[DavB]

I am talking light tackle rods. Typical 6 foot, 1 oz., 10 lb. line stuff. Bass tackle.

When I go into most any tackle shop, you see a good number of rods like Shimano, St. Crox, and a bunch others in the $100 range.

Then, I see Loomis, and some others I am less familiar with, with $200 price tags.

Anybody got like a $100 rod and them pruchased something similar in that $200+ range?

Was it worth it? What did you get for that extra $100?

Or, do you think it is hype and status symbols?

 

[Sandcrab]

DavB,

I have a couple of rods in the $100 plus range but nothing in the $200 or over range.

The two rods I have are worth the money I paid for them and I do not look for anything more expensive.

I have a St Croix 8' Tidemaster casting rod (1/2-2 oz and $130) and the Oceanmaster 12' casting rod (heaver 6-10 oz and $110). Both work great and I really do not have a need for anything pricier than them. My 8' rod doubles as a large bass/pike/musky rod in the Poconos.

 

[Surf and Turf]

Nope not worth it to me. I can catch just as few fish with my $10 stuff as I can with my $100 stuff and I bet I could catch a bunch fewer with the $300 stuff.

(Do you really think a fish can really tell the difference between the $1000 outfit and a hand tossed line and bait?)

 

[ShoreBird]

DavB,

You will have to decide that. I recently replaced several of my $400.00 plus fly rods
with $150.00 Temple Fork Outfitters rods and i am quite happy with them. My boat rods are
$25.00 Pinnacle and I love them. I tried a
off the rack surf rod for $65.00 and hated it. If you have a rod that you like forget
about moving up to a more expensive model.
More costly rods are typically lighter and made with better materials but will the catch more fish? I don't think so.

 

[rockhead]

I have a few in the $100 range that I like alot, I dont think I would go over $100 unless of course you like throwing money away

 

[DavB]

You guys did a good job of covering the way I have felt about rods. $100 has been my high price point too.

The reason I asked is I have an old Shimano rod, the fat butt type, that I just love. You can feel the fish breathe on it and I use it for the bulk of my fishing.

It is getting old, and I wonder how many more seasons it will last.

I have purchased several rods since with similar specificatons but have found none to match that sensitivity.

Oh well, the search will continue.

And thank you all.

 

[Digger]

Well well what we have here is opion by people who for the most part have not experenced the difference.
Well let me tell you there can be a big difference. I will tell you what happened to me. When I meet Salty I was replacing some older rods with up dated stuff. I got to play with his Breakaway's and handle his GLoomis SUR1023 I fell in love with it great feel cast wonderfully. The only problem was the price tag $190.00. So I went looking hard for something close that was cheaper. I settled on a ST Croix for about $120.00 it was a good rod but still not the Gloomis (I could tell the difference) Well at the beginning of the 2nd season the rod broke just above th joint. it took me 6 months to get the rod fixed. In the mean time I got the GLoomis which i use more than any other rod I own. I use the St Croix ocassionally. Both rods have much better feel than the lower cost rods do. You need to try them before you decide weather it is worth it or not.

 

[Digger]

By the way these rods are both 8'6" and rated 3/8oz to 1 and 1/4oz or 1 and 1/2oz.

 

[emanuel]

WalMart all the way. I've seen too many good rigs go flying over the side to invest 200 bucks in a rod when that could buy me 4 rods at Wallyworld. Sure, the fancier ones might have all sorts of whirly-gizmos, but I am pretty happy with my Quantum Trophy and Shakespeare gear.

 

[Tim]

Hey Digger how does that 1023 throw light lures such as 3/8 to 1/2 ounce jigs. Been thinking about one for awhile. Does it work well with smaller fish like the grey trout up under the coleman. I have to try and find the blank for it anyway. Does anyone know of a place that still stocks it, I don't believe its made anymore. Loomis changed their blank lineup a while back.
Thanks a lot.

 

[Surf and Turf]

Well well Digger, your right. Us poor old dumb country bumpkins just don't know the good life of fishing with a $200+ rod. Glad you shared that with us so we could at least experience what it feels like through your story.

BTW Digger, if you had bought the under a $100 rod, you could have taken a few extras with you in case one did break and not had to wait 6 months for it to be fixed. Just throw it away!

 

[Salty]

Tim, with a little looking and luck you should be able to find the factory 1023s- for about 195$ (200$ in 2003). It can be a pretty hard one to find though since production is limited and demand is high. Green Top usually has one or two around. The 1023 is great throwing anything 3/8-1 ounce- even though I usually switch to the GWR 981 for anything less than 1/2 (for a little better sensitivity and range).

