Most you've spent on a rod?

[Eddie Southgate]

$2000.00 for an 8' Payne .

[quashnet]

With a big enough sample size the results will include answers from people across all financial statuses.

Or not, since non-response to surveys has consistently been shown to increase as an individual's wealth increases. But, as you say, in this case it doesn't really matter, so have fun.

[G-ManBart]

With a big enough sample size the results will include answers from people across all financial statuses.

Or not, since non-response to surveys has consistently been shown to increase as an individual's wealth increases. But, as you say, in this case it doesn't really matter, so have fun.

Were those anonymous online surveys, phone calls or something else? I've seen that data on phone call surveys, but nothing about people who participate in an online forum and can answer anonymously. I don't respond to phone surveys, but will vote in most forum surveys like this one.

In 24 hours we've gotten 77 votes, which seems pretty active. Maybe it will keep plugging away, and maybe not...but we've got our first $5K + response.

[steeliefool]

That was me!!

[Cimarron]

I have a whole bunch of rods in the $800-$1500 range, which is my comfort zone and I like them all. But I also have a Mike Clark rod which is above and beyond in every respect and opened my eyes to another dimension altogether. I won't venture into that price arena again, I imagine, but I respect those who do and can because there are some very fine things that live in those rarified atmospheres.

[Mike N]

Interesting thread. I can’t find the article but I recall reading that golfers, fly fishers and duck hunters had strong financial demographics. Each has their own private “clubs” for their sport. I suspect that of these 3 groups, fly fishermen are the most likely to collect vintage items from their hobby. I did find this graphic but it includes all types of fishing:

[tap on image to enlarge]


I also found this on a golf trade “blog”:

“ On average, golfers are typically high earners with an average household income of $100,950. The U.S. Census Bureau reported the average household income in 2017 was $61,372. The net worth of the average golfer is $768, 400 and 14% of golfers have a net worth over 1 million dollars. According to demographics reported by benchcraftcompany.com, 1 in 4 golfers own their own business and 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs are golfers.”

[Flykuni3]

Context is everything, for instance, I am not married. Therefore: I buy.

[Grandhogair]

I have one rod, a Payne 102, that puts me in the $2500-5000 range. However most of my rods were under $1000 and it is unlikely I will ever spend that much on a rod again. Worth every penny in my mind though.

[mac7x]

C.D. Moore was right:
I have never spent more than $1000 for a rod, but I believe that the poll can be misleading unless the answers are adjusted for inflation. For example, I bought a new T&T Hendrickson in 1982 for $660, which is more than $1600 in today's money. Of course, the price of a comparable rod, at $4200, has far outstripped inflation.

[G-ManBart]

C.D. Moore was right:
I have never spent more than $1000 for a rod, but I believe that the poll can be misleading unless the answers are adjusted for inflation. For example, I bought a new T&T Hendrickson in 1982 for $660, which is more than $1600 in today's money. Of course, the price of a comparable rod, at $4200, has far outstripped inflation.

No argument there, but I don't think this sort of platform would allow a survey that could account for inflation by year. Having one survey for every year going back decades might be frowned upon

Other than multiple surveys I think it would take individual responses like yours from everyone and then a couple of grad students to compile all the results, apply inflation calculators, etc.

Still, I think with enough responses we'll get a pretty decent ballpark of what's typical and what's not. Even if it's not perfect I think it will be interesting and there's nothing really riding on the outcome.

We could ask to get this locked at the end of 2022 and then start a new one for 2023 asking about purchases in the past year and see how they differ. The first would include all of the historical responses and the second would be current dollar value...might be interesting.

[Canewrap]

Back in the early 2000s, when I realized that to get what I wanted in a rod would require north of $500 (call me cheap) I decided to get into fixing them up and then making them, so my cash outlay could be gradual and I wouldn't have to worry about fishing with collectibles. However, if you added up all I spent on tools and components vs what I have sold, I could have probably bought about a dozen Payne's and called it a day. But, making them has been more fun I would venture.

[mcflyfish]

I suppose the interesting part of this thread is getting to appreciate the diversity of viewpoints when it comes to our mutual passion about bamboo so here is my "2 cents". I started back in the early 1970's when $150 for an Orvis Battenkill was a big deal for me. My first Gary Howells set me back $250 and I really couldn't afford it. In the 50 years since then....over 60 rods have passed thru my hands including 14 Howells, 10 Leonards, a few Winstons, Payne, etc...some fine stuff. I never paid more than $1500 for a rod and 90% were less than $1000. I enjoyed the 'hunt' and enjoyed collecting fine bamboo. With that said...many were bought some time ago when prices were lower in general...some I never fished. I now own 9 bamboo rods and fish them all....so I guess I am no longer a collector. The rods that I fish have little value in the market but are great rods and I am comfortable traveling and fishing with them, leaving them in the car, etc. Frankly...I can better afford rods at todays's prices than I could in the early days but I am content with my holdings and look forward to fishing them hard for many more seasons...just don't need more stuff!

[Brian K. Shaffer]

$375 - 8 foot bamboo fly fishing rods are what I need to fish with on a daily basis

[bamboo]

I am just a blue collar kind of guy. My top was $800.00 . Most in the 3 to 6 range .

bamboo....mke

[Perry Palin]

I'm not a collector. I once spent $500 for a 7 1/2' Battenkill, but for that money I also got a decent reel and line, an antique wicker creel, and a handful of eyed peacock feathers in a glass vase. The rest of my cane rods (I think I have about a dozen) were in the $0-$100 range. I paid $95 for an mint unused PHY Company Midge from the Summers era; the seller wouldn't take more. I won a real nice perfectionist clone in a raffle. The rest were given to me, or they were affordable rods made by local hobbyists or sideliners specifically for our kind of trout fishing.

[G-ManBart]

I suppose the interesting part of this thread is getting to appreciate the diversity of viewpoints when it comes to our mutual passion about bamboo

Exactly! That's really it in a nutshell....there's more than one way to be passionate about something we all have in common.

[GerardH]

$1,500 for a couple of rods I've had custom built for me...that's probably the ceiling for me at this time.

[red 1]

The great thing is there are a lot of rods out there that fish really well at all price points.

[sanderson]

as a previous post suggested, context is everything. I believe the first rod I made was over $5000, assuming all the tools and time were factored in to the cost. I hate to venture a guess on my 25th, as I've chased the rabbit into the hole on tooling and such. I occasionally peruse the dealer sites, just to see the what-if rods that would have been affordable had I passed on making my own sticks. Maybe polling the mental health/common sense of bamboo enthusiasts would be more enlightening.

[Flyman615]

I find this survey interesting. And in my view, all responses and opinions are on equal footing.
That said, if you don't agree with others' viewpoints, there's really no need to nitpick, IMHO.

Scott