Going back to budget? 2024
Chris186 reply :
Has anyone ever gone back to budget rods from higher end rods? Years ago I used all BPS extreme rods. Caught a ton of fish on them, even won tournaments on them. Then little by little I started buying more expensive rods. This past season, I noticed I actually caught more fish on my cheaper rods than my expensive ones. For example, a few weeks ago I loaded the boat on an $79 BPS cranking stick while my Orochi XX Swingfire sat in the rod locker. It started to make me think that maybe I don't need to be buying these more expensive rods, maybe I should go back to buying budget rods. Anyone else ever experience this?
Angry John reply :
When fishing moving baits high end blanks are not required. Bottom contact and dropshot is a total different game. Crank with an ugly stick and fish jigs on a k2.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I started buying expensive rods several years ago but have stopped in the last few years. I'll keep my higher end rods for feel baits, but baits like topwater, spinnerbaits, traps, cranks, frogs, really don't need a high end rod imo.
roadwarrior reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 11:28 AM, Chris186 said:Has anyone ever gone back to budget rods from higher end rods?
No
BassWhole! reply :
I wouldn't call it "going back" but I own rods of all levels (and have access to pretty much everything), and for the most part I choose to use mid level ones. Not that high end rods aren't in some respects demonstrably superior, I just find that they don't do anything that increases catch for me, and they don't balance well with the heavie older reels I use. Those older Extreme sticks are really good.
tander reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 8:30 PM, roadwarrior said:No
Is that your final answer? ????
Mobasser reply :
Like you, I have some more expensive rods as well as mid grade rods. Sometimes the way tackle is made these days, it's hard to tell a big difference.I do like my better rods for worm/ jig fishing. My grandson uses a All Star from Academy Sports which cost 50.00. Very good rod for the money. I recently looked at the new Berkley Lightning rod also. Looks and feels great for 40.00.Tackle has improved so much in the last 10 yrs, you can still catch plenty of fish with less expensive rods.
Matt_3479 reply :
I don’t know if I could go back personally lol. Sure I don’t need the highest end rods but they are a lot more fun to fish with. With moving baits I don’t see the point in buying the most expensive but I bought the highest end I could afford. Might not be totally worth it but ever time I pick up those rods I just love the feel and look of them. My bottom contact rods I’ll probsbly always stay with the best I can afford but my moving baits as long as they are something I like, mid-high grade I’ll get it.
Catt reply :
Define "budget"?
I had a G. Loomis worm rod that was accidental stepped on, I replaced it with a Shimano Crucial. I don't feel it was a down grade in quality, workmanship, or sensitive.
Personally I don't care who's name on the rod or the cost, if it feels good I'm happy!
Tywithay reply :
I still have several higher end rods, but I have looked around for some better values. You can get some really nice rods in the $150-$200 range that compete with the $400 rods.
scbassin reply :
I am with RW on this NO
flyfisher reply :
I guess it all depends on your idea of high end and budget. For me it is about balance and weight and sensitivity depending on the technique. I also fish from a kayak and i can say that weight difference matters. You don't think a few ounces here and there add up but they absolutely do. I am by no means a weight freak but i try and keep things light as possible without going crazy with it all.
I stick with rods in the 100-150 range and have been pretty happy.
OnthePotomac reply :
Being an old retired dog when I took up bass fishing on the tidal Potomac I just stuck with BPS Extremes for a few years until the Carbonlites came along, except for a KVD 7' MH for my frog rod on sale for $80 at the time and a Rick Clune 6'6" top water he designed for BPS, which I also picked up for $80 on sale when he and BPS divorced. Both of the two later are really incredible rods.
greentrout reply :
Budget...berkley cherrywood 25$...KK looks good...some under 75$...
good fishing...
ww2farmer reply :
Yes, and then back and forth.
Years ago I started with round Abu Garcia's and Berkley Lightning rods.
I upgraded sometime in the 2000's to Shimano LP reels (Curado and Citica D's and E's), and some, Kistler, Fenwick and St Croix rods.
I then downgraded a few years ago to Daiwa, Abu, and Pflueger "budget reels" and Abu, Berkley, Daiwa, and Fenwick "budget" rods. With the oddity of having custom built rods made for my most used/favorite techniques.