The only two "light" tackle rods I use are both Loomis rods- a Surf 1023s and a GWR 981s at about 195$ and 240$ respectively. Wouldn't trade them for all the rods on the X-mart rack.

I don't know if I would catagorize them quite the same though- because I will (and have) taken these offshore for dolphin and football tuna- and I can't think of too many (FW) bass rods I would do that with. I wouldn't be able to justify 100-200$ for a little fw rod or anything under ~7'. I would rather drop a little more into the actual moving parts- the reel.

Tight lines and blue skies,

Salty

 

[HuskyMD]

I have tried a lot of bass rods.
The ones I have liked the best were not expensive rods. Some were $10 rods at kmart.
Basically, I have found nice rods I liked and cheap rods I liked. But, I have found $$ rods I don't like and cheap rods I don't like.

As for the $200 stuff, I'll probably never know. I can't justify it. I have used other people's rods and they feel nice. Would I catch more fish with them? I doubt it. Who knows though.

I have had days at Sandy Point where I was bringing in fish after fish and no one else was catching anything. I have had days where I couldn't catch anything. I'm sure it would be the same way with super pricey stuff.

But I don't hold anything against someone who does use the really $$ stuff. That's great for them!

 

[rockhead]

Although penn is known for their reels, I have grown to like their rods as well.two in particular are the power graph and bay master series(baymaster discontinued) these go for $70-80 and are an excellent value. I have battled with monster ocean striper/blues and some monnster rays as well with no problems or breakage. Im sure the $200 rods are great and some day I will get one,but for now Im quite satisfied with what I have..just my 2 cents.

 

[sand flea]

A lot of it depends on what kind of fishing you're doing. If you're usually perched on a pier tossing out a bottom rig with squid and bloodworms, a generic rod will work just fine. But if you tend to do a lot of jigging and want a light, sensitive rod the more expensive ones seem to do a better job. I have the same Loomis Salty and Digger are talking about and it is a great piece of equipment; I also have an 8.5' beater that I've had since I was 15 and it's my second favorite rod for the same applications.

Fish as many of these things as you can and get what you like. Sometimes buying a more expensive rod will make a difference, other times it's just a colossal waste of money. It all depends on what you're fishing for.

 

[Jimmy]

Fishing is just like any other sport or hobby- if you have the money to spend then there is a line/brand of products for your budget. There are the Martin guitars, the Cannondale bikes, and the Loomis rods. Are these products better- sure, probobally so. Are they worth it- that's questionable. I guess if you can afford it then why not. But I could never justify spending that kind of money unless it was my living or I was a professional(which I am far from) But maybe when I hit the lottery...

 

[Tim]

Hey Salty,
Long time no see. Thanks for the advice I checked out the GWR 981 but its to long for me, I need a two piece. I will probably end up with the SUR 1023. I want to build it but if I can't find the blank and I can find the factory rod then that is the route I'm gonna take. It is quite a nice rod, can't wait to get my hands on it. I was thinking about putting a Stradic on it. Does anyone know what model would be a good size for it.
Thanks a lot to everyone. Tight lines and warm weather.
Tim

 

[Salty]

Tim, I thought that was you- long time no see- how are things man. Shoot me an e-mail or PM and let me know how you're doing.

You might be able to find the blank, but it might take a little looking. Loomis has gotten a little funny about selling their blanks. Best bet might be to contact them directly and see what they can arrange- their customer service is pretty good to the point where they've overnighted or two dayed things to me at their expense under dire circumstances. I think if I had it to do over again I would go with a custom built on the 1023- maybe I'll strip it down in a few years- I'd like another guide in there. Understand on the 981- 8'+ one piece, can be a little hard to move around- I was especially anxious about it since the tip is about the diameter of a pencil lead.

On both of mine I have 4000's- balance on the 1023 is great (MOF- Flea and Digger both have Stratic 4000 on theirs too). If you are interested in the Stratic, wait a few monthes for the new Stratic 4000 MG- don't know the cost on it, but suspect its going to go up to around ~150$. Its still a Stratic, but its go some of the perks of their even higher end reels: MG alloy body, its lighter, sealed drag, titanium lip, aero bail, etc. Or so I've been informed.

Tight lines and blue skies,

Salty

 

[sand flea]

I got rid of my Stradic. If you ever dunk your reels accidentally, you'll end up replacing the bearings every season. I'm going with a Spheros this year.

 

[*BRANDON*]

I have a Spheros in the 3000 size. I tested it this past weekend up at the ditch. It was so smooth and the drag was great. I give it 2 thumbs up.