GOING AROUND AGAIN - Ladyfisher - July 26, 2010

[Gigmaster]

I have to agree with wgflyer on this one. In my entire life (which spans over a half a century), I have never had anything close to an 'upper-end' rod. I have only owned 6 fly rods in my entire life, and I still have 5 of them. I have owned 1 South Bend (which was stolen in the 70s), 1 Eagle Claw 5wt, 6-1/5' fiberglass rod, and 3 Scientific Anglers rods, a 4/5, a 6/7, and a 9/10 wt., and 1 bamboo rod with 2 tips that belonged to my grandfather. And I fish with them constantly. I don't see how anyone could get any more enjoyment out of their equipment than I do, and I count myself lucky that I have what I do.

I guess it's sort of like the guy that felt bad because he didn't have any shoes......until he met a man that had no feet.

I really can't see how there could be that much difference in $500.00 rod, and a $100.00 rod if they are made of the same material, and the same weight. There is only so many ways you can make a rod. I can't see $500.00 in any rod. I think it is like guitars. The main difference between a $200.00 Epiphone, and a $800.00 Epiphone is the finish. Martins are the same way. The only differences between a D-15 (around $699.00), and a D-45 ($2500.00 and up) is the amount of Mother-Of-Pearl, fancier tuners and hardware, and maybe a little better finish. Does a D-45 play, or sound any better than my D-15? NO WAY! my D-15 is the sweetest sounding and best playing guitar I have ever picked up. I wouldn't trade it for 3 D-45s. It's old, the finish is almost non-existent, but it sounds like angels, plays like hot butter, and it's mine. I am the same way about my rods.

The saying" You get what you pay for." is only true to a certain point. There is a point of Diminishing Returns, on everything. I am also an an avid bicyclist. The saying holds true up until you hit the $800.00 mark on bicycles. After that, mostly what you are getting is maybe a little cooler paint job, a menacing name-dropping model name, such as the 'Greg Lemond Predator', or the 'Paris Rubaix'. Unless you plan to ride Time Trials (I don't. I am a Vehicular Cyclist), or a pro Racer, you don't need that much bike. Racing bikes have every little new high-tech contraption there is on them, and each one is hideously expensive, especially when you realize that their only function is to help you shave 1/100th of a second off of your time. For a Racer, who is trying to make a living, 1/100th of a second is the difference between maybe paying the rent, or living in the Team Trailer. For the rest of us, 1/100th of a second is negligible.

The average mark-up on any manufactured item averages 2.52% by the time it gets to the consumer. This is assuming a normal marketing route from manufacturer, to wholesale distributor, to retail, to consumer. So, for a $1000.00 rod, the manufacturer is saying it cost them $520.00 to make each rod??? I think not! And we're not even talking about custom, all hand-made rods here. SO somewhere along the line, someone is cleaning up on profits.

My only advice is to not buy expensive rods. Sooner or later, the message will get through, and the price will drop to one that the market will stand.

In the mean time, what ever rods you have....go out and use them. There are few things more wholesome than spending time on the water, in quiet reflection.

Have heart, Ladyfisher. There've just got to be a whole bunch of kids out there as gullible as I was to the lure of the sport. To me, fly fishing was a condensation of all the good things nature had to offer. Being streamside with a fly rod, cheap, unbalanced, unwieldy or otherwise, and being able to catch a trout, was everything in the world to me. I shunned expensive equipment because of two things: The lack of money (very important), and a propensity to be somewhat equipment unfriendly while pursuing the sport. There's nothing more depressing than spending a lot of money on a rod and then slamming a car door on it. There's no reason, too me, that fly rods have to be of outstanding quality in order to attract new entrants to fly fishing. So long as they are usable at all, a WalMart fly rod package, when coupled with a genuine love of the outdoors, should suffice. Its a mentality, the way I see it, and if the mentality isn't there, then there isn't much pleasure, anyway. Tight lines!