I generally try to avoid the real cheapy outfits and the expensive outfits. My choices, usually complete outfits, have been Orvis Clearwaters and Cabela’s Clear Creeks that run between $140-$200 for the rod, reel, line, backing, sock and tube. These generally have nice hardware and and excellent casting quality. I’ve talked about it before----bang for the buck. 8T 
I have to admit that I have both inexpensive and expensive rods. I tend to cast rods when I visit my local fly shops. I can honestly say that I can feel a difference between the rods and I think that difference is magnified when you consider fishing a long day.
I was fishing with my daughter years ago and while I was working with her I picked up her rod and casted it while giving instruction. She had an entry level Sage and I had a high end Sage. I could notice a difference right away but after a few more casts I was adjusted and difference seemed to be less significant. I think we all can make due with what we have and upgrading just adds icing to the cake. I think over time our casting improves (hopefully) and our taste in rods changes.
I also do a lot of casting and shopping before a purchase a rod and I tend to wait for rods to go on sale or closeouts before I purchase them. I think the prices have gotten way out of hand and I think the local shops are starting to feel the pressure. I think we are reaching a point where they are pricing a lot of people out of the market. Most high end rods have gone up $100 this year. There are a lot of mid-range rods that are nice and comparable to the high end rods of the past. There are much more offerings in all prices ranges for very good quality equipment. I think high end rods have hit the ceiling for me and I would not consider paying full price for one no matter how good I thought it felt.
I have built rods from blanks and I am by no means an expert but I think most could build themselves a fishable rod from a blank. I think high end blanks are pretty expensive and if you break it you have to build the section again so there are trade offs. I was at the ISE show in Sacramento and was talking to the Scott rep about blanks. I asked him why Scott does not offer blanks and he said that they can only make so many a year and that they make enough to satisfy the factory rod demand. We then move to the topic of rod prices and warranty. I guess the reason for the high prices are the un-conditional warranties. I think there is a movement in the industry to get rid of the un-conditional warranty or possibly offer rods with the normal defect warranty. I would be willing to pay more for repairs and less for rods. I guess we may see this coming down the road soon.
So back to the original question. I like my high end rods and save a long time to get them and that may make them more special to me. I think we will see the quality of overseas rods get better and better. I think we have reached the breaking point and will see some major changes in the next year or 2.
Jet
Well said Dougie
It’s always interesting hearing the responses are to a thread like this. You hear everything from “you HAVE to have a Sage” (Don’t recall hearing exactly that on this thread but you get the idea) to “Cheap works for me”…
Personally, I fish rods that feel good to me. Some of them cost a bit more than others. The one rod that I fish the most does happen to be and 8’ bamboo for a 5wt. I feel that rod just comes alive both casting it and especially when I hook a fish. That piece of grass truly does feel like an extension of my arm when I’m out there on the river.
Another one of my rods that I frequently fish is a 7’ Hardy HF (pre-JET) glass fly rod. Now this rod is also extremely smooth and is a pure joy to fish…I don’t think I paid more than $100 for that rod. My point is, you can pay $100 or $500 for a fly rod but if it doesn’t just “do it for you” it doesn’t matter…
also, I think I need to differentiate between “cheap” and “inexpensive”…“cheap” equipment won’t last, “inexpensive” equipment can actually be really high quality…
anyway, there you have it, my two cents
~Randy
oh, one thing that bothers me about the flyfishing industry right now is the whole lifetime warranty and the fact that in many cases, that’s part of what drives up prices (purely speculation on my part)…I have one fly rod currently that has any sort of warranty (my Steffen Bros. 8’ 5/6wt. S-glass–with that rod I payed for the labor of a hand-rolled glass blank and hand-made rod, not a fancy warranty)…
NIGHTHAWK, I just got one of those EAGLE CLAWS in the 7’ model. $9.99 plus $5. shipping off of e-bay. A parabolic glass and works killer with 5wt line. The fact that you can feed a water skiing rope through the guides, just adds to its beauty LOL
I see these posts all the time and I don’t really see the elitist thing as much as the guys that own that Wally World rods putting up the stink. I get tired of the my $25. POLE can do the same as your $600. I really don’t see that in reverse, the $600. rod owner saying, mine cast the same as your $25.
I just see it as those that can’t afford the top end wanting to make sure everyone knows they can still catch fish with cheap.
