I have no expensive rods, save for the Fenwick 4wt I built last year. Reels about the same. I use a few Presidents and find them fine for how I fish. I have a couple of old Diawa Capricorn’s that are noticeably smoother than anything else I own, and I bought them both used. One of the hi vis mono lines that I’ve come to like is the Stren Crappie in 2lb. The clear is good also but I can’t see it, and most water around here is stained. I had several of the micro rods and I’m down to a couple of 7’ and a 6’6” that does a great job with a slip float. A $20 Mitchell avocet and I’m fishing. Not against spending a few dollars on some good gear but Murphy stays too close to me and if I broke a very expensive rod(by my standards) I would beat myself up over it for a long time. I got to handle a nice JDM setup a few weeks back that belongs to Deepfry and I have to say that its everything they are reported to be. To each his own, glad to see we all follow our own lead sometimes.