In all my years of steelheading I've found one truth carved in stone and will not deviate from it...well most of the time. Buy the best equpiment you can! Pay the little extra for things like line,hooks,swivels,waders and really any equpiment that you are going to use for these fish. I used to try to get by with the cheapest waders and hip boots that I could get away with. After too many wet and cold feet I try not to spare expense on this item. There's nothing worse than cold feet is there? I recently bought an inexpensive spinning reel that looked like a quality item and a great buy. It fell apart! and only after a couple of uses. Same with line, don't skimp or it could cost you a fish so why save a couple of bucks if there is a chance it might fail? I would be interested in knowing what some of the rest of you think the one item you CANNOT skimp on is.