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Are you a fly rod snob
Post 16 Nov 2017, 12:33 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 10/01/17
Posts: 230
Location: Vermont
Give some thought to this.......Is there a certain price point your fly rods NEVER drop below, or particular brand that will be the only one you will be seen fishing?

I'm just curious, I've run into people over the years that will only fish the "best of the best" on the market, and wont buy anything under $800. Where do you fit in?

As for me, I have my favorite brands, TFO and Horrocks & Ibbotson, but if a rod does the job I ask it to do, the way I ask it to do it, then that's good enough for me. :)


Last edited by sgoodroe on 16 Nov 2017, 19:06, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 16 Nov 2017, 13:06 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
I never use anything cheaper than my $19.95 WalMart version Eagle Claw Featherlight. It takes a bit more skill to cast well, but a snob like me can handle it.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 13:43 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
No. There are good rods and blanks available through a wide range of prices.

While there's no doubt that the top-end stuff is very good, I would tend to treat such a rod as "Too fine to fish."


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 13:55 • #4 
Sport
Joined: 09/15/17
Posts: 26
I'm a snob in the sense that I turn my nose up at anything with a price tag in the triple digits. $50 rods are the sweet spot for me. They still catch fish and can be found easily, whether on ebay or on sale.

But I may just be ignorant because I haven't had enough time with high end rods to never want to go back to my "discount" rods. That's all right with me, though.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 14:13 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
I just decided I actually am. My pontoon boat has matched Fenwicks FF806 and FF807 with Medalists. I like to leave it on the shore to be seen by the fancy rod types.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 14:43 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
Yup...It has to be glass and...well that's about it. I have developed a kind of snobby attitude/preference for Colorado rods, Phillipson & Wright McGill. I also have a Dave Cook's (Old Colorado sporting goods store) branded rod...likely made by WM.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 14:46 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3080
Location: Orygun
I think the term "snob" could be applicable on both ends of that coin....but really, who cares if you are (on either side of things). Some folks don't like to spend a ton of money on another thing that will do essentially the same thing as what they already have and some folks like to spend top dollar on the latest technology & each has their own reasons, but it ultimately boils down to is what makes each individual happy, the rest is gravy.

Personally, I could care less...two of my favorite rods are at opposite ends of that cost spectrum.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 15:56 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/14/06
Posts: 1227
Location: Panther City, Texas
Snob is a pejorative term for a person that believes there is a correlation between social status and human worth-Wikipedia


No, I'm not.
The question itself serves no purpose other than to be divisive. This board doesn't discriminate between the guy who likes Fenwicks and those who prefer Wojnicki rods. Or those who have both. Those rods and everything else show up on the For Sale forum. It's just one of the things that make this board unique and friendly. I don't think anyone here needs to be soul searching about the gear they buy for their pastime.


Last edited by frogmorton on 16 Nov 2017, 18:56, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 16 Nov 2017, 18:09 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Well said FrogMorton.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 18:16 • #10 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
Not unless a third-world dirt-bag fly fisherman qualifies as a snob. Some of my rods even do have a brand name on them.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 18:58 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/24/11
Posts: 1144
Location: Belgium
Definitely - I don't have much tolerance for bad casting - even less for not trying. No matter what the rod - when it's poorly cast it ain't pretty.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 19:28 • #12 
Guide
Joined: 10/01/17
Posts: 230
Location: Vermont
Good answers all, what this shows me is a pure love for the sport......not "gear image". I like that! :)

I certainly hope everyone reading my question understands I wasn't trying to be divisive, I'm just curious about the attitudes of my fellow fly fishers. Believe it or not, I've been approached in the past by people on the river who have complemented me on my casting form, but then ask why I'm not using higher end gear. Depending on how nicely they ask I'll either go into great detail about my rod choice which is quite often well received. Or, simply say that high end rods don't catch more fish and leave it at that.


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 20:48 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/19/14
Posts: 3924
Location: USA - Illinois
There are many out there that think any fisherperson using a fly rod is a snob - but they don't know what they don't know. Ya'll know though! :D

John 8)


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Post 16 Nov 2017, 23:06 • #14 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
...same thing applies to cane. There are many people who think you must be a snob if you're fishing cane.

Form follows function - think about what this means.
It means function is what matters. The way something looks or how it's marked is not what matters, though people who don't understand the function always put form first, because they can see it.

To a lesser extent, it can apply to glass, also. People who are exposed to the latest and greatest graphite and disc drag from ad copy, may not get glass, and especially vintage tackle, because they've been sold a different package. (also applies to firearms, bicycles, etc - I hate going to the range, where my goal is to put as few holes in the paper as possible, and be pummeled by brass from the AR15 next my left - and at the range they always try to load the stands from right to left - I argue with them and get the left if possible.)


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 18 Nov 2017, 07:46, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 17 Nov 2017, 01:33 • #15 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/08/05
Posts: 3570
Location: Western PA
I agree with Captain Beefheart/Frogmorton. I fish what I have and I don't think I need to apologize for accumulating a few nice rods throughout the years. I run across people fishing budget gear that brag about how they catch as many or more fish with their gear than some "snob" with a fancy rod. I laugh when I hear that stuff. It's a form of arrogance to brag like that and it's as bad as being a snob. Envy can be a wicked thing. This isn't This isn't a competitive sport in my eyes. I've accumulated some really nice rods throughout the years. I fish with them and I don't see a need to buy rods from Cabela's to see how they measure up. I don't need to apologize for owning some good gear. If you're raising a young family and your budget limits you to using cheaper gear...you have your priorities straight. I'm not looking down my nose on anyone. If you can afford a nicer rod, I'd recommend you try one. It won't make you a snob unless you're already a "closet snob".


