Rod Prices

[Durand Dan]

I've been seeing a lot of postings for high priced rods. My question is, "What price have you paid for the majority of the rods you have"? I would have to say out of the 12 to 14 I currently own most are under $100. The most I think I ever paid was around $170 for a St Croix I broke about a week after the purchase. >:

[Waterfoul]

You should add the $100-150 range.... that's were nearly all mine fall.  I have a Shimano Cumara and a St. Croix Legend that I paid $200 a piece for but those are the only two that were more than $150.

[Lightningboy]

I agree, I fit more in a $100-150 price range.  But only counting the cost of parts.  I roll my own now, partly because of the price they want for top grade parts on a factory rod.  Not a decision I made overnight, I started by rebuilding factory rods I liked.  I found I enjoyed them even more, and set off rolling my own.

Not trying to blow my own horn, but I've had the pleasure of trying out Loomis, St. Croix, and Kistler.  I think mine stack right up or exceed them in performance.  Rod building ain't rocket science; as long as you've made a good blank choice you can out do the factory in both weight and balance with some patience and practice.  I've been chuckling at all the split rear grip/no foregrip rods out today.  I've been rolling them like that for five years.

Besides, it's a darn long winter...

[HellaBass]

I have quite a few rods that retail for over $200, but have not paid more then $200 for most of them

[bigjc]

I think that I am typical of most tournament angers.  When I first started tourney fishing, I had 4 - 6 rods and all of them total were not much over $100.  Then I started buying rods in the $40 -$100 range (mostly BPS, Quantum and a couple of Grandt Custom Rods). 

Then a few years ago, I had the opportunity to fish with a Kistler Custom rod, and later that year, I won a Kistler as a door prize at the FOM Regional.  Since then, I have bough 2 or 3 Kistlers as year.

There are plenty of fine rods out there in the 50-100 range, but I am convinced that I detect more bites (especially when bites are light) and get better hooks sets and thus land more fish, using Premium rods, and they are so much lighter, that it is more comfortable to fish with them all day long.

[Cheetam]

Most of the rods I use retail between 225 and 250, but I haven't paid retail for a single one of them.

[Cy]

I think fishing is the sport of "constant upgrade".  I fish with a wide range of rods costing between $60 and $220.  I am always upgrading my rods and reels to newer or better gear.  I am sure by the time I replace my last Clarus with something else I will start over replacing my now high end rods with something better.

Cy

[1javelin]

If it ain't on sale, I don't want it!!  I have used Shimano, All Star, Quantum, Kistler, and was happy with some of them, especially the Kistler.  My complaint was the guides.  So, I now am having rods custom built for me.  Settles that, and I just got a dock rod made for me, 6'6" MH with a fast taper, weighing 2.9 oz.  If you can't fish with that all day, you're sc&@wed.

1Jav

[djkimmel]

I seem to break rods too much and get bored too easy to buy the really expensive rods... plus... they're really expensive!! Some of the really expensive ones do feel very nice and some would probably improve my fishing some amount.

But if I need 5 new rods this year and can spend X amount... have to stay in the budget and still get the tools I need. I always tell people to get the best tools they can realistically afford and justify.

I usually buy rods that feel right for what I want to do with them more than how much they cost. Sometimes that's a $40 rod and sometimes it's a $180 rod.

[bassinman#1]

All my rods come from good ole' walmart, except some that were on sale at BPS for under 30.00. And they don't have a problem bringing in the fish. The best standby for me is the UGLY STICK. I had one last me for 18 years.

[Skip Johnson]

I believe that its the fisherman more than the tackle...just my oppinion, Ive been fishing BPS rods most of my life and dont think Ive ever paid more than $69 for any of their rods, Ive had all stars, phoenix, kunan, shimanos and a few others and they were nice and Ive paid over $100 for most of them but I have plenty of faith in the ones I have from BPS plus a couple shimanos that I bought for $69, they all have Fuji guides that bend back good everytime myself or a co angler steps on them, the nice part is when a guide gets bent or on the rare occasion I do break one I never give it a second thought and my day goes on like it never happend.
I dont plan on spending over $100 for a rod ever again.

I always hated when something happend to my high end gear and I think Ive done just as good with carefully selected BPS brand, Ive got several setups that I bought the whole combo from BPS for under $100 and the reels are still working fine coming into their 4th season, I just clean them every winter.

[MBell]

I can't believe the prices on some of the lommis rods I've looked at, ridiculous.  I usually get what I need for under $200 and most are in the $80-$100 range.  I do go through a lot of rods, I almost never use them for the technique they are intended for.  I also build my own rods which save a lot of money, and you can build them for what you need.  I built my best spinning rod for $80 on a clearance st. croix blank.  It's nice not to have a lot of money into them, they all break eventually.   

[McCarter]

forget rod prices, what about boats.  Cmon!  Isnt it getting a little ridiculous when we are forced to pay more for something we only use 6-7 monthes out of the year than the vehicles we drive?  I want a 20 ft bass boat just as much as the next guy but how can i ever afford $400+ a month?  I work hard for the money, so hard for it..............honey?  But after bills and diapers and hooters wings, there aint much left over.  Dont get me started on gas prices, either.  My boat is absolute ruin right now, i cant even afford to get that fixed.  So that has really turned me off to another used boat with no warranty.  But either way, i cant really afford to buy a used 20 footer unless its 8 years old.  I need a boat payment of about $200-$250 a month.  I could probaly get that if i financed a used boat for 20 years.  And with the interest rates right now that would come out to approximatly.......

