DrifterWA,

Generally, the high end rods are not worth the extra money to me. I don't find that a $400 rod casts twice as well as a $200 rod. In fact, the $400 rod doesn't even cast or otherwise fish even 10% better than the $200 rod. And that doesn't change as prices climb to $800 or more IMO.

That said, I have a few high end rods, mainly Spey rods and some rods that I bought either used or at a discount. The reason for that is because Spey rods were initially offered by a few companies that made really good - and therefore expensive - rods. That has now changed, and there are really good rods, Spey rods, single-hand fly rods, spinning and casting rods, at virtually every price point. A lot of the good quality lower end rods are the result of off-shore production. That turns some buyers off, and others simply take advantage of the benefits the marketplace offers.

I check out a lot of fly rods, mainly out of curiousity since I can't rationally justify a need for yet another fishing rod. Unlike years ago when rods were made of fiberglass or the first decade or more of graphite rod production, there are very few bad fly rods offered at any price these days. These are truly the golden years in terms of fly rod quality and value for price. Fair warning however, the few bad rods that are offered are among the low end offerings, typically less than $100.

Just to make a point a few years ago, I bought 3 Cabela's lowest priced fly rods, the Three Forks model, in 4-piece in 6, 8, and 10 wt for travel use. They cost $60. (Actually I got the 6 wt in 5-piece at closeout for $35.) I am flat amazed at the overall quality for the money. They're on the fast action side, as are the vast majority of contemporary fly rods, and the finish is as good as I've seen on many far more expensive rods. Same with the cork. The reel seats are satisfactory, but are the one component that clearly suggests these are low end rods. As for performance, the 10 wt did break while casting when I was in Belize due to a defect, but I have to say I've seen $700 Sage rods break under similar circumstances. Hopefully defects are less common among high end rods, but I have no data one way or the other. I was able to make an exchange on the broken rod when I returned home, so no problem in that regard. And when it comes to travel, I always take extra gear anyway.

As something of a gear junky, I save my money that might have bought high end graphite rods for hand made bamboo fly rods. I can't see spending $800 on a plastic high end graphite that I know won't perform measurably better than one costing $200 or less. Instead I'd rather buy a $1,200 or more on a bamboo rod from a custom one-man shope and own a piece of real craftsmanship and have that in my collection. Obviously personal values vary with regard to what different fishing rods are worth. I get a kick out of how much I enjoy fishing river coho with a $30 Daiwa spinning rod I've had for over a decade.

That's the Salmo report. Want to talk about reels?

Sg