Back in the day when fishing line sucked, the rod is where you got all your feel from. Today I believe the line is where you get all your feel from. SO do you need a $179 rod or more to gain an advantage? Will a good H2O for $59 give you the same results with braid or good flouro? Now this is a poor man talking. If I had a 30 ft boat with a 400 horse engine and 4 power poles on the back of my rig and 5 16 inch Lowrances, then yes I would buy some fancy stuff. But I think it is not necessary these day. If you think other wise I would like to hear your thoughts.

yes worth every penny! lighter weight less fatigue at the end of the day, plus greater sensitivity.

A poor man that lives in Aubrey, Texas. Not hardly.

In my opinion, yes, expensive rods are worth the money. I have multiple G. Loomis GLX's and NRX's and they're worth every penny. The NRX will leave you speechless with it's sensitivity and balance. Those rods really are on a whole different level. I'm in no way saying you can't get things done with a $100 rod. I just believe the overall quality and performance is better in a high dollar rod. For techniques such as a football jig, drop shot, Tx-rig, Carolina rig, anything that requires fishing deep or on the bottom, I believe you need the added sensitivity in a high dollar rod. However, for techniques such as spinnerbaits, cranks, top water, anything that's a reaction bait, I don't think you need a rod that's more than $100. The main thing here is that you get what you par for. It's all about preference and the angler's budget as well.

To ME, they are worth the price of admission. You do NOT NEED them, but when fishing T's adn you feel 2 or 3 more bites because of the sensitivity and land those fish, it could be a check vs. no check. You can catch fish with a broom stick and a kite line, but the added advantage of graphite and fiberglass sure make it easier to detect bites. I am talking experienced fish here, not the stupid ones that bite and take off with the bait and set the hook on themselves. The lighter the rod, the less fatigue you feel on fishing all day. The better the rod, the more you feel (for the most part). Is it needed? NOPE, it is NOT needed, but if you are fishing for money, your competitors will have an added advantage on you with their better equipment. Just my .02 worth. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

I can catch as many bass on $40 rod as a $300. But there is a big difference in sensitivity and weight. Kinda like golf clubs. How much better can they really keep making them be?

I wish I could tell you but I just mostly buy Lightnin' rods on sale.

I think if you're just starting out, a higher end rod will help teach you what to feel(the bottom, grass, sand vs rock, strikes, ect). Personally I couldn't feel the bottom with an oz weight tied on until I borrowed my dads cumara when I was 14 ish years old and the light came on. I could feel everything you could imagine. Since then I've been able to get by without spending more than $200 on a rod. That being said I do have a lot of rods that I should have paid more for that I didn't because of places like here where you can do business with good people and get primo equipment. It all depends on what your needs are and your budget is.

I think not much over $100 is a point of diminishing returns. Are titanium rings with SiC inserts going to help me catch any more fish? Nope. But the cost goes way, way up.

No they are not. $150 rods are plenty sensitive.

I think that if you think you need to keep up with the Jones then don't even try cause in the long run buying what you need is the best choice . If you buy expensive when you don't have the funds would be ridiculous and causing you to go in debt for reasons you don't need . If your an average fisherman like I am just buy a good reel , the best rod you can afford at a decent price but get good line and use extra money for lures or baits . In the long run you'll appreciate it and have more money in your pocket to go fishing .

You will only know the answer to your question when you get the chance to own and fish a high quality rod. I fished a lot of Falcon rods back when they were a pretty good, reasonable priced ($100 range), quality rod and then bought a Kistler LTA ($250). I came to realize just how many bites I had been missing enough so that it earned me an AOY in the club I fished. You are going to own a quality rod for 10 or more years so the difference between spending $50 or $500 kind of averages out. There are plenty of used rods that can lower your initial costs but give yourself the opportunity to find out what you are missing. IF you don't like them you can always sell a quality rod brand on a swap sell board and recoup some of your expense.

I never got the lighter weight less fatigue thinking

They are just a fishing rod, what do they weigh about 15 oz. I can't see a few ounces one way or the other making a difference. If that is the issue you need to hit the gym.

Company's or Rod Makers just keep reeling in the Fish. LOL

The majority of my biggest fish the last few years have been on an Abu Veritas 7'6" MH rod. $99. I compensated for feel by using 20# fluoro with my jigs.

I was worried that I might be catching less fish with cheaper rods, so I put a G.Loomis sticker on each rod and made sure it was facing the fish so they could see it. Problem solved! Catchin' em real good now!