$28,000 x 8.25% x 240 monthes x pie / the circumfrence of the moon.........carry the 4..........=$142,000  i will end up paying for the boat once its all said an done.

And whos to blame for these inflated prices?  I have it narrowed down to 3 groups.

1)  the terrorists.  this ones a no brainer.  everything turned to crap after 9-11.  They should take up fishing.  WHo has time to blow up the world when theres fish to be caught, right?  So, shut your stupid faces al quida, al jazeer, hamas, la shish, and any of you other pansies. 

2) Tom Crusie and all the other Scientologists.  Your not fooling anyone.  Your nothing more than a well funded cult and I hate your stinking guts with your hollywood movies and your VIP parties in the hottest clubs with all the hot chicks you want.  We're not aliens!  L. Ron Hubbard is waiting for you on the mothership, drink your Kool-Aid

3) Nasa.  Im not sure exactly, but i have a feeling they are up to no good. 

This post has been hijacked by McCarter himself

[dartag]

easy young Skywalker.  you must have had too may red bulls this morning.  i think the answer is Cheetams paddle boat series on kent lake.  wonder what they rent for an hour. 

[Cheetam]

...i think the answer is Cheetams paddle boat series on kent lake.  wonder what they rent for an hour. 

People already laugh about morning "ooze-offs" on Kent...Can you image the take off for a belly boat/inflatable series? 

"Belly Boat 1....GO!"

squish, squish, squish, squish

"Belly Boat 2...Go!"

Kick, kick, kick, kick...

ah, you get the picture...lol

btw...McCarter lay off the Plastisol fumes...you seem a little edgy...

[McCarter]

btw...McCarter lay off the Plastisol fumes...you seem a little edgy...

Hope i didnt offend you, Stand with a Fist.

McCarter himself

[huston]

BPS rods are fine with me. I was having a bad day until I got on this website, and then my day perked up with all the replies. Fishing is expensive enough all by itself. Add some kisler, Allstar, loomis sauce with some Luckycraft , Mega Bait, swimbait juice. I don't know what to do this season. Fishing is expensive  but so is marriage, homes Full size trucks. What the he......, you only live once!!!!!!!!!

[dashaver63]

I usually get one new combo with income tax every year, and it's whatever BPS or Cabela's has on sale. This year it was a Cabela's Tournament ZX high speed with a 7' MH Fish Eagle II combo for $129.00. I just cannot justify spending $200.00 or more on a single rod. I'm sure it would probably benefit me to use better equpment but I'm fine with what I have. I have a 7' heavy Browning that I have been flipping and frogging with for 4 or 5 years and it has not broken yet and I put that thing through some bad things at times. ( now that I said that, I'll probably close a door on it or something)
Now don't even get me started on boat prices, my buddy just paid $43,000.00 for the new Ranger, thats more than I paid for my house!

[bassinman#1]

Believe it or not, When I was first married and had the first  of my 6 kids, I had a 10 ft jon boat that was given to me because the neighbor felt sorry for me that I could not go fishing, but he had no oars with it. so I cut handles out of 2x4s and used them to oar out. The thing leaked about one gallon of water every 5 minutes. But I was thankful I could go bass fishing. I remember having 5 big bass on my stringer ( yes I kept the Bass, I needed to feed my family) And these two guys in a fancy bass boat came up to me laughing, and asked if I caught any bass, and I pulled up a 18lb stringer of largemouth. There jaws droped and they sped off mad. I was very glad I had a boat to go fishing.

[Skulley]

Blowing off a little steam there McCarter?   Wait'll that little girl of yours turns 14.  My lovely little princess the apple of my eye just turned 14 this month.  The diapers and the formula were nothing compared to this bud.     I got to laugh........ .......because your just getting started.  Wait'll she starts fighting with your lovely bride........her Mother.  Then you will be coming home from work and putting on the referee shirt.  Get the whistle out.  Your just starting McCarter..........yep..........just starting.  Tonight is her Birthday Party with her friends.  I got eight ( 14 year old girls spending the night over here.  I am going to lock the door to my "Man" room and stay there all night.  I told my son he can come in since he is my "little" man or mini-me.  I got a T.V. in there, a refridgerator, a computer, and all the things a man needs to get away from all that estrogen.  Your going to need a "Man" room McCarter..........or you won't survive.  I am really serious about this.  You want to keep your sanity.........you gotta have a "Man" room. 

Oh yeah.......rod prices..........I have paid no more than $150 for a rod.  Most of the rods I use have cost me between $60 and $100.  I got some old Daiwa Tony Beane Smallmouth rods I still use.  They are discontinued but the ones I have left still work.  I paid an assortment of prices for these because I bought them when that old sports store "Detroit Sports and Rec" was going out of business.  I bought eight of them at that time between $20 and $60.  They were regularly $89.95.  I have 5 left.  They still do the job.  That was a spinning rod.  I like the American Rodsmiths David Fritts for cranking.  Quantum PT Tour Edition for topwaters, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, etc.  I buy them whenever they are cheap.  I have bought some of this stuff on eBay.  Where ever the deal is.  I bought two new rods at Novi in January.  They are Tetons.  They were around the corner from Wayne's booth.  They were $79.95.  I have used them at the golf course already.  Haven't caught anything yet............Maybe tomorrow morning before I head to Wonderland at 1100h.   

BD