Irony of Durable Gear

S

Sylvaneous

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Sep 11, 2006
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I'm thinking mostly about fly reels. $400 trout reels which take the place of a string tied to the base of a willow switch that will handle most trout in most streams and they are duly touted as being durable; an 'investment' for the ages.
I find that people who by $400 fly reels and $800 fly rods will be back in the market in a few years for the next greatest thing ever. Durability is for people who will NOT by another fly reel for 25 years. Waders, yeah. Fly reels? I have some pretty inexpensive ones that just keep ticking and clicking, as do you, I'm sure. (Akron-made Pflueger Medalist, anyone?) For $400, it better be everything. (often, too light, ironically) So durability is a given, I suppose, and, I also suppose, unnecessary.

Syl
 
I agree with some of your post but not all. I have half a dozen of high end orvis rods that I use to trout fish. I'm not in the market for a new one because I feel I have my needs met. My newest one is a helios that is 7 or 8 years old, the other ones are twice that old, atleast. I like nice rods but don't feel the need to have the latest and greatest. As far as reels for trout fishing I think you were spot on. Saltwater reels are a different thing and serve a greater function. My reels for trout were all less than 200 bucks but I feel like there are alot if great reels in that price range. I'm okay with buying nicer gear because I know I will have it for a while. Durability in fly fishing rods and reels have alot to do with how you treat it, while waders boots, etc take a beating no matter what.
 
Agree with Ryan above.

Buy decent gear and tackle, take care of it and it will serve you for years or decades...it will actually become your "friend."

I've learned my lesson. My basement is filled with junk tackle I purchased over the years that never really worked well when I bought it and/or broke. That stuff just collects dust. If I add up the price of the junk, it exceeds the price I paid for the decent stuff that I I've been now using for years. If any of my tackle or gear does happen to fail, chances are it's under warranty and can be replaced or repaired.

The other side of the coin is the guy constantly buying the lastest and greatest expensive tackle. More power to them, if it makes them happy. I prefer to spend time finding a decent rod or reel or whatever that works well and fishing it for a long time.
 
Why do you care so much about what others spend their money on?



 
In in the same boat as ryan. I've been a fiberglass fan for awhile now and even with the higher end rods that have come out on the market in the last couple years, I haven't bought a new rod in some time. I have four glass rods that are about all I use. I even still fish my old eagle claw featherlight glass that my dad got me over twenty years ago. I think some people find what they like quickly and others keep looking until they find what's right for them.
As far as reels go I have a few of them but I'm an old click and pawl fan so my cheap Martins see more use than my echo or orvis reel.
 
BrookieChaser wrote:
Why do you care so much about what others spend their money on?
Click to expand...

^
This
 
Shouldn't this be in the gear forum? Right next to the threads where people complain that other people spend too much on nippers, sunglasses, rods, etc.
 
Some people are equipment geeks and if they can afford a $400 reel, good for them. 15 yrs ago I bought a CFO for $200. I love that reel.
 
Not sure where the line of functional and quality meet on reels . Agreed a $400 trout reel to put on a 2wt is over the top for me personally . But spending around $400 on a reel that can handle 5&6wt lines, with a great sealed drag , a warranty, and you plan on keeping for 35yrs seems reasonable.
I have a friend who fishes the salmon river and up in Maine for landlocked salmon and big smallmouth . He has great stories of reels freezing , or blowing up on a big fish . The stories would be better is I didn't know they were Martin or Okuma reels
 
I agree with several posters above that how people spend their money is not subject to providing justification, especially in a discretionary spending area like recreational fishing. But perhaps there's another angle worth considering:

Lefty Kreh somewhere accuses the fly fishing "industry" of making the mistake of overpricing their gear and thereby excluding a large segment of the population from being able to afford to participate.

I am not sure if Krey's argument was more of a historical observation or for modern times, but it seems to me that for most gear, a reasonable price is now available for very good equipment, and it could well be the case that the buyers of high end gear are, in a sense, subsidizing the lower priced gear buyers, and therefore performing a valuable economic service.

