$200 rods that much better?

[tjwierz2]

I was down in the Fla. Keys a couple weeks ago and went to with a guide to do some saltwater fishing. We had a great time cathing many species of fish between 12" - 28". These are the most aggressive fish I have ever caught and they fight like crazy.

Quality rods and reels are a must. We were using graphite g-loomis rods and some really nice shimano spinning reels. (sorry, dont know the model). I know the rods were over $200 though. The action and feel of the rods were great, and the reels had a great drag system...which was a must.

But for walleyes and smallies in minnesota, I've been using an 6 and 6 1/2 foot ugly stick with a shimano lx1000 and lx2000 spinning reels for awhile now. I have great feel when using 6 lb test and I the drag system works great.

I know I'm using "economy" equipment. A lot of people spend the money to get the quality equipment, g-loomis etc...

I would like to hear how much difference it makes for you guys that do use the better stuff? Is there not much difference? Or is it a big advantage. Like ice fishing without a vexilar, compared to ice fishing with a vexilar. :-)

[berfish]

I worked for a St. Croix rod licensed distributor and got many of their high end rods for a fraction of the retail price so i got around the price factor of expensive rods. After I quit working there i needed more rods, but being young i could not afford the retail price. So i got around that by taking a rod making class. Now i can get St. Croix Avid series blanks for 10$ and the rest of the materials for about 20$. And in about 3 hours of work and a day of drying i have my own custom made scIII graphite rod. Not bad for 30$. That is one solution for getting around the price. The only thing is it takes time and the about 200$ for the making materials like a dryer that spins slow so the epoxy sets around the guides uniformly. Also you can buy the handle and guides to fit the kind of fishing you plan to do with the rod. Just food for thought.
bf

[fishinphyl]

I had been using a middle of the road (price wise) rod and was thinking maybe I should purchase something better. Went to the Red River Valley Sports, Boat and Travel show in Fargo last year and the guy from In Fisherman was there. He said that he knew several professional fishermen that fish with a $9.95 KMart rod! So I thought my $50.00 one was way too fancy!

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Phyl