A week or two ago, while planning a June trip to Canada, I decided to surf the web site of a large popular outdoor retail chain store, to price and therefore possibly purchase a new muskie rig for the adventure. I was shocked by what I found online.
Sticker shocked!
It has been almost ten years since the last time I bought a new muskie rod. That may sound like a long time, but if you buy quality gear, then it's gonna last a while, even if you put it through the rigors of the Canadian Shield, as I do. And I built quite a collection back in the day, when a guy didn't have to sell a kidney, or consider a life of crime, just to buy a new fishing pole.
As for reels, well, I'll get to that in a minute...
My surfing led me to have a revelation. I cannot afford to buy a lot of new gear anymore. That's a personal budget choice.
Let me first say that I am hopelessly and forever brand loyal. When I find something that works, I'll stick with it to the bitter end. And no fly-by-night gimmick, or latest and greatest innovation, will pry me away from that which I have come to know and love.
Take, for example, my personal electronic computer devices. I am a Mac guy forever. I have the latest iMac with OS X Lion software on my very large flat-screen Mac home office desktop, where I sit and write this article in full high-definition splendor. I also own an iPad2, iPhone4, iPod, and on a side work station devoted entirely to music and photos, sits the very first Steve Jobs innovation - an iMac G3 - that turned Macintosh's dismal and near disastrous financial condition back in the 1990's, into a billion-dollar cutting edge personal electronics juggernaut in 2012.
I'm often asked about that computer:
"Hey! Isn't that...?" Yup!
"But that's gotta be over fifteen years...?" Yup!
"You mean it still works?" Yup! And with the latest software too.
Camera gear is another area where I am forever brand loyal. I worked in a network TV production job for eighteen years and have tried every computer and camera known to mankind. If Mac is my only choice for computer gear (and it is), then Sony is where it's at for me for all other things electronic.
I own two Sony DSLR cameras, two Sony digital video cameras, and a Sony hi-def TV. Every DVD deck, CD player, and amplifier in the house is a Sony. I had one 52-inch flat screen TV of another brand and gave it to my mother.
Need I say more?
There's a point to all of this caterwauling about the brands I buy.
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The Premier
Made in USA!
The Triumph
The Avid
Mike Davis fishing with the author's choice rig.
I am more picky about my fishing gear - particularly my muskie and pike gear - than I am about anything else I buy. That is why, when I hit the internet in search of my prize, an eight-foot St. Croix PREMIER® Heavy/Fast action muskie rod, I very nearly fell off my chair when I saw the price.
Last one I bought was $130.00 bucks out the door. Now they want $190.00 bucks and I have some choices to make. One question came to mind: Does St. Croix make a more affordable muskie rod?
The answer is, YES!
St. Croix TRIUMPH® Series has got all the great advantages of owning (and staying brand loyal to) St. Croix products at a cost that certainly appeals to an angler without much money to burn - like me! TRIUMPH® is as close as you can get to PREMIER® and still maintain a sticker price that resembles the PREMIER® of old.
I'm sold on the TRIUMPH® and that's a fact. My new rig starts with a St. Croix TRIUMPH®.
Abu Garcia's Ambassadeur® 6500 Series reel is the author's #1 choice.
I got really lucky with my ultimate reel choice. And my new rig will be complete with something new - the rod - and something tried-and-true to my arsenal: an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur® 6500.
Abu Garcia's Ambassadeur® 6500 Series has always been my go-to reel for muskie and pike. I have a bag full of them! Seriously!! With a price tag that's still just under $100.00 bucks, I may buy a few more of them. They are every bit worth the money, if reliability is what you need. And they have not been on an inflation sky rocket either, having increased at a much slower pace than most comparable products.
I don't need gears stripping on the hook set, or faulty operation right out of the box, so the buck stops here where my reel choice is concerned. Abu Garcia's Ambassadeur® 6500 Series has never let me down over the course of more than a quarter of a Century of Esox Hunting.
Has it been that long?
You bet! I've been doing this a long time and the 6500 has been along for the journey ever since day one. And I won't switch any time soon - if ever? Searching for "something new" would be like shopping around for a different kind of computer, or camera, in my world.
