Rods. It doesn't matter.

[Pighunter]

wouldn't feel very confident giving a sonik or similar the same grief as what my century gets like (excluding landing fish). As far as I'm concerned I go fishing regularly as it's my hobby and I want something that will be reliable, last and do the job well so I pay the extra dosh and like pighunter says buy cheap buy twice

Sonik are nt cheap and ain'nt sold as mid range as the price reflects. So the lad might just have point.

Sonik are a mid ranged rod there not at the top end not the bottom making them mid ranged

 

[silver fillet]

it's a poor fisherman that blames his tools , personally use mid range as just gets knocked about on the rocks no matter how careful (rd cantenar with 30slosh) each to their own and a fish is just a bounace but much welcomed.

 

[Nooo Fish]

Since I took up fishing last year I've bought a mid range rod (penn rampage 13ft) and 2 century's second hand off lads on here. Both under £200 (Mk1 TT sport and komp SS) since I started I've learned to cast OTG with the reel down and I really wouldn't fancy hitting the penn rod as hard as I can off the ground with a 6oz weight plus bait. So for me the high end rods are worth it. I'd have bought them new if there weren't so many bargains on here.

The same with reels. I bought an akios 656csm for £130 and bent the cage.i still don't know if it can be fixed. For an extra £50 I got a saltist bg30h and that will pull the plug out.

So if you want a high end rod for mid range money just wait for pig hunter to buy one and not like it. You'll have one by Xmas.

(Only kidding Phil)

 

[hound hunter]

Golfers like good clubs etc,we like good gear too,if you are into your fishing why not have something decent,after all a lot of us are pasionate about are sport.Like said allready above,you get what you pay forgood rod's n tried n tested reels don't let you dwn when you need them most.At the end of the day,each to there own an all that.Me pals just bought a combo from aldi £20.00 for the rod n reel(fxd spool,allready filled with mono)3 rd chuck the rod goes boooom,was 2 pc now in bits.

 

[Pighunter]

Since I took up fishing last year I've bought a mid range rod (penn rampage 13ft) and 2 century's second hand off lads on here. Both under £200 (Mk1 TT sport and komp SS) since I started I've learned to cast OTG with the reel down and I really wouldn't fancy hitting the penn rod as hard as I can off the ground with a 6oz weight plus bait. So for me the high end rods are worth it. I'd have bought them new if there weren't so many bargains on here.

The same with reels. I bought an akios 656csm for £130 and bent the cage.i still don't know if it can be fixed. For an extra £50 I got a saltist bg30h and that will pull the plug out.

So if you want a high end rod for mid range money just wait for pig hunter to buy one and not like it. You'll have one by Xmas.

(Only kidding Phil)

Pmsl

 

[beachbuddy]

Sonik are a mid ranged rod there not at the top end not the bottom making them mid ranged[/
I phil mid range and a pile of crap in my opinion,unfortunately in this day and age you only get what you pay for.i seen a comment on a thread buy cheap buy twice KERCHING.

 

[Tonygdodds]

I reckon it all depends on where your fishing & for how many times.
I had a daiwa Paul Kerry supercast which Iv had for 25 years great on the beach but a few trips rough ground fishing & the spigot started to slacken to the point the 2 sections came apart while casting.

So bought a sonik xtr rough ground. 1st cast nice fish through very very thick kelp with no probs at all, 2nd trip on Blyth pier & noticed a crack bout 4" down the butt section
By end of the session it was a crack 10" long
Sonik replaced the butt section.....
Next trip out the piece of crap snapped! Again sonik replaced it & I sold it straight away
So me personally wouldn't have a mid ranged rod again,
I couldn't get a decent cast with the sonik & slosh 20
Got my self a j curve & same effort I was almost emptying the spool,
Got a zziplex m4 evo & again almost emptying spool & felt more confident giving it stick either casting or snags

My way of thinking now is whatever your budget is...... Save that money in a drawer & when you've managed to get some more then go shopping
But run away if all there's available is sonik

Experience number 2
Sonik 50 lb class boat rod
First drop snagged into seaweed and the rod didn't snap it disintegrated!!!!
Got it exchanged & I sold it on eBay brand new £35 delivered losing myself £25
Where's the sense in buying another cheap Chinese rod!

This is just my opinion I'm no rod expert I just use what I feel is right
I wouldn't dream of using a milk bottle instead of a hammer
So why use crap when there's cheaper 2nd hand top of range stuff around

 

[lead chucker]

Funny I had a sonic and it snapped 10' from bottom of but when I say snapped it collapsed into the shrink tube. Touch wood now my pre-loved zziplex rods and century rods are great bar getting the odd ring replaced. Although I like the feel of the new Leeda range, but its just I like Fuji K-wags and leeda don't fit them and nor should they for the price of the rod, so its pre-loved quality rods for me, then clean and polish them.

 

[EddieS]

Top of the range, Middle range, Bottom of the range - giv ower. Where in the range does the good old tried and tested Handline sit then.

 

[RossW]

Soniks are getting a right hammering on here. They must be shyt - never used one. I see the point about being passionate about fishing and enjoying getting the very best gear, but the comparison with golf clubs is interesting. Give an average golfer a 3 iron worth £30 and a second worth £200 - won 't make the blindest bit of difference to his game..

