GOING AROUND AGAIN - Ladyfisher - July 26, 2010

[907FlyGuy]

I fish with a Shakespeare 8 weight that was given to me as a gift from my family, and anyone who knows myself personally will appreciate how inexpensive this rod must have been. I have seen some rod/reel combos at outlet stores for around 26 dollars. If you hunt for the deals, they are out there. A cheap rod will catch just as many fish as a custom made unit. Keep hunting!!

[jszymczyk]

The only reason prices of rods and reels are so high, is because people continue to pay them. Fly fishing has always been and probably always will be considered high-dollar and exclusive because it is constantly portrayed as such by the majority of people who consider themselves even partly serious about it.

Sure, owning good quality equipment is great, and there is a certain "pride of ownership", but that needs to be separated from just plain snobbery.

"Action" (slow, fast) aside, Is there a big difference between a fly rod that retails for $30 and one that retails for $150?? Hell yes. Is there a big performance difference between a $150 and, say, a $350 price point? Not so much. $350 and $1000? No. Be honest. For the VAST majority of fly fishermen, the answer is just no. AS in every sport, there are a very few people who can take advantage of the absolute pinnacle of engineering, maybe 0.001% ? I'm a pretty competent recreational cyclist, but put me on a Pro-team mega-dollar time trial bike and I'm still the big fat slow guy.... Can I honestly produce results based on the difference between a $99 Huffy and a $1000 Cannondale? Absolutely. How 'bout the differences between a $1000 and a $10,000 bike? Not really. Same with most fly fishermen and fly rods.

I'd say that easily 95% of fresh and saltwater fly fishing could be totally enjoyed by 99% of people with an outfit that costs less than $150... probably less. If you know how to use a reel and have even a tiny bit of ingenuity, the heat-dissipating, unobtainium-alloy, state of the art, whoop-de-doo drag system is pointless in the vast majority of situations. Oh yeah, we need that super-high-tech drag on a reel that holds a 3wt line and 25yds of backing... Go up in scale to say an 8wt outfit and imagine you have a 20lb salmon hooked in flowing water and you let it have the whole line and 100 yds of backing out. How much resistance does all that line cause? A LOT. Up close, the last thing you want is a tight drag when a big fish makes a quick lunge.

Just like everything else in life, those folks who get some extra $$$ to spend want to believe that expensive gear will make them more competent in whatever hobby they undertake. The same as motorcycles, cars, bits of pottery, whatever, they're only WORTH what someone is willing to pay for them.

[anglerdave]

Nice article, but most of the manufacturers on the list also make affordable rods. St Croix for example (I own several of their rods)sell good quality rods. Their 8'6" 4wt Avid is $260. The Rio Santo $120. Orvis's Clearwater II rods start at $198. I personally don't think you can buy a bad graphite rod for under $100. I think for the most part the technology is the same. Higher priced rods may have more epensive components and lighter blanks thanthe mid and lower priced models. But the blank itself when cast performs well.

Some people can afford to spend $700 for a fly rod, some can't. That is the beauty of a free market society. And for those that can, I say go ahead. That is why most manufacturers sell high, mid and lower priced fly rods. If anyone is at fault it is the retail outlets both small and big box who may try and push a high dollar rod on someone who is just starting out.

Dave

[Gigmaster]

Great read. But just to keep things straight, a few things were not exactly accurate.

There was never an Embargo against China during WW-II. In fact, the US sent millions of dollars in aid, equipment and personnel to the Chiang Kaisheck Administration, even before a formal declaration of war, to help them resist Japanese invasion. The Embargo was against Japan.

In the early to mid 20th century, most bamboo used for fly rods was 'Tonkinese', which is the area we now call Vietnam. Since this area was occupied by the Japanese very early in the war, supplies to the US were cut off. But this is not the reason for the decline in angling in the US during the war. Stockpiles of bamboo were more than adequate. The decline was caused by the fact that at that time, angling was practiced mostly by men, and most able-bodied men were overseas fighting the war, and every one else was engaged in projects to support the war effort. There was little time for recreational fishing of any kind. Most bamboo used for fly rods now comes from the Guangdong Province of China, due to various trade agreements with the US. It's attributes are very similar to Tonkin bamboo.

In 1946, Shakespeare did introduce fiberglass rods, but not because of any shortage of bamboo. It was because fiberglass rods had more desirable properties, was much cheaper and easier to manufacture, and allowed more control over the finished product. It brought angling within the financial reach of just about everybody.

In your section on 'spinning' reels, I am guessing you meant spin-casting reels, since you mentioned a 'push-button'. Spin-casting reels were developed simultaneously by the Johnson Reel Company, and the Zero Hour Bomb Company (ZEBCO), in 1948. It brought the skill-level required for casting down to a level that anyone, even a toddler, could master in a few minutes. It revolutionized sport fishing, and is still the most popular type of reel. Spinning reels had been available in the US since the 1870s, and were first marketed by the Mitchell Reel Company of Cluses, France.

I have to admit to a certain fondness for the slower action, and more forgiving nature of fiberglass. I still own several, both standard and fly, and use them frequently. But I also have an old bamboo rod, and enjoy the nostalgia of dropping a fly with it every now and then.

The price of rods is going up for sure, but so is just about everything else. I think it is probably just a sign of the times.

A very thought-provoking article. Good job.

[wgflyer]

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!

[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!