I have recently upgraded again to Daiwa Fuego and Tatula reels, and Dobyns rods.
At some point, and I might be there. I have to stop and just wear the stuff out. It gets expensive and is stupid to keep switching out of boredom.
Munkin reply :
Not going to budget just figuring out what works best for me. As for moving baits I have sold every high end rod since it didn't offer what I was looking for. For bottom feeling baits I have slowly upgraded but do not feel that I need a $400 rod to feel a jig. For me a St Croix Avid is the best of both worlds, it provides the sensitivity I need and does not have the weight of a lesser rod. I have sold St Croix LE rods because I did not like the handle setup and the blank upgrade was not worth the price.
Allen
soflabasser reply :
One of my buddies gave me one of his custom topwater rods. This rod is worth hundreds of dollars but I prefer using my Ugly Sticks for most of my bass fishing. I still have this custom topwater rod but rarely use it. It is my preference and I have caught a couple double digit bass and lost count of 8 pound or better bass. With that said no amount of money wasted on a fishing rod,reel,boat,etc will make you a much better fisherman so its best to put your time on the water wisely and you will end up doing better than most bass fishermen.
greentrout reply :
On 10/15/2018 at 12:46 PM, soflabasser said:One of my buddies gave me one of his custom topwater rods. This rod is worth hundreds of dollars but I prefer using my Ugly Sticks for most of my bass fishing. I still have this custom topwater rod but rarely use it. It is my preference and I have caught a couple double digit bass and lost count of 8 pound or better bass. With that said no amount of money wasted on a fishing rod,reel,boat,etc will make you a much better fisherman so its best to put your time on the water wisely and you will end up doing better than most bass fishermen.
poster about a month ago posted an article about a man in GA. who documented an insane number of dd bass caught with a heavy & mh action rods that were ugly stiks --mostly with a buzzbait...
fished with a gentleman who only used ugly stiks...very good basser...kept his finger on the line while also watching it...caught a lot that way wormin'...
good fishing...
bayvalle reply :
This is a very enlightening thread. I want to catch more fish on my more expensive rods to justify the purchases but many times that is not the case.
GeekFisher reply :
On 10/15/2018 at 10:08 AM, ww2farmer said:Yes, and then back and forth.
Years ago I started with round Abu Garcia's and Berkley Lightning rods.
I upgraded sometime in the 2000's to Shimano LP reels (Curado and Citica D's and E's), and some, Kistler, Fenwick and St Croix rods.
I then downgraded a few years ago to Daiwa, Abu, and Pflueger "budget reels" and Abu, Berkley, Daiwa, and Fenwick "budget" rods. With the oddity of having custom built rods made for my most used/favorite techniques.
I have recently upgraded again to Daiwa Fuego and Tatula reels, and Dobyns rods.
At some point, and I might be there. I have to stop and just wear the stuff out. It gets expensive and is stupid to keep switching out of boredom.
I thought the same. I'll complete the arsenal and keep it for a while. I might go cheaper for the few rods/reels I have yet to Buy. I Will also check on used deals 
soflabasser reply :
On 10/16/2018 at 1:55 AM, greentrout said:poster about a month ago posted an article about a man in GA. who documented an insane number of dd bass caught with a heavy & mh action rods that were ugly stiks --mostly with a buzzbait...
fished with a gentleman who only used ugly stiks...very good basser...kept his finger on the line while also watching it...caught a lot that way wormin'...
good fishing...
Yes that article is about Pat Cullen, who is one of the best trophy bass fisherman that has lived. He has caught at least 1,100 largemouth bass over 10 pounds each, all on Ugly Stiks and Abu Garcia baitcasters. He mastered a couple techniques and we can learn a lot from Mr.Cullen.I also fish mostly with Ugly Stiks (with Penn and Shimano reels) and do well in South Florida, enough that people offer me money for guiding but I turn them down since I am not a guide. I do take my better half, family, and close friends fishing and make sure to put them on fish to keep them happy.
snel6424 reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 11:25 PM, flyfisher said:I guess it all depends on your idea of high end and budget. For me it is about balance and weight and sensitivity depending on the technique. I also fish from a kayak and i can say that weight difference matters. You don't think a few ounces here and there add up but they absolutely do. I am by no means a weight freak but i try and keep things light as possible without going crazy with it all.
