Do you really need to spend $100+ for a good rod?

[Alex Ball]

Hey guys. I finally started catching here on Bull Shoals! The other day I broke my Lithium 842ds rod. Luckily I had a backup. It's a Denali Ryker 842f. The experience got me thinking about something.

   How important is the price you pay to what you get? I say this because I ran the same setup except for the rod and really couldn't feel a $140 difference.

   I am new but I'm also Booshi. I've always spent bigger on the rods. I ran 2 other "cheap rods" vs. the high end Denalis that comp to em and again, couldn't feel a difference that justified the price. 

   Any opinions here? Am I too green to tell? I started on $200+ rods. My Berkley Shock seems pretty dang similar...... Is it really all preference? If so I may have some Denalis for sale, LoL.

[Bankc]

For me, a lot depends on the technique you're fishing.  For bottom contact, more expensive rods really have an advantage.  With a jig or Texas rig worm, sometimes you need a really sensitive rod to detect those bites, or you'll miss fish. 

 

With moving baits like crankbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, a whole lot of cheap rods out there will translate everything you need to know.  At that point, to me, it's more about how much the little things mean to you, like attention to detail, quality of components and rod weight.  I don't believe you'll actually catch more fish by going from a Berkley Lightning rod to a G. Loomis. or Megabass with those type of techniques.  

[Alex Ball]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

For me, a lot depends on the technique you're fishing.  For bottom contact, more expensive rods really have an advantage.  With a jig or Texas rig worm, sometimes you need a really sensitive rod to detect those bites, or you'll miss fish. 

 

With moving baits like crankbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, a whole lot of cheap rods out there will translate everything you need to know.  At that point, to me, it's more about how much the little things mean to you, like attention to detail, quality of components and rod weight.  I don't believe you'll actually catch more fish by going from a Berkley Lightning rod to a G. Loomis. or Megabass with those type of techniques.  

Yessir. Preach it! 

  I think part of it is that my "cheap rods" are all composite except for the Rykers. They bend well. The Shock is an excellent rod. I don't care what the reviews say. Had a BLat rod, the shock ate it up. The Shimano Sojourn is a great rod at $30. Heck, the Abu vigilante winch is a sleeper.

    I'm definitely going to start looking at the lower price options. I have several friends who just can't afford a new setup. I'm not cool with that. If $80 is what it takes to make a friend feel like they got a great setup. I'm all in.

    My higher end stuff is generally reserved for Keitechs, Jigs, and Warts. Very specific about my Wart setups.

[MN Fisher]

Nope - I've yet to spend over $100 for any rod or reel.

 

Now saying that, I have 6 Fury rods; 2 Patriarch, 2 Fuego and 2 Supreme for reels...sales, and buying used (the Patriarchs) account for that.

[Randy Price]

Almost all of my rods NOW are SC Legend Tournament or higher.  As a kid and young adult I had one Eagle Claw fiberglass casting rod and caught a ton of fish on it.  I like the higher end rods for their lightness, sensitivity, and quality components but I do not know that I would go so far as to say I catch more fish with them.

[Alex Ball]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Nope - I've yet to spend over $100 for any rod or reel.

 

Now saying that, I have 6 Fury rods; 2 Patriarch, 2 Fuego and 2 Supreme for reels...sales, and buying used (the Patriarchs) account for that.

Yup. Got the Denalis for 30-70$ cuz they're used or refurbs at the home store. Outside my Lew's Tournament MP nothing I own cost me $100. Well, I did buy a Denali Attax, but it was too stiff.

[LrgmouthShad]

We all catch fish. We all choose what we want to spend on tackle. Wish everybody nothing but happiness in this sport. 
 

Saw something like this posted on another thread and I’m posting it here now. 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

We all choose what we want to spend on tackle.

In my case, my wallet determines what I can spend. I'd love a SV mounted on a Victory...but that would mean 1 rig instead of 2...more rigs, more options.

[Tennessee Boy]

My most expensive rod is an SC Legend (older version that cost $460).  My least expensive rod cost around $20 30 years ago.  I like both rods in different situations.  I like the way the Legend feels.  I can say with certainty that does not help me detect strikes and does not catch more fish than the old $20 rod.

[Alex Ball]

3 hours ago, Randy Price said:

Almost all of my rods NOW are SC Legend Tournament or higher.  As a kid and young adult I had one Eagle Claw fiberglass casting rod and caught a ton of fish on it.  I like the higher end rods for their lightness, sensitivity, and quality components but I do not know that I would go so far as to say I catch more fish with them.

Don't get me wrong, I can certainly feel the difference between a Ryker and a Lithium. I'm also involved in selling rods and reels so I have access to nicer setups at lower prices. But I'm not a tournament guy nor do I plan to be. If I can feel it hit the bottom and the contact when it moves, I'm good. 

    Having said that, you're right about the advantages. Also, $100 will get you a pretty sweet rod nowadays.

