From someone missing a leg I don't like te title of this post, and I have a few of their reels. Just for knowledge my new leg cost me 32k.

Unless you are making your living fishing there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars for rods and reels.

I had a forum member in my boat a while back on a Ray Hubbard trip. The whole time all he did was brag about his fishing equipment. $300 rods, $300 reels, $15 lures, fluorocarbon line, tungsten weights, and on and on and on! He gave me a lesson on how much fishing gear cost that day and I gave him a lesson on how to catch fish that day. The final score was 33 Bass for me and 2 for him and I did it with rod and reel set ups that cost less than a hundred dollar bill. I heard a lot of excuses that day as to why he couldn't catch them but he couldn't blame his fishing equipment because he had already let me know it was WAAAAAAY better than mine!

The technology you can buy for $75 today is the same technology people were paying $300 for yesterday. Its your money to spend how ever you want. If you think a $300 Abu will make you a better angler than by all means buy you a $300 Abu. Been there; done that, and wont do it again.

Before I say this....I want to say I agree. Prices are high ....especially for things that people WANT and don't NEED. NOW......


I hate to hear people talk the way you are talking. Market drives prices. Cost of living drives prices. Everything we, as Americans, have to be thankful for costs money. Our way of life. Our safety (compared to other countries) Our abundance of luxury junk. Everything.

If you asked the person building a bass boat to take a pay cut, so you can pay less for a boat...id love to hear their response. Haha. I don't know what you do for a living. But, whatever it is, I'd like you to take a pay cut, so whatever ever field of business you are in will cost me less money to make the product available to me for less money. .....

Get it? Don't care? Haha.

There is inexpensive stuff, more so than higher end stuff. There is a choice for people that can not afford luxury stuff...or simply don't WANT luxury or state of the art gear. Likewise, there is choices for those who have a higher devotion to the sport and want better, whatever that may be. None of these higher end products catch more fish than the lower end stuff. But, at the end of the day, some people enjoy the design a quality of a product just as much as they enjoy the end result. Fishing.

Just like watches....Rolex watches do not keep time any better than my iPhone's clock. But, even still, Rolex is still selling watches. Bentley cars are just cars....I can get a cheeseburger in a drive though in my Toyota Tundra just as easily. Haha.

The cost of this stuff is what it is. haha.

I cannot believe someone would be so uncaring and callus that they would make a statement like that


sorry you were offended Brad

Doug, I never said I was offended by it, just not a very accurate statement. I would be willing to bet between insurance and me personally 1 million dollars has been spent on my leg stuff over the years. So I fact a $300 dollar reel does not cost a leg.

Most of what you say makes sense but disagree on workers taking a pay cut. It's the ones who write their checks that need a pay cut. In most businesses the ones at the top are getting most of the profit and not the hourly workers who can and do get replaced when the market gets slow. The market for "toys", bass boats, Harley's, golf clubs, Porsche's, etc. is determined by what the public will pay for them and when the economy is good they will pay a lot. Here's another example, right now $300,000 homes are selling for $400,000 and there's a waiting list. you think those Mexicans that are doing all the work are making the money? Don't think so. It's the builder driving the new Ford King Ranch turbo charged 250. Those workers at the Ranger factory have little to do with the cost of a new 522. It goes way higher than that IMO.

From someone missing a leg I don't like te title of this post, and I have a few of their reels. Just for knowledge my new leg cost me 32k.

Just so I'm clear..... Your contention is that I go a million into debt to start a business because I have passion for an idea on how to deliver a superior service to the public and I don't get rewarded for that? I make as much as day laborers because they wake up at the same time as I do? What about the sleepless nights around bills coming due, marketing or not making payroll? They go get another job if I fail but it's not so easy when your name is on the note at the bank. CAPITALISM is what this great nation was built upon.

If you've ever fished three or four days with a Revo MGExtreme on an NRX you may value the lack of fatigue you get compared to the $150 combo. To some of us with arthritic hands and joints, the few hundred bucks is far less valuable. So I would say yes..... Abu makes wonderful reels, as do the other big players.

Steez is dead on.... The market will bear what it will and sure there are abuses to the system but there are too many new trucks and boats rolling around for anyone to take a pay cut anytime soon.

Some of us drive old trucks and old boats but that high end fishing gear is worth every nickel.

Unless you are making your living fishing there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars for rods and reels.

I had a forum member in my boat a while back on a Ray Hubbard trip. The whole time all he did was brag about his fishing equipment. $300 rods, $300 reels, $15 lures, fluorocarbon line, tungsten weights, and on and on and on! He gave me a lesson on how much fishing gear cost that day and I gave him a lesson on how to catch fish that day. The final score was 33 Bass for me and 2 for him and I did it with rod and reel set ups that cost less than a hundred dollar bill. I heard a lot of excuses that day as to why he couldn't catch them but he couldn't blame his fishing equipment because he had already let me know it was WAAAAAAY better than mine!

The technology you can buy for $75 today is the same technology people were paying $300 for yesterday. Its your money to spend how ever you want. If you think a $300 Abu will make you a better angler than by all means buy you a $300 Abu. Been there; done that, and wont do it again.