Wit,

SHUSH! Be careful! Those "other" men in black will come get you and haul you away for even thinking, let alone preaching, against the monolith of American concumerism! Every experienced and thoughtful angler is aware that the craftsman takes precedence over the tools. It's what you know and how you use that knowledge that makes an angler successful - understanding the quarry, when and where he lurks, and what sort of presentation is successful.

With that qualification, I'd say that even accomplished anglers appreciate fine tools, whether it's fishing rods and reels or tablesaw, router, and pocketknife. I started with a fiberglass fly rod I paid $9 for and a couple of reels in the same price range. That was certainly OK for trout in lowland lakes, sea-run cutts, and a few steelhead. But sub $10 fly reels were only good for 2 or 3 fresh summer run steelhead apiece. Have you ever seen aluminum explode? Quite an interesting middle school science experiment. Except it unfortunately occured on the banks of a favored steelhead haunt. So there definitely are minimum thresholds of serviceable gear. Of necessity I upgraded to the reliable Pfluger Medalist and a Hardy. I use Hardys to this day, and have never been disappointed. I still have the old $9 rod but haven't used it in decades. Not because it isn't up to the task, it's just that I appreciate and enjoy using finer tools. Life's too short to drink cheap wine!

Sincerely,

Salmo g.