that cost more than $200, and 2 more that cost $400. All of these are extreme light in hand, and side-by-side, the more expensive rods are 25% lighter, and out-perform less-expensive rods in the same niche. I bought them with a purpose. My bread-and-butter rods were under $200, and do their jobs perfectly. Back to the fly rods, in tight quarters, no current rods perform with the mid-length, mid-line-weight "high-tech" glass fly rods from the '70s. Good shopping can find a half-dozen of these venerable glass rods for the cost of one new too-long graphite (or shorter graphite that Doesn't Work). Two really nice bass came from this photo field. Add a couple of newer spendy fly rods that have their place in coastal wind. 5 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted October 25, 2021 Super User Posted October 25, 2021 @Fishingmickey Center Point, first bend below Lion's Park. Bring a wading staff - the rutted dolomite to get this far can be really slick. If you keep going, you'll find the shelf and deep pool where we sight-fish gar, and farther down is the unnamed waterfall that stacks white bass. Right below this is our hill country version of a natural lake - flood waters lifted the flagstone to create a deep hole and natural dam at the same time. Only Jimbo is intrepid-enough to wade to the next run down. 6 1 Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted October 25, 2021 Global Moderator Posted October 25, 2021 3 hours ago, bulldog1935 said: No one ever bashes low end gear or its owner. 1 hour ago, evo2s197 said: , only high end stuff gets bashed. Incorrect . I have personal experience 1 3 Quote
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