First off and non-related......thank you to all that have served in the armed forces and currently serve.

I'm thinking of thinning down the number of rods I have; not that I have 50 rods in a corner; but definitely some I don't use hardly at all.

I've come to really enjoy the slower action of Fiberglass rods and don't really care if I can't cast 80ft. Therefore I have a couple glass 6wts I use for bass and couple lighter weights for trout and smaller warm water species. Not saying I won't buy another rod at some point; just a generalization.

But practically speaking, for those of you that have thinned your arsenal down to a few rods, have you regretted it? Does it feel better to just grab your 6wt and head to the river? Without thinking about it too much.......

A recent related discussion worth reviewing: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=69237&hilit=one+rod+you+regret+selling

Doing that might eliminate some repetition and sharpen the focus here to "regret" over thinning down to a few grab-n-go rods. Personally, I'm getting to where I can't just grab-and-go as often as I'd like, but no regrets that I'd still go with one of my favored 5 or 6 weights.

Carlz pretty much nails it for me. Only differences are:

- Swap the 9x8 graphite for a 6'6" 3wt for small creeks. I don't do much big-water, big-fish hunting.
- I'm not quite ready to cull the collection just yet. :-)

I just gave away 2 rods and a reel to a friend, one for him and one for his grandson. I have another one to give away when I find the right person to give it to. I do have someone in mind. Many decades ago I sold 3 rods I really regret selling.

As I get older I realize I don't need all the things accumulated over the years. In the last year I took a good look at what I had and what could go. I sold my Ari Hart collection, some Saraciones, a Charlton, and a Kineya plus lots of things I don't even remember. Great for a collection but I had never used most of them. Also dumped most of my graphite rods and am slowly working my way through the glass rods. And to my surprise I don't miss any of them. Even sold a Studio Thin Line rod because again I never used it.

So the answer is no I don't regret letting any of my stuff go. They are after all just things and life is too short to live in the past, right?

Tom

Thanks for the insight guys. I suppose just recognizing this, is growth in a way, no matter what I sell or not.
Appreciate the philosophical discussion.

I find that once I let something go....I don't miss it at all.

And then I can justify buying some new toy, which is always a high.

I have waaaaay too many, but with selling a few and buying a few, the gross is actually going down. I would like to think so anyway.

This.

Yeah, the ‘sampling’ thing Larry says above is true of me too. I have more rods now that I can realistically fish, but I’m finding its actually getting harder to let them go.

A slightly different perspective maybe...instead of questioning the wisdom of your current collection and rarely or never using certain pieces, why not figure out simple and fun ways TO use them? Variety, spice, life and all that.

--Museums rotate collections and pieces, parents rotate their kids' toys--why not rotate your rods and reels? Take some time this winter to clean and inspect this year's most used rods, address any issues, and then put them away in storage. Put the seldom used rods out on your rack and commit to using them alone next season.

--Assign your rods to particular rivers and be sure to spread them out. Assign your reels to specific rods. If you are really insistent on certain go-to rods, assign them to the places you fish most often. But when you head to that river you only fish once or twice a year, don't bring the go-to rod, bring the assigned rod.

--With a few exceptions, most of my rods were made by or acquired from good friends or family, some no longer with us. Using these rods on stream brings something special to the experience. This concept makes it much easier for me to avoid spending all my time with one friend, so to speak, and spreading out the love as it were. WARNING: if you go down this path, you may end up with even more rods and likely never sell another one unless you have multiples from the same source!

--You could grab your go-to rod(s) every time just like you could eat at the same restaurant every night. But no matter how good that restaurant is, doesn't that get a little boring? Green eggs and ham, my friends. Try them, you make like them, Sam.

--My current stable of rods and reels is different from years ago. Locations, tastes, shoulders, dollars, interests--they change over time. And, like many old trends and fads, they come back again, slightly different. Maybe that is all that's going on. Maybe in a couple of years you will rekindle your interests in your neglected early Scotts and park your Ijuins for awhile.

--If you don't or can't afford to give away rods...LOAN them (knowing they may not come back in one piece or at all) or SWAP them with a friend for a season. Pay it forward.

--Does your collection tell a story? What is it and have you shared that story with anyone? Could it? Have you attempted to make a connection with or studied the history of the maker? How did s/he get into rod making? How did the design come to be? What were the goals and technology employed? What influences? Is there even more story there? In other words, is there additional value to find in your collection so that, even if neglected, you don't perceive a loss in value or opportunity.

Good luck!

I missed this on the first pass. This is a great thought.

After reflecting, I categorize my rods into 4 categories. Rods for use, rods that spark a memory, my collection, rods to get rid of.

I don't have any regrets about selling the rods I have. I sold an FF755, missed it and after some searching, bought another. I am not going to sell my FF83, since rebuying it isn't an option.

If the rod's are replaceable, thinning down to 10 rods seems perfectly reasonable.

No regrets yet, but I’m trying.

Great topic. I’m having fun fishing new rods and I try to fish everything in my (growing) collection. Glass is definitely the preference and always seems more fun. I have a few that I haven’t caught a fish on yet, and that feels like an itch that needs to be scratched.