Turnover is much higher on reels than it is rods.  When I worked in a shop on the island, the customer base 9 months of the year were avid enthusiasts.  During the summer we would have the classic benny and Pennsy tourists or relatives of homeowners that would come back with a broken rod demanding a refund after slamming it in a door pr claim the reel just stopped working for no reason when the gearbox is full of wet sand. 

  

 

I have a few more rods than reels.  But in both cases I have gear that I am not using that I should sell.  

I have a shortage of reels. I have around 70 rods, but only around 50 reels. Heeere monkey, monkey , monkey!!! 😂

33 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I have a shortage of reels. I have around 70 rods, but only around 50 reels. Heeere monkey, monkey , monkey!!! 😂

I'm just the opposite.....about 75 rods and 100 reels.  I'm definitely not looking for that monkey anymore.  

17 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

I'm definitely not looking for that monkey anymore. 

Same here. I've reached critical mass. 

27 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Same here. I've reached critical mass. 

I finally looked in all of my reel boxes and pulled out the reels that were in the wrong box.  Had no time for putting them away properly when I moved.  Now I'm trying to figure out which reel for which rod.  Tough, tough decision.  Right now I can't find one of my gold colored Carbonlites. 

 

I have way more rods.  The only reason I keep a reel is for sentimental purposes.  If I've had issues with a reel then it gets scrapped.  If the reel is still usable I sell it, or give it away. 

Bait monkey knows voodoo.. 

Although I have a few reels that are not being used I keep them for sentimental reasons but I’m the type it drives me crazy if I have either a rod or reel that is  not paired up even if I’m not going to use it as I feel I will someday. Another problem is passing on a deal such as 40-50% off that I just can’t pass on even though I don’t use everything I currently have.

far more rods...

Rods > Reels

 

I have bass, salmon, and trout/panfish rods and most of my reels must be able to handle bass and salmon. Therefore 100-300 sized bc reels, and 2500-4000 spinning reels. 

I own more rods than reels. Good or bad, quite a lot of both…

Reels, primarily because I buy any Team Daiwa X under 50 bucks I can get my paws on. My 15 year old nephew is infatuated with them too, so I'm slowly giving my cosmetic disasters to him. 

 

I'd have far fewer rods if it weren't such an expense to ship them. 

5 hours ago, PourMyOwn said:

Reels, primarily because I buy any Team Daiwa X under 50 bucks I can get my paws on. My 15 year old nephew is infatuated with them too, so I'm slowly giving my cosmetic disasters to him. 

 

I'd have far fewer rods if it weren't such an expense to ship them. 

I have 5 of the Daiwa TD-X.  Purchased years ago and none were anywhere near as low as $50.  

On 6/17/2025 at 4:49 PM, new2BC4bass said:

I'm just the opposite.....about 75 rods and 100 reels.  I'm definitely not looking for that monkey anymore.  

Looking forward to see that collection one day too!

 

Do ya do any trading?

I have a few extra reels for back up

5 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Looking forward to see that collection one day too!

 

Do ya do any trading?

Sorry, but no.  I have two rods I'm not particularly fond of, but feel if I don't care much for them, then maybe others wouldn't either.  Going to try the 7' 6" MHF for frogs.  If distance is good with it, then I will dedicate the rod for frogs.  Considering possibly dedicating the other for deep diving crankbaits.  Something I've yet to do here in Florida.

 

Have a TD-S 103HL with lever on top.  Not fond of that type of reel.  Reel cast fine.  Just a preference of mine.  I prefer a thumb clutch release.  Have a TD-Z 103HL Type R with the same lever but won't consider selling it even though it seldom gets used because I had it tuned and upgraded.  Pretty sure I couldn't break even selling it.  Had to purchase a new spool (original from Japan) for it because the guy that did the work on it kept the original spool.  Then he no longer replied to emails.  Wasn't a professional reel mechanic.  Now I have an extra spool for my Zillions or a few other of my Daiwa reels.

I'm probably close to 2:1 rods:reels. I find myself upgrading the rod first- generally looking for increased sensitivity or decreased weight. Reels don't make as much of a difference to me. As long as I have reel in the right gear ratio that's not on a dedicated combo, I don't feel the need for a new one. I've still got plenty of reels I paid less than $60 for that are in the regular rotation. I don't think I can say the same for rods. 

 

 

^^^^^^

Total opposite for me.

Far more reels than rods, and it's not even close.

When I find a stick I like,

I tend to hold onto it, baby it and fish it   . . . . .  for-ever.

Reels, not so much.

There a couple of boxes of reels under the bench in my tackle room

that have been sitting for a while.

Tried to sell them off but

there doesn't seem to be a market for them.

So they are parked and probably a little sad.

😢

A-Jay

22 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

^^^^^^

Total opposite for me.

Far more reels than rods, and it's not even close.

When I find a stick I like,

I tend to hold onto it, baby it and fish it   . . . . .  for-ever.

Reels, not so much.

There a couple of boxes of reels under the bench in my tackle room

that have been sitting for a while.

Tried to sell them off but

there doesn't seem to be a market for them.

So they are parked and probably a little sad.

😢

A-Jay

Not far more, but something like 25 more reels than rods.

I baby both.

I keep both.

If this were 5 years or more ago, I'd be asking what reels are in those boxes that you'd like to get rid of.  

37 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

Not far more, but something like 25 more reels than rods.

I baby both.

I keep both.

If this were 5 years or more ago, I'd be asking what reels are in those boxes that you'd like to get rid of.  

I hear ya.

At this point, they are just taking up space.  I'd be tempted to set them free just for the shipping.

And maybe a little something to cover my pain & suffering.

A-Jay

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

^^^^^^

Total opposite for me.

Far more reels than rods, and it's not even close.

When I find a stick I like,

I tend to hold onto it, baby it and fish it   . . . . .  for-ever.

Reels, not so much.

There a couple of boxes of reels under the bench in my tackle room

that have been sitting for a while.

Tried to sell them off but

there doesn't seem to be a market for them.

So they are parked and probably a little sad.

😢

A-Jay

I think that's where I'll get eventually. I've only been bassin for 5 or 6 years, so I'm in that phase where I'm replacing my entry level gear with nicer stuff. Of the 20-25 combos I consistently use, 25% are going to be used until the day I (or they) die, 50% is decent stuff I'll keep but eventually probably relegate to backup, and 25% I want to replace yesterday. 

 

I listed a bunch of rods a couple years back, but was only being offered $10-20. At that price, they made more sense to keep as backups or to strip down for parts. 

I have more reels than rods

I have FAR more reels than rods and I just sold a rod today. I've got some catchin' up to do.

 

Tom

On 6/21/2025 at 12:20 PM, Eric 26 said:

Another problem is passing on a deal such as 40-50% off that I just can’t pass on even though I don’t use everything I currently have.

I have the same problem.  Have several reels that haven't been out of their boxes yet because I got them on sale at over 50% off.

On 7/7/2025 at 6:09 PM, tholmes said:

I have FAR more reels than rods and I just sold a rod today. I've got some catchin' up to do.

 

Tom

The Bait Monkey will definitely be a good friend of yours.