However, IMO there is a glaring exception, and that is the fly line. While you can get a "lower" priced fly line, the quality is often suspect, and is sometimes suspect even in high priced fly lines. Consumers have a responsibilty to demand a good product at a reasonable price, and as regards the fly line, we have failed to communicate that to the manufacturers.
 

I have stuck with orvis Clearwater rods and reels. They do good for me for the price the old work horse.
 
I agree with the fly line bit.
I pony up the money but you have too. Good fly line is number one when considering gear. I will say that the biggest annoyance is when you do pony up the money and get a bad batch that isn't the quality it should be.

My favorite set up right now is a 1970's orvis rivermaster Rod paired with a battenkill multiplier 7/8.
Got the entire set up for $200. The line cost half that price :lol:
 
Don't extend my observation too far, folks. It's just ironic and the industry depends on the same people buying replacements for stuff barely worn and many are happy to do it.
There is a strong ironic strain in churning your tackle touted as lasting into the next generation.

And some people use RealTree camo as decorative trim.
On new trucks. and other places.
Elvis had his jungle room.
As I snicker under my breath.
 
If you feel the need to chase 6" trout with a 400$ reel and 600$ rod, more power to you.

Everyone has their thing. Some people think they need the newest/most expensive gear to be the best at what they do, some dont. All hobbies are like this.

 
X3
BrookieChaser wrote:
Why do you care so much about what others spend their money on?
Click to expand...

Sylvaneous wrote:

I find that people who by $400 fly reels and $800 fly rods will be back in the market in a few years for the next greatest thing ever.

Syl
Click to expand...

But it makes for a great 2nd hand market at usually half price.
 
Generally the higher priced items seem to hold up better, are built for years of use, and usually have better components. There's also a warranty reserve built into that four hundred dollar reel. Personally I invest my money on the rods and line not so much the reel.The most expensive reel I own cost just under 300 bucks and I use those reels in places like the upper Delaware where a good drag is needed. To me that's money well spent. It all depends on your budget and needs.
 
As many have said, if you don't care for high end equipment, so be it. You don't have to and in all honesty, a $400 reel isn't all that over the top when compared to many different options out there in the $1500 - $3000 range.

I've owned a few Martin 63 models. Cheap? Yes. Did they hold line? Sure did. Did the break, bend and not make it more than a year? Bingo. When I was 18, I saved up and bought a Hardy Marquis for $185. 32 years later, it's still alive and kicking. Based on how / where I fish, I have a few Lamson, Ross and Galvan reels. Retail prices over $300 but I got them on sale (as much as 50% off). I have no doubt that the reels will be passed to my youngest nephew in 20 years.

Kia Rio..... Porsche 911. Single wide mobile home......6500 sq. ft. home. Payless work shoes......Rockport work shoes. Lots of choices in life. I found out long ago that a $10 rod, $6 fly line and a $8 reel were junk to me based on my seriousness for the sport. I've chosen to save money by buying crap clothing, older used car, buy only groceries on sale. I then take that and bought a driftboat, some higher end rods / reels, etc. If kinda messed up but it makes me happy. Is it ok with you how I spend MY income?
 
I say you spent it on the right things or to say you spent on things that matter just as much but are a hell of a lot more fun.

;-)
 
Something else that comes into play is where the item is produced. I'm ok with paying a couple hundred for an American made reel or rod, especially since a similar priced rod of foreign origin has a higher profit margin for the company which is outsourcing.
 
Not to get too philosophical on everyone, but whenever I'm thinking of making a purchase I think to myself "Will that item add value to my life, proportional to it's cost?"

We're conditioned by our society to be wasteful consumers and constantly chase the newest, fastest, most impressive, etc. The fly fishing gear industry is no different than other sporting equipment, cars, houses, tvs, phones, and the most laughable to me- shoes.
 
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