I bought two Shimano Stella reels at half price ($350.00ish each) many years ago. They're okay, but not worth the $850.00 each they'd cost today and they're no better than my Stradics. I also bought my Kevlar car-topping canoe at half price ($2,000.00ish) when Bell Canoes folded. It's worth the price simply because I can lift it, but any Kevlar canoe would work. The one, high-end item that I feel is truly worth the price is my one G. Loomis rod. It's M action, but I can land heavy, northern bass from weeds with it. I also bought it for half price from a website that sold used rods, but it was nearly new and a real deal because it's my best rod, not by name, but by performance.  

 

Do you have a high end item that you feel is worth the cost?

4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I bought two Shimano Stella reels at half price ($350.00ish each) many years ago. They're okay, but not worth the $850.00 each they'd cost today and they're no better than my Stradics. 

 

Do you have a high end item that you feel is worth the cost?

 

You have discovered a reel secret! That you can get performance almost equal to high end reels in the midline reels.

 

I do have high end products, but I won't pay new retail prices for them. I am strictly, or almost strictly in the used tackle side of things and have been for more than 40 years. Saves a ton of money.

 

High end new retail is a luxury I choose to not enjoy.

 

I was a bench tech on reels and learned this one long ago. Today I avoid all high end reels for exactly the same reason you mention. My stradics have provided excellent performance at a fraction of the cost. And maybe even more reliable with fewer parts and less to go wrong inside.

 

We can do the same in both spinning and baitcast reels. A free spinning spool is a free spinning spool whether in a $100 reel or a $1000 reel.

 

Its all about what one can afford and their why? To each their own though... but I completely agree with you on this one. I do not think they are worth the costs. Never have. Never will.

Yes ~

A-Jay

56 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I was a bench tech on reels and learned this one long ago. Today I avoid all high end reels for exactly the same reason you mention. My stradics have provided excellent performance at a fraction of the cost. And maybe even more reliable with fewer parts and less to go wrong inside.

 

Thanks for providing your insider's insight and confirming my field experience with Stradics versus Stellas. 

 

Do you have any experience with G. Loomis rods? My gut tells me that the rod makers are all working with the same or similar blanks, but my G. Loomis seems more sensitive, but with backbone too. 

 

 

@Swamp Girl I much like many on here have a budget I stick to for both my rods and reels and will say my highest end reel is also a Stradic that I bought based on the many reviews full of love for this reel on this site. A handful of members have spoken about the same thing that @FloridaFishinFool is referring to about the trickle down effect from the Stella to the Stradic 2 of them being @bulldog1935 and @FishTank and if I ever decide on a high budget reel it will be a Shimano Vanquish which both of the aforementioned members own and speak highly of. And if I ever get super serious about fishing I’m calling up @A-Jay as I love both your boat and the truck you tow it with.

40 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Thanks for providing your insider's insight and confirming my field experience with Stradics versus Stellas. 

 

Do you have any experience with G. Loomis rods? My gut tells me that the rod makers are all working with the same or similar blanks, but my G. Loomis seems more sensitive, but with backbone too. 

 

 

 

Absolutely! I love my stradics. I fished with a stradic 4000FH yesterday. Great reel for the price. Its around 20 years old and works like new and will more than likely still be working long after I leave this world. Who can ask for more out of a reel?

 

As for Loomis rods, those are a specialty of mine. I have followed Gary Loomis for decades. He is my rod blank hero for sure. I have a nice collection of Loomis rods through all of his companies starting with LCI from over 40 years ago. I even collect Loomis blanks he sold to other companies like All Star and Browning and others like Shimano to name a few.

 

I study his history in rod making.

 

As far as your comment "My gut tells me that the rod makers are all working with the same or similar blanks" is not one I am following well. I am not sure what you mean by same or similar blanks?

 

I'd have to say that each rod company wants something new and different to set them and their rods apart from everyone else. So from that perspective I would say they all tend to be different in materials, especially the epoxy binders used, the tapers and rod designs and construction are all over the place and how the fibers are woven and interact with each other. There are lots of differing ideas on how to make rod blanks. Some work better than others and we all tend to notice too.

 

Your next comment shows you notice those differences. Your description is exactly what I believe Gary Loomis would like to hear from people who use his rods. That we notice how much effort he puts into creating rod blanks that are indeed noticeably different- and with backbone and still lightweight.

