Back to a fly-fishing post…
Read any fly-fishing forum, and it’s likely a topic of debate will be the increasing prices of the higher-end fly-fishing rods.
It is true that high-end fly rods appear to be expensive – current prices of the higher-end models from the major rod makers (e.g., Loomis, Orvis, Sage, Scott, and Winston) are in the $1100-$1700 range.
The debate in the forums is often whether the price greatly exceeds the value, and that the prices seem exorbitant.
Many of the commentators offer praises of more moderately priced rods – often called the mid-priced rods (in the $500 – $700 range) – as they provide a similar casting experience at a lower price.
I’ve cast many mid-priced rods and it’s fair to say they offer similar casting experiences.
What the mid-price rods don’t have are the latest material technologies in the rod blank; lesser-grade cork (more fillers) in the grip; and more economical components (e.g., guides, reel seats, etc.). They can also be a bit-heavier than the top-end rods (but we’re talking typically less than two ounces for the same line weight and length).
For those who can’t afford, or do care to spend the money on the higher-end rods, the mid-priced rods cast well enough and the fish don’t really care.
On the other hand, the higher-priced rods are exceptional in both build quality and casting.
Some say you can’t tell the difference between the high- and mid-priced rods.
I disagree.
I do own a few of the higher-end rods. They cast better (for me) than most mid-priced rods – being a bit crisper in performance and feedback, they have top-end components and build quality, and they have better finishes.
(For purposes of comparison, I assume the differences between Callaway and Titleist golf clubs would be similar.)
As I noted above, there are frequent debates in forums about the costs of today’s rods versus fly rods of a decade ago or more.
The objections are often framed in “there’s no way fly rods should cost that much” – ignoring the cost of labor and materials, and the inflation that should be evident in most of their purchasing.
A recent article in Flylords Magazine by Spencer Durrant addresses those issues by discussing the comparative price increases of fly rods, pickup trucks, and housing prices over the last 40 years.
He cites Winston’s Tom Morgan favorite (a classic fly rod) cost about $380 in 1989; in today’s dollars that would be about $1020 – putting it in the same range as current high-end rods.
And many classic and sought-after fly rods from years past now command higher prices now used than when new.
Quality is timeless – the price paid for it, not so much.
You can read the article here.