I stick with rods in the 100-150 range and have been pretty happy.
So for rods in that range, which have you found to be the most sensitive?
flyfisher reply :
On 10/29/2018 at 5:01 AM, Colton Snelling said:So for rods in that range, which have you found to be the most sensitive?
Sensitivity is all relative but for me i have been pleased with my duckett micro magic, shimano curado and st croix rage rods as far as sensitivity is concerned.
NYWayfarer reply :
I have a mix of budget and expensive rods.
I wouldn't say I have gone back to budget as I can't pass up a good deal so that's when I buy most of my budget rods.
MrFrost reply :
This topic is one of the biggest reasons I am glad I found this place and YouTube before completely diving head first into the fishing hobby. It prevented me from buying something off name brand alone, and the result after five months of fishing now under my belt, is an accumulation of six rods and six reels that all have a purpose, and are all enjoyable to use, and don't leave me feeling like I am missing out. OSome are budget friendly, and some are most costly. One day, I would love to have a couple nice St Croix Legen Xtreme's paired with some a couple high end reels, one for texas rigging, and one for cranking, as those are my two favorite ways to fish thus far. Texas rigging in ponds for lmb's and cranking in rivers for smb's.
bigfruits reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 11:28 AM, Chris186 said:Has anyone ever gone back to budget rods from higher end rods? Years ago I used all BPS extreme rods. Caught a ton of fish on them, even won tournaments on them. Then little by little I started buying more expensive rods. This past season, I noticed I actually caught more fish on my cheaper rods than my expensive ones. For example, a few weeks ago I loaded the boat on an $79 BPS cranking stick while my Orochi XX Swingfire sat in the rod locker. It started to make me think that maybe I don't need to be buying these more expensive rods, maybe I should go back to buying budget rods. Anyone else ever experience this?
blasphemy! this thread should be locked! 
seriously though, if you were buying better gear to catch more fish youre going about it the wrong way.
sure you will feel more bottom bites and land more fish with a NRX over an Ugly Stick but the majority of the time its going to be skill that lands/hooks the fish.
I have too much fun with my gear and my time is too valuable to downgrade.
bayvalle reply :
On 10/31/2018 at 2:59 AM, bigfruits said:blasphemy! this thread should be locked!
seriously though, if you were buying better gear to catch more fish youre going about it the wrong way.
sure you will feel more bottom bites and land more fish with a NRX over an Ugly Stick but the majority of the time its going to be skill that lands/hooks the fish.
I have too much fun with my gear and my time is too valuable to downgrade.
I agree. Better gear for me is more about the experience. I do feel rods good sensitive rods are more important than good reels for finesse and the reverse may be true for Cranking and topwater. Really your ability to find fish, identify what works and good technique far out ways the equipment. If money is an issue I certainly wouldn't be using it just to upgrade my rods.
Hartwood71 reply :
Great thread. I love nice equipment, but success definitely comes from the wizard, not the wand. Locating, repetition and executing are the keys.
Ratherbfishing reply :
Can't say I've moved back TO budget rods since I've never really left them. I do have one St. Croix rod which has seen a lot of service but so have my Lightning Rods. It is possible I would notice an improvement but I've been pretty content.
Chris186 reply :
It’s funny to think I started this thread 2 years ago. Since then I have switched over to all Ducketts, which I never paid more than $130 for. One of my favorite rods is the Duckett Triad I have, however there are a few that I have I don’t care for and I’m getting rid of them. The one thing I did do was switch to something much more sensitive for bottom contact, as I felt like I was lacking with the Ducketts and was questioning bites.
MN Fisher reply :
I'm all for budget equipment - get on sale, Amazon price breaks, gifts, etc.
My most expensive rig 'retail' is the Fuego/Dobyns FR705cb. Retails for $230 - got the reel as a gift, got the rod during TW's Black Friday sale...my cost? $95 total.
JediAmoeba reply :
I have bought a lot of six gill rods lately. They are very nice for the price - they run BOGO's on their rods so you end up with 2 for about 160 dollars.
Bird reply :
I've always been a " top end " kinda guy for a very long time, anything from hiking shoes to automobile tires.