 

[Pete from shields]

Soniks are getting a right hammering on here. They must be shyt - never used one.

They're not very good at all, my sons had a Sonik SKS for around 2 years now and I've had to fill male spigot with glue as the plastic or whatever it is that fills it has broken off, it won't be long before it snaps IMHO.

Back on topic, I can see both arguments but I think a lot of the replies have over jumped the OP's post.

I reckon the obsession with rods in angling is nonsense. Expensive rods make no difference to catches and make virtually no difference to casting and even playing fish. The most basic kit is not great, but mid-range stuff is excellent.

Expensive rods don't make any difference in catch rates its fact, however some of the more expensive rods maybe more capable of landing that bigger fish, but then again the venue may just be the difference. IE a cheap rod on a pier you can handball the fish if its looking like its too heavy for the rod, but don't alot of guys with expensive Zzippies do the same.?

Particularly with sea fishing, expensive gear is a total waste of money.

This is like arguing over the price of a Mini Cooper and a Lamborghini, both do similar jobs (you drive them from A to B) but ones built to higher spec for a particular reason.

Experience, bait and watercraft are what matters.

This is true to an extent but if there's no fish there you won't catch regardless.

A decent reel is far far more important than an expensive rod....

A decent reel is a must, but what is an expensive rod,? to me an expensive rod is around the £150-£200 mark but to someone else it could be double that.

I started off with a 12' Shakey in2 pier rod, me and my son a few years back just starting back off in sea fishing, it cost me £30 in 2010 with a reel so if the lad didn't like fishing it was no big deal. I never expected us to both fall in love with fishing lol, this rod is still going strong having been passed around my sons friends all 15 year old lads now and used for everything from macky bashing over the summers to catching dog fish and cod.

That buy cheap buy twice theory is a lie too, our first rod was cheap and I've now got around 5 beach rods ranging from Shakey salt to AFAW, buying what you want or can afford depending on the type of fishing, target fish, the venue to be fished etc is better than thinking of the price of gear.

 

[uncle fester]

rods

rods

a good post m8

 

[hound hunter]

Soniks are getting a right hammering on here. They must be shyt - never used one. I see the point about being passionate about fishing and enjoying getting the very best gear, but the comparison with golf clubs is interesting. Give an average golfer a 3 iron worth £30 and a second worth £200 - won 't make the blindest bit of difference to his game..

Tell that to the golfers lol,
My point reference the golf is,basically what I'm trying to say is,if you are passionate about your sport/hobbies why not have the best you can afford it doesn't matter if you play golf,motor cycling,shooting,mountain biking etc etc,if you are into it,you buy the best you can afford at the time.But at the end of the day we are all different,I know lads that are happy with there £25 mitchell rods etc,it all depends on what your want out of your hobby/sport imo.
Been a lot of intresting points on this one,just shows we all think differently

 

[RossW]

Good points all. Glad I stirred a debate... I was just hoping someone might send me a £500 Century rod to prove me wrong

 

[Juliogeordio]

Lol Ross... Give them a ring and see what century say.

 

[FISHERMAN]

id agree to an exstent. but its no good buying cheap gear like its wasting your money my opinion but having said that theres no need yo buy the most expensive ither. but its nice to have the best in life. and ppl try to achive that. my thought is that you only get what you pay for .so go with what you can afford simple as that and just enjoy your fishing with whatever youve got to fish with ..... : )

 

[jamesm]

I think my most expensive bit of fishing gear i own is my Nesa Hoodie lol , I have never spent loads on fishing gear as never been able to, but i enjoy my fishing as much as anyone and dont think i do to bad in the catching stakes

 

[Lynnzer]

id agree to an exstent. but its no good buying cheap gear like its wasting your money my opinion but having said that theres no need yo buy the most expensive ither. but its nice to have the best in life. and ppl try to achive that. my thought is that you only get what you pay for .so go with what you can afford simple as that and just enjoy your fishing with whatever youve got to fish with ..... : )

Got it one.
Say no more than Dragoncarp.
Most of the things I bought from them in my newly refreshed hobby fell apart in not time at all.

Was on Horden beach on Wednesday evening and a lad walked past and gave me the remains of his ragworm as he said he'd been forced to stop fishing.
The leg of his Fixed Spool reel snapped. There was no swell on the sea, no seaweed to drag in and certainly big fish to wrestle ashore.
Just crap gear. Simple.

 

[adam.d]

Fish dont care what rod n reel ya use, catching fish is and always will be 90% about bait & 10% luck.

Cheap gear is crap, falls to bits and you will end up buying new rods n reels to replace your broken stuff on a regular basis probs costing you more in the long run.
Expensive gear is far nicer to use. If you buy a budget £75 rod and dont like it and want to move it on it'll be worth nothing on the second hand market. Buy a nice zziplex and in 15-20 years it'll still be worth somewhere near what ya paid for it

 

[BillQuay]

Good post mate, certainly got some replies.
I think you are wrong, it all matters.
The rod, reel, line, end tackle, weather, etc, but especially the angler.