mastertangler wrote on May 24^th, 2013 at 10:00am:

I could probably fish with just about anything and still enjoy it. But what I have noticed is a heightened pleasure while using quality stuff. Does it catch more fish? Maybe, maybe not........that is not the point I am making. Just going through the motions of fishing with fine gear is in itself an enjoyable experience. It is about the quality of the experience > (I like good sunglasses and high quality paddles for the same reason).

Have you ever tried to make you own rods? I thought of trying to do that someday. I think that using a my own hand made rod would would be an enjoyable experience, just as tripping in my own hand made canoe. -

When my son was a young teenager he saved his allowance and purchased heavy duty St. Croix for Musky, Pike fishing. One day he lost a large fish right at the side of the boat. In frustration, he smacked his rod on the gunnel. It shattered. He wrote a letter to St. Croix, with some embellishments to the story of course, and sent along a photo too. They replaced the rod, no questions asked.