What kind of "tacklenut" are you?

[Guy]

Just curious about how people view buying gear and tackle for their favorite sport. For example do you look for quality and innovation first and price be damned as you want the newest and best of everything? (I wish I could afford that myself!) Or are you the type who buys the best quality you can afford with the idea it will last forever and you need not make that purchase again? Are a you the minimalist type with only a basic selction of rods and reels? Are you budget conscious? Or are like me who likes to have all the toys but has to keep every thing within a budget? (I love TFO for that reason as that company has given me a new lease in life to fill my rod collection with great affordable 4 piecers- Enough advertising!) Anyways from what "box" do you come from when you look at purchasing new gear?

[teflon_jones]

i definitely fall into the minimalist category. i have no gadgets, and very few pieces of equipment. then again most of my fishing is for trout on small streams, so i don't need a ton of equipment! :) i'm also a penny pincher, but i like nice equipment, so in general i wait to buy things until i see a great deal. i figure that if i'm meant to have that piece of equipment, the right one at the right price will come along. case in point: last summer i passed an orvis store that was going out of business and all the rods were 50% off. so i picked up a nice 4 wt rod for $225 that normally would have been $450, which is way more than i'm willing to spend on a rod. right now i'm scouring ebay for the right buy on saltwater equipment. i'm not looking for a particular rod and reel, or even a particular brand, just something nice that'll do the job for a decent price. i can get a $350-400 reel for about $200-$250 or so, which is a pretty good deal as far as i'm concerned.

i guess the main thing for me is that i used to catch more fish on my $20 fly rod than i catch on my $450 rod now, but i'm supposedly older and a better fisherman. well, i used to fish a lot more often, so i guess practice does make perfect, and i didn't need the expensive equipment to catch a lot of fish. the way i look at it is that people were catching fish very successfully on sticks with line tied to the end because they knew how to FISH, so that's what i do, learn how to fish, not rely on my equipment!

[Ray]

I am not a minimalist, but do not spend a ton on tackle. For example I love my $24 rapala light spin rod. As an engineer I can't get myself to buy a $500 reel when I know it cost $120 to make and the $150 one will do just fine.

When it comes to rods, I have a bunch, but only bought one assembled rod and built the rest.

[Pauper Piscator]

Well....

I have a $30k boat. This means I have NO $500 reels. (Ands no golf clubs, and no sprts car, and no season tickets, and no Armani suits, and no Vokle P60 GS skis, and no Citori OU, and no pure bred pointer, etc etc etc).

I have Two Shimano 6500s Baitrunners, One Penn 7500 Spinning Reel loaded with braid for you know what, Two Penn 309 Levelwinds, Penn Super Mariner, Some $100 Okuma light tackle stuff. My Flyrods (there is a moratorium on these for the time being since I have about 10 and only two hands.) run about $300 each.

I have a bunch of boat rods that, if they were to be thrown overboard by a squeamish neice (ewwwww slimy fishies!), I would not be heartbroken.

I guess that, while I have a humungous collection of tackle, it tends to be of the "High Quality Moderately Priced" variety. This lets me to continue to shovel money into the Boat like it is my job, and still allows my wife to buy $50 Baskets at pottery barn. I just grin stupidly as I fill the baskets with my little boy's toys, stack them on their shelves and "admire" how Fing "pretty" those baskets are. :rolleyes:

[MatMet]

lol, i live on a budget, or should i say just above my budget. If i get it in my head that i "need" a new rod/reel then i think about how much i can spend, look around, then spend about 1.5 times what i figured i could spend. I do try to support my local shop as much as i can. If i shop around a bit, my shop is within a few bucks of anything i find so i deal with them, and sometimes get a few little freebees for patronage. --127-3-

[stevec]

I would classify myself as a conservative maniac tackle buyer.
I have 3 fly outfits & 1 on the drawing board.
Not so bad....right?

Wrong!!! I forgot how to say "I don't really need that"
I have been buying new equip at an astronomical rate.. forget fly tying material... there I am certifiable all together!


Anybody know of any "SWFF support Groups" --126-3- ?????

[Smcdermott]

I am going on my third season as a fly fisherman. I own 6 rods, 4 reels, an s load of tying materials, 2 pairs of waders, 2 chest packs (got to have 2 of those (#$119) ) do I need say more. I need to find the local FFA meeting and a good 12 step program.

Sean

[ikan besar]

I'm so far from the minimalist side of the fence it's scary. Price not an issue, whats the best there is? Oh, OK, I'll take two...no, better make that three.

I spent five weeks in Seychelles a few years back and had a few reels fail completely (brand name withheld to protect the overhyped). When you are 12 time zones away, you forget the sticker shock at the register and hope you are using the best product in existence. -What, we are here for three more weeks with these broken reels?!