It's not gonna happen!
Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Right? That's what I think anyway.
What if? And this is purely hypothetical. What if I wanted to find a cheaper version of the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur® 6500? Does Abu Garcia make a more affordable version for a tighter budget?
You bet it does!
Abu Garcia's Ambassadeur® 5500 Series reel is the author's #2 choice where weight, size and/or price matter.
You can knock $10-bucks off the price right off the bat by simply buying an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur® 5500, or 4600. These reels are every bit the formidable tools that the 6500's are, except they are a little bit smaller, a little bit lighter, and a little bit cheaper than their big brother.
I have a bag full of 5500's too! Why does this surprise you?
Abu Garcia's Ambassadeur® 4600 Series reel is also a good economical choice.
The 5500's and 4600's pack better on an airplane and weigh less on a fly in adventure - keep that in mind. Certainly these are reels to have on hand for any getaway where space, weight, and/or cost are factored-in.
The bottom line is this: inflation is here to stay. Everything is going up in price and we all have to accept that. Sometimes we will pay more for the same product, sometimes we will pay more for technology and materials that have improved. Then there are products that increase in price in spite of the fact that cheaper materials like plastic have replaced durable metal parts. This is a sad and true fact of life.
Retailers have unleashed house brand gear that may, or may not be worth a second look. Many top retailers do have a brand of their own for just about every need. In some cases, for some products, they will serve you well.
Some others, not so much.
A recent visit to The Chicagoland Muskie Show revealed alternatives in the way of professional guides who have their own brand of muskie rods on the market. Like the guide series retail lines, these may all very well be good products to consider when prices travel out of site. But I'm not gonna be convinced until I put one of these alternatives to the ultimate test. Being that I am so brand loyal, don't count on me doing that any time soon.
Specialized tactics have also played a role in the price we pay for gear. A combo strong enough to throw the one-pound and two-pound plastic baits can run as high as $1000.00 bucks. Ouch! That news makes me almost feel lucky that I have back problems.
Decisions like these are personal. What is important to me may not be so important to the next angler - and vice versa. If you are able to pay more, then by all means go for it.
I know I'm not alone when I say that I'm going to have to make some difficult decisions before I head to Canada this summer, given my limited resources. One of them is going to be to take inventory of what I already have and then use it if I've got it. A quick glance around my storage area this morning let me know that "new" gear is as close on hand as a dust cloth and some quality lubricant. I already have tons of gear - maybe you do too? No sense overlooking the obvious, or re-inventing the wheel. Make sure you really need it before you go out and buy it.
I'm also gonna have to shop around a bit. Look for the "hot deals" and jump on them before they get away. You know all retail chains have sales and that is a good way to go.
Buying directly from the manufacturer can save you money, as well.
The Moose
Shopping direct can have perks to go along with the savings. A few years ago we entered our lodge owner's truck - the one we have been using for many years to shuttle back-and-forth from camp to launch - in a St. Croix "coolest muskie fishing vehicle" contest. We call her "The Moose" and she was very deserving of the prize she won: an AVID® Series 7-foot muskie rod.
The Moose has long since been retired (to our obvious remorse), and we have given that spankin' new AVID® to the lodge owner (it was his truck, after all), but that publicity event only served to endear St. Croix to me even more. What a great idea it was!
Shopping online has paid-off for me on just about everything I buy. From fishing gear to clothes to shoes to range ammo, I do not head to the mall before I check online prices and deals.
Author driving The Moose.
Don't sell a kidney for goodness sake. And don't stick-up a convenience store because you are frustrated by soaring retail prices. We're all in the same boat, but so few of us are ready, willing, and able to keep up with inflation. If it's a choice between a new 9-foot muskie rod and new shoes for your kids... well, I don't know? You make the call.
I have given you a few suggestions here that may just save you some coin this season. If you are bent on spending $1000.00 bucks on a new combo, keep in mind that divorce can run into a small fortune in attorney's fees.
Just a word to the wise!
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Sticker Shocked! Part Two: I'm gonna talk to you about my choice for a low-profile reel, lower cost alternatives to that reel, plus several other "must have" items I use all the time (Esox necessities) that could break your bank, but don't have to.
