Your favorite rod/reel combos

[jailbreak]

St Croix with quantum reels

[jopes]

I have never bought a expensive rod before.  I have to say this St Croix eyecon rod for walleye is down right awesome. 

It was fun bringing in big kitty with it today.

[GemCitySlayer]

Yeah, like anything in life there are advantages and disadvantages to high end or low end fishing rods/reels.  Cheaper rods don't break the bank and some of them are still very durable and reliable.  But the downside is less sensitivity and they are not as light as higher end rods / reels. (I admit some cheaper brands are not durable)

High end rods and reels really make a difference and its hard to go back to cheaper stuff after you've used the "good" stuff but, sometimes it really does hurt the wallet and lighter, more sensitive rods are much easier to break.  Graphite rods and car doors, or ceiling fans, rocks, etc do not mix well!

[jailbreak]

I had never bought an expensive rod before this spring, and I bought the St Croix eyecon jigging rod and realized what I had been missing out on, the sensitivity is incredible, I'm not sure if a person needs to spend that much for every application, but on the jiggin end it really made a huge difference.

[NYSporty]

I got my new 7' Ugly stik light pro I love it the eyes are stainless steel now I can't tell you how many ceramic ones I have crushed.
It has 3x the eyes as my old one had.
Normally when I get a new pole it has the skunk on it for a month or so but not this one

[GemCitySlayer]

Some nice bass there.  Yeah Ugly Sticks might not be the most sensitive rod out there, but gotta love how long they last and what abuse they can take.   It's almost impossible to break one.

Whereas with high end graphite modulus rods they are bound to break eventually, just a matter of time, even if you baby them for years and years eventually you'll slip up and knock it, drop it, step on it, or slam it in the door, etc, etc.