fisherman : answer me this quesion

[SunFlower]

What or why are $250 reels better than $35 reels ? I have been fishing my whole life. I am not an expert but I am decent. I have always used "cheap" gear. My trout fishing pole cost $50 and my spinning reel cost about $35. I catch lots of fish. However, I see the same set up can also be $200 for the pole and $250 for the reel. How and why are these items better ? Can the fish tell ?

BTW -I have had my set up for about 20 years and it still works fine.

 

[EdwardBernal]

It's because all the other fisherman are jealous of you. They think that if they can't even come close to your fishing prowess,
they will at least out-spend you in the gear department! So, the tackle industry jumped on the opportunity to capitalize...

I suspect you know the answer to your question and are just trollin' cause you catch lots 'o fish on cheap gear but I'll bite - no pun intended.

Is a 500E Mercedes benz better than a Honda Accord? Both get you from A to B, right? Is a $2,000 Nikon SLR better than a Canon Sureshot? Both take color pics, right? I could go on and on. No, the fish cannot tell what kind of reel you are using but the fisherman can certainly tell. Those that are hard-core fishermen especially so ( I'm not ). Reel bodies that are machined aluminum vs. cast pot-metal alloy will not crack under the strain of a strain of horsing in a larger fish. I fish long range party boats for snapper and grouper. Getting those fish away from the reef QUICKLY is half the battle. High-speed retrieve reels have made that task easier but that comes at a price. Many a snapper has fallen to a Penn Senator on a broom stick rod but a Shimano Saltiga on a Calstar rod makes that same task somewhat easier. FWIW, I treat my reels like new - born babies and rise/lube them before I even walk back in the house after a trip on the salt.



I'll admit that I use "cheap" gear for fresh water bass and trout fishing but fishing for larger fish in a harsher conditions I buy and use
quality gear and have never regretted it. If cheap gear works for you, great!

 

[plainjaneFJC]

If you have your setup for 20 years and it still works I would question how much fishing versus catching fish you really do. We wear out shimano reels in about 8 seasons, but we will catch a few hundred fish in a season on each reel. These are white bass and hybrid bass in the 1 to 3 pound range. I use the spirex 1000 series, I think they are 50 bucks a piece plus a rod. I really don't get the advantage of the high dollar ones, but a 50 dollar reel is light years better than a 20 dollar model.

What or why are $250 reels better than $35 reels ? I have been fishing my whole life. I am not an expert but I am decent. I have always used "cheap" gear. My trout fishing pole cost $50 and my spinning reel cost about $35. I catch lots of fish. However, I see the same set up can also be $200 for the pole and $250 for the reel. How and why are these items better ? Can the fish tell ?

BTW -I have had my set up for about 20 years and it still works fine.

 

[SunFlower]

If you want to criticize those you
choose to spend more on quality gear then that's your hang-up brother....

I never criticized anyone. I asked a question regarding the differences in gear based on priced. Sounds like you took it personally.....brother.

 

[EdwardBernal]

You're right - I was a bit harsh .... Sorry about that. You still trolling though

 

[mobob]

Seeing how I have an addiction for fine fishing gear, I give this a try.

How many times have you replaced that cheap rod and/or reel? Do this a couple times and you could have had a better rod the entire time at a cheaper overall price, if it had a good warranty. I have more gloomis rods than I can explain to my wife. They fish a little better as you go up each price point in their line. All of them have a lifetime warranty and even the cheapest ones are high quality. Many of them I have picked up on CL or EBay for about half of retail. I have only paid shipping for broken ones in the last 10 years and have probably broke or needed repairs around 20 times. I sent back five this winter, no questions asked and they were repaired or replaced in about 10 days. You get what you pay for from good customer service in most cases.

Reels are easy. Good ones last without needing constant maintenance assuming they get lots of use. Price doesn't dictate which are the good ones but it is a starting point. Fit and finish durability are other key factors in good reels.

If you use the gear a lot or are tough on them, then higher quality rods and reels are worth it, if not the cheap ones will do.

 

[GregSplett]

What or why are $250 reels better than $35 reels ? I have been fishing my whole life. I am not an expert but I am decent. I have always used "cheap" gear. My trout fishing pole cost $50 and my spinning reel cost about $35. I catch lots of fish. However, I see the same set up can also be $200 for the pole and $250 for the reel. How and why are these items better ? Can the fish tell ?

