Opinion: It may not be worth it

Anything and everything related to fishing tackle. If you cannot find the sub-category for your topic, go ahead and post it in here!
russ57
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 365
Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:21 pm

Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by russ57 » Fri Aug 07, 2020 11:31 am

While I am not nearly the enthusiast as some of you, I feel that this is still worth mentioning. After I got into TacticalBassin videos, I fairly quickly switched from cheap combos to those in more like the $400-600 range. While I certainly do enjoy them, I have reached a point where I don't think it is worth it, for many of the setups anyway.

Recently I have been fishing trout some streams with a Diawa Legalis on a $50 Field And Stream UL rod I got at Dicks, and I have been having a blast. The combo works well enough for inline spinners (basically like a reaction technique), and I never worry about scratching it on rocks, dropping it in the water, etc. When I take my nice combos out, I always feel obligated to take a reel cover and rod sleeve, and am worried about setting the rod down anywhere near any rocks. I also have a moment of panic every time I try to take rods in and out of my car.

I'm not saying that decent gear is a waste-I have been really enjoying My Chronarch/Poison Adrena combo this year. However, when I look at some of my Expride glass rods, I honestly think it is a waste. I prefer my graphite Mojo Bass spinnerbait rod at $130 to those $280 glass rods. For Keitechs, Frogs, and all reaction, IMO a Curado and a cheap fairly cheap graphite stick will do.

Anyway, I have decided to halt on the gear purchases for a while, and enjoy what I have. I would also add that it may be cheaper to just jump to Metanium/Conquest type combos for bottom contact than to constantly upgrade other setups. The amount of losses you take from shipping a rod, coupled with the huge depreciation of it not being new, is not worth it to me anymore.

In short, while I love my combo rack in my apartment which cost me around 4K in the last year and a half, I sometimes wish I had stuck to cheap stuff and put the money towards a boat or cooler car, or my student loans, instead.

User avatar
bronzebacks
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 243
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 12:24 am

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by bronzebacks » Fri Aug 07, 2020 11:57 am

Its just a bad addiction in my honest opinion. I could use 200$ combos and catch just as many but the high-end gear makes all those casts in between bites more enjoyable. I went from duckett rods and e series shimanos a few years ago to nrx's , z bone, glx, mb xx rods and adrena's with top end shimano and daiwa reels and i blame it all on tackle tour :lol:
Last edited by bronzebacks on Fri Aug 07, 2020 12:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
GOOD YEAR 71
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 553
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:07 pm
Location: NorCal

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by GOOD YEAR 71 » Fri Aug 07, 2020 11:59 am

It’s worth it. I dealt with the same conundrum years back and I agree it’s hard to justify when money is tight. But this can be said of all expense. Yes, you can ding a reel. But you can ding a car door too. Or stain that extra nice shirt you bought. And just how good was that steak you spent 50 bucks on anyway? See my point?
PEACE

User avatar
doomtrprz71
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 401
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:35 am

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by doomtrprz71 » Fri Aug 07, 2020 12:12 pm

I understand your thoughts, I have trouble paying high dollar for a glass rod, I bought two tatula glass rods for $69 and they've been great for reaction baits, I have a st Croix glass rod but bought it after it was discontinued for a similar price. I have a bunch of original zillions, they're all used and I would rather buy them used than a new tatula. I love to fish but I haven't paid over $250 for a rod or reel, I always wait until they're on sale. Now if I get this new job that may change because if I do I'm get a z2020 and custom rod built on a nfc x-ray blank.

BigG
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 2322
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:38 pm
Location: Lake Guntersville

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by BigG » Fri Aug 07, 2020 1:25 pm

Don't spend more than your family can afford, I been bless and have own a few high end rods and reels. Do they make a better fisherman probably not. Happier, you bet!

reason162
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 752
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:39 pm

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by reason162 » Fri Aug 07, 2020 1:37 pm

The worst thing about jumping to the highest end gear is setting new parameters for yourself. My JDM Theory spinners were more than adequate merely 2 months ago...then I got an Exist. Now the Theories seem a bit shabby, which is objectively ludicrous. They are amazing little reels. But alas, Certate would be my new floor in spinning reels from now on, and that is a strange position to be in considering just how much bang-for-buck the 200ish price point offers in 2020 for both rods and reels.

User avatar
Hogsticker2
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 7161
Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:20 pm

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by Hogsticker2 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 12:28 am

Any and all hobbies can get terribly expensive. It just depends on how far down the rabbit hole you're willing to go. We all put stock into different things. Chances are you're going to spend the money on something, and you can't take it with you when you leave. Spend within your means. Nothing wrong with buying high end gear - nothing wrong with sticking with the lower or moderately priced stuff either. Enjoyment is enjoyment either way. Some people are pretty strict regarding points of diminishing returns, while others say FU@K IT 😳.

User avatar
LgMouthGambler
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 2529
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:04 am
Location: S FL

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by LgMouthGambler » Mon Aug 10, 2020 5:05 am

I recently sold off a few high end reels that I just loved, but would never use them for whatever reason. However, I have always wanted to get a newer Conquest, so I figured I got the extra coin now, so why not. :lol: Its a viscous cycle. :doh:
<")))><{

Drakestar
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 889
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 11:54 am

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by Drakestar » Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:46 am

It is most certainly not worth it! Except when it totally is! :)

I think high-end combos are amazing because they make fishing much more fun. If I catch 4 bass in an hour I'll still spend 52 minutes (and possibly 50 casts) NOT catching fish, and if those 50 casts are fun (i.e. because feeling bottom on a super sensitive jig rod is addictive) I'm objectively having more fun than if I was using less sensitive equipment. I might also feel a couple of bites that I otherwise wouldn't have.