When in doubt, buy Charlton, you will not be sorry like I was in Seychelles.

[sage fly guy]

I spent five weeks in Seychelles a few years back and had a few reels fail completely (brand name withheld to protect the overhyped). When you are 12 time zones away, you forget the sticker shock at the register and hope you are using the best product in existence. -What, we are here for three more weeks with these broken reels?!


I say call a spade a spade. Passing along knowledge gained by real world experience is infinitely more valuable than a write up in a magazine. If you had a reel with catastrophic failure, pass along that info. Not in a mean spirited way, but objectively, stating brands and problems. And what if anything was done to rectify your problem..

I find this closed lipped "Tell no Evil" about sacred fly companies to be a great disservice to many, especially newcomers to our sports.

You can find ratings for the best snow tires in the world, blenders, camera's, undrwear, etc, etc. But try to find real world reviews on fly gear is like getting the truth from a politician. Standard stock answers.

Rods: "Casts like a cannon"

Reels: "Fantastic new sealed carbon fiber drag system"

Let's here some honest reviews.................

[ikan besar]

The problem reporting any real world experience that involves equipment failure lies with offending those that are convinced that their own purchase of said brand cannot fail due to what they paid for it or how well it is represented in the media. People get very passionate about their tackle and will dispute any report that so much as suggests it may potentially rain on a day that brand of gear is used.

I have seen people pile on anyone that mentions the slightest thing negative about a popular brand on other boards and want nothing to do with it. Sorry to disappoint.

I don't see any harm in informing what the solution was: I switched brands and have been thrilled ever since. That alone offers information that is unaffiliated to, nor paid for, by any manufacturer.

I completely agree that all fishing magazines promote highly biased reports. This starts from the image on the cover that shows an angler using a reel that was likely bought on the pro-deal or guide rate, to the glowing editorial review of a new product made by a manufacturer that just so happens to have a double page ad further in the mag. Sadly, too many readers take the word of certain fishing personalities as gospel and heep god-like status on many people who toss a fly line well. This is not rocket science or brain surgery, it is simply fishing.

To come back to answering your question, I have the opportunity to fish a great deal in my line of work. Maybe the average number of fishing days per year would not have exposed the problems that I encountered. For me to disparage one brand of reel, or any other product, would open me up to everyone who has luckily never experienced a problem with that same reel saying that I don't have a clue. So, just in case they are correct in that assessment about my cluelessness, I will refrain from pointing that finger.

[sage fly guy]

Missing the crux of the thread again I am.

Perhaps listing of some of one's fly rods and reels will give some insight into various companies that we may all know well and some that we don't.

Could be a good learning experience.

Any specific questions could be handled via our PM ability.

I'm rather extreme in the gear department. I build my own rods, so I have over 25 different sticks. From St. Croix 4 weight to Cape Fear 19 weight. But my favorite are Sage. I own 8 different Sage sticks, with the new 14 weight Xi blank on the way. For a good performing inexpensive project check out American Tackle, they used to make the blanks for Redington.

As far as reels I now use only 2 companies. Old Florida and Hayden. The Nautil is a reel that really impresses me. The Hayden's are a specialty tool, one of the 3 finest fly reels made in the world today. I've always been a big fan of Redingtons, and still grab a Brakewater or LA when I can for the right price.

Lines. I'll use just about anything.

[Guy]

I started this thread so thanks everyone for all your replies. Myself I have lost count of how many rods and reels I have, (just in the last two years I have purchased 9 different TFO rods - okay I gave 3 away as gifts and one was a spinning rod so that really shouldn't count, right?) I just find it easier to justify buying 3 rods with reels at $300 - 400 for the combo rather than one $1000 - 1200 rod / reel combo, "more bang for the buck" if you will. I cast as far as I need to and catch enough fish to keep me happy. I probably still spend as much money (maybe even more), but I do have a chestful of toys to show for it!

Guy

[paflyfisher]

For a long time I adhered to the philosophy of "he who dies with the most toys, wins." I wasn't necessarily winning but I felt that I was definitely in the game.

Then in the past year some things happened. Being out of work was big. Deciding to take up saltwater fly fishing in addition to my beloved trout fishing was important. And deciding that I'd like to spend money on going places to fish instead of on gear had to be considered. I was never at a point where I could afford the Charlton reels and five weeks in the Seychelles. So I had all this great gear and fished on my local trout streams. Then there was the guy from Nova Scotia who I fished with on the Miramichi in September. He came loaded with one 20-year old glass rod and I forget what kind of reel and had a blast. Got me thinking real hard.

In the last six months, I've purchased a Scott S3s 8wt., a TFO TiCr 9wt; and a T&T 10wt. In addition, I've purchased VanStaal 7/8, Sievert 200 and Galvan T-10 reels. And I plan to add a Gilmore reel in the near future.