BTW -I have had my set up for about 20 years and it still works fine.

You do not fish much do you?

 

[AzTacoma]

I think the obvious answer is the $250 reels are made of better materials, better fit and finish, more advanced design, etc. There's no doubt in my mind that a $250 reel will function better and for longer than a $35 reel 19 out of 20 times. But the more important question to me is, is the $250 reel worth it it? Is the fancy reel 700% better? No. In most situations like this we'll experience diminishing marginal utility, and for every dollar more we add to the price we gain slightly less benefit than the last dollar. For some people, their personal preference (guided in large part by how much money they have or are willing to spend) is that the extra 25% in quality/performance is worth the extra $100, or $200, or $1000.

I am perfectly happy with my $75 rod/reel combos, mostly because I abuse them too much to invest in the better stuff. To me they are somewhat expendable and I run them into the ground within 5-10 years and get new ones. This is not my MO with most stuff, but with fishing gear in general, it works for me.

 

[GregSplett]

I have a good friend who owns a small sporting goods fly fishing shop out on the west end.Pretty much steelhead capital of the lower 48.He told me once that either you spend 40 or 400 screw everything in between.

This was twenty years ago,so 40 is now 70...

High end reels have more ball bearings instead of disposable bushings.They have stiffer cases to keep the reel from bending under load.They have better drags.lastly their anti reverse is stronger and closer to instant {smaller teeth}.

If you are fishing smaller prey none of this matters.If you are setting the hook on a 12 pound fish and fighting them in current then it does.Think about how the line pulls sideways on the spool and you will understand what i mean by bending the reel.This bending has killed more of my reels than anything else.

My trout reel is 19.99 shimano special that is almost a decade new.

My steelhead and salmon spinners usually do a two year stint at the 70 dollar range.

 

[Jay61]

I fish more in saltwater than I do in fresh water...and I do a lot of saltwater fly fishing. I have taken friends with rather inexpensive fly tackle and have seen their tackle fail catastrophically with a big tarpon or bull red. I have never had a tackle fail in saltwater when I use quality...however I can not say the same when I have used...lets say, just get by tackle. If you take care of quality tackle it should last you as long as you will live.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

The phrase "buy once, cry once" is something I have come to appreciate the last few years. I grew up fishing with cheap gear because that is all my parents could afford, but we also mostly fished for brook trout that placed little demand on cheap gear and could get by with it. Fast-forward 25 years and I have a $64k Lund sitting in my driveway with $4K in updated electronics and about $2500 in rods/reels stored inside. Do I still keep a few cheap rods for the kids to use, of course I do, but I also have some custom jigging and trolling rods/reels that I know will be reliable when reeling in a 20+ pound lake trout or sensitive enough to not tear the mouth of a 4 pound Kokanee salmon. Typing this reminded me how painful it was winterizing the boat earlier this month, but spring fishing will be here before I know it.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Which lund do you have? I'm probably going to trade my 208tyee gl for a 219pro v gl or a 2175 pro v in January.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Which lund do you have? I'm probably going to trade my 208tyee gl for a 219pro v gl or a 2175 pro v in January.

It's a 1950 Tyee Magnum Gran Sport I/O, came with the integrated trolling system but replaced it with the new style hydraulic remote troll, been updating the electronics the last few years with a couple HDS touch units and the xi5 trolling motor on the bow. Best feature though are the digital downriggers, makes life very easy when trolling deep. I prefer an outboard setup for a purely fishing rig like I had on my previous boat, but the I/O setup is so well-balanced and easy to use I have grown to like it, plus my wife is very comfortable on the boat with our toddler. It has the full enclosure for bad weather plus the sport top bimini for water sports, it turns on a dime and has plenty of power for being carb'd.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

I love the xi5. It has made fishing so much more enjoyable, plus its linked to my hds9 gen 3 and all honey holes are programmed in.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I love the xi5. It has made fishing so much more enjoyable, plus its linked to my hds9 gen 3 and all honey holes are programmed in.

Yup, just pull up the waypoint and hit the "go to" button, or retrace the route you just took through a school of kokanee. I currently have gen 2 touch but next year I really want to get a gen 3 in the 12 inch variety, but the wife may not approve.