Reaching the top shelf

At times when I walk into a tackle store I buckle at the exorbitant prices attached to some gear. At face value it's difficult to understand how manufacturers and tackle store owners can justify the asking price.

I guess we all have options, and tackle ranges these days cater for just about every type and level of consumer there is. There are those however, myself included, that have to use the most expensive stuff available. But does the asking price necessarily guarantee we are using the best gear? Or more directly, does the price necessarily reflect the quality?

No doubt rods and reels have come a long way in terms of design, materials and craftsmanship. Some of the gear we use today stems from space science and is that hi-tech a mere mortal like me couldn't fathom to understand the complexities inherent in them. What I ultimately care about is will this gear aid me in catching more fish than my current gear?

Let's assess some examples and see the results. My biggest area of infatuation lies in reels. I have far too many than I will ever use, yet not enough to quench my addiction. I like my reels to be super smooth to wind, lay line neatly on the spool, eliminate the dreaded wind-knots associated with cast-and-retrieve lure fishing, resist corrosion and resist normal wear and tear for a reasonable amount of time. Now this sounds like a fair list of achievable characteristics doesn't it?

While in this pursuit I have purchased many reels from various manufacturers and quite frankly I have become a very cynical consumer. It seems only a very "select" group of reels and an even more select group of manufacturers have managed to attain these apparently lofty standards.

Unfortunately for me, some of the reels that haven't managed to cut the mustard are some of my most expensive reels. To say I have been disappointed would be a massive understatement. My advice would be to stick with the major brands.

Generally, good kit is expensive. Sometimes the difference might be very miniscule and a part time fisho will never be able to tell the difference let alone reap the benefits. Let's use rods as an example. The current crop of entry-level graphite rods in the $80 to $200 bracket on the market today is decent gear. They perform well, have good feel and usually a decent crisp action. So what more do you get from a rod north of $500?
First off, a top shelf rod could transmit a 5 per cent better feel meaning you feel more subtle bites and therefore hook more fish. Secondly, a crisper action rod that has 10 per cent better rebound could make a cast 5 metres longer. The extra distance on the cast could ultimately mean more fish in a given day by covering 5 per cent more territory. Also, a top shelf rod could be 15 grams lighter. While this sounds minor, a lighter rod improves the overall feel of the rod and improves performance.

On another level, expensive kit makes me feel good. I feel confident that my gear is the best money can buy. I know that if I hook my fish of a lifetime my gear is not the weakest link. Therefore I can fish harder with more purpose. I agree, however, that many reels in many different price brackets could do the job as well as my top line stuff. I know, cause I do own mid-range stuff and it performs well. It does the job asked of it and is great back-up gear. However, the top shelf gear does the job that little bit better. In a pastime where the small percentages can make all the difference, I can't see why I would leave anything to chance.

So do you think the top shelf gear is worth the price?