A plethora of things,
Weight - Better Rods are lighter and yet retain the strength of a heavier rod
Action - Higher end rods are made task specific and are designed to perform certain ways
Warranty - Pay more at first but save in the long run
Construction - Better quality materials
Sensitivity - self explanatory but you can feel the slightest tick/pick-up of your bait

And I think if you look you will see a resurgence of "cheaper" rods (cost wise) that perform extremely well for $90 to $150, I've even seen the Cumara's come down a little and I think the era of the $400 rod is going away (hopefully). Quality is key for someone who is on the water allot.

Hope I didn't muddy the water for ya....




Quote Originally Posted by creeker View Post
I'm going to ask a naive question here, but what makes a good rod a good rod? And what makes a good rod worth the high price? I can understand the "made in China" vs not made in China aspect, but what makes a $300 or $400 rod worth that much vs one that cost $20?

I've always seen the high price rods, but I've never given it much thought as to what goes into them to justify the price. So I'm curious.