 

Gary Loomis rods are at the top of my list. Todd Vivian found that out and got kind of angry with me about it. Tough. Gary Loomis rods are made in USA. Todd's rods are not. I collect Loomis rods while Todd's rods I have, but don't use or use as much as Loomis rods.

 

You have good taste in rods and reels from my perspective because it is right in line with my own tastes. I'd say Gary Loomis is one of the greatest rod blank designers and builders of all time. Number 1 in my book.

 

I do have some other favorites that rival Gary's rods. Some you may not have even heard of before like Stiffy rods out of Texas, and Airrus made in California, and Graphite USA and a new one has jumped up my list called SixGill made of Japanese Toray fibers. Some really incredible rods to enjoy for sure! But Gary Loomis is still tops for me.

 

 

@Eric 26 The Vanquish is awesome but I would throw the Twin Power in the same mix. The Vanquish is lighter and has a slower start up on the drag. The Twin Power on the other hand is as smooth as the Stella, has immediate power and in general is a pleasure to fish. 

 

For high end stuff that's worth it, sometimes you're splitting hairs to get the best of the best. So you may be paying for minor improvements over the model below it, like the Stella and Twin Power. 

 

High end stuff I have that I think is worth it and I'm calling out specific models.......

 

Rods and Reels

G.Loomis NRX+ - 894C and 872S

Megabass - P5 Kasumi Six Eleven 

Shimano - Twin Power and Vanquish 2500

Shimano - Calcutta Conquest All Models 

Shimano - Metanium 100

Daiwa - Steez SV TW Limited Shallow Spool

 

Baits

OSP DoLive Beaver - Pricey but always works 

Megabass Vision 110jr +1 and 110

 

Line

Seaguar Tatsu

Varivas Seabass X9 

Sunline Sniper Invisible 

Seaguar Grand Max FX leader

YGK OLLTOLOS WX 

 

Kayak 

Hobie PA 14 - Has never failed me but man I still feel the pain of the price tag

 

There is plenty more I could add but these things are luxury items that get the job done and are essential to my every day fishing.  

 

The rare stuff you just can't get anymore can be worth it in that its super cool and holds value or appreciates in value.  Stuff like Megabass custom versions of older Daiwa reels or the old Megabass rods that rarely come up for sale and are sold immidiately, like the Otomat and X7 rods.  That stuff is highly desirable and when you manage to pick it up in good condition for a good price it feels like a win.  A lot of this stuff in good condition at great prices only trade in enthusiasts circles and when it shows up outside of that on eBay or similar mass market the prices are insane.  I don't mess with the dragon reels but I do have two Megabass IPs, an IS73 with custom paint and a Zonda Rosso.

 

https://jdmfishing.com/vault/is73c-dragon-limited/

https://jdmfishing.com/vault/ip68-dragon-limited/

https://jdmfishing.com/product-category/reels/megabass/baitcasting-megabass-reels/zonda/

What a great list, @FishTank. I suggest you expand upon why each of your items is worth the cost in an article for Bass Resource.

Everything is relevant to everyone's situation, mine is my Eddyline 14' Caribbean.

I had a Wilderness Tarpon 120, which served me well for around 12 years, but weighed 70 lbs.

So getting older and loading a kayak on my roof was getting harder as the years went by.

I knew someone who was involved in the planning of the Caribbean, as this was Eddylines foray into sit on top kayaks.

I had the good fortune to be one of the first ones to test paddle this on the East Coast, it has been my main kayak now for 10 years.

Forgot to say the the Caribbean weighs in at 50 lbs 

Oh, also a carbon fiber paddle is worth its weight in gold.

Couple of St Croix rods pretty much for me is my high end stuff.  

I'm low a maintenance guy, also frugal though my wife use a different group of adjectives 

 

Edited September 25, 2025Sep 25 by herder
Forgot to add the weight

Worth and value all depends on the individual.

 

There are people that fish that make $40k a year and there are people that make $400k a year.

 

So the worth of say a $500 reel to one might be completely different than someone else. 

@FishTank I hate to admit this but I received a Megabass vision 110 jr and a JH bladed jig when I purchased a couple reels from Japan Lure Shop and I’m actually paranoid about using them even though I know both lures work based on the results posted on here😬 I will also add @Swamp Girl my Stradic is mounted to my most expensive rod which is a St Croix Avid Panfish series 7’-0” rod and I really am glad I purchased both. 

