Rod or Reel, Which is more Important?

Everyone typically has a strong opinion on this topic, so let's voice those
opinions.

I personally believe without a doubt the rod is more important. Why?
Because the rod is:

1. The extension of my arm - leverage, feel, power
2. the primary transmitter of vibration - which tells me what my lure is
doing. and where.
3. the device that plays the biggest role on how my lure will be presented
(depending on its power & action, the rod tip loads and unloads continuously
throughout the cast and retrieve, applying action to my lures).
4. Did I mention that it transmit the vibration & feel, which we all relate
to as sensitivity.

The reel is also a major player, but I will spend up to $350 on a rod and
only around $225 on a reel. Primarily because you can get an Excellent reel
for $150-$200, but to get to a Excellent rod, it takes a little more money.
I do not have super sensitive hands, so I need all the help I can get.
Where if you have sensitive hands, you may be able to get away with a $75
rod.

Remember too, that the most important factor of a rod is its guides, their
number (8+ depending on length), their placement, and what the guide is make
of (insert and frame - gold cermet inserts and titanium frames being best).

I agree with Craig. The rod is far more important than reel. (To take that
one step further, even though the line is much less expensive than either
one of these components, I would suggest that from top to bottom, the most
important gear is:

Rod
Line
Reel

That said, if you pair a piece of crap reel with a exquisite rod, all you're
going to end up with is an exquisite piece of crap. (Same goes for bad rod
and great reel, cheap line and quality rod & reel, etc.)

DK


"Craig" wrote in message
.com...
Everyone typically has a strong opinion on this topic, so let's voice
those
opinions.

I personally believe without a doubt the rod is more important. Why?
Because the rod is:

1. The extension of my arm - leverage, feel, power
2. the primary transmitter of vibration - which tells me what my lure is
doing. and where.
3. the device that plays the biggest role on how my lure will be presented
(depending on its power & action, the rod tip loads and unloads
continuously
throughout the cast and retrieve, applying action to my lures).
4. Did I mention that it transmit the vibration & feel, which we all
relate
to as sensitivity.

The reel is also a major player, but I will spend up to $350 on a rod and
only around $225 on a reel. Primarily because you can get an Excellent
reel
for $150-$200, but to get to a Excellent rod, it takes a little more
money.
I do not have super sensitive hands, so I need all the help I can get.
Where if you have sensitive hands, you may be able to get away with a $75
rod.

Remember too, that the most important factor of a rod is its guides, their
number (8+ depending on length), their placement, and what the guide is
make
of (insert and frame - gold cermet inserts and titanium frames being
best).

if you pair a piece of crap reel with a exquisite rod, all you're going
to end up with is an exquisite piece of crap. (Same goes for bad rod and
great reel, cheap line and quality rod & reel, etc.

Proving once again...'a chain is as strong as it's weakest link'. Taking
it to another level, it's why an expert will catch more fish with a 20
dollar Zebco combo than a rookie holding on to 300 bucks worth of gear.

IMO the reel is much more important then the rod, Use a $100 reel with a
40 dollar rod and it will work just fine, but try a cheap reel with a
expensive rod and you have a disaster..





I fish therefore I lie

But let us remember that there is a big difference between "cheap" &
"inexpensive"!

--
Dave Norton
Millennium Rods
"AJH" wrote in message
...
IMO the reel is much more important then the rod, Use a $100 reel with a
40 dollar rod and it will work just fine, but try a cheap reel with a
expensive rod and you have a disaster..





I fish therefore I lie

"J Buck" wrote in message
...
if you pair a piece of crap reel with a exquisite rod, all you're going
to end up with is an exquisite piece of crap. (Same goes for bad rod and
great reel, cheap line and quality rod & reel, etc.

Proving once again...'a chain is as strong as it's weakest link'. Taking
it to another level, it's why an expert will catch more fish with a 20
dollar Zebco combo than a rookie holding on to 300 bucks worth of gear.

I strongly object to the implications of your statement. You have
overpriced Zebco's best reel. The 33 Classic, and its an excellent reel.
I've never paid as much as $20 for one although it is certainyl worh it.
I'ld say that it isn't really intended for heavy use except we have cranked
in many a catfish in the 4-10 pound range with one. Seriously though it is
one of the most problem free reels I have ever used.

Seriously though. You are 100% correct. The best rod will be brought to
its knees by a crap reel.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

"The RodMaker" wrote in message
...
But let us remember that there is a big difference between "cheap" &
"inexpensive"!


I agree. No offense to Dave who makes custom rods, but if you can accept
that they won't take much abuse in the rod locker the Quantum rods that sell
from $20 to $50 are excellent to fish with. Much lighter for their rating
than other rods, and have excellent sensitivity.

