Those days of hoppin on the bicycle and riding over to the pond that the F&W stocked yearly with trout and steelhead, wow, what great times. My first fishing pole was a hand-me-down 7' Eagle Claw that my dad had found in the mud on the Grande Ronde. He cleaned it up and re-wrapped the guides, re-did the cork and gave it to me for probably the earliest birthday that I could remember, toppped with a brand-new Mitchell 300 spinning reel, total cost in 1981: probably 50$. I used this pole and reel for about 10 years before taking a rod building class in high school that made me so proud of the fish I caught on a rod that I made. I probably caught 20-30 steelies and 100s of trout on those 2 poles until I joined the Army in 95. Now, with a good job, newly married, fishing costs as much as the wife will let it. I balance it with hunting tags and guns, so most of the expensive poles, reels, and other tackle fall on birthdays, Christmas, and special holidays. This is my calculation for a day's fishing in W WA if you are just starting out: Priceless. Whether it is an Eagle Claw or a Loomis, Calcutta or Mitchell, the money you spend on gear will soon go away when you get out on the river, in June or February. I will agree with the guy above, buy the best quality that you can, but don't NOT go fishing because you may not have what the pros say is the best. Like a fellow members quote reads: "A lot of people go fishing without really knowing that it isn't fish they are after".