For some strange reason I simply can't come off $500 for a rod or reel.
My top end stuff is Kastking speed Demon Pro's " have several "and I also have a few lightning rods.
GreenPig reply :
It's the indian not the bow. KVD could out fish most with a cane pole. Not that that there's anything wrong with expensive, light, sensitive, great casting rod.
roadwarrior reply :
Fun thread...
I don't think your rod & reel will have much affect on "catching".
For me it's just about "fun". My stuff is just more fun to fish.
kayaking_kev reply :
This is a question I plan to solve for myself after next year and I hope to document as much as I can. But, I have only been fishing for 2 seasons now and I used a Ugly Stik GX2 + Abu Garcia Black Max for everything, even did a lot of worm fishing with it this year and I caught over 500 documented fish on video with it. In the last few months, I have purchased 12 new rods, 6 of them are Dobyns, Xtasy 755c, Xtasy 723c, Extreme 702c, Champion Glass 705cb, Champion 704sf, and a Fury 703c, along with two Shimano SLXs, a Lew's TP-1, 13 Fishing Defy Black, St Croix Panfish rod, and a Fenwick HMX.
So far, I have only got to fish with about half of them and it was very limited, and the places I fished has had really soft bottoms, so I can't really speak on sensitivity yet. They are definitely funner to fish and look really nice, but I'm skeptical if the performances will justify the prices. I'm sure they will be better for bottom fishing than an ugly stik, but I also paid $35 for a Lew's rod that is IM8 and seems to be really sensitive.
One thing I do miss about cheaper rods is being able to throw them on the ground and not worry about it they get dirty or scratched, with these expensive rods I make sure I am careful as can be and never let the rod touch the ground.
I think after I have fished a full season with the new rods, I will be able to solve this question for myself. I now have rods that cost from $10 to $550 and just about every price range in between and I have 2 years experience fishing with cheap rods to compare to. I might not catch more fish than this past season, but I fully expect to lose less fish when I do hook up.
Fishes in trees reply :
My experience has been that mid-range rods go on close out often enough that I don't have to dabble in the true low end, budget category. I only got a few rods that I paid full price for. One of them - a Loomis bait casting drop shot rod, doesn't get used very often. When I ran across a Falcon Bucco Trap Caster, it was such an improvement over what I was using to throw lipless cranks that I immediately bought it, never regretted that purchase. It lets me throw lipless cranks a long ways AND set the hook at a distance.
Tizi reply :
I have been focused on mid to higher end rods for bottom contact baits. Tatula rods are my go-to. Treble and non-bottom contact, I am using Tatula XT rods.
5by3 reply :
I own a couple of high end Loomis rods (GLX and nrx) that I use exclusively for bottom contact baits, but other than that, I find myself fishing the $150-200 rods much more often.
The nrx/glx rods are a dream to fish with, but I feel that there are diminishing returns after about the $200 price range.
Expensive rods don’t catch fish by themselves!
dodgeguy reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 11:28 AM, Chris186 said:Has anyone ever gone back to budget rods from higher end rods? Years ago I used all BPS extreme rods. Caught a ton of fish on them, even won tournaments on them. Then little by little I started buying more expensive rods. This past season, I noticed I actually caught more fish on my cheaper rods than my expensive ones. For example, a few weeks ago I loaded the boat on an $79 BPS cranking stick while my Orochi XX Swingfire sat in the rod locker. It started to make me think that maybe I don't need to be buying these more expensive rods, maybe I should go back to buying budget rods. Anyone else ever experience this?
This is exactly why I stick with bps rods.i buy the more expensive ones but IMHO they are just as good as rods double the price.
LCG reply :
You don't need expensive gear to catch fish. The thing I have learned though is that it's cheaper in the end to buy quality gear that lasts. It's a hobby and I don't mind spending some money on it, but like most people, it has to be on a reasonable budget.