BUT, if taking care of these high-end combos during the trip adds more stress than enjoyment, the balance shifts, and I can totally sympathize with that because I bank-fish 95% of the time and often bush-whack my way to the final spot. Carrying 3x $800 combos when doing that, and having to make sure you put them down gently and in a protected spot when switching rods can be taxing. Every time I'm on a boat with my kids and they're all over the place I'm worried about somebody stepping on an expensive rod tip; that's not fun or relaxing, either. (And if a rod breaks, it really puts a huge damper on the entire trip, of course.)

It sounds like you're doing a lot of fishing right now where a more sensitive rod doesn't really give you any advantages or add enjoyment to a retrieve. I think throwing inline spinnerbaits for trout doesn't really benefit from high-end equipment - I've thrown those baits on cheap Shakespeare sticks and I've thrown them on a Expride 6'10" ML, and that Expride didn't really enhance that experience. And with streams you're in an environment that's not very kind to equipment unless you take extra care of it. I think your post makes perfect sense here.

But if I'm going jig fishing or dropshotting for bass in 50 foot deep water, or if I'm navigating a swim jig through a bunch of grass and benefit from being able to distinguish between snags and bites, I think I'll have much more fun on a Destroyer FMJ or NRX 822 DSR or 843 GLX or whatever compared to doing the same on a $100 rod.
Last edited by Drakestar on Tue Aug 11, 2020 3:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
njbasscat
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 2451
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:28 am
Location: Southern NJ

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by njbasscat » Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:33 pm

A Honda Civic and a Porsche will both get you there. I Porsche is a heck of a lot more fun to drive though.

User avatar
slipperybob
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 1312
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:42 am
Location: Lil'Can

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by slipperybob » Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:25 pm

I still like fishing my ugly sticks every now and then.

Once a reel starts losing performance tolerance, it's just is more struggle to use it. There is just something about a higher end machine and the tolerance on them for performance merits. Heck just spinning the reel handle empty in hand is relaxing with some reels.
slip bobbing is the laziest way to fish

User avatar
BRONZEBACK32
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 2234
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 8:44 pm
Location: Utah

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by BRONZEBACK32 » Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:00 pm

I personally love all my higher end gear, when I go from my Metainum's to a Curado it just does not feel the
same, I do love the mid range gear but IMO the high end gear is just amazing to use.

mrpao
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 730
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:43 am

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by mrpao » Fri Sep 04, 2020 12:26 pm

Pretty much buy and use what you can afford.
I have low end stuff that I enjoy using as much as my high end stuff.
I have been river trout fishing a lot as of lately as well. My combos consists of three cheaper daiwa 750 size reels and presso rods. They have been dunked, placed on sand and rocks, gotten covered in powerbait gue. They serve their purpose and I'm not too worried about their condition. They still get cleaned and taken care of - I don't neglect them but I don't baby them neither.
I wouldn't dare take my stellas or poison adrena out there. I reserve them only for my boat, to keep them clean and scratch free. Each piece of equipment has its purpose.
Just like I wouldn't take a Porsche through a mud hole, I'm not going to expose my high end combos to unnecessary roughness.
I enjoy just about all my tackle. If I don't like it, i get rid of it. There lies my problem though, I like too much stuff. Over the years I have amassed too much tackle. Darn that monkey.

User avatar
zodiak311
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 2651
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:03 pm
Location: California

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by zodiak311 » Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:30 am

njbasscat wrote:
Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:33 pm
A Honda Civic and a Porsche will both get you there. I Porsche is a heck of a lot more fun to drive though.
When the Porsche works... :lol:

I personally have gone through all the regular gear, then high end gear etc...

I buy what I WANT to afford, I don't purchase stuff that I can't bring myself to use. Go to any estate sale, no one values our stuff when we are gone.

I value the memories and experiences I get from using my gear. My most prized setup is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle spincast combo, that my son caught his first spotted bass on, using a neon green worm with a red Eagle Claw worm hook, in 32 degree weather.

Now he wants to use my Monoblocks. The dark side is strong, but I want to raise a Jedi, need to slow down the young Padawan. The Darkside is strong, but I have conquered it.
“Control, control, you must learn control!” – Yoda
Last edited by zodiak311 on Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Get your kids hooked on fishing, and they'll never have any money for drugs or alcohol.

User avatar
Cal
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 12763
Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 5:31 pm
Location: TT Headquarters
Contact:

Re: Opinion: It may not be worth it

Post by Cal » Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:33 am

zodiak311 wrote:
Sat Sep 05, 2020 7:30 am
Now he wants to use my Monoblocks. The dark side is strong, but I am raising a Jedi, need to slow down the young Padawan. The Darkside is strong, but I have conquered it.
“Control, control, you must learn control!” – Yoda
My kids started with a Shimano Aldebaran BFS and Daiwa T3 Air ... ;)
Cal, Managing Editor
"fish with mindfulness : beware the darkside"

Post Reply