# How much to spend.



## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

Hey all,
just ordered a new spinning rod - now I'll need a nice new reel to fit it.

Just wondering what opinions are as to how much of the fishing budget do people spend on a reel. Do you suggest spending a similar amount on a reel as you do on the rod it will be matched to? More on the reel, less on the rod? More on the rod, less on the reel? Then of course there will be the line...

Outfit will be used for bream and trout, so fresh water and bays / estuaries / rivers, no offshore, so will be protected to some degree from salt water.


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

About the same for rod and reel


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Depends

I bought my 3 Stellas because they were (are?) IMHO the best available
The price was irrespective

The rods were DIY custom built jobs
Selected because they fit the job at hand, and there were no off the rack options for what I wanted (or if there was, they were not up to spec)
The fact that the cost to build 3 top of the line rods was less than the cost of buying 1 with similar specs was a happy coincidence

Of course this was all pre-child so money was not as much of an issue

If it were now I'd say the rods would still be DIY (they're betetr and cheaper)
but I'd have to be more circumspect in the reel selection (recent reels in both Daiwa and Shimano are excellent if just under the flagship models)

The fact remains that you can build a rod better than a shop bought job
You can't say the same for reels

Spend on the reels, build a rod

Probably doesn't fully answer your question though Spork - sorry

I'd always ask myself - whats p*ssing me off more at the end of long hard day?
The performance of a rod or the performance of a reel?

What I'd say is still spend more on the reel
the rod is a lever to throw a lure/bait and fight a fish
within those parameters a lot of slack can be avoided i.e a cheap rod can do just as good a job as an expensive one if the user knows what to do
a reel has to retrieve and let line out at the appropriate time, smoothly
even the most knowledgeable and experienced fisherperson cannot overcome cheap mechanical limitations


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I spend about 2 or 3 times more on the reel than the rod...probably more like 2 or 3 times LESS on the rod than the reel is more like it :lol:

Seriously though, I spend more on the reel because I figure its the bit which I'll notice more if its crappy, all the rod has to do is bend!


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Barrabundy said:


> Seriously though, I spend more on the reel because I figure its the bit which I'll notice more if its crappy, all the rod has to do is bend!


This


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Although I would add - if you're talking fly fishing ignore ALL the above!


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

See, I reckon the rod is more important than the reel.
If the reel is decent, anything over $75 say, it's going to feel fine. If the rod is heavy, poor guides, whatever, it's not going to be nice to use.
The weight of the reel is less important as it sits right under your hand but the weight of the rod has a lot of leverage.
Regardless of what you paid for the rod, I'd be looking at about $100 for the reel. Unless it's a big bluewater rod, then more like $200-250 for the reel.


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## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

Thanks guys.
Spending $230 on a custom rod, and looking at a Daiwa Caldia for $180 pp.
Currently have a freams and love the smooth drag, but the whole thing just feels a bit cheap and nasty. - note, it was bought second hand and I think may have some damage or wear somewhere in the driveline.


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## Thegaff (Apr 19, 2011)

anselmo said:


> Although I would add - if you're talking fly fishing ignore ALL the above!


So what your saying Nick is that I should build my own fly rod and that I shouldnt have to put up with my cheap rod i currently use? :lol:


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Thegaff said:


> anselmo said:
> 
> 
> > Although I would add - if you're talking fly fishing ignore ALL the above!
> ...


 :lol: 
What I meant was, if you're buying a fly rod, how it bends is very important ;-)


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Junglefisher said:


> See, I reckon the rod is more important than the reel.
> If the reel is decent, anything over $75 say, it's going to feel fine. If the rod is heavy, poor guides, whatever, it's not going to be nice to use.
> The weight of the reel is less important as it sits right under your hand but the weight of the rod has a lot of leverage.
> Regardless of what you paid for the rod, I'd be looking at about $100 for the reel. Unless it's a big bluewater rod, then more like $200-250 for the reel.


True, but a rod can be built on the cheap with decent guides
And there are plenty of cheap rods that have good guides, are light and feel nice


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## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

Just ordered a Daiwa Caldia 2500.


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