My dad had a saying that I heard an awful lot. "It's not the equipment, boy, it's the operator." RIP pops, thanks for the wisdom.

I have both high-dollar and discount rods and reels. Some of my best are inexpensive Browning red baitcasters that cost less than $100. Rods? I have two $39 Berkley rods from WalMart that I use with great success with frogs in thick pads. Granted, I don't expect the longevity from them that I would with a $125-and-up rod, but they work well, and I've only broken one of the under-$40 rods.

Sounds like a smart man..

I caught the most bass on a 5'6" M action Ugly Stick topped with a red Abu Garcia 5000. And I used that combo for every technique I knew, cause it was the only one I had. I just look at what conditions we were fishing, and make adjustments until I started catching fish. And we ate a lot of bass.