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 01:40 • #16 
Guide
Joined: 04/20/12
Posts: 230
Location: US-CA
The whole concept is upside down. Seems like what's important is what's happening below the surface. Could be the rye talking...


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 06:01 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 03/12/15
Posts: 269
Location: US-CT
Snob, hmmmm- i dont think so.
lets see-
two classic fenwicks "salvaged from a "blue light" special at the dump
graphites consisting of Cortland GRF 1000, Cabelas Three Forks and entry level St Croix.
all bought at close out prices
Medalists bought for 15 bucks each.
if money invested is a mark of snobhood - i fail the test.
think about it- for the most part- the "entry" level rods and reels are designed to make the user
learn to cast and fish so that they become hooked for life. if they feel the need to upgrade- that is he or she decision but i find entry level is pretty darn good.
the most important thing is that we are doing what we love with what we can afford at the time of purchase. the cost of the item doesnt increase or diminish the joy we find in fishing. it is all good.


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 10:10 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
There is actually a scientific basis to rod snobbism. I saw a fascinating test where people tasted wines while having detailed brain scans done. Somewhere in the test, they tasted the same wine twice, once being told it was a $10 bottle, and again being told it was a $100 bottle. They preferred the wine as a $100 version, and their brains actually showed different taste input and increased activity in pleasure related regions. I have no doubt that casting a fly rod would show the same measurable bias. I'm not saying there is not a difference in wine or fly rods which correlates to price, but I am sure the difference is enhanced by our brains' response.

So you can approach it two ways....drink the high priced wine, content that even if the difference is somewhat enhanced by quirks of the brain, the effect is real and I enjoy it, or tell yourself no to be fooled by price (and then huff and puff about "I don't need those over-priced things"). Most of us probably take either approach depending on whether we're casting our most expensive or our cheapest rod.


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 10:19 • #19 
Sport
Joined: 04/25/14
Posts: 51
Location: Eastern Sierras
Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

As for me I think that I will go fishing. :)


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 10:31 • #20 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/18/12
Posts: 1712
Location: Bozeman, MT
Newfydog wrote:
I never use anything cheaper than my $19.95 WalMart version Eagle Claw Featherlight. It takes a bit more skill to cast well, but a snob like me can handle it.


:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 10:53 • #21 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/14
Posts: 1367
Location: Pleasant Garden, North Carolina
I wouldn't say that I'm a snob because I don't care what anyone else fishes or what anyone thinks of what I fish, nor do I feel better because I have a couple of nice rods.

But...

I can definitely say that there is another level of enjoyment derived from fishing gear that I value. For instance, I never thought I would own a Barclay even though they were some of the nicest rod's I've ever cast. I now own and regularly fish both a 64p and a 70p and derive pleasure not just from their wonderful functionality, but also from their overall aesthetic and value to me. Same goes for my Steffens. The same never really happened when I fished my $21 amazon.com Featherlight.


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 12:19 • #22 
Guide
Joined: 10/01/17
Posts: 230
Location: Vermont
This is one of those questions that there is truly no "right" or "wrong" answer too. My self, I've owned and fished everything from $10. low end, entry level rods, all the way up to super high end customs. I'm always curious about what the next guy is fishing with, just for pure curiosity sake. But that being said I'm perfectly happy on the water with either a $20. vintage glass rod, or something newer and more expensive.

I always told my casting clinic students "Buy the rod that works for you, and makes you happy. Don't worry about what any one else has." :)


Last edited by sgoodroe on 17 Nov 2017, 20:45, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 17 Nov 2017, 12:20 • #23 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/05/06
Posts: 2086
Location: US-PA
Snobbery works both ways with braggarts on both ends of the cost spectrum equally annoying to me.

Funny thing is, I never met a high end or low end snob who was condescending towards my tackle choices anywhere but on an Internet message board...

It seems that when real fish-er folks are out fishin', they either mutter to themselves, don't seem to give as big a rat's arse as they do behind a keyboard or know better than to mouth off. ;)


Last edited by Bamboozle on 17 Nov 2017, 21:20, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 17 Nov 2017, 13:23 • #24 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
you can't go wrong buying good tackle - if you use it, it pays for itself.
I always use my Penn Spinfisher and Mitchell 300 comparison.
When I was in HS, I had one reel, picked a Mitchell 300, as almost everyone would then. It was my bass-fishing reel, it was my inshore-fishing reel. By the time I was in college, the gears were shot from the big fish I caught at the coast (reds, specs, smacks). In contrast, my Penns have done all that and much more for 30 years, and just got back from their second borrow fish this fall.

I add that I've met defensive people on the water because of my choice of tackle.
It's also one thing to discuss tackle on a bulletin board. If you talk about tackle with friends on the water, it's usually simple question/answer with truncated discussion.
The best discussion is hand the tackle over to your buddy and let him fish it.

The function of the tackle will prove itself. Anybody who's proud of their new toys, let them be proud.
My buddy went to the coast this fall with 40-lb superbraid on his spinning reel.
I didn't say a thing, but it knotted, as expected, and shut itself down.
My 10-lb Seaguar copolymer will fish another year, is tough-enough to be 15-lb, and thin enough to be 6.
Image
(both rods are Lami)

OK, I'll confess my 3-lb copolymer also knotted, but it's 5-years old, on a micro XUL spinning reel, and I had a spare spool ready to pop in.


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Post 17 Nov 2017, 13:50 • #25 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/14
Posts: 1367
Location: Pleasant Garden, North Carolina
Ron, what's the baitcaster on that other rod?


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