Sorry to hear that. With such a broad range of budgets on the Forum,

someone should be helpful at every pricing point.

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Kent - tried that twice, stated a max budget...and almost all of the rods recommended were 1.5x-3x my stated max...so gave up and researched on my own.

I quit recommending the ones I use because they are too cheap for anyone to buy haha. They somehow capture bass and other fish 

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I quit recommending the ones I use because they are too cheap for anyone to buy haha

Despite me now having 5 Furys in my arsenal - I've never paid more than $90 for a rod...get them on sale.

 

And even with 2 Fuegos and a Patriarch - still haven't paid more than $90 for a reel.

16 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Kent - tried that twice, stated a max budget...and almost all of the rods recommended were 1.5x-3x my stated max...so gave up and researched on my own.

Get an NRX. 

12 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Despite me now having 5 Furys in my arsenal - I've never paid more than $90 for a rod...get them on sale.

 

And even with 2 Fuegos and a Patriarch - still haven't paid more than $90 for a reel.

I’ll usually go 30-40 for a reel and 10-20 for a rod. Gotten lots of freebies over the years too. There’s a lot of fairly good spinning combos from daiwa for 25-30

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

Get an NRX. 

 

(sure - you send me the money for it, I'll buy one - that sucker is half my yearly fishing budget)

https://majorleaguefishing.com/anglers/leon-tidwell-102202/

 

My late friend Leon was the King Of Cheap. Most of his gear was trade-ins purchased

at local bait shops or pawn shops.  He was one heck of a fisherman! 

23 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

 

(sure - you send me the money for it, I'll buy one - that sucker is half my yearly fishing budget)

You could get into building your own. ?

Just now, Michigander said:

You could get into building your own. ?

I built myself a 9' fly-rod many years back - all my rod-building equipment was sold soon after...too futzy for me. Besides, the blank and 'good' guides, handle, etc would still be out of my budget.

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

I built myself a 9' fly-rod many years back - all my rod-building equipment was sold soon after...too futzy for me. Besides, the blank and 'good' guides, handle, etc would still be out of my budget.

Can't help with the futzy part but the cost of the build doesn't have to astronomical, especially if you're shopping the sales. You can build a solid rod for less than $100.

Around Black Friday, there were several nice builds I could have done for under $50 due to the sales.