There is a difference in a cheapy and an expensive in every which way you look at it. If you can’t afford the upper end then make do, but that is what it is making do. You still catch fish, and I am not even going to go as far as saying MORE fish cause there are too many variables there.
It is human nature to want to up grade when you really enjoy something. Some can do it faster than others. To say you WOULDN’T take a upper end rod is just being rebelious and to me a little silly. Some one wants to give me a Helios or a Z-Axis or even a BIIx or T you can bet your sweet ars I am going to take it.
It is the difference with Harbor Freight tools or Snap On.
I agree with JET, we make the adjustment. Myself, I will cast the $10 EC all day for kicks, but if I have GIN clear water and spooky fish, I want a nice delicate casting stick.
Another thing, all the BIG NAME CO. have slow, medium , medium/fast and fast action lines to choose from, with the no name cheapies, you take a chance. And WEIGHT of the rod…WOW.
Blanks are the rods of the future. Nice Z-Axis blank for $400. as apposed to the $600 finished (an example by the way) Then use as much or as little to finish it.
Just my opinion and peace to every one…now go fish!
I have mostly high end rods, but for a good reason for me. After a long day of fishing a less expensive rod is more taxing on my body. For me I find high end rods to be easier to cast and weight less and therefore more enjoyable. That’s not to say I won’t fish less expensive rods, I do. I also treat less espensive rods with the same kid glove I do my expensive ones. I am funny that way. I figure a buck is a buck and I want it to last.
My first fly rod was a Loomis Premier 6wt that I bought at a pawn shop. Think I paid $50 for it. I kinda took up fly fishing on a whim, so I didn’t want to sink a whole lot of money into it in case the sport wasn’t for me. I learned to cast with that rod, then I learned to fish with it.
After a couple of years I decided that I was a bone fide flyfisherman and a dedicated Loomis man, so I went out and sunk some change into a Loomis GL3 5wt. Holy moly, what a difference. I instantly became a better caster and the sport consumed me. I bought a mid-priced 3 wt for small streams and an 8 wt for steelhead. I got a good deal on a Scott 4 wt and I bought it, just because. But that 5 wt was still my main rod. Fished it probably 70% of the time.
One day I was walking down a muddy trail beside the river and I slipped and broke the tip off that rod. I was heartbroken. I called Loomis and they had discontinued that rod in a 4 pc. They tried to convince me to take a 2 pc rod in exchange. I held my ground on the 4 pc, so they shipped me a Streamdance Metolius in its place.
Again, holy moly. I had no idea what I’d been missing. My loops got tighter. My casts got longer. I could fish farther into the day without getting tired.
I used that Metolious as my main rod for several years. As this hobby became a lifestyle, I accumulated a quiver full of mid-priced and low priced rods.
A couple of years ago the company I worked for got sold and they laid me off. But, I parachuted out OK with a pretty nice severance. I found a new job quickly enough and I decided that, since I had a little pile of cash, I was going to thin the herd some and upgrade to exactly the gear I wanted. I sold off a bunch of stuff, and my main new rod acquisitions were a Loomis Streamdance GLX 5wt and a Sage XP 8 wt.
I gotta say, the nicer rods are nicer. I can throw that XP 90’ every time. And that GLX, what a piece of engineering. I can drop a dry on a dime anywhere from 20’ to 60’ every time. I can push a bugger through the wind 80’. I can throw 300 consecutive crisp, tight loops effortlessly. My right arm feels every bit as good during the evening hatch as it did at sunrise.
So, I caught a ton of fish with rods in my budget my whole fishing career regardless of where that budget was. But now that I’ve gotten used to premium fly rods, I’m not sure I could go back.
if you don’t know how to fool a trout and battle it properly…
and equip that rod with the correct lines/flies…
it doesn’t matter if you have a 3,000 dollar rod or a walmart cheapy.
F.G. said, “NIGHTHAWK, I just got one of those EAGLE CLAWS in the 7’ model. $9.99 plus $5. shipping off of e-bay. A parabolic glass and works killer with 5wt line. The fact that you can feed a water skiing rope through the guides, just adds to its beauty LOL”.
Great price! I think these rods were originally a fly/spin combo thus the 50 gallon drum sized guides.
Now, here is the one thing this rod can do that all of your high end rods cannot do. This rod is magical. This rod will humble you. This rod is a time machine that takes you back to the day of busting gills and bass when, as a youngster, we, the commoner, could only afford fiberglass and only the rich could afford the “new” technology called graphite.