[LrgmouthShad]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

In my case, my wallet determines what I can spend. I'd love a SV mounted on a Victory...but that would mean 1 rig instead of 2...more rigs, more options.

Yes, understand that too. 

[Mobasser]

When I started I had Berkeley Lightning Rods, and caught many bass with them. I say get the best you can afford and have fun.

[CM-fisher]

19 minutes ago, Alex Ball said:

Don't get me wrong, I can certainly feel the difference between a Ryker and a Lithium. I'm also involved in selling rods and reels so I have access to nicer setups at lower prices. But I'm not a tournament guy nor do I plan to be. If I can feel it hit the bottom and the contact when it moves, I'm good. 

    Having said that, you're right about the advantages. Also, $100 will get you a pretty sweet rod nowadays.

This^^^

I think that $100 is the perfect combination for price and performance. I have the Lew's TP1X casting rod for jigs and texas rigs. It is light, sensitive, strong, and great looking. I match it up with a $100 Revo X and can say with certainty there is no need for anything more expensive. I do agree with other guys saying that when using moving baits like the spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc a really inexpensive rod will work just as well as the high end ones.

[roadwarrior]

Geez...

Every week this pops up out of nowhere.  There are options for everyone at any pricing point.

The discussion should be "What's the best value under$100, around $200 or $300, etc, etc..."
Comparing $30 gear with $300 equipment is ridiculous.

 

[JWall14]

Depends also on the rod. All $100 rods are not created equal and this goes for every price point. Sensitivity will increase with good rods. For example an Expride and SLX do not compare in the sensitivity department but they are fairly close in weight.

[BrianMDTX]

18 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Geez...

Every week this pops up out of nowhere.  There are options for everyone at any pricing point.

The discussion should be "What's the best value under$100, around $200 or $300, etc, etc..."
Comparing $30 gear with $300 equipment is ridiculous.

 

And skill level. A newbie fishing a Texas rig with a 1/4 oz. bullet weight likely won’t perceive much difference between a $100.00 vs a $300.00 rod. I probably wouldn’t (maybe). You would for sure. 

[813basstard]

How much do you fish? I’m not dialed in enough to really know the difference but I have found the more expensive stuff tends lasts longer and perform better while lasting. When you fish a lot or for money, or both, it makes a difference 

[thediscochef]

I think there's maybe 2.5% of fishermen that can translate the difference between a $200 and a $600 rod into more fish. I think it was WRB who said that first, though likely with different statistics. I'd actually tag him but I'm sure he sees these threads enough.

I digress. IMO, if you can't catch a fish on a $250 combo...it's not the gear. I tend to think that combos beyond the $300 price point are more or less splitting hairs. Someone out there definitely needs to split hairs for maximum effect - but that someone is also definitely not most of us. Surely not me. 

[NHBull]

“Best, Worst, Fastest, Slowest,” are just a few words that that should be banned on forums ?

 

Can you tell the difference between. 400 rod and and a 150?  Absolutely!

 

That said, I believe it is best to elevate  on jig rods........

 

There are also some general purpose higher end rods that can actually save you money. The loomis GLX MBR is the Swiss Army knife in my quiver

[Bird]

I tend to spend a little more for the rod ( $100 - 150 ) and around$100 for a reel.

I've always drawn a line somewhere.

[PressuredFishing]

No

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

When I started I had Berkeley Lightning Rods, and caught many bass with them. I say get the best you can afford and have fun.

This right here. Lots of good stuff out there from $40 all the way up to..well whatever you want to spend. Most of my stuff...rods and reels..are in the $100-$150 range now days but for year I had a cheap eagle claw spinning rod and an ugly stik as my only two bass rods and I caught plenty of fish. I think you buy what you can afford and justify spending.

P.S. the newest iteration of Berkley lightning rods are maybe the best version yet..they are dang nice for $40. If I was on a tight budget i could buy 3 casting and 2 spinning models...throw black maxes on the casters and revros's on the spinners and catch plenty of fish. That's 5 combos to cover most anything I need to do for a total of after tax under $500.

[new2BC4bass]

I don't catch more with a $150 rod than I do with a $40 rod.  However, the more expensive rod brings me more pleasure knowing I am fishing with a quality product.  My old Berkley Lightning has caught more fish than any of my newer, more expensive rods.  May have to try a new model since DitchPanda says they are probably the best version yet.  What's another $40? 

[Jaderose]

Really?  Not one person asks the obvious question?  *Sigh*...Guess it's up to me.....What the hell is "Booshi?"

[BrianMDTX]

8 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

Really?  Not one person asks the obvious question?  *Sigh*...Guess it's up to me.....What the hell is "Booshi?"

As George Orwell might say, it’s Newspeak for bourgeois. Also known as middle class. 
 

In BRspeak, I ain’t got the coin to be blowin’ on $200.0 rods and reels!