High end fishing gear

[Baldheaded]

I know there are lots of you that are fishermen on the forum but who takes their fishing gear really seriously? I have been an avid fisherman since my teens and over the years have used lots of different gear. I always thought good quality gear was worth the cost especially when it comes to rods and reels. Do you agree? My go to have been St. Croix rods and Shimano stradics. Well until recently. I have made a few changes that I have been really happy with. I still think St. Croix rods are really nice but I have been leaning towards Shimano rods as my favorites. I really like the Exprides and Poison Adrenas. They are so light and sensitive and very comfortable in the hand. More comfortable than the newest St. Croix Legend Elites which I have several of. I am pairing them with the Shimano Vanfords. The rods are $300-$400. and the reels are $250. I recently had the Shimano Twin Power XD spinning reel in my hand and was blown away at how nice it is. I will be replacing some of my Vanfords with the Twin Powers. The Twin Powers are very pricey. $500. But in my opinion worth the extra cost. I also fill all my spinning reels with Diawa Samari braid. I love this line. 30lb strength with a 6lb. diameter. Who else is using high end fishing gear and what is it?

 

[TI-tick]

I spent about 1K on high end fishing gear.
Penn bait cast reels; Fathom II IIRC; two variants.
One piece rod IIRC 6.5/7' from IIRC Cajun Rods that I had shipped to MD.
Another 6.5/7' one piece rod from a S CA rod builder who's name escapes me and I can't easily find on the internet. Small builder from SD CA or so; picked that up at a sportsmans expo in CA. The tip of the rod, with me holding the end, bent back to just about 90 degrees.

Both rigs are designed for either west coast salmon or rockfish and work well for close in fishing like casting from boats.

That said, my dead uncle's old rods and reels and line from 10 years ago work better for casting from the shore off rocks in MD. These are longer two piece rods and spin cast reels. A real mixed bag with some broken guides a la Sanford and Son. These work better for hauling the fish up over the rocks and cost me zero. Not quite a surf rod but close enough.

My rod above don't have the hang/regidity to get the fish up over the rocks in one pull resulting in the fish bouncing and dropping into the rocks and my stupid ass scrambling down to retrieve.

IDK if having an expensive or cheap rod will get you any more fish. May make for a better experience but if the fish are not there then it is what it is.

That said I am looking to upgrade to a surf rod and reel for MD shore fishing. Likely a Cajun rod and Penn reel.

Happy fishing!

 

[BigTinBoat]

I use what I call "Budget" high end. Zodias rod with vanford reel. Been using 832 for quite a while, till I found Berkley X9 braid

 

[StantonCree]

I’m willing to give a new company a try but power pro braid has probably been my go for 10 years. Tried spider wire once and it was GARBAGE but I’m sure things have changed

 

[Baldheaded]

I use what I call "Budget" high end. Zodias rod with vanford reel. Been using 832 for quite a while, till I found Berkley X9 braid

I guessing your a bass fisherman. The Zodias rods are very nice also. I don't have one but have seen them in the shops.

 

[Baldheaded]

I use what I call "Budget" high end. Zodias rod with vanford reel. Been using 832 for quite a while, till I found Berkley X9 braid

I use the Berkley Nanofil line on my light action reels. It is getting really hard to find now I think they have discontinued it. I like Berkley stuff. Used to use the Berkley Fireline and Trilene XL also.

 

[outrider58]

Ugly sticks with Zebco reels.

 

[Baldheaded]

Ugly sticks with Zebco reels.

Old school gear. I had an Ugly stick as a kid and loved it. Not sure what ever happened to it. I still have some old rods from 50 years ago but don't use them anymore.

 

[Baldheaded]

I spent about 1K on high end fishing gear.
Penn bait cast reels; Fathom II IIRC; two variants.
One piece rod IIRC 6.5/7' from IIRC Cajun Rods that I had shipped to MD.
Another 6.5/7' one piece rod from a S CA rod builder who's name escapes me and I can't easily find on the internet. Small builder from SD CA or so; picked that up at a sportsmans expo in CA. The tip of the rod, with me holding the end, bent back to just about 90 degrees.

Both rigs are designed for either west coast salmon or rockfish and work well for close in fishing like casting from boats.

That said, my dead uncle's old rods and reels and line from 10 years ago work better for casting from the shore off rocks in MD. These are longer two piece rods and spin cast reels. A real mixed bag with some broken guides a la Sanford and Son. These work better for hauling the fish up over the rocks and cost me zero. Not quite a surf rod but close enough.

My rod above don't have the hang/regidity to get the fish up over the rocks in one pull resulting in the fish bouncing and dropping into the rocks and my stupid ass scrambling down to retrieve.

IDK if having an expensive or cheap rod will get you any more fish. May make for a better experience but if the fish are not there then it is what it is.

That said I am looking to upgrade to a surf rod and reel for MD shore fishing. Likely a Cajun rod and Penn reel.

Happy fishing!

Is that 1K on each combo or all the stuff together?

 

[28Shooter]

High end fishing gear is "great" if it's fished, "better", I don't know. I've always wanted a balanced Hardy fly rod and reel but my skill and wallet restrict me to an Orvis Battenkill and middle-grade Orvis rod - nice, does the job, but not Hardy. My medium weight freshwater spinning gear consists of a well-maintained Mitchell 300 bought new by me when I was 13 (41 years ago) mounted on an old American-made Eagle Claw rod bought new in high school. My ultralight gear consists of a St. Croix rod (bought maybe 15 years ago) mounted with a Zebco Cardinal reel (also bought in high school). I like my "old" gear and it works fine for me. My biggest concern - what if it finally breaks and needs a part?

