between rods once they get to a certain level of quality. I have several decent rods ranging from light to medium heavy. The cheapest is a $30 Rapala classic and the most expensive is a $129 Kistler crankbait special. In all honesty I have to say that these rods are very good. When it comes to actually "feeling" or "sensitivity" I must be honest and admit that it's not how much I paid for them or what the modulus rating is that determines how much feedback I get out of my rods. What seems to make so much more difference as to what is getting up the rod to my brain is the rating of the rod, the action, how tight the line is, and how long the rod is. It's nice having a lightweight rod but once I get out on the water I don't see that as that big of a deal. I want the rod to be comfortable to hold, more than I want it to be light.
I would like to see an experiment done with a few expert anglers(or an admixture of fisherman ranging from beginners to seasoned professionals) where a true double blind test was set up and then the anglers do an evaluation of their rods. I think we would be very surprised at the results. It's the same way in the stereo industry as well as the wine industry. When true double blind tests were set up for stereo amplifiers, and high end cables, even the most descriminating golden eared listeners could not hear the difference between the super high end stuff and the moderately priced stuff. Same with wine. I'm not putting down high end rods. I just think that we need to get more objective about testing them.... and a good way to start would be with a true double blind test. How many rod manufacturers do you think will be willing to help out with this sort of test? How many of you would make your purchases based on more(not solely) true scientific testing?