Now for the other side of the story. I've sold off 18 of the 20 bamboo trout rods that I owned. I sold about 20 sundry glass and graphite rods that I owned. And I sold off about 15 reels ranging from Pfluegers to Hardys to a Saracione.

With the purchases, I'm still down to a svelt 12 rods and 10 reels when I get the Gilmore.

It tough though. I still find myself thinking in terms of "I need this and I need that." Maybe its time to start a "Gearheads Anonymous."

Hi, my name is Ed and I'm a fly fishing gear junkie.

Ed

[Guy]

" Maybe its time to start a "Gearheads Anonymous."

Hi, my name is Ed and I'm a fly fishing gear junkie.

Ed[/QUOTE]

--127-3-

Good idea and thank you for sharing that, Ed Now is there anyone else who wants to share their compulsive buying buying habits with us! ;)

Hello my name is Guy and I am also a flyfishing gear junkie!
Did I mention my fly materials addiction, yet? Now there is where I am totally out of control. My flytying room is overflowing with so much "must have stuff", there is no possible way I could ever use it up in the lifetimes of myself and several generations to come. I frequently find myself buying the same things over and over again because I forgot I already had three yellow bucktails. I can't help myself, when you live in a climate with 6 months of winter and 4 months of poor sledding, what else is there to do but tie flies and rummage through craft and fly shops in search of that elusive "Holy Grail" and the "Mother of all Materials" for something new that can latched onto a fly hook?

Guy

[ikan besar]

Some of my most memorable fish were the ones I caught when I first got started and only had one or two rods/reels total. Having tried the minimalist approach in the beginning and the way-overstocked approach now, I can say with a good deal of confidence: more gear does not equal more fun.

[David Churbuck]

One year, in a fit of madness, I bought the "ultimate" bonefishing set-up. An eight-weight Sage RPLX-I and a Tibor Everglades.

Best purchase I have ever made.

Lesson I learned. Buy the best, buy it once, and baby it forever. I expect my grandchildren will be using the Tibor someday.

When I started, I bought mid-range stuff -- a T&T 10-wt, a Valentine reel -- and all of it still sees use today.

When I was sure I was going to stay passionate about the sport, I went to the high end.

Now, I buy very little stuff. Some fly tying material. A new line now and then. But no, I feel no need to go buy the latest and greatest each and every year. Can't afford to.

dc

[paflyfisher]

Ikan,

I have to agree. There honestly were times that I was immobilized trying to decide which rod and reel to fish with today.

[MatMet]

This is awesome. My girlfriend said i spend too much on fishing. She read this thread and now agrees i have healthy spending habits, AND she wont hassel me bout a rod, or reel purchase in the future. --127-3- --126-3-

[ruge13]

Looks like I will have to get my girlfriend to read this thread too!! I baby the crap out of my gear. After a few fish it has sentimental value. I have a jointed repalla with no paint left, all gone just teeth marks, I just keep swapping the hooks out and occaisionally dot it with an eye spot with a marker.

I tend to buy 1 of something, not the best one on the market because its usually not in the budget, not the cheapest one because I know I will take care of it, and baby the crap out of it. Most of the time its well beyond time to get a new something before I ever do. By the time I am done with it its so far gone that there is nothing left to do with the parts crumbling in my hands than to throw them out. I tend to be company loyal. St Croix rods, RIO lines, don't have a favorate reel yet. I love my TICA spin reel though.

I started by buying low end gear, and babied that too. I can't tell you how many times I took apary my Okuma fly reel to clean and oil it in a season. The drag burnt up on me and siezed so I went to another reel. Fortunatly the Ross was a gift because I would have never spent that much on my own (not even an expensive reel relitive to others). If I had the money I would. I baby that too. I cleaned it (stripped it to the screws) 4 times last year, and sent it back for a winter cleaning at the factory not to mention I rinse it at the very least after every outing, and oil it up. The metal is never dry.

My Spin reel is a good example. Its a TICA, nothing terribly expensive, but a decent reel. Was around $80 when I got it. The reel has alot of Fish Mojo though so I won't part with it. I have replaced just about every part. I treat it like an engine and as soon as I see a part corroding or spotting I get a new part so the others are not effected. I thnk th lady at TICa headquarters in Georgia knows me by voice. I strip it down after every trip because I am attatched to it. Most of my equipment never looks new. Its always beat up, because I am rough on equipment, but I keep it in working order, even though it had dents. Just looks like I use the stuff.

I even keep old flies I have retired that took a thrashing, or took a decent fish that I remember. I have them in a separate box.

