New Reel, How much to spend?

[NCLaker]

 Originally Posted By: Ebiz

I bought two middle of the road rods and reels last year at Gander in Blaine. Total came to around $220, told the clerk I was looking to stay under $200 and asked if there was a discount if I bought it all today. He gave me 10% off and put line on all four spools. It pays to ask.

Wow ... that really suprises me. Normally the only way they will take 10% off is if you sign up for their Gander Credit Card (well worth it if you are making a big purchase). I asked the Woodbury store if they would match a Reeds price and they said no because it was too far (and this was less than 10% diff).

[TrophyEyes]

Gander will deal. I used to work at headquarters and it happens pretty regularly. If you get to know someone in the department you can often times get something taken off. I got a Lowrance 520c for $95 less than it was listed because I asked and told them it was being discontinued. That was almost 20% discount. It is how you ask and of course how much business you give them. I spend an average of about $1500-$2000 a year with them and they know that so I get some coupons or price matches. I even have returned reels and rods after the warrenty has expired. Gander has always taken care of me, but that is because I know everyone.

[Dark Cloud]

Most of my reels are Shimanos or Pfluegers, most all my recent purchases have been pfluegers. Quality for the price is tough to beat. I have a few stradics and love em and a few presidents I love. Apples to Apples the presidents are an awesome reel at the price. The trion at 40$ and 7 ball bearings is a sweet deal...

Im eyeing up a Supreme at the moment to go on a new jiggin stick. I noticed looking through catalogs that a supreme in a "30" size is over 2oz lighter than a president or stradic - very tempting!

I fish alot and dont baby my gear - not taking anything away from any other companys but these two have been my favorites...

[rodmaker]

Contact Pat @ Thorne Bros. I'm sure he will do something. Tell him I (Mark Pothen) gave you his name and to take care of you.

[TrophyEyes]

I am heading over there this weekend. I am sure it will be a mad house.

[eyepatrol]

My approach to fishing is to get a good quality reel at an affordable price. I guess the way I look at it is....if I need to buy a $100+ reel to catch a fish, I'm not doing it entirely right. I've caught all of my biggest walleyes on reels that are $50 and under. I still have two of those 3 reels also (the 3rd one was just a junker I bought when I was broke years ago).

Most of my reels have been the less-expensive Shimanos and I've been very happy with them. I'm getting my wife a new Shimano Sonora next week which runs around $40.

If I can find a quality brand reel at an affordable price, that's the reel I want. The extra money goes towards tackle or is simply not spent. I just don't need to spend oodles of money on reels and rods to catch fish.

But that's just me. I've got a tight pocket when it comes to rods and reels.

[TrophyEyes]

Eyepatrol, I totally get what you are saying. I have never owned a reel over $50, but for some reason I feel like it may be better. That is really why I started this thread. I am not totally convinced that more $ equals more success. I think that I have decided to go with either the Pflueger Supreme or if I can get a deal on last years Stradic I may go that direction. I will most likely buy another Guide Series Tournament reel as well. This is so confusing and I think that is because there is no right answer. If you are not confident with your equipment then it is time to change. I have the same problem with rods. I have an old $70 Shimano Aero for jigging that has caught more big fish than any other rod I own. I upgraded to a G. Loomis 6'2" Bronzeback and to tell you the truth, I still use the old Shimano because I have more confidence that I can feel the light bites.

[tigerbalm2424]

Here is my deal:

Spinning: I have always used inexpensive setups. I run Rapala rod/reels and love them. This spring FF had them on sale for 24.99 (Regular 44.99) so I picked up three of them. Zero complaints.

Baitcast: I started with a cheaper $34 pinnacle super 7 from Cabelas. The only reason I upgraded was that it has become noisy when retrieving a cast which gets quite annoying. I am still keeping the reel because I like it, it will just be used for the river.

So basically I only upgraded in hope that my new Curado 100s wont become noisy over time.

[eyepatrol]

Yeah, my brain just can't handle the thought of spending more than about $60 on a reel or a rod.

To each their own though. I may not spend a bunch of money on rods and reels, but I make up for it with the boat I got and other shtuff.

[rodmaker]

Give me a shout Mon. Have fun.

[Sandmannd]

I have fished with guys that have the high end rods and got to use them. They are very nice and the reels were smooth. That being said, I just can't justify 2 or 3 hundy for a rod and reel. Nor do I have the money for that. I used to always use an ungly stick and have had great success with it. Last year I found some deals at a couple of stores and on Craig's list and was able to upgrade a lot of rods to St. Croix. This spring I got a Fenwick rod and Pinnacle reel baitcast for $40. Haven't used it, but putting line on was real smooth. I like when folks get rid of their good stuff to get better. I can settle for good.