 

[tdt91]

I've been club bass fishing for 30 years. Hi quality rods and reels can perform better and are more comfortable to use for extended periods, ie, a day long outing.
However, I don't think they will make you a better fisherman. After 30 club fishing I've seen the guys who buy $300 plus rods and reels but never get any better than the few years before when they started.
There is an Elite pro that uses Berkley Lighting Cherry rods, so there you go.

 

[TI-tick]

Is that 1K on each combo or all the stuff together?

About $250 per rod and reel. Maybe a bit more or less but a hell of a lot more than I ever spent before.

 

[outrider58]

Old school gear. I had an Ugly stick as a kid and loved it. Not sure what ever happened to it. I still have some old rods from 50 years ago but don't use them anymore.

I was just fooling about.

For spinning, I use(d) St Croix rods and Shimano reels.
For baitcasting, a combination of Allstars, Skeet Reese, Shimano and G.Loomis Rods with Shimano(began to hate them) then switched over to all Quantum reels.

Flyrods, Sage, Fenwick, TFO, and a few Powell rods(I guided for a rep, so they were a good deal).

 

[[Kev308]]

@Baldheaded
Nothing I fish with is high end, but I did buy my first baitcaster rod and reel combo this week, and I have to ask: why would anyone prefer this over a spinning rod?

I just spent 20 minutes cutting out all the line from the reel. If I hadn't brought a back up rod, I would have been skunked with a deeply embedded birds nest within an hour.

 

[outrider58]

@Baldheaded
Nothing I fish with is high end, but I did buy my first baitcaster rod and reel combo this week, and I have to ask: why would anyone prefer this over a spinning rod?

I just spent 20 minutes cutting out all the line from the reel. If I hadn't brought a back up rod, I would have been skunked with a deeply embedded birds nest within an hour.

You will learn there are things that do better with bait casters as you become proficient with them. The most important thing for me is, they are far superior when casting crank baits as, when you cast a crank bait with spinning gear, the lure summersaults through the air and often fouls in the line. When you cast a crank bait with a bait caster, the lure doesn't flip around as it flies, it stays straight like a missile and has much less tendency to foul with the line. There are many other benefits as well.

The thing about bait casters is, you want several of them so you can keep each rod and reel combination tuned for a specific bait(lure) weight, type of lure, and fishing method.

 

[Baldheaded]

@Baldheaded
Nothing I fish with is high end, but I did buy my first baitcaster rod and reel combo this week, and I have to ask: why would anyone prefer this over a spinning rod?

I just spent 20 minutes cutting out all the line from the reel. If I hadn't brought a back up rod, I would have been skunked with a deeply embedded birds nest within an hour.

I bought my first bait caster a few years ago. They do take some practice to get good with but that will come in time. And some bait casters are better than others for beginners. I think they have their place in some situations but I really just would rather use spinning gear. Not much I can't do with the right spinning setup. I out fish most of the bait caster guys I know.

 

[Baldheaded]

You will learn there are things that do better with bait casters as you become proficient with them. The most important thing for me is, they are far superior when casting crank baits as, when you cast a crank bait with spinning gear, the lure summersaults through the air and often fouls in the line. When you cast a crank bait with a bait caster, the lure doesn't flip around as it flies, it stays straight like a missile and has much less tendency to foul with the line. There are many other benefits as well.

The thing about bait casters is, you want several of them so you can keep each rod and reel combination tuned for a specific bait(lure) weight, type of lure, and fishing method.

Well said!

 

[[Kev308]]

I bought my first bait caster a few years ago. They do take some practice to get good with but that will come in time. And some bait casters are better than others for beginners. I think they have their place in some situations but I really just would rather use spinning gear. Not much I can't do with the right spinning setup. I out fish most of the bait caster guys I know.

You will learn there are things that do better with bait casters as you become proficient with them. The most important thing for me is, they are far superior when casting crank baits as, when you cast a crank bait with spinning gear, the lure summersaults through the air and often fouls in the line. When you cast a crank bait with a bait caster, the lure doesn't flip around as it flies, it stays straight like a missile and has much less tendency to foul with the line. There are many other benefits as well.

The thing about bait casters is, you want several of them so you can keep each rod and reel combination tuned for a specific bait(lure) weight, type of lure, and fishing method.

Thanks for the explanation. I got the hang of it after a couple dozen casts, but then asked a guy how he tuned his to prevent backlash. My very next cast was the last of the day for that rod. lol

8000 Penn Battle III 10ft saltwater combo is about the most expensive I have bought. I'm rocking Ugly sticks GX2's in various sizes for the rest. I'm a Casio watch kinda guy.
Interested in hearing about the high end gear in this thread.
Hopefully this thread won't inspire me too much.

 

[Cochise]

I am old school and salt water....because that's what I like. The reel in my picture is a Zebco Cardinal 7 made by Abu in Sweden. I have two of those and a Cardinal 7 X which is a high speed version. Penn 704 Greenies and Mitchell 302 saltwaters. I use newer rods Penn and Okuma mostly. All that said I shoot mostly side by side shotguns many with outside hammers and the evid damascus barrels. Do I shoot or fish better? Nod idea but I have fun, am comfortable with my gear and I have cool shit....

 

[28Shooter]

I bought my first bait caster a few years ago. They do take some practice to get good with but that will come in time. And some bait casters are better than others for beginners. I think they have their place in some situations but I really just would rather use spinning gear. Not much I can't do with the right spinning setup. I out fish most of the bait caster guys I know.

I learned to cast and fish with a baitcasting reel as a boy back in the mid-1960s. Two things I learned, one, the term "birds' nest" has more than one meaning, and two, the kids with the spincasting reels had more time to fish because they weren't untangling "birds' nests".