On 4/10/2016 at 8:58 PM, anthonyfip said:

I guess what I am wondering is... Will I notice a difference/catch more fish with a higher end rod? I consider the lure, line, and reel (in that order) to gear that makes the biggest difference.  I may be wrong?  Should I be considering the rod more?

I would never get rid of it.  It just wouldn't be my primary spinning setup if I purchased somethjng new.  I mainly fish from a kayak so I don't tend to bring more than two rods, so rather than setting up for specific applications, I have two versital setups, so taking two spinning rods won't likely happen.  I will still keep the rod tho.

I too started upgrading rods after everything else. Someone on this site pointed out the error of my ways. If you fish bottom bouncing baits especially Texas rigged worms or craws then a sensitive rod actually can help you catch more fish. Sometimes fish pick up and spit out a bait in the span of a second. A sensitive rod helps you detect the strike much easier. You might not believe how many fish you were missing. Just my two cents.

I have a Gander mountain clearance rod that I use all the time .Its the Lady guide series  and I use it for worms and jigs .

 

On 4/11/2016 at 10:28 AM, roadwarrior said:

I like to select a specific job for each rod so it kinda forces me to rotate them around.

DVT Custom Senko Rod: Senko & Fat Ika

Gary's Custom (ghoti.) 7'2" Rainshadow Imortal ML  Trout & crappie

G. Loomis PR844S  Live bait

St. Croix Legend Elite LES70M  Everything else

Generally I only carry one spinning rod at a time, so "specified jobs" does not always apply!

 

 

 

Great point.  To the original poster, as I've made more money over the years, I've upgraded to higher end gear.  It's enjoyable, but not an end all, be all.  Certainly it's not the key to finding and catching fish.  The above post stood out to me though, because I still don't hesitate to buy a "lower end" rod when I see a ridiculous sale.   Especially if it's light and the right action, despite it's cheaper components.  They don't get used near as much as my higher end stuff, but I still keep them.  And the reason is as stated above.  I've found these rods often come into play when I need something for a specific application that I just don't have the right rod for, or the ideal rod.  I go back to my stash of "lower end" rods, and sure enough...usually there is a fit.  For example, I've done a decent amount of inshore fishing in my life.  One of my favorite techniques is pitching jigs underneath docks for flounder.  The problem is I'm not using heavy lures, but maybe slightly heavier than the typical jig and plastic combo I use for open water and speckled trout fishing.  And I'm throwing a weedless setup with a weighted wide gap.  It calls for a medium action setup, but most of my high end medium rods are too light for pitching a dock.  Well, I bought a Gander Mountain Tournament series "medium" action baitcast rod a few years ago on sale, that is really too heavy for most medium action applications.   But I kept it....and sure enough, it's perfect for the above application.  Not a medium heavy, and not a medium.  But dang can it send a 1/4 oz jig WAY up underneath a dock.  Just feels right.  Glad I kept it.  

My situation is similar to yours. I bought a cheap rod, it broke for no apparent reason, so I took it back to Walmart and exchanged it for a wright and McGill drop shot rod. I love this rod, it balances great with my Pflueger president, and it has plenty of back bone. I thought about upgrading but I honestly don't see a reason to get something different when what I have now works good for me. 

On 4/10/2016 at 9:27 PM, anthonyfip said:

but feel that I don't really need to... Should I just leave my setup alone? Or give a more expensive rod a try?

Welcome to the jungle...

If it's not broken, don't fix it.

You can't possibly be a good fisherman if you use and like a cheap rod!  (sarcasm) 

BTW, braid will increase the sensitivity of ANY rod.