Here's one we can comment on, my partner and I got in a heated debate over which is more important , if you had to spend the bucks on one item would it be the rod or the reel,He said rod I say reel.....

------------------
Tight Lines
FISH ON ------<*)>><
Men are like fish we get into trouble when we open our mouths to much!!

I would have to say rod. If you can't feel the fish bite then you don't need a reel to bring them in! But then again people use a stick and string and still catch fish, so maybe neither.

------------------
Just because I look big, dumb, and ugly, doesn't mean I am. It means I can stomp you for calling me it!

Rod...

Without question, ROD!!

Coming from a fly fishing background, I would probably say rod. Yet if I were to do a lot of distance ocean fishing (San Diego to Baja, etc.), I would probably say reel. Having got into drifting and "metal" fishing as of late, I would be more inclined to spend the bigger dollar for the rod. It all depends....

No question about it ROD.....

The rod gets my vote also!

OK, I'll be the freak here.......reel.

Why? When I was learning the ropes 20 some years ago, I used an old Lamiglas S-Glass (remember those?) 8 1/2 ft casting rod rated something like 4-10lb. test. It was basically an 8 1/2 ft. noodle rod. Most of my early success was with summer runs on the kalama using this old pole. I had no problem detecting bites.

Now, I have since graduauted to GLoomis rods for the last 15 odd years mainly because I want the best equipment and I can finally afford them.

Of course rods are VERY important. The point I wanted to make is that amongst all the "K-mart special" crap out there. There are rods that aren't top-end that work great when coupled with a quality reel.

Think about it, if you hook a fish and your rod breaks, you can still probably get the fish in. If you're fighting a fish and your reel breaks, then the fish is as good as gone. I fish more saltwater, so strike detection isn't a very big concern to me, but i could see your point on the rivers.......

If comes down to money (at least with me it does), and a person needs to buy an all-around combo (you didn't mention any particular type of fishing), then I think a good $80 reel is more important than an $80 rod. But I think a good $200 rod is more important than a $200 reel. Makes sense?

[This message has been edited by AkBill (edited 02-26-2000).]

You must feel the bottom for drift fishing. You must also have a reel strong enough to hang on!! So I vote for quality not price either one is a good choice with benefits each its own. Plug fishing you need a reel with a good drag. You can have a ball catch ing steelhead plugging on fly rods with out good feel.

Ten years ago I would vote rod, but "decent" graphite rods are plentiful today.

So I vote reel. Good reels are hard to find.....Name 3 good direct drive reels that are made today. Most of the reels today are geared for the bass fishermen.



------------------
Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

I guess my thought would be that there are alot of decent rods on the market today,that are more than capable of detecting the pick-up or strike,but if your using a crappy reel then you are screwed, not enough drag or gear ratio for a rapid retrieve when that sucker makes a run straght at you...problems,one of my favorite rods is a old diawa 8'4" light action grafite I think I might have paid 25 buck for it 10 years ago,it works great on small creeks or rivers,in my early years I used a fenwick eagle grafite I can't tell you how many fish I caught on that rod.I own 2 lamiglas and they are great rods but my rod of choice is my series 1 berkley , my partner fishes a loomis and he does'nt catch any more fish than I do,I fish a calcatta for a bout 7 years or so he always fishes medium grade shimanos and has been through 3 reels since I bought mine,have seen his drag take a crap on a large native more than once,than all the rod in the world does you no good!
good luck...

------------------
Tight Lines
FISH ON ------<*)>><
Men are like fish we get into trouble when we open our mouths to much!!

Hey David, I have a friend who landed TWO silvers about 6 and 10 pounds on the Cow when his reel broke TWICE. His handle snapped and then the jury rig fix broke. He ended up clear in the parking lot at the dam, but he did land the fish. Just goes to show that even blind chipmunks can find a nut sometimes.

------------------
Just because I look big, dumb, and ugly, doesn't mean I am. It means I can stomp you for calling me it!

reel. You can get a decent rod for 45 to 50 bucks, but you need to spend at least 100 to get a decent reel. I agree that you can get a good rod fairly cheap now days. Of course if money were no object get the best of both, but if it is I spend mine on a reel.

Look, its this simple, I you fish much at all then please don't put a cheap reel on a nice rod. Not that its more importaint or anything like that its just that its stupid. Kinda like getting a 99 dollar paint job on a nice car. I take a lot of people out in my boat and they show up with all manner of crap for poles and reels. I always insist that they use one of mine. I have never seen a pole screw somebody over but I have seen some really nice fish lost because of a crappy reel. Crappy line is the next thing that messes people up, But thats usually what they have on their crappy reels,,, probably hooked to a crappy pole. Not that this has anything to do with your question, but I just like saying crappy

Here’s a lame answer but I’m going with it- “it depends”. There I said it and I’m glad. If I’m pulling plugs, floating jigs or throwing spoons- the reel seems more important Good drag to match the line, easy release and etc. However, if I’m drift fishing from the bank or even plunking the rod seems more important for sensing a bite. So there’s my non-answer enjoy.

Nothing screws up a beautiful day out on the river more than having to deal with mechanical problems with a reel while your buddy just found the only hole that is holding a lot of eager fish. Unless you break that rod into several pieces it will fish.
My feelings on a good day of fishing is a full day with no problems, catching fish is an added bonus. I've fished with cheap rods for years and never had any problems. But cheap reels can be a continous problem with birds nests, drag problems, broken handles etc. Any of these little problems really can make a day on the river miserable. So if I had to choose, A good dependable reel to me is more important than the rod. But fortunately, being afflicted with steelhead feever, all around quality overcomes me. (Good rod+good reel+good line = good time)

Duke

Save yourself the argument next time, just buy a quality rod AND reel. The amount of money you spend may hurt in the beginning, but buying a Loomis rod and a top quality reel will last forever. Most people don't have enough time to fish enough to wear either one out. Your amount of enjoyment will increase greatly when you only have to deal with YOUR screw-ups, and not your equipment's screw-ups as well. So, save a little longer, work a little more, and buy both. Plus, if you ever decide to focus your hobby time somewhere else(I have no idea why!), your top notch equipment is still worth good money to someone else.