I can't compare them to one of Dave's rods though since I have never fished
with one. I can compare them to the one St Croix I have at a retail of
about $175. The St Croix has similar characteristics, and is much more
durable to casual use and abuse. That is the difference in price in that
instance.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

The rod and reel are equally important as a "matched set". The line you use
is actually the primary transmitter of vibration to the rod. The most
important item on any reel is the smoothness of drag while fighting a fish.
On baitcasters, I always palm the reel and have my thumb and index fingers
on the line while reeling the bait, my other three fingers are holding on
the bottom of the rod. Try it, you will see what I mean. You can use a round
or low profile reel it makes no difference. If you physically hold the line
lightly all the time, you will feel everything your bait or lure is doing.
If you just rely on the rod to give you the feel, you may miss a few takes
by the fish your after. My grandfather taught my this line holding technique
fifty years ago on the Little Bay de Noc with the old thumbuster reels of
the forties using Dacron line with steel and fiberglass rods. Sensitivity is
greatest the fingers of the hand, and not necessarily in the material the
rod is composed of, or the cost of the rod itself.

If you want, or need to pay for the highest end products for a confidence
boost it is up to you. You should get what you pay for when buying the high
end products or having a custom made rod. I just think it is how you use the
equipment you fish with, not what equipment you fish with, that makes the
difference between catching and fishing.

Just my humble opinion on this subject.

Illinois Fisherman


"Craig" wrote in message
.com...
Everyone typically has a strong opinion on this topic, so let's voice
those
opinions.

I personally believe without a doubt the rod is more important. Why?
Because the rod is:

1. The extension of my arm - leverage, feel, power
2. the primary transmitter of vibration - which tells me what my lure is
doing. and where.
3. the device that plays the biggest role on how my lure will be presented
(depending on its power & action, the rod tip loads and unloads
continuously
throughout the cast and retrieve, applying action to my lures).
4. Did I mention that it transmit the vibration & feel, which we all
relate
to as sensitivity.

The reel is also a major player, but I will spend up to $350 on a rod and
only around $225 on a reel. Primarily because you can get an Excellent
reel
for $150-$200, but to get to a Excellent rod, it takes a little more
money.
I do not have super sensitive hands, so I need all the help I can get.
Where if you have sensitive hands, you may be able to get away with a $75
rod.

Remember too, that the most important factor of a rod is its guides, their
number (8+ depending on length), their placement, and what the guide is
make
of (insert and frame - gold cermet inserts and titanium frames being
best).

while it is nice to have both a good reel and rod, there is little doubt
that you can do much more with a great rod and a fair reel. i would happily
fish a glx even if i were stuck with a low end quantum or curado reel. even
cheaper baitcasters like bass pro's low end stuff will still work. the
reel is not the feel. on the other hand i would not want to fish a calais
on a cheap ugly stick or wal mart shakesphere rod. the rod is where all the
feel and most of the control is.

just my opinion,

crownliner


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"J Buck" wrote in message
...
if you pair a piece of crap reel with a exquisite rod, all you're going
to end up with is an exquisite piece of crap. (Same goes for bad rod and
great reel, cheap line and quality rod & reel, etc.

Proving once again...'a chain is as strong as it's weakest link'. Taking
it to another level, it's why an expert will catch more fish with a 20
dollar Zebco combo than a rookie holding on to 300 bucks worth of gear.

I strongly object to the implications of your statement. You have
overpriced Zebco's best reel. The 33 Classic, and its an excellent reel.
I've never paid as much as $20 for one although it is certainyl worh it.
I'ld say that it isn't really intended for heavy use except we have
cranked
in many a catfish in the 4-10 pound range with one. Seriously though it
is
one of the most problem free reels I have ever used.

Seriously though. You are 100% correct. The best rod will be brought to
its knees by a crap reel.


--
Bob La Londe
Yuma, Az
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

I will agree with you in that your fishing line is a transmitter of
vibration. However, your rod is your primary tool/instrument for detecting
vibration because it acts as an amplifier and magnifies the vibration
signal.

Nylon monofilament is a poor transmitter as is fiberglass in a rod.
Copolymers and Fluorocarbon lines are better and superlines like Fireline
and Spiderwire are good transmitters of vibration. But even the best of the
superlines still need the amplification help of a rod so that the angler can
detect it. Touching the line above the reel may give you an added sense of
feel, but it is the amplified vibration of the rod (even a fiberglass one)
that helps you detect the lines signal.

It all starts with the guides. The harder, smoother, more dense the
material used to make a guide insert the more vibration it will transmit to
the guide frame. Again, the harder, more dense the guide frame the more
vibration it transmits to the rod blank. The more guides making contact
with the line, the better the signal.

The harder, more dense the material used in the construction of the rod
blank the more vibration reaches the hands and reel of the angler unchanged.

I have an article coming out in the December Issue of FLW Outdoors that will
further explain this and the differences in graphite.

--
Craig Baugher
"You are only as successful as you see yourself being!"