curious question about high priced reels

[hawgchaser]

Let me be clear on my point. I am NOT saying that cheaper gear is as good or that there is something wrong with buying expensive stuff. But I see a lot of posts were people, often kids and teenagers, are looking for quality stuff that they can afford or ask their parents for.....only to be told that their options aren't worth a darn and they need to go get a curado and a loomis.

I think it is better to point them towards a BPS reel and a lightning rod and congratulate them on their new rod and reel! Now that doesnt mean that you cant give honest reviews of equipment, i just dont get the snobbery.

I use what I do bc it works for me. I have American rodsmith, falcon, loomis, bps, browning, all star, shimano, abu, quantum, lews.. And probably several more brands. I use stuff that works for me and I have tried a lot.... Actually too much ;D

[Redlinerobert]

It's like driving a Lamborghini or Ferrari.  You do so because you can.  Not necesarily that it makes the drive better.  It usually does make the drive better though....

[hawgchaser]

It's like driving a Lamborghini or Ferrari. You do so because you can. Not necesarily that it makes the drive better. It usually does make the drive better though....

Exactly, but when a 16 y/o brags on his new(used) Ford, would you tell him its no good and he should go buy a lamborghini?

Thats my only point. Lets not pretend this equipment is necessary to be a great fisherman. Once again, there are folks that don't even have boats that are sporting equipment that cost more than the pros.

[Redlinerobert]

It's like driving a Lamborghini or Ferrari. You do so because you can. Not necesarily that it makes the drive better. It usually does make the drive better though....

Exactly, but when a 16 y/o brags on his new(used) Ford, would you tell him its no good and he should go buy a lamborghini?

Thats my only point. Lets not pretend this equipment is necessary to be a great fisherman. Once again, there are folks that don't even have boats that are sporting equipment that cost more than the pros.

Good post.  I fish with friends that have the $50 rods and reels, and let me tell you, they kick my butt often out on the water.  As I posted earlier, doesnt matter what you spend, do so within your means and have fun.

[roadwarrior]

Let me be clear on my point. I am NOT saying that cheaper gear is as good or that there is something wrong with buying expensive stuff. But I see a lot of posts were people, often kids and teenagers, are looking for quality stuff that they can afford or ask their parents for.....only to be told that their options aren't worth a darn and they need to go get a curado and a loomis.

I think it is better to point them towards a BPS reel and a lightning rod and congratulate them on their new rod and reel! Now that doesnt mean that you cant give honest reviews of equipment, i just dont get the snobbery.

I use what I do bc it works for me. I have American rodsmith, falcon, loomis, bps, browning, all star, shimano, abu, quantum, lews.. And probably several more brands. I use stuff that works for me and I have tried a lot.... Actually too much ;D

My observation is that people who request guidance at a given pricing point get very good and specific advice. As a matter-of-fact, I don't recall ever reading a reply that stated "your low end gear won't work, you need a Loomis and a Curado".

:

[grimlin]

I think hawgchaser is right on the money.

It's what you are most comfortable with and can afford.My budget is anything within $150 or less.if i had a $300 rod or reel i'd baby it...like micro said...which would be no fun then.

I still like to drool over the expensive stuff once in awhile.

[senile1]

I agree with the statements that success can be had with lower-priced equipment but the original post asked for the extent of the performance difference between equipment with different costs.  I don't see any snobbery in someone stating their opinion if they think very expensive equipment has a tremendous performance difference over inexpensive stuff.  

Too me, I find a big difference in sensitivity between rods in the $150 - 200 dollar range and rods below $100.  As for reels, those in the $100 - $200 range tend to be smoother and have better drags than less expensive models.  However, I have a couple of cheaper baitcasters that perform well and I don't see that they have hindered me from catching fish.  If you are going to spend extra money the rod is where you will receive the most benefit from the extra dollars, especially if you fish jigs and soft plastics a lot.  The difference in sensitivity between an excellent midrange rod and a high-end rod is not so significant.  Again, these are just my opinions.

[daviscw]

Well, as has already been mentioned, as you move up in price there is "diminishing return". A $400 or $500 reel is significantly different than a $200 reel, but it is definitely not twice the reel.

8-)

In your estimation, how much more of a reel is it? 8-)

This is how much LESS of a reel it is....  

Shimano Citica 9.9 oz $119.99

Diawa Steez 5.5 oz $449.95

[Red]

I think hawgchaser is right on the money.