My fly lines are a couple years old, my Int is all cracked up, and a few knicks and chips here and there on my floater. I just keep oiling them up and cleaning them saying sooner or later I will get a new one. By the time I do there will be such a difference in the performance of the line it will feel like I won the lottery and learned how to cast.

I have even re-wrapped a guide on my Fly rod, although this year that rod will be retired to back up rod. Thjats why I like ST. Croix rods. They are not the most expensive top of the line, but the quiality is high enough thsat when I beat on them, I can take care of them and they will last. Even with the rods, I wipe them down every trip, and let both them and the case air dry before storing them. Fortunately during the season the case and rod are almost always wet.

When I learn to use the rod's I have, then I will think about others...:rolleyes:

[bluefishercat]

Maybe it's time to start a new variant of saltwater flyfishing, maybe no rod and reel over 200 bucks, straight mono leaders only and only white flies. :)

[MatMet]

Maybe it's time to start a new variant of saltwater flyfishing, maybe no rod and reel over 200 bucks, straight mono leaders only and only white flies. :)

sounds like an idea, then we can get another rod, and reel. Not sure what you can get for 200.00 but i guess that just means doing more research. Is that b4 taxes? The white flies, deceivers, clousers, crazy charlies, nymphs. still adds up, even white. lol

[ruge13]

not if you use sea gulls....Plover down makes nice dubbing. Can't beat thier hackles for crab flies. Thier legs make good spreaders. Pluck the parrots at the pet store when no one is looking...

[striperboyz]

not if you use sea gulls....Plover down makes nice dubbing. Can't beat thier hackles for crab flies. Thier legs make good spreaders. Pluck the parrots at the pet store when no one is looking...


haha, I should turn you into those self appointed Audubon Society wardens that shadow my every movement when I fish the beaches of Plum Island in the spring.

They called me in to PI HQ once cause I waded to some rocks well off the low tide mark from the closed section of the beach, so a park ranger calls me in with a mega phone to tell me that section of the beach was closed for the breeding plovers....I told them I knew and that is why I spent an extra 20mins to circle the closed section and wade the low tide mark to the rocks 50yds from shore....OY! Can't wait for spring!

[sage fly guy]

not if you use sea gulls....Plover down makes nice dubbing. Can't beat thier hackles for crab flies. Thier legs make good spreaders. Pluck the parrots at the pet store when no one is looking...


And they taste EVEN better than chicken!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bluefishercat]

Pflueger 8/9 rod and reel with intermediate line $146
Washtub and belt stolen from kitchen
Cheap flytying kit $20
Box of Mustad 3407 1/0 hooks $6
Package of white saddle hackle $4
White bucktail $5
White flashabou $5
Lead eyes $3
Package of colored bucktail odd pieces $10
and I still have a dollar left over :-% or a couple of bottles of fabric paint from the craft store to paint clouser eyes :brow
Pete

[BluesCruiser]

I'll buy it... but can you ship it to where I work :brow

[luke]

..like Pauper above I have made some decisions that will reduce my ability to do what I really, really need to on personal tackle for some time...like a 21' CC in the driveway of a second home in Cotuit...a few kayaks and two goin' through college..so I am trudgin around with 40 year old medalists for a little while...but give and get...

one of my best huntin and fishin friends wraps one of NE's finest rods, so the girls have pretty pretty Batsons and lamis, I guess in trade for some scouting and stand placement, future the same for his sons.........some other great guys I've met (here) are way ahead of me on the flyfishing curve, but hail from a few states south so we trade bunk and access for advice and instruction (sometimes outright harrasement).....my OU shotgun was won with a ticket given to me by an individual whose son I helped through hunter safety certification...and so it goes....I guess the good ole boy/gal network outweighs the choice of shop at this point...

I guess I try to buy the best I can afford, support local shops unless it's a commodity item, and lend/lease/trade barter the rest of the way...I guess I have never really been bothered by having less than the worlds best so long as I had friends and family to go fishlesss with...

see ya,

[capt. mike]

My philosopohy - buy the best of everything. This way, when I screw up a cast to a finning stiper, I know it is not the fault of my reel (it is a Tibor/Abel/Islander), my rod (only Sage), or my line (rio).

It is just the angler.

[Bonefish Jim]

Hi guys,
I love great products and I found that each time I bought a cheap item, I ended up buying the real stuff shortly after. But what I really like is to look after things and keep them in good shape. After some years, your rods and reels become partners, with lots of memories and tales of epic piscatorial battles!
My Bauer M4 has landed over 1,500 bonefish and still shines like a silver dollar! With a minimum of attention a fly line will last several seasons and backing almost forever.
Perhaps it's the way I was raised (my parents knew the war in Europe), but I think maintenance is a form of respect for the guys who has put his heart into building your favourite rod or reel.
Bonefish Jim