I actually just finished off selling some older gear and downsizing. I only ever bring two rods with me so I figure why have more stuff taking up space. One spinning and one casting, both BPS Carbonite 2.0 rods. Recently upgraded my spinning reel to a stradic fl and plan on upgrading my casting reel to a curado k this year. My goal is to balance quantity, quality, cost, and form/function. Being a minimalist at heart, this system works for me. Now if I could do the same with the drawers of soft plastics and lures I would be golden
Poolshark reply :
I had a bunch of high my end rods damaged at one point and switched back to bps rods for uniformality and cost reduction. It has never effected anything regards for catching fish. Btw, old bass pro extremes were some of my favorite rods ever. Also, some the my most memorable and productive fishing days were with some of the mid grade rods. I still like my chronarchs though.
RB 77 reply :
I have... in some instances. At one point I bought the very best I could afford when building my quiver up and then realized along the way for me personally it was unnecessary for some techniques. However, there are some techniques I will not fish anything but what I feel is top of the line and others where a nice mid priced range rod will do just fine. I do not fish "budget" anything (which is perfectly fine for some people IMHO), but will fish mid range to top shelf models form different brands (G Loomis, Falcon, Kistler, etc for me).
evo2s197 reply :
Nothing wrong with budget setups.
But I personally would never switch from my setups to budget, high end combos make fishing more enjoyable, less fatigued at the end of the day, more accurate casts etc.
When your forget about the rod and reel in your hand and your zoned in, you know you have a good setup.
Bottom line is you should buy the best you can afford all the time with everything.
J-rod reply :
On 1/5/2020 at 1:51 AM, Fishes in trees said:My experience has been that mid-range rods go on close out often enough that I don't have to dabble in the true low end, budget category. I only got a few rods that I paid full price for. One of them - a Loomis bait casting drop shot rod, doesn't get used very often. When I ran across a Falcon Bucco Trap Caster, it was such an improvement over what I was using to throw lipless cranks that I immediately bought it, never regretted that purchase. It lets me throw lipless cranks a long ways AND set the hook at a distance.
I don't think I have ever paid full retail price for any rod or reel in my arsenal. I upgraded most of my rods last year when the local Gander Outdoors closed its doors. I was getting Jason Mitchell Elite rods, spinning and casting, ($140 retail) for less than $40 each. These are leaps and bounds better than what I'd been using. Right place, right time. If the deal is there, and it's an actual upgrade, jump on it.
new2BC4bass reply :
Blasphemy. Just. Plain. Blasphemy. 
garroyo130 reply :
On 10/15/2018 at 12:41 AM, greentrout said:Budget...berkley cherrywood 25$...KK looks good...some under 75$...
good fishing...
The older cherrywoods with the gold guides before they went to the black aluminum oxide guide inserts are some of the most sensitive rods Ive handled (granted, i havent megabassed). Its lightweight and sensitivity is achieved by using cheap materials that will not hold up for much time. Still, Id be willing to put one of those up against any other rod in a sensitivity contest.
boostr reply :
All my rods are between $99 and $60, and a couple that are $40 cause they were discounted from the previous mentioned prices.
swhit140 reply :
On 1/3/2020 at 9:38 AM, JediAmoeba said:I have bought a lot of six gill rods lately. They are very nice for the price - they run BOGO's on their rods so you end up with 2 for about 160 dollars.
Which model rod did you get??
Ogandrews reply :
All of my bass rods are in the 100-180 range, with almost all of them being either dobyns Sierra’s or st Croix mojo bass. I’ve got some other st Croix’s like triumphs and eyecons, as well as a couple Shimano SLX. I really think that this price point gets you a great amount of sensitivity and weight reduction without being too heavy on the wallet. I agree that you don’t need high end gear for most moving baits but I think jerkbaits are a different story. It’s really important to have a rod that has a really fast tip to give the bait the right action but you need one light enough to load up so the fish don’t throw or bend out the hooks. Not easy to find that, st Croix makes a great one in all of their bass lines same with Shimano.
Bass reels I see the same way. Most of my rods have curado k’s or curado 70’s, still have a couple citicas also that are still going strong. Great quality for the money and it’s not going to give out on me after a season of fishing it hard.
Musky and pike gear is a different story. I only like buying higher end musky rods because it’s so much more comfortable using a lighter st Croix legend tournament instead of using a cheaper rod weighing 12-15 ounces. Same thing with reels, I only use tranx or Calcutta’s. This kind of fishing is really hard on your gear you need reels that can take the abuse.
swhit140 reply :
On 1/3/2020 at 9:38 AM, JediAmoeba said:I have bought a lot of six gill rods lately. They are very nice for the price - they run BOGO's on their rods so you end up with 2 for about 160 dollars.
