Sometimes it comes down to brand loyalty. Because I like a certain rod from company X then I want to try other models from that same company. Maybe it is something unique (craftsmanship) in the blank/rod handle/thread pattern design that gives a particular company a look and feel that is special. As someone that does not get to go fishing as often as I would like I know for me that when I go I want the best tools that I can afford for the type of fishing I am doing. If I spend $100 or $200 or $300 or even $500 on a rod and I use it over the next ten years (or more) then the long term cost is not that much as compared to the value (and joy) I experience each time I am using that fishing rod. Do the high dollar rods make a difference, in my opinion yes. Case in point, I was a member of a small bass club. AOY always came down to a few points difference over the season or one or two key fish in a certain tournament. I was gifted a Kistler Helium rod (high end for its time) and with it I felt more bites and caught fish I would not have otherwise. One year before the Kistler I missed AOY, the next two years following the purchase I managed AOY. Yes many rods will fill many different roles but the right rod will fill the right role just a little better and suddenly become THE rod you want to use.

Louie you don't have to spend $200 on a rod. The expenseive rods are nice but you can find lesser expensive rods that you can match up to what you are doing. That is the key. Matching your tackle. It starts with the line, reel, rod, all the way to what is on the end of the line.

Example: You wouldn't want to use a 7' heavy action rod to throw a texas rig worm with a 1/4 oz weight with a 2/0 hook and on 17lb line. See how all that just doesn't match?

Flipping is something that takes a lot of practice. I never was that good at it. But I always tried to get away with the lightest weight possible. I never fished much in areas where punching was required and heavy weights. Most of my flipping was around pads and docks so I didn't want a big huge weight on my line. I got more bites with lighter weights (slower drop)but they can be frustrating for a novice at flipping. You might try flipping with a heavy weight and reduce the weight as you get the feel for it. I just never had any luck at all flipping with a heavy weight on. Peg your weight when flipping. That will help some.

bout $100 worth of rod is all I need with good fluoro and tungsten, it's about the complete system/package though. With mono and lead... double that probably. I've handled some much nicer rods and while they felt considerably lighter, the sensitivity was no better fishing weights I normally fish, but feel was better with more finesse weights I rarely use, i.e. I could get away with 1/4oz where I would generally be throwing 3/8oz. It basically just ads a few degrees to your fine tuning imo. With the weights I normally throw I can feel every pebble on the bottom, every twig I run through in brush, any tiny nibble from pan fish, etc.

That is why professionals use the highest end stuff. It isn't that it is massively different or better than any of the reasonably prices stuff, it's that it makes them more versatile and they are using it to cash a check.

I hear ya. Now is that flipping or pitching? lol. I argue with the ole man on that all the time. I say flipping...he's says I'm pitching. Guess it depends on the distance? Hell I dunno. I just go fishing! We like to rib each other all day.

At Fork we were gitting bit at all so I was kinda screwing around up front thrwing my lil crankbait sidearm practicing on keeping it low under a big tree branch until I finally wrapped that sucker around it a couple times and busted out laughing. He was lkike WTH are you doing!!! LOl. Good times... I wear him out!

I have a hand made glass rod one of my old buddies and bass fishing mentors gave me about 10 years ago. I never knew what a nice cranking rod felt like until he hooked me up with this rod one day when we were throwing DD22's in the river on The Pines. I couldn't get over how much difference that rod made and was raving about it all day. He gave it to me at the end of the tournament. I love that rod.

DD22's or any deep diving crank bait will wear you out after a few hours of chunking and winding. A good cranking rod like that will sure give your arms and back a rest.

Well....to be honest, you could go get a $50 Allstar 7ft MH and do everything you want with it and be happy. BUT....if you are any type of tournament guy or serious fun fisherman, you will find yourself investing in your equipment.

I used to have 3-4 rods that were M or MH 7ft and used the same reels for all of them. Then I learned that 5:1 was the perfect "cranking" reel. So I looked around and got a revo winch and paired it with a 7'6" M action rod....all of a sudden my cranking game took off and I developed confidence in that skill. So I figured I would try it again for a "frog" set up....saved up and bought a custom 7'10" frog rod and paired it with a Curado 200DVHS (7:1) and boom....another confident set up. Prior to that I used a 7ft MH rod and quantum reel and caught fish, but with the new set up my presentations and hooksets got even better. I noticed my success rate climbing. Needless to say I've now got a ton of setups for each skill and have really improved my fishing prowess!!!

Everyone is different and nobody has all the answers. Do what is best for you and remember, fishing is fun. If it's not fun, stop and start over!!!!

IMO if you spend $200 for a rod and another $200 for a reel and that gives you more enjoyment and fun than having spent less money, go for it. I'm tempted to say be thankful you're a bass fisherman and not a fly fisherman - their rod prices go up into the thousands.
I don't have a rig, let alone just a rod, that cost anywhere near $200. If I did I don't see how it could possibly make fishing more enjoyable and fun for me. But I'm kind of a heretic in many respects.

for me it would be the weight. At first i was more into my reels. this is because i learned how to supertune them and do bearing upgrades and keeeping the bearings clean. this made any reel i got better. I stsrted with the cheap cherrywoods and got all the same. i liked the price but liked the weight even more. If you are crankin all day a heavy rod will wear you out...unless your popeye . The more I started to get into other techniques the more i started to see that some rods are really built technique specific. If you got the dough i say yes. For me having the same rods make your more in tune with that piece of equipment....especially if you don't get out oon the water every other or every day

Buy the best you can afford. Main thing is get on the water and fish. My reels are all Lew's tournament pro's and I have several different rods,but my main rods are Lamiglas Infiniti rods are are between 270 dollars and 360 dollars. I'm older and they are much lighter and stronger than cheap rods. But I can afford them now ,but that was not always so. Some of my fondest memories was with the old Zebco 33 and a 10 foot wooded boat that was a beast to move around.Get what you can afford and make some memories.

*10

Anything fished slow I want the most sensitivity I can afford.

My bottom fishing rods are the most expensive ones I own.

You can get decent cranking rods for good deals. Cranking rods to me are important if you plan on doing a lot of cranking around big fish, with the wrong action you will lose a lot of bigger fish.

The right taper also makes casting baits much easier and accurate. Especially heavier and lighter baits.

I was at Fork today and stopped by Ron's rod shop at Popes to get a couple eyes fixed and walked out with a new spinning rod for drop shot and shaky heads. I did not need another rod, LOL!

Its all about weight of rods and reels in this day and time if you plan of fishing for 8-10hrs a day how do you feel holding a brick all day? I personally don't like it that's why I pay the extra amount for a light combo so its comfortable to hold all day.

For me it is about sensitivity, comfort and technique. I have some really high end rod and reels (most were given to me), I even have one combo that cost about $800 for rod and reel. There is a difference. The guy that said he could tell when a fish was thinking about biting is right, some rods are just that good. As for as the reel, when I got the high end reels, my pitching and flipping took on a whole new level. The reel smoothness and setup made all the difference. I can not afford these setups, like I said, they were given to me, but when I need a new one, I save up until I can get what I need and want. And besides all that, fishing is about all I do, I am addicted, so that is where I spend my money.