Rod or reel, which is more important?

[bamabassman]

ok.my take. it doesn't matter on which is most expensive. what matters is the combo of the 2. mathcing a rod with a reel that FEELS good to YOUR use of it. wether it is for frogging, worming cranks or spinnerbaits. matching a COMBO to the bait i think it what is most important. not which is more expensive.

[HarveysMinnow]

Six weeks ago, I would have said, "Reel all the way" to this question. But I'm beginning to be swayed by what other members say about the issue of rod sensitivity. Even though I generally hold the line, the rod has its own message to convey under certain circumstances, plus I figure all these avid and dedicated fishermen can't be totally wrong.

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[Jim80]

I think the thing in detecting a bite is your line most of us always have a finger in contact with the line and thus feels the bites that way . I would prob go with a higher quality reel over a rod because the mid range rods are still a good quality while low to mid range reels leave much to be desired . That being said I fish mostly middle of the road type gear and have yet to really plunge into expensive set ups



Jim

[CamG]

I guess we also have to decide the definition of High, Mid Range and Low end for each person.

High end rods for me are Falcon Cara's. Mid Range is any other offering from Falcon.

High end reels for me actually pretty much just have a price tag. I own some Curados - and that is high end for me. Since I own Curados I base every decision with those being the my benchmark. Curados do every single thing I want them to do - casting distance, smooth drag and a smooth retrieve. A couple of my original Curado SF's are pushing 10 years old. They still work like they did when I bought them. Now, I almost always buy BPS brand reels. For me, the Extreme and the Pro Qualifier perform just as good as the Curado does, but if I watch I can get them on sale for 50-70 bucks. Why would I ever spend more on a reel? These do everything I would ever need them to do. Some of the Extremes I own are 8 years old, and they still work flawlessly.

My wife bought me a Diawa Fuego back in 04 or 05 for our anniversary. While I liked the reel OK, I just didn't think it did any better than my BPS Extremes. The Extreme's had everything that $200+ dollar reel had, but actually casted further. I ended up trading that Fuego for two Extremes from a tournament partner and couldn't be have been happier.

The nice thing about fishing rods/reels is that nearly anyone can spend just about any amount they want, and still have quality.

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by CamG

I guess we also have to decide the definition of High, Mid Range and Low end for each person.

After rereading some of the posts in this thread, I was just thinking the EXACT same thing.

However, while most people make it so, I don't think this should be a subjective matter. People tend to say how high/low end their gear is depending on their budget. I think it should be comparative to what is available on the market.

Most of my gear is comparable to what CamG described (around Falcon Cara and Curado price ranges), but I consider my gear medium range. While it's all great gear, I could easily spend twice as much or more on a combo.

I'd like to know, if you consider a $300 combo high end, what do you consider a $600, 700, or 800 combo?

I consider under $100 to be low end. $100-200 to be medium range. $200-300 to be medium high, and $300+ to be high end.

Not trying to start a fight, just some more food for thought.

BB

[Jim80]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

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I'd like to know, if you consider a $300 combo high end, what do you consider a $600, 700, or 800 combo?


BB

Insane and not much more



Jim

[Jrob78]

You guys are right. I think most of us would consider a $200 rod and $200-$300 reel pretty high end. I think we would all be pretty happy if our arsenal of combos were all in this price range. In reality, this is pretty middle of the road in the grand scheme of things.

Most of my reels are in the $120-$300 range and my rods are mostly customs, I consider myself very fortunate to use nice gear. I haven't paid retail prices for any of it though. $800-$1000 combos are readily available and would truly be considered "high end." It would be really hard for me to justify that even if I could afford it, which i most definitely can't.

[BigBassin144]

Joe, that's another great point. Many of us don't pay retail for a lot of our gear. I've paid as little as 50% for some of my rods or reels. Which allows me to use a lot more expensive gear than I'd normally be able to use.

BB

[CamG]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

After rereading some of the posts in this thread, I was just thinking the EXACT same thing.

However, while most people make it so, I don't think this should be a subjective matter. People tend to say how high/low end their gear is depending on their budget. I think it should be comparative to what is available on the market.

Most of my gear is comparable to what CamG described (around Falcon Cara and Curado price ranges), but I consider my gear medium range. While it's all great gear, I could easily spend twice as much or more on a combo.

I'd like to know, if you consider a $300 combo high end, what do you consider a $600, 700, or 800 combo?

I consider under $100 to be low end. $100-200 to be medium range. $200-300 to be medium high, and $300+ to be high end.

Not trying to start a fight, just some more food for thought.

BB

Easy...kind of a waste. I'll take the cash so I have more money to spend on baits and more gas money so I can actually go fishing.

Like I said, everyone has to set there own high and low end. There are just too many middle of the road combos that perform as well or better than ones that cost way more for me. If someone wants to spend that kind of money on a rig - I'm more than fine with it. I go overboard with lots of things in fishing/hunting - just not in this category.

Now all things being equal, I may spend $1000 on a combo if:
a) thought it made me a better fisherman
b) money wasn't an option

Neither of those things are true for me, so I'll stick to what I'm very happy with!

[Kevin]

Good topic! I'd rather go cheap on a rod and make sure I had a quality reel.

For me, a good reel makes fishing so much more enjoyable, and having your reel tuned to perfection for ultimate accuracy is critical in many circumstances.

But I think you can get great reels for less than $200. Like CamG mentioned, Curado's are fantastic reels that will last forever. I still have Citica's and Curado's that I've been fishing for 10+ years and work BETTER than the day I bought them and also cast better than some $380+ reels I own.

I own rods that are anywhere from $70 to $400+. For me, an expensive rod is more about comfort than anything else. Usually they are lighter and better balanced, but honestly, I could make do with just about anything that's more than say $70 bucks. If you buy ten $90 rods and have to compete in a big tournament against guys who all have $400 rods, I don't think you're at any disadvantage.

Now don't get me wrong, I love dropping some buckage on a nice rod or reel. I just think we overstate their importance a lot of times.

I'd much rather put my money towards fishing line, lures and tackle. And don't forget electronics! Who said fishing was cheap entertainment?

[HarveysMinnow]

Someone once defined a boat as "a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you throw MONEY". Similar sentiments are probably valid for fishing equipment in general. A good rule of thumb: Spend what you can afford, plus 200%, and just don't let your wife / female companion find out about it.

[Jim80]

Originally Posted by HarveysMinnow

Someone once defined a boat as "a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you throw MONEY". Similar sentiments are probably valid for fishing equipment in general. A good rule of thumb: Spend what you can afford, plus 200%, and just don't let your wife / female companion find out about it.

I also heard boat described as "bust out another thousand "


Jim