Which rod model did you go with and how did you like them?
JediAmoeba reply :
On 3/3/2020 at 12:13 PM, swhit140 said:Which rod model did you go with and how did you like them?
So far I have 8 - 2 Akylos Casting rods, 1 Akylos Spinning, 2 Cypress Casting, 1 Brute, 1 SpIce rod and 1 Kranken.
FishingGeekTX reply :
I have to some degree. I really believe all that sensitivity stuff is all just marketing. A fragile rod is also a cruel joke..it's an outdoor hobby that has an incredibly long lever being pulled unpredictably, often while traveling in a boat with trees, stepping around them, etc. I just..it's not a place for fragile anything IMO.
Four megabass (levanet, orochi, 2x destroyer). Two snapped, one destroyer had the 2nd guide pop off after the crankbait clipped it.
None of my other rods have been damaged or broke, making me feel like that $$$ super sensitive is really just super-fragile. Incredible looking rods though.
I now buy rods based on:
weight
overall feel/look (action/tip primarily)
durability (impossible to determine, but I still try to imagine)
$$/warranty
I wish more rods listed weight, its my #1 factor. And I wish action/tip was data-driven objective, and not just hand-waived. I have bought whippy rods and really stiff rods, all same ratings, makes it really difficult to trust.
DitchPanda reply :
I also believe there's a place for expensive and budget gear... I have a few rods in the $150 and up category mostly used for bottom contact lures..while most of my moving bait rods are Berkley shocks which are $50..I do have several falcon bucoo rods I use for cranks and lipless which are much higher end than the shocks but I only bought them cuz I found them years ago at wal mart for $27 bucks each
I will say that while I don't think the bucoos help me catch more fish than the shocks they are definitely nicer to fish with...much lighter more comfortable and just a different feel to them
Guess I'm saying like Bluebasser I save my money for sensitivity based lures and use budget rods where I can unless of course I come across that sweet deal where you can upgrade quality and still downgrade cost by being in the right place at the right time
Derek1 reply :
What Price range are we calling Budget. When I got started a couple years ago I thought my $120 carbonlite rods were nice expensive rods. Then once I got more into it and started reading online I realized $120 was where Some of the decent brands started and then went up.
MN Fisher reply :
16 hours ago, Derek1 said:What Price range are we calling Budget. When I got started a couple years ago I thought my $120 carbonlite rods were nice expensive rods. Then once I got more into it and started reading online I realized $120 was where Some of the decent brands started and then went up.
All depends on your spending allowance
For me, budget is anything under $70 - which most of my rods and reels fall under. Decent is up to $150...anything over that is out of my budget range
Even a couple of my 'decent' items fall under 'budget' as I paid less than retail for them.
TnRiver46 reply :
I've never paid over $40 for a rod, most of mine are $12.99 at academy. I would not enjoy fishing with a $200 rod, id be as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
Bird reply :
Some of these threads have got some age to them and I may have already posted. Lol
I don't usually cut corners on gear but also try to stay in the best bang for the buck category .
I do carry a time tested, bullet proof Mitchell 300 mated to a lightning Rod but can feel an instant gain in balance and performance when I grab higher end gear.
Off balance and a couple of ounces add up on repetitive motion.
PhishLI reply :
I fish off a boat and a kayak, but the majority of my fishing is done by first walking through the woods in the dark and fishing with trees close by. I also lean my rods not in use at that moment against trees when I'm wading. Between snagging tree limbs on the way in, unavoidable at night while carrying 4-5 rods, leaning rods against tree limbs, and occasionally swatting branches on the backswing, which happens sometimes, $140 is my limit. I park $300 reels on some of them, which might seem goofy, but I like cool reels. Up to this point I haven't busted a single rod, but that's because I've capped my spending at $140 per rod. The second I give in and buy a pricier rod it'll get busted pronto, no doubt. I know, you know it. That's how it goes. Truthfully, I'm quite happy with my choices at that price point and below. You get a pretty good stick these days, even at lower prices than $140. High end tech makes it's way down stream. Even a $54 Daiwa Aird X fishes just fine.
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