CURRENT PRICES OF FISHING REELS
Feb 18, 2021 15:54:40 #
Moscooter
Loc: Sunset Beach, N.C.
I've noted in recent issues of my Bassmaster magazine, various ads for both bait casting and also spinning reels.
The prices are in my opinion, waaaaaaaay out of whack. I'm seeing casting reels that list for $299, $399 and a spinning reel for $499.
Now I don't give a damn just how many "bearings" they have cranked into the reel body, nor what exotic material the reel is made from. There just is no justification in my mind for the prices of these reels to have climbed that high.
I worked in the fishing dept. at Bass Pro back around 2005, kinda familiar with the "drill". Most every reel is made overseas and the combined parts and the associated labor to put them together wouldn't add up to a tank of gas for my Avalanche.
The prices are in my opinion, waaaaaaaay out of whack. I'm seeing casting reels that list for $299, $399 and a spinning reel for $499.
Now I don't give a damn just how many "bearings" they have cranked into the reel body, nor what exotic material the reel is made from. There just is no justification in my mind for the prices of these reels to have climbed that high.
I worked in the fishing dept. at Bass Pro back around 2005, kinda familiar with the "drill". Most every reel is made overseas and the combined parts and the associated labor to put them together wouldn't add up to a tank of gas for my Avalanche.
Feb 18, 2021 16:15:48 #
Feb 18, 2021 16:40:50 #
Grizzly 17
Loc: South central Pa
You said you worked at bass pro. I started with jonnie morris rods n reels. When they came out with carbon lites i switched to them. Now i have several carbon lite 2.0 rod n reel combs. Spinning n baitcaster. I luv em
Feb 18, 2021 17:07:53 #
Moscooter, you would have a fit if you looked at the REALLY high end models
Try $700 for a Shimano Stella 1000
Or the Antares or the Diawa Steez
I’ve got a bunch of high end Shimano reels , both casting and spinning
Are they nice? Very
Are they worth it ? That all depends on what you are looking for.
How bout $630 for a rod. That hurts.
I have a spinning combo that set me back $1300 including tax.
The high end are definitely for serious enthusiasts
Try $700 for a Shimano Stella 1000
Or the Antares or the Diawa Steez
I’ve got a bunch of high end Shimano reels , both casting and spinning
Are they nice? Very
Are they worth it ? That all depends on what you are looking for.
How bout $630 for a rod. That hurts.
I have a spinning combo that set me back $1300 including tax.
The high end are definitely for serious enthusiasts
Feb 18, 2021 17:39:41 #
Grizzly 17
Loc: South central Pa
Ben i remember when you could have bought a car with that amount. In 1965 i bought a 1959 chevy impala convertible for $1200.
Feb 18, 2021 17:43:44 #
Grizzly 17
Loc: South central Pa
Niw I've got enough tied up in combos and takle to buy a real nice truck. Long since gone are the days of the push buttom zebco 202 with metal gears that lasted forever
Feb 18, 2021 17:58:14 #
ripogenu wrote:
Tariffs on imported products. Buy "made in USA"
Problem is not a lot of affordable made in USA reels available
Cost of just about everything is a lot more than the parts and labor.
A lot of the cost is in the engineering. Both design and manufacturing.
Bringing new product to market is extremely expensive. The more precise the product. The more costly it is to produce.
Tooling and machinery to produce an individual component is expensive and time consuming.
Quality costs, marketing costs, executive pay , shareholder dividends , logistics etc. let’s not forget a sizable retailer mark up.
My company produces an automotive subsystem. Let’s say the selling price is $50 each. Well that seems reasonable , major automotive factories shop very competitively. What everyone doesn’t know , my company invested $47 million in facilities machinery and tooling over 3 years to bring this product to market.
That doesn’t include overhead like engineering , management and support staff, travel expenses , scrap , environmental compliance , benefits ... the list goes on
Feb 18, 2021 18:07:52 #
Grizzly 17 wrote:
Ben i remember when you could have bought a car with that amount. In 1965 i bought a 1959 chevy impala convertible for $1200.
Grizz. $15 k wouldn’t touch that car today. Wish I had one , bet you do too
I gave $1500 for my 71 chevelle SS
Couldn’t get that for $20 k today.
Feb 18, 2021 18:22:43 #
Moscooter
Loc: Sunset Beach, N.C.
On an new (by that I would mean) a totally new and different set up at all, I could buy into your logic.
When the basics of a casting reel are fairly straight forward and some "engineer" moves the spool and/or side cover a few millimeters, etc. that in no way substantiates grossly extra charges.
We're not re-inventing the wheel here. It's all caught up in "pizazz" and Hype to try and justify way overboard charges for a simple device.
Feb 18, 2021 18:28:09 #
We talked about this a while back.
A state of the art reel in 1952 had a list price of $27
Today’s equivalent is $269.
$269 today will buy a really nice reel
A state of the art reel in 1952 had a list price of $27
Today’s equivalent is $269.
$269 today will buy a really nice reel
Feb 18, 2021 18:32:53 #
Moscooter wrote:
img src="https://static.fishingstage.com/images/s... (show quote)
I’ve been an engineer for going on 30 years. A couple millimeters to me might as well be a country mile. Reels deal in sub thousandths tolerances.
A tenth of a millimeter means something. A hundredth of a millimeter can make the difference in ultra smooth and scrap
Feb 18, 2021 18:50:17 #
Moscooter wrote:
img src="https://static.fishingstage.com/images/s... (show quote)
Engineering on reels have gone up exponentially as have cars/trucks. Baitcasters for example like Ben stated are state of the art. Shimano’s have DC reels with built in mini computers that track the speed and line size to prevent birds nest. Do you need them no but if your fishing in tournaments as I do playing with a birds nest isn’t very conducive to winning. Trucks years ago could be bought for a song and a dance. Heck now you can spend 60K to 80K. Rods have come so far over the years that there’s no comparison to the older models. Engineering cost $$$$$$
Feb 18, 2021 18:52:13 #
Keep in mind there’s still plenty of good rod and reels on the market they don’t break the bank.
Feb 18, 2021 20:00:39 #
Grizzly 17
Loc: South central Pa
Your right there Ben. Along with the 59 i had a 51mecurey 55 n 56 belair 64 impala 64 n72 chevelle n a 65 mustang. Didn't pay 15k for all of them put together. Had alot fun with them.
Feb 19, 2021 04:24:02 #
I agree with most that was said but I don't think I need $1,000 rod and reel to catch a fish 😁
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