Stupid Bored Friday Question - What's More Important? Your Gear(Rod & Reel) or Your Tackle(Lures)?

[ghost]

 

I understand both are but if you have to choose which one is important. 

What is more important to you or gives you more pleasure buying and owning?

[Bird]

I get more excited recieving a new reel or rod vs a lure but tying on a new lure to a new baitcaster is the cats meow. Lol

[tholmes]

Neither. It's all about location.

 

Tom

[PhishLI]

"What is more important to you or gives you more pleasure buying and owning?"

 

I like buying both, but I expect to lose lures, not rods and reels. If I was dangling from a cliff by one arm and needed to drop one or the other to survive: Bye Bye lures.

[T-Billy]

Rod, reel, line, and hook all have to be up to the task at hand. You're setup is only as capable as it's weakest link. The bait is secondary. I can catch fish on most any brand of jig, or beaver, or craw, or worm, or..............

[Deleted account]

27 minutes ago, ghost said:

 

I understand both are but if you have to choose which one is important. 

What is more important to you or gives you more pleasure buying and owning?

I don't derive pleasure from buying or owning tackle, so N/A on that one. As far as which is "more important" as far as catching fish, it's a matter of it being adequate for the job at hand, be it rod, reel, line, lure or terminal tackle, anything above that goes into the pleasure thing and FOMO I guess. 

[cyclops2]

The string I use.

[Basser2021]

In my humble opinion a reel is the most important because if one has a terrible reel then the lure can't even get out there in the first place.

I myself have had some bad reels over the years and it can make a fishing trip unenjoyable

[LrgmouthShad]

4 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Rod, reel, line, and hook all have to be up to the task at hand. You're setup is only as capable as it's weakest link. The bait is secondary. I can catch fish on most any brand of jig, or beaver, or craw, or worm, or..............

agree with this

[islandbass]

5 hours ago, ghost said:

 

I understand both are but if you have to choose which one is important. 

What is more important to you or gives you more pleasure buying and owning?

What good are either without the line, lol? Sorry just as bored as you that I had to come up with a stupid question.  
 

To the topic, I guess I’d say the lures — particularly bait (shrimp, squid, etc.). You don’t need a rod and reel to fish. You can fish with just line of push came to shove. I did it Mexico (hand line fishing) and it was a blast. Let me tell you - our palms are incredibly sensitive. I was imagining getting lucky and battling a marlin or like fish (0 chance from the from Btw) with just my hands as in the old man and the sea. I caught a lot of fish that looked like saltwater bluegill. Not in colors but in shape. 

[Koz]

I can catch fish hand lining or with a cane pole, so what's on the end of that line is more important.

[JustJames]

REELS is the most important for me. Good to look at even without a fish on. Can be home decor (if my wife allow). I’m not talking only catching fish but pleasure to own.

I do have more rod than reel but that what I call a tool to catch fish (you gotta have right tool for the right job, right). I only buy reels I like doesn’t matter if it catch any fish. 

[zpelletier]

I think I enjoy buying rods and reels, but I also over analyze trying to buy the best rod or reel that I can, at the price I can afford. I like buying new lures or plastics and throwing different things to see how they work. And if they don’t work I’m only out a few bucks

[Jmilburn76]

I enjoy buying and having any and all things bass fishing, my wallet not so much, but we gotta keep the bait monkey happy.  .........Off my back monkey!

[roadwarrior]

Rods and reels make fishing more fun. Lures catch fish.

 

[Finessegenics]

Depends how you define important…I love ‘collecting’ lures and soft plastics. I’m not a rod and reel junky but I still get what I need for the job. 
 

But for actually fishing my rod and reel are far more important because they make me feel comfortable throwing whatever I throw. I like the cliff analogy. I’m dropping my lures lol

[Mobasser]

They all go hand in hand.

[BrianMDTX]

I always looked forward to buying a new rifle and scope. Never got “excited” about buying ammunition (not counting handloading). I feel the same way about fishing. All are important components, but the rod and reel is in my hands. The bass may bite the lure, the line may transmit the strike, but I feel it in the rod and land it with the rod and reel. 
 

But I hate it lol that even after spending $$$ on a new rod that I’m looking at…new rods. Damned BM! 

[Tennessee Boy]

On 2/18/2022 at 5:29 PM, ghost said:

What is more important to you or gives you more pleasure buying and owning?

I get more pleasure buying gas for the boat.   At least I know I’ll use it.  ?

[Catt]

Most important to me; rod, reel, & line

 

You can be at the right place at the right time with the wrong lure & still get bit.

[Bankbeater]

You can break off a bait and tie on another one and keep fishing. If your rod or reel breaks that is pretty much it for the day.

[Tennessee Boy]

I interpret the question as what’s more important from a collector’s prospective not from a fishing prospective.   What do you enjoy buying and owning?  Not what is more important in catching fish.  

[Luke Barnes]

I always get my excited about a new rod and reel because I don't have one in every color and shape and size like I do lures. I have lures for days, but a new setup to throw them in is exciting and fun to try out the new rod and reel. If I get a new one its because I don't have anything like it and it will serve a new purpose. 

[PhishLI]

9 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I interpret the question as what’s more important from a collector’s prospective not from a fishing prospective.   What do you enjoy buying and owning?  Not what is more important in catching fish.  

I enjoy buying and owning all of it, however, there's a hierarchy to it.

 

For me, lures are an impulse buy. A fun thing to have. A "let's see if I can catch one on this" kind of thing. They're also temporary for the most part, or seasonal, or specific, or something I'd trade away. I don't spend much time thinking about them beforehand. It's more about I want it now, hit send, drool over them a little when they arrive, then we'll see, whenever. Whenever might be 6 months away, and the right time.

 

Rods and reels, I ruminate about them before a purchase. I'll spend a lot of time rolling a new reel onto a bunch of rods in pursuit of a dash of magic. A goldilocks feel. Besides swim bait reels, I spend little to no time predicting which rod a new reel will land on, but only which one I'd like try first. I enjoy letting it all unfold. This is a personal process pleasure thing for me. It's not for anyone else to understand or even care about. I don't spend a minute promoting my preferences to anyone else in my circle. It's just for me unless someone asks.

 

Ultimately, a rod/reel combo will spend far more time in my hands than any single lure will ever be tied on. By that measure rods and reels are a far more personal thing. Lures aren't, but I like them.

 

Anyone know a good therapist? I'm asking for a friend. ?

 

 

 

 

[MidwestBassAttack]

Rods and reels are the stable relationships. Lures are the no-named one nighters for me.