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| Shimano Stella $749.99 on tacklewarehouse.com |
I get email and twitter updates regularly from Tackle Warehouse and when I got the twitter update about the new Shimano Stella spinning reels I was fairly confident I'd need to rant about it. Actually the Shimano reel only started me down this path of wondering what is an anglers cost threshold for equipment. It would appear that manufactures believe our pockets are deep, deeper than they have ever been. Take a look at iCast for example. In this post recessionary time we see rods coming in well over $400, electronics well over $3000 and bass boats in excess of $60,000. Obviously I'm not KVD, my middle name isn't Skeet, Ike or Clunn. I admit to being just an average angler with an above average passion for bass fishing. But as apparent advances in technology and the price associated with these improvements increases, where does that leave the rest of us not fortunate enough to have sponsors paying our tab?
I should have probably prefaced some of what I've already said with a few facts about myself. I do own more than one rod and reel set up. At last count I had 5 casting set ups and 5 spinning set ups at the ready when I head out on the water. And if you've read one of previous posts you know that I admit to having far to much tackle. However I do consider myself a bargain hunter. Much of what I own has been purchased from Ebay, Tackle Warehouse or the bargain bins at Gander Mountain.
But back to my original question, will a reel that costs $749.99 make you a better angler? For those of you that perhaps own one, what do you perceive the benefits to be over say an Abu Garcia 302i that costs $49 at Gander Mountain? Sure the Shimano has a reported 14 bearing set up with the Propulsion Line Management System but the Abu Garcia has a 6 bearing set up and a really cool handle not to mention it's 1/15th the cost. One argument that I'd likely accept is that the drag system on the Stella is probably superior to a less expensive reel. And we all know that a reliable drag system can be the difference between landing a fish or having it break off. But here's what really gets me about this specific reel, it only has a 1 year warranty. 1 YEAR?!?! You spend $750 bucks of your hard earned money and you get 1 lousy year of warranty coverage. In fairness it does appear that several other major companies also only provide 1 year of coverage on their reels. Ardent is the industry leader for warranty coverage at 3 years from date of purchase.
Anyway, I'd be curious to get any thoughts on this topic. What rod and reel combo's do you have that perform well? What's the cost of the outfit? What do you like about it? What would you change? Do you make any modifications? I'll start things off. My favorite casting set up is a 6'10" Fenwick Elite Tech Pitchin Stick matched with an Abu Garcia Revo SX. I purchased the rod off of Ebay and the reel from Tackle Warehouse for a total investment of $220. My favorite spinning set up is a 6'6"Gander Mountain Tournament GSX rod matched with an Abu Garcia 302i. Total cost on this unit was $130. Both great set ups and great values.
Oh and if anyone from Tackle Warehouse stumbles across this, post feel free to send me a free T-shirt or two........you know, for the effort. I really do love that place.
I have a blog post entitled: Does Bass Fishing Cost to Much? that kind of covers the same ground.
ReplyDeletehttp://basspundit.blogspot.com/2010/01/does-bass-fishing-cost-to-much.html
I most certainly am not much of a tackle enthusiast when it comes to buying the extreme of top of the line gear. If I could afford some of that stuff I probably would buy it though. I have quality equipment and it is by no means inexpensive stuff. I have saved a ton thanks to Ebay. I am also always on the lookout for bargins online and in retail stores. I do by a few things that are not discounted or on sale, but that is usually because those particular items may never go on sale.
Currently I am in the market for getting a few premium lures that I want to try against some of my bargin tackle, to see if the premium stuff has any edge. It's all about the topwaters.
I really wish I would have had Stella's superior drag system in my hand when I had that 10 lber on down at Lake Fork. Not saying I would go out and buy one, but at least it would have given me a better chance of landing it, instead of re-living the horror every time it comes up.
ReplyDeleteThanks BP, I'll make sure to go back and read your previous post on the subject. Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
ReplyDelete