6 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

@FishTank I hate to admit this but I received a Megabass vision 110 jr and a JH bladed jig when I purchased a couple reels from Japan Lure Shop and I’m actually paranoid about using them even though I know both lures work based on the results posted on here😬 I will also add @Swamp Girl my Stradic is mounted to my most expensive rod which is a St Croix Avid Panfish series 7’-0” rod and I really am glad I purchased both. I d

 

Eric, I own several St. Croix rods too paired with Stradics, so we're using the same setup. Cool! 

Sorry 

Edited September 25, 2025Sep 25 by Eric 26
Double post

Both were top of the line with lots of bells and whistles.  I use them a lot.

@Swamp Girl Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe you and @bulldog1935 are both running Stradics on St Croix glass crankbait rods🤔 Beautiful setup btw.

I'd say that if you're someone who sees fishing gear as "tools", and you don't baby them, nothing high end is worth it. A $100 rod and a $200 reel is enough.

Every person i know, or spoke to, if they don't take care of their stuff, they're the kind that wouldn't be able to tell a difference between a steez and a Tatula. Not everyone notices and cares about the smoothness and how silent high reels are. Same with rods.

For anything there's always diminishing returns. I stick to fairly budget rods and reels, but I will spend the money on baits I feel are worth it. I don't shy away from Vision 110s or some of the higher end Japanese baits or swimbaits if I feel they fit a niche well. One that comes to mind is the Monka Crawler. 

Buy-once-cry-once...

 

Not totally top-of-the-line, but tops to me...and both the Lund and DMax well worth the investment!

 

 

Very close to top of the line...it's 2WD vs. the top-dog 4WD! I like very much. 

 

Baits are the big ones for me. I'll gladly spend twice as much on one brand's version of a bait if I'm confident it will outperform another's. 

Vision 110, vision 110 jr, some model nrx+. These are still the benchmark for people to compare to other brand for their category.

6 minutes ago, JHoss said:

Baits are the big ones for me. I'll gladly spend twice as much on one brand's version of a bait if I'm confident it will outperform another's. 

 

You are confident, but have you done side-by-side comparison tests or anything equivalent? There are features that certain lures have that give me confidence, but beyond those features, I don't care who manufactured them. For example, having used several soft plastic crawdads, I like the ones where the pinchers have "feet," like the ones made by Rapala, Yamamoto, and Rage Tail. I see that those feet give the pinchers better action and so I look for the "feet" when replacing my crawdads, which I do a LOT because they catch a lot of bass. If a cheaper lure has those "feet," I'll buy it.

 

As far as gear, when I see a Ford Bronco or Jeep Rubicon in a parking lot and it doesn't have a single dent or scratch, I think, "What a waste," because a vehicle built to go off-road has never been off-road. It's like leaving Secretariat in a stall. 

 

I've shared how I'm using reels that are 30 and even 40 years old. They are scratched and scuffed, like my canoes. They've been carried through swamps, gone down whitewater rivers, and bounced in the back of floatplanes. I'm not proud of my gear, but I love where it has taken me and will continue to take me. 

 

 

I'll add my carbon fiber paddle to my list of worth-it-gear. I paddle miles every time I launch and a featherweight paddle means less wear and tear on me. Plus, it doesn't splinter like my wood paddles do. 

Rain gear and sunglasses.

5 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I bought two Shimano Stella reels at half price ($350.00ish each) many years ago. They're okay, but not worth the $850.00 each they'd cost today and they're no better than my Stradics. I also bought my Kevlar car-topping canoe at half price ($2,000.00ish) when Bell Canoes folded. It's worth the price simply because I can lift it, but any Kevlar canoe would work. The one, high-end item that I feel is truly worth the price is my one G. Loomis rod. It's M action, but I can land heavy, northern bass from weeds with it. I also bought it for half price from a website that sold used rods, but it was nearly new and a real deal because it's my best rod, not by name, but by performance.  

 

Do you have a high end item that you feel is worth the cost?

I'm with you all the way for Loomis rods;  big fan.

1 hour ago, JHoss said:

Baits are the big ones for me. I'll gladly spend twice as much on one brand's version of a bait if I'm confident it will outperform another's. 

So will I, but I may procrastinate awhile and hope to find a sale.