If money wasn’t a factor…What’s the most you’d spend on a Rod/Reel Combo

[Bazoo]

I'd probably spend a $200-$400 on a rod, but... I wouldn't necessarily only look at rods of that "caliber".

 

I do not judge a rod or anything based on its paper specs/performance, but rather from actual field usage. How a rod casts, loads the tip, how it feels in hand for hours of use is far more important to me than what the specs say it'll do.

 

One of my favorite rods is a Zebco rod (with baitcaster on it), which is worth nothing use, and was probably $10 new. I like the size and action of it. I want to upgrade the guides on it. So what I'd do is buy rods that suit me, regardless of cost, and upgrade the guides as I saw fit, or maybe into building rods.

 

Of all the reels I've tried, and granted it's not a huge amount, my favorite reels are Bass Pro Shops. I have buddies with shimano reels, and I prefer my BPS Pro Qualifer 2 baitcasters. The BPS Pro Qual 2 Spinning reel is my favorite spinning reel as well.

 

Now... my tackle stash would be pretty deep. Instead of having 1-2 bags of my favorite plastics or hard lures, I'd have 20.

[blackrain]

I'd spend a lot more on reels than rods. All my rods would have Stellas, Steez SVs, Exists, and Aldebarans.

[T-Billy]

[Cgrinder]

I wouldn't necessarily buy nicer, but I'd buy more and sell fewer.

 

 

 

 

[bulldog1935]

It's about money.  

 

No, it's about fun.  

[Spankey]

I would like to work with a great rod builder and have him teach me how to build my own. It may not necessarily be a bass rod. 

[roadwarrior]

3 hours ago, Bazoo said:

One of my favorite rods is a Zebco rod (with baitcaster on it), which is worth nothing use, and was probably $10 new. I like the size and action of it. I want to upgrade the guides on it. So what I'd do is buy rods that suit me, regardless of cost, and upgrade the guides as I saw fit, or maybe into building rods.

 

Of all the reels I've tried, and granted it's not a huge amount, my favorite reels are Bass Pro Shops. I have buddies with shimano reels, and I prefer my BPS Pro Qualifer 2 baitcasters. The BPS Pro Qual 2 Spinning reel is my favorite spinning reel as well.

Well, we're not on the same page.  You can build your "dream rig" without spending a fortune.

[BrianMDTX]

Let me ask the wife…

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

4 hours ago, FishTank said:

 

One of my all time favorites. They also had one with a black and blue flake body and a blue tail. Both colors are killer. 

 

The closest I have found is this guy from Geecrack.  They are not round like the Ika but oval.

 

Those look very interesting 

[Eric 26]

So I’ve been thinking about this question for quite awhile, I drive a truck so a lot of alone time to think about it 😉 and I know my immediate response was a aw heck no to question number 2😆As far as how much I’d personally spend, for me it boils down to I don’t really know what a “great” reel such as a Daiwa Zillion/Steez or Shimano Metanium or Abu Zenon feel like but I’m sure I would if money were no object. Thinking even longer, remember I drive a truck 😜 I can say I really love @bulldog1935’s ZPI Alcance and also his custom builds so I would say for reels I would tap into the skills of not only bulldog but many others on here and have something built to my specific wants including a killer powder coating job as seen on here by @evo2s197 As far as rods go I’m a little OCD for color matching so I would probably tap into site sponsor DVT to build my rods to match my killer new reels based on his recommendations after I fly down for a personal consultation. On a side note it’s funny as I had a close to this conversation with site member @MiceNReets not very long ago.

[Darrell Shep]

15 hours ago, Eric 26 said:

So I’ve been thinking about this question for quite awhile, I drive a truck so a lot of alone time to think about it 😉 and I know my immediate response was a aw heck no to question number 2😆As far as how much I’d personally spend, for me it boils down to I don’t really know what a “great” reel such as a Daiwa Zillion/Steez or Shimano Metanium or Abu Zenon feel like but I’m sure I would if money were no object. Thinking even longer, remember I drive a truck 😜 I can say I really love @bulldog1935’s ZPI Alcance and also his custom builds so I would say for reels I would tap into the skills of not only bulldog but many others on here and have something built to my specific wants including a killer powder coating job as seen on here by @evo2s197 As far as rods go I’m a little OCD for color matching so I would probably tap into site sponsor DVT to build my rods to match my killer new reels based on his recommendations after I fly down for a personal consultation. On a side note it’s funny as I had a close to this conversation with site member @MiceNReets not very long ago.

I believe this is the way to go. I personally would go the DVT route. Never heard of them before today. 
 

any pictures of their work?

[Eric 26]

@Darrell Shep DVT is a site sponsor so if you reach out to him or google his site I’m sure he can share some photos. P.S I’ve never pursued photos as I’m not in the custom rod market currently.

[ATA]

I dont know what I would , But I already have 15 bass combos that they are $1500 plus. But I think $2000 is the last I put on bass combo or any fishing combo. Dont ask me how many more I have all the way from trout fishing to my big tuna or shark fishing combos that they are lower $2000 and in saltwater version after spooling 2 miles of beaded line, easy $2500.

I know I have issues but I still love my tackle and never feel guilty or regret doing that.

On 7/23/2024 at 8:04 AM, Zcoker said:

You get what you pay for with rod combos--with anything, really. I've spent up to 3k on some of my surf setups, which was necessary in order to fish the way I needed to fish. Sometimes, even, buying high end items like reels can actually SAVE money because, in the long run, it'll still be there, outlasting all those regular reels that would've been necessary to keep up with it. Case in point: I used to go through regular moderately priced saltwater reels like water until I bit the bullet and started buying Shimano Stellas or Daiwa Saltigas. With basic care, those reels will last a lifetime, only one purchase necessary. They remain silky smooth and have some of the most powerful drags in the world to stop even the biggest pelagic fish. A well matched high end combo is worth the price, no matter if the sky is the limit or not. It's like having all the right tools when working on a car or something. The right tools of the highest quality can do the job so much better and so much faster, actually saving a lot of time and a ton of aggravation. On the front end, high priced items like rod combos can appear off limits because of their initial high cost but they shine so brightly on the back end, making the experience so much more enjoyable and everlasting. But if money is no objective, it really doesn't matter anyway, because sometimes having money or not, some people (like me) will still spend it on combos as if there was no limit to it.

I am right there with you. But I couldn't afford accurate reels because pricing is insane on them.

[Zcoker]

12 hours ago, ATA said:

big tuna or shark fishing combos that they are lower $2000 and in saltwater version after spooling 2 miles of beaded line, easy $2500.

 

 

I hear ya loud and clear on those shark setups. Spooling with miles of braid can be fun....and expensive! All my big stand-up gear is old school with Senator 14/0's mated to 10ft unlimited custom made shark rods. Ironically, my most expensive gear is my light surf setups for catching sharks on topwater poppers and stickbaits. 

 

 

[Jar11591]

If money isn’t a factor, why would price be a factor?

[padlin]

I can afford to spend more but I’m happy with what I currently use. So if this was $$ that I had saved over the last 45 years, I’d leave the top end at around $200, per item.
 

If however I inherited a pile of $$ that the government was going to take if I didn’t spend it, then I’d have spend more. Maybe top of the line Loomis rod and Shimano reel, so $500 or so each. It would be fun to see how much difference there is.