[slipperybob]

Everybody and anybody can become very good at using their tools and equipment, whether that be a $20 combo to an insane $1k combo. Heck, I'm pretty good at hand fishing with just some fishing line and a bottle, no reels, no poles. The whole reason why I would appreciate a Shimano Stella even more...yet I wish there would be improvements in it already.

[Can'tFishEnuf]

I usually spend about $100 for a rod and reel. There seems to be a big jump in quality from the real cheap combos up to that $100 price point. Then, in my opinion, the increase in quality really slows down. I like the pflueger president reels for about $60. You can find a nice rod in the $50 range from Gander, Cabelas, or Shimano to name a few. I would also rather have 3 $100 combos rather than 1 $300 combo.

[NCLaker]

Thanks guys ... now I really feel guilty spending all this $$ on rods & reels the past couple years.

I upgraded because I had been using the $50-60 combos all my life and wanted to get more into fishing (most of my stuff were 5-10 year old). I am the type that holds on to stuff and take really good care of it ... I guess I rationalize it becuase I intend to get many great years of use out of it. The life time warrenty on the rods is also a big plus.

[JohnMickish]

Don't feel guilty. People have different tastes, likes, wants and expectations in things. There are all kinds of budgets here and some people are going/willing to spend more/less than others. Just because one person says that he can't tell the difference dosen't mean there isn't a difference. If you can afford some upper end stuff and it makes you happy then go for it. Fish with the equiptment that you like and don't worry about it.

[Kyle Sandberg]

All I use is the series by Cabelas and the reels that come with them. So far they've worked for me. My most expensive combo is 80$, 40 for the reel, 40 for the rod. One of my best combos too.

[NCLaker]

Thanks mnfishingguy. I do notice a difference (big in many cases). After using better equipment I have a really hard time using lesser stuff. Rods are in the $160 or less and reels $130 or less. These were great upgrade price points for me.

The Rods, especially for live bait/finness fishing were the biggest improvement (lighter weight and much better feel). Love the smoothness fo the higher end reels, but I would probably be doing fine in the sub $60-70 range. IMHO I would put the money in the Rod first.

[slipperybob]

What people can't tell or feel the difference is that often times it's the material cost that is not factored in by the user. Look at a complete set of Fuji Sic guides vs Fuji Alconite guides and that's about a 50% price difference. Most people wouldn't see or feel the difference on a rod in the store. Look at the reels and what makes up the components inside of them. Diecasted metal gears are cheaply made and if cut and fitted precisely will feel very smooth in the store. If you take more expensive and harder materials like aluminum alloys, stainless steel, or hardened brass, it's more difficult to cut them as easily as die casted metals. It's also the difference between an aluminum casted spool vs a forged aluminum spool. You won't see much of any difference at first glance but when you examine it closely and remove the spool and inspect the cut and craftmanship of it, you'll know that time and effort was either put into it or not. Look at the ball bearings. Stainless steel vs steel bearings. Shielded bearings vs open bearings. Qualtity of bearings with five balls vs six or seven in each bearing set. Other features like water proof drag can be really handy for those who fish in the rain. None of this should matter if you can't use your tool to aid you in your fishing.

[TrophyEyes]

So I had made up my mind to get a Pflueger Supreme and went to Gander Mtn. They did not have the Supreme in the size I wanted, I offered to by the display model for a reduced price, but he said he couldn't do that. I then asked if they had the medalist, and No they did not. I asked if they had last years Stradic, the did but would not sell it to me because they were only suppose to be sold as a combo with a $40 two piece Shimano Convergence. Go figure. I ended up walking out with nothing. I went to Dick's and stood in the fishing department for 10 minutes, no one would even come over to the department to help. I left again without anything.

Long story short, Thorne Bros. are getting some business tomorrow. I am treating myself to a Saros now after the headache.

[Dark Cloud]

I was hopeing you would buy the Supreme so I could get some feedback. Now I have an excuse to buy one I could rationalize anything, lol...

[rodmaker]

Good choice. Pat @ Thorne Bros will take cae of you. They may even have a few of last years Stradics around.

[TrophyEyes]

Rodmaker, you got mail. I took my dad yesterday and he got the new rod you suggested and a new Stradic

[goose89]

TrophyEyes,

I've had very similar experiences at both GM and Dick's. Unbelievable service, or lack thereof. I don't even bother anymore. I'd rather pay a bit more at a place that's gonna do whatever they can to business. Thorne bros is one of them.

Back to the subject, I got a Saros recently and like it so far. Haven't used it enough to give final opinion, but so far, very nice. $129. Stradic's went out of my price range.

[TrophyEyes]

Thorne bros has 10% off all reels this weekend.

[rodmaker]

I'll check it when I get in work tomorrow, and give you a shout.