i totally agree with this. i started out with a fairly cheap starter flyrod my father got me for christmas. i broke it because i picked it up the wrong way. then i inherited a bamboo Orvis battenkill rod from my Grandfather. i did not break that one. then i was casting with a 6 piece backpacking flyrod of my dads, and somehow broke it, so i decided that i needed an inbetween. i searched, and "Clay" led me to an awesome deal for a 3 weight rod that was marked 66 percent down, and i got it for 100 bucks. BEST DEAL EVER. i have cast with the repaired backpacking rod, and the action is soooooo different, i dont want to go back. but until u experience the mediocre, u cant appreciate the exceptional. and i know that my $100 rod isnt EXCEPTIONAL, but the Battenkill is, and i use them in different situations. for example, on my likely LAST fishing trip with my grandfather, i used the Battenkill, becuase it is a connection point, but on my fishing trip with Michael E, i used the other.

so, yes, experience does effect knowledge, know-how, and feeling for quality. good subject Alba Surf. very good subject

Jordan