All things being equal (when does that ever happen?) I believe a higher grade of equipment can help catch more fish.  I don't think there is a huge difference between $200 rods and $400 rods.

I have 1 Steez rod/reel combo that I use for trigs and really love it.  It doesn't make fish magically jump in the boat, but I can definitely tell the difference in feel from the TDS rods I was using.  It's something I wanted for a few years and finally got a little extra money I could spend.  After receiving it, I actually felt guilty for spending that much and put it up for sale.  It didn't sell in a couple of days so I decided to hold on to it and am glad I did.

I have been looking for a used Zillion rod for a couple of weeks just to see how close the performance of each rod is to one another.  The Zillions don't seem to take as much of a hit in resale that the Steez rods do.  You can get a good deal on the Steez but it seems like you might as well buy the Zillions new.

How important is an expensive rod?

More important than an expensive reel in most freshwater scenarios.

How important is an expensive rod?

More important than an expensive reel in most freshwater scenarios.

I agree 100%. Let your wallet be your guide.

How important is an expensive rod?

More important than an expensive reel in most freshwater scenarios.

That surprises me...I'll bet that's not how you

felt the first time that fish in your avatar saw

your boat!