Expensive rods

I had occasion this weekend to fish with a friend who owns several
Kistler rods. I noted that he had more money invested in two rods
than I had in my boat, motor and trailer.

I'm sure glad that I am a bottom feeder and have been perfectly
satisfied with my $35 Lightning Rods and Ambassadeur 5000s.

Dick "cheap" Durbin

"Olebiker" wrote in message
ups.com...
I had occasion this weekend to fish with a friend who owns several
Kistler rods. I noted that he had more money invested in two rods
than I had in my boat, motor and trailer.

I'm sure glad that I am a bottom feeder and have been perfectly
satisfied with my $35 Lightning Rods and Ambassadeur 5000s.

Dick "cheap" Durbin

Hmmm.... Lets look at it this way.

Can you catch fish with a broom handle and some old bread box string?
ABSO-FRIGGING-LUTELY. Can you catch more fish with a slightly better rod
than a broom handle with some string tied on the end? Most anglers would
say yes.

Can a slightly more expensive rod with the perfect feel for the application
catch more fish in the hands of an experienced angler. Probably.

Does a $400 dollar rod make somebody who hasn't got the experience and the
touch and the time on the water into a Kevin Van Dam or a Mike Iaconnelli?
ABSO-FRIGGING-LUTELY NOT!

Personally I think a lot of folks move up to more expensive rods blindly
because they think it will make THEM a better fisherman, where as I think
they should not be trying to upgrade until they KNOW what they are wanting
out of that more expensive rod.

It took me a while to learn that. I am just now beginning to learn how much
I don't know about fishing, and I'm finally starting to buy rods with very
specific needs and feel in mind.

5 years ago I could fish for anythign with almost any bait it would handle
on a 7' medium fast spinning rod, and I still thinks its one of those most
braodly universal rods on the market there is, but now I understand what a
spinner bait rod should do, and I am finally getting a handle on flipping
rods. Drop shotting is still a bit of a mystery to me so I still swuitch
back and forth between my med/light extra fast dropshot rod and my universal
rod for that, but I'm learning.

You may be a better angler than the guy you fished with, but that doesn't
mean you could not be even better if you had the hands and the touch to take
advanatge of having the best possible technique specific rods for you for
each way that you fish.

P.S. There are some pretty cheap rods out there that are very good for some
techniques, but you have to know exactly what you want out of the rod and
beable to identify it in the store. I've got rods in my boat that retail
for as low as $20 and as high as a couple hundred that are regulars in my
arsenal almost everyday I fish.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
.. .

Can you catch fish with a broom handle and some old bread box string?
ABSO-FRIGGING-LUTELY. Can you catch more fish with a slightly better rod
than a broom handle with some string tied on the end? Most anglers would
say yes.

I'll take your word for it. Except for one Fenwick HMG, I've used $40 rods
with no complaints. Maybe I'm wallowing in ignorance and don't know how much
better I'd do with more expensive equipment.

Personally I think a lot of folks move up to more expensive rods blindly
because they think it will make THEM a better fisherman, where as I think
they should not be trying to upgrade until they KNOW what they are wanting
out of that more expensive rod.

It's not just rods, it's also reels, lures, line and whatever. I've read
enough forums and seen enough manufacturer and retailer advertising to know
that many frustrated anglers think they can spend their way to better
success. The businesses know this too and exploit it to the max.

It took me a while to learn that. I am just now beginning to learn how
much I don't know about fishing, and I'm finally starting to buy rods with
very specific needs and feel in mind.

5 years ago I could fish for anythign with almost any bait it would handle
on a 7' medium fast spinning rod, and I still thinks its one of those most
braodly universal rods on the market there is, but now I understand what a
spinner bait rod should do, and I am finally getting a handle on flipping
rods. Drop shotting is still a bit of a mystery to me so I still swuitch
back and forth between my med/light extra fast dropshot rod and my
universal rod for that, but I'm learning.

You may be a better angler than the guy you fished with, but that doesn't
mean you could not be even better if you had the hands and the touch to
take advanatge of having the best possible technique specific rods for you
for each way that you fish.

I have no criticism of how anyone wants to fish, but not everyone wants to
be or can be into technique specificity to the extent that you describe. I
have no way of knowing, but sometimes I wonder if the specificity is
overrated. Certainly the differences in rods for certain techniques have to
be very small.

I do what you used to do, use medium power fast action spinning for general
purposes and I'm happy, even though I concede there's a possibility I could
do better. Ignorance is bliss!!

On Jun 11, 10:16 am, Olebiker wrote:
I had occasion this weekend to fish with a friend who owns several
Kistler rods. I noted that he had more money invested in two rods
than I had in my boat, motor and trailer.

I'm sure glad that I am a bottom feeder and have been perfectly
satisfied with my $35 Lightning Rods and Ambassadeur 5000s.

Dick "cheap" Durbin

Next trip with them ask to try one of those Kistlers just one cast. I
made do with cheap rods many years and just ignored looking at
anything over $100 in catalogs. I just couldn't even think about
having that kind of money invested in fishing. But one day I went out
with a Florida guide who put a Kistler in my hands. I had no idea of
it's cost, else I'd have been too nervous using it. The first moment
the T-rigged worm moved on bottom I was startled over how for the
first time I could feel every little object down there. When the first
bite came I knew it before the line moved perceptibly, before the rod
tip bowed the slightest. I could feel the bass' mouth chomping on the
plastic. It was a gritty feeling. The big lesson I had to learn was to
give the fish time to swallow the hook. I was sold, but it took me
another year to bite the bullet and get one. Now all I use are high
quality high modulus rods and will never go back. I've broken one on a
striper and got it replaced quickly, no questions asked. All have
lifetime warranties. Will I buy more? I won't have to pay to replace
one, but as soon as I decide I need one for a particular job I'll get
it.

This is sort of like this. If your wife or girlfriend ever puts a real
diamond on her finger she won't settle for a fake diamond. Don't even
think about switching. She'll know and she won't go back to cheap.

Jim