Well, I could tie 15’ of line to my rod tip and catch fish. Tying a lure to the line straight from the reel would make fishing a little more difficult lol. 

Once you catch a large powerful gamefish on a high quality reel you will understand why a reel is more important than a rod. A good rod is still needed but the quality of the reel is more important.

On 10/15/2020 at 2:29 PM, NYWayfarer said:

For me it’s the reel. I want a good drag and a solid frame. 
 

I am a line watcher and I usually have a finger in contact with the line after casting. I feel those traits are important and can let someone get away with not having the most sensitive rod. 

A good drag is extremely important when targeting large fish. For example a cheap reel might be good enough for bass under 5 pounds but will not be very good for a redfish over 40 inches. 

Better reels make fishing more fun!