It's what you are most comfortable with and can afford.My budget is anything within $150 or less.if i had a $300 rod or reel i'd baby it...like micro said...which would be no fun then.

I still like to drool over the expensive stuff once in awhile.

i could probably save up and buy some higher end stuff, but i just cant take the extra seconds to make sure it dosent get scratched or something.  i treat my stuff like crap, i admit.  but i bought it to fish with, not to look at.  so as long it works i am happy.  if i screw up and bust a rod tip, well that is just part of the game i guess.

Cliff

[Crowcommander]

With Fuel and o/b oil being so high maybe we need to look at the middle of road rod,reels,equipment. It's like my Pa used to say." It doesn't cost but a little more to go 1st class, you just can't stay as long. Seriously people,life is short,Buy the best you can afford and enjoy everyday!!! Just my .02.Crowcommander

[daviscw]

With Fuel and o/b oil being so high maybe we need to look at the middle of road rod,reels,equipment. It's like my Pa used to say." It doesn't cost but a little more to go 1st class, you just can't stay as long. Seriously people,life is short,Buy the best you can afford and enjoy everyday!!! Just my .02.Crowcommander

I always heard "You can pay $1 and go half-***, or you can pay $3 and go first class". I agree that money should be spent. I have witnesed family members that were potential millionaires that lived without HVAC, in rags for clothes, and ate pork and beans every night. While this has nothing to do with fishing, some people put way too much empasis on saving money for their kids and grandkids when they die, and they forget to enjoy life themselves. It all comes down to what you like, want, and are willing to spend.

[SpecialSause]

i find a bit of diffrence between the two but to me its not worth the cash. i just bought a diawa supertuned reel and also a pflueger echlon with an all star rod. the pflueger came with the rod as a combo from sports academy it cost me $90. the most i will ever spend on fishing stuff. i got the diawa for $69 off ebay. i sugest if you want a great reel and great rod for an even better price to to sports academy and get that combo. however if you do want some higher end things you dont always have to pay the higher end price just get an ebay account and paypal account, its free. get your parents permission and bid on something. here is the reel i almost bought it cost $200 + at a store. here is the link to the reel i almost got along with another few on my list of reels that i will one day aquire...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380035393792&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260249068512&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching

good luck fishing its not the equiptment that makes the fisherman.

SS

[flechero]

Diminishing returns? yup. But sometimes better really is better, even if it's only a little.  (in my case, I like light weight reels) It's not for everyone, but if you can afford nice gear, very few people ever regret buying it.

As for being afraid to hurt it...

You just have to decide that you are going to fish it. If it gets scratched then it has charactor... I find that I'm careful even with cheap stuff so I don't worry about the $$$ stuff either. If you bought it to sell later, you are a collector... if you bought it to fish with, then enjoy the spoils and have fun.

[=Matt 5.0=]

A nicer reel won't catch fish for you, but it will make it easier and smoother.

I look at it this way...

You could drive a BMW to work every day, or you could drive a 1990 Pinto. Either way you are more than likely going to get to work. (As long as you know how to drive... {a.k.a fish}) But how you get there will be different. (Faster, smoother, nicer luxaries, etc....)

Sorry, no Pinto's built after 1980.....

[daviscw]

Thank you for your generous clarification. I will make sure to go back and edit so no one will be confused or misled.

[tennwalkinghorse]

High end gear will not make you better at what you are doing only practice will .  Once you get to a certain point better gear will make you more proficient but you must first get to that point. JMHO

[The Rooster]

I'm the type person that no matter how careful I am I just seem to have accidents.  Like last summer I bought a new Shimano Sedona spinning reel, went to the lake later on that summer, boat rubbed up against a stump and knocked me off balance and I ended up stepping on it and bending the bail completely beyond recognition.  Took me a good 2 hours working with it to make it fishable again.  If it had been more than just a $50 reel I'd have been beyond sick.  Even at that price I was very disturbed by it.  So I won't allow myself to spend that much on stuff.  But at the same time, I can't fish with very cheap stuff, just is not nearly as enjoyable.  I try to hold my purchase price on a single reel or rod under $100, $200 for the pair at MOST.  I figure I might break the rod, or destroy the reel, but the odds of me destroying both at the same time are not as high as just getting one of them.   ;D  And to date, I've never thrown an entire combo overboard while casting (as that would be the only way I could think to destroy the entire combo)........but last week I did see that done while fishing at the river..........someone else done it though, not me.