This is not a finesse rod. This rod is intended for pure, unadulterated fun. Put a cheap line and leader on this thing then go rip the lips off of the bull gills and bass. Before you know it this rod will have you smiling so hard it hurts. All the money in the world can buy you high end rods but it cannot buy a smile like that. Should you really want to get pure pleasure out of this rod give it to a neighbor kid and teach them how to fly fish. That would make this a priceless rod.
I don’t think anyone is claiming that an expensive rod will make a lousy fisherman into a good fisherman. But if you already know what you’re doing, you’ll more than likely do a better job with better tools.
i totally agree!
I have several rods of varying price ranges. I won’t mention brands here, because I don’t feel that’s important. Some rods I bought, 1 I won, & some were gifts. I love each & every one, but the 2 I fish with the most are probably 2 of the most inexpensive. It’s all what the individual prefers, & my preferences are what works for me, at my level expertise (or lack of), not price point or brand recognition.
Bottom line…if you like what you have, you have the right one!
Mike
If you love how a Sage z axis cast, and kind of like how a tfo signature cast, but not as much, and are a beginner/intermediate caster, I would bet you a million dollars you will be a better caster by getting a tfo signature that doesnt cast as well for you for $100 (on the web, blue fly <figure out the rest since they arent a sponsor>), buy a sharkskin fly line, and buy $575 worth of casting lessons that you save from buying the $100 tfo rather than the $675 Sage Z axis, at $40 a lesson will give you 14 1 hour lessons. I swear you will be a better caster with a tfo, 14 1 hour lessons from a fff ci or ma instructor, and a sharkskin (and money left over), than you would with a $675 z axis rod NO LESSONS, and a sharkskin line.
Anyone want to disagree with me on how much improvement a beginner/intermediate would get with $575 worth of instructions from a certified casting instructor?
I would even suggest, no sharkskin needed . . .
why would you pay so much for simple casting lessons? …I wish I could find somebody to pay that much…its not rocket science but something anybody can grasp the basics of in a matter of about an hr…if I can do it anybody can do it
socalsalt, after all that hi tech instruction,
then I would want the Z-Axis, so it is not a win win situation. Just save the pain and get the Sage now…we all know you want it LOL
I do know from experience, the newer high end rods despite the cost, do help you accelerate to a better caster. They are more balanced, lighter, and easier to cast. Once you get to a point where you have the fundamentals (going with the theory that you never MASTER ff ), you will be able to cast anything, but you won’t want to. 
I started seriously fly fishing last spring. I had an inexpesive rod to start with. There’s a difference between inexpensive and cheap and my rod was cheap. I went out fishing with a guide who had a Scott G2 and he let me use his rod a few times during the day. What a difference. When I got home, I started scouring Ebay and ended up the high bidder on one. I snagged a Scott G2 9’ 5wt for just shy of 300 and have never looked back. In my case, a good rod made all the difference in the world in my casting ability. I later picked up an Sage SLT 7’6" 3wt for some of the small streams around here and it’s also a sweet rod. For me it was honestly not a placebo effect because I had no idea what kind of rod the guide had. I just knew it cast better than my rod and when I asked him what it was, I decided I’d buy one when I got home. I was shocked at the sticker of a new one and turned to Ebay.
Just my story.
Jeff
I’m 4 years into fly fishing and 7 rods that I own. I am to the point where I can tell the difference between rods. I bought a Sage VT2 8wt for steelhead and it is a pleasure to cast, more so than my White River 8 wt.
However, The Sage and my white river were able to do the same things to be able to get me on the fish. I just like the way the Sage handles better.
The fish don’t care what I’m using though!
All my rods are St. Croix rods. Not the best and not the worst. We get what we pay for unless paying for gimmicks. If one was to fly fish for one season and give it up, I would say buying a cheap rod would be the culprit. Quality is everything.
If I had to pay retail, I wouldn’t have the pile of premium rods I do… no way. In general, yes, I can find differences between $600+ rods and <$400 rods, but I don’t believe most of them would hinder my catching much… I just bought a $195 LL Bean, the new redesigned Double L, and I’ll put that up against any 6’6" 3wt rod costing 3X as much in terms of it’s fishability… 'tis a sweet little stick