I've been looking at a bunch of different fly reels, and some are nice, and some aren't so nice. The price of a decent fly reel, when compared to a decent spinning reel, is just a rip off.
Why? There are many more parts to a spinning reel that need to be assembled, and that means more labor cost when compared to a fly reel. I just feel like we in the fly fishing community are being screwed with the high costs of a lot of fly fishing tackle.
What are all your thoughts on this?

J.

While I agree with fly reels being overpriced, you have to consider the numbers when comparing fly reels to bait casters and spinning reels. The expense in CNC machining is in the set-up cost. This expense is recuperated by the volume produced. When you look at the number of fly reels produced as compared to the the number of other types of reels, the higher price is expected although IMHO grossly exaggerated. Fly fishing started as a sport for royalty.........I guess the prices still reflect that era.

Doug

Lucky for me the 2009 gear guide is available online. The words that stick out to me in that article are "what the market is willing to pay for it". Apparently the market likes to get screwed with inflated prices.
I'm going to say here that imported middle to high end reels are a rip when compared to middle to high end spinning and casting reels. I don't spin fish nor do I plan to, but I'm not willing to pay these prices that the market seems to be demanding. No new reel for me, no one is getting my money.

J.

Well, you know, I'd actually buy a Medalist if they didn't weigh a ton. That's also a problem with all these spazzed out large arbor reels too, they weigh too much for UL rods.

J.

I represent some of the discussion that has been kicked around.
I look at rip off, and overpriced as two different things.

Fly equipment is much like anything else....there is a range of products for consumers who want different things at different price points. At the end of the day, a beat up VW beetle will get you to work just like a new Caddy.
Same thing with reels, and rods.....all will catch fish.....just at different price points, and differences in quality and performance.

Much of what we use in flyfishing is a function of user preference. We also are somewhat at a disadvantage that for most of its history, flyfishing, and hence flyfishing equipment has not been associated with a blue collar sport.

I used to have a much higher paying job, no kids, and more disposable income......so I bought some higher end fly fishing equipment as part of the mid-life crisis prevention, and didn't want a blonde or convertible to replace my hair loss or watch dr. phil to learn more about how to feel better about myself.... Could I justify spending that kind of money today with 2 kids, and another on the way.....no.

Did the new equipment make me feel better? Probably not, I am still loosing hair, but I do like using them, and I was smiling when I put them together for the first time (and caught fish).

Anyway, I have 2 ross reel evos in 0wt and 3wt to go with matching wt sage txl, and use them almost all the time. They were expensive, but got deals on both the rods and reels online, and look at them as investments, with warranties.
Am hopeful that my girls will use them when I can no longer, and that it truly is an investment.

I have a number of less expensive sticks that I have used, and have enjoyed them too.....but do really enjoy the action and the setups for both of these rods.
I would rather have a couple of really nice reels and rods that I use, than a closet full of sticks and reels that don't get on the water.

Just my 2 cents......and happy monday!
0wt

Paul, You mention warranties in your post. That's one of the things about the cost of fly gear that makes it more expensive than the vast majority of conventional gear.
I don't like the fact that we are essentially buying two reels, or rods, when we make a purchase. I think that most gear should have a limited one year warranty.
The cost would come down for us then. How many spinning reels have a lifetime warranty? I'm not sure on that one, but I'm sure it's not that many.
I just think that we are being duped, and I'm tired of it. Somethings have got to change with the fly fishing industry, or there isn't going to be much of one in the future.

J.

J:

I would agree, and that the costs are higher than they should be.
One thing is that several of the higher cost reels are made in US and machined here....higher labor costs, etc.

I guide part time and warranties are important to me in that aspect. I am in the process of trying to pick up some equipment at more reasonable prices, that also have warranties.

On a side note, and one that I see as a positive, Cabelas and BPS are selling rods and reels that are being made by some of the bigger firms at pretty reasonable prices.
For example, Cabelas has a watershed fly reel that is really a ross evo cage (machined a little different) and a ross airius spool that is about $80-100 less than a ross evo.

Part of it is probably supply and demand........lots of big box retailers selling cheap stuff (although ugly sticks are pretty good rods for the price point for spinning)......

With luck, if more people are chucking feathers than worms, prices will be lower.

Is most fly fishing equipment 20-50% above what it should cost? I think so, most of the time. This is a sport for the rich and I hope it stays that way or I'll never afford a high end rod again. Rich people need to be the, or keep up with the Joneses, so when the newest space age rod / reel comes out he's got to ditch that old model. Good thing about the rich is they don't have time to fish much. One of my Sage TXL rods I own listed on ebay as "fished a few times" when I got it it looked factory new and had a blank warranty card. It was $260.00 1/2 off MSRP. I have picked up Sage 3100's for 1/2 off as well and spools for 1/3 MSRP. Gotta love when they change colors or models. I picked up a Lamson Litespeed 1 (the new one) for $150 with backing and sage DT 2wt. Once again except for the reel having line on it, you would have thought it was factory new in the box. What I do is search ebay daily after I check my email I search 0, 1, 2, 3wt. fly rod, fly reel, buy it now. I do about a 15 minute search a night while watching TV and usually find a good deal about every 4 months. You need to do it daily because most killer deals don't last one full day. Hope this helps. FH

I have some Sage and Orvis rods along with Lamson and Ross reels, I have only paid list price for 1 Ross reel and it was a gift for my wife.
Everything else I have gotten at about half off list. I can't afford and will not pay list prices for most items. I have never had to use the lifetime warranty on a rod or reel yet. Knock on wood. I hope I never need the warranty. There are lots of great stuff for sale on fishing sites and e-bay. I have bought several that way too.
Johnny

I don't think this is a rich guys hobby. I think it's just like most other hobbies of mine... including mtn biking. The equipment ranges in price from pretty cheap to outrageously expensive. We just tend to appreciate (and want) the nicer stuff more than the cheaper.

You can buy a mtn bike at Walmart for $150 that weighs a ton or a high-end lightweight titanium framed bike for $7000. Both have wheels, pedals, gears, and a seat. The lighter you go the more expensive things tend to be. Machining and build quality also gets better as the price goes up. I don't have any rich mtn biking buddies but I do have friends that are riding $5K bikes and driving '96 Honda's.

In the same way I don't have any rich fly fishing buddies but I do have some friends with some very nice gear. They scrimp and save, sell off gear, and hunt for bargains like the rest of us. Of course you don't have to be rich to be a fly-fishing snob/purist/jerk and we've probably all run into these guys. Fortunately they're few and far between here in Texas--it's hard to be a purist when you're wading in swamps, sweating like a pig, and the guy next to you is fishing circles around you with an Ugly Stick and grape worms

All my rich friends play golf