Megabass p5 x bites vs Dobyn’s champ extreme hp 743

[PHolmes]

I don’t see where he edited out any of your quoted post, but anyway, do you have any insight on the “prices increases” or tariffs? Because nobody seems to know.

He left out my parts of my entire quote that didn’t align with the point he was trying to make. That’s called selective editing.

The BS I was referring to was in regards to people in various threads across several of these forums suggesting they had inside information that tariffs were coming to increase the prices of their favorite fishing equipment.

I could write a book on this topic but here’s the quick and dirty.

Tariffs are a bargaining tool. Nothing more, nothing less. Only those directly involved with the bargaining process have any real knowledge of what’s going on. Every single piece of information you see otherwise is some combination of hearsay, conjecture, and/or anecdotal evidence. Sure, some information may get ‘leaked’ but that is again part of the bargaining process much like your favorite athlete bargains with a team for a new contract.

Said another way, there is not a single person that works for Daiwa, Shimano, or any other major global manufacturer of goods that has any idea what the end result of a tariff bargaining process will be.

Furthermore, once a tariff agreement is in place, there are extremely detailed and nuanced regulations that ultimately apply to a specific product. And these details can be vastly different for every single item that enters a port authority. I won’t even begin to attempt to describe all the details that go into final agreements.

And finally, I will add that there is no current agreement, no CBP notifications, no HTS updates, no WTO data updates, nothing, zero, zilch, nada, to even suggest your fishing reel is going up in price due to tariffs. I don’t care what you read on CNN, Fox, or any other media outlet. There’s nothing there. In fact, the current agreement announced today has all signs pointing towards nothing happening to your fishing equipment import duties for a long time.

[Bronzefly]

I don’t see where he edited out any of your quoted post, but anyway, do you have any insight on the “prices increases” or tariffs? Because nobody seems to know.

You are correct, I didn't edit out anything. This guy just has issues.

There are going to be price increases announced by some major manufacturers. Some more than others, some not at all. If I was at liberty to discuss the internal workings or plans these companies have, I would do so, but I am not. Just like certain new product releases, these companies have a timeline or an "embargo" on the release of certain information, and that's the truth.

Any reason why you left out the part of my quote that said ‘the past few months’ which would make my timeline consistent with both my joining date and the general amount of time tariffs have been discussed by the general populace?

Please enlighten me as I for one would enjoy hearing more about your selective editing skills to conjure up a false narrative

Interesting. I quoted your writing word for word and didn't leave out anything as is very plain to see by anyone who chooses to read. Maybe you'll get the picture this time...

[PHolmes]

There are going to be price increases announced by some major manufacturers. Some more than others, some not at all. If I was at liberty to discuss the internal workings or plans these companies have, I would do so, but I am not. Just like certain new product releases, these companies have a timeline or an "embargo" on the release of certain information, and that's the truth.

This information has nothing to do with tariffs.

Manufacturers regularly protect certain information from customers. Thats nothing new.

I have given you facts about tariffs. Currently, there is not a single increase in tariffs related to fishing equipment in HTS. None.

If a manufacturer is planning on raising prices for some other reason, that is their prerogative. But blaming a tariff that doesn’t even exist is BS.

[dragon1]

Geez...the curse of insatiable materialism rears its ugly head as a "first world problem" again, eh? So...anyone gonna toss a 5" Senko or 5" fluke on da X-Bites?

Otherwise, I see both sides of the coin, but I ain't gonna call the flip results. However, I understand what it takes to leverage against the Globalist Machine, and tariffs are just a bargaining tool that has consequences and rewards, for all countries that impose them.

[PHolmes]

For anyone that wants to keep up with actual tariff rates on fishing rods/reels, here’s what you do.

Got to: https://hts.usitc.gov/

In the search bar, type ‘9507’.

This we I’ll bring up current duty rates for imported fishing rods/reels.

The Rates of Duty has two columns.

Ignore column 2. Unless we start buying reels from North Korea, column 2 does not apply.

Focus on column 1. In column 1 you have the basic rate. This is the maximum rate an importer will pay for an item. You’ll see it varies between 2-6% on various rod/reel related items.

Also in column 1 you have a special rate. I won’t get into the details of special rates but some items may qualify for a lower duty rate depending on special provisions.

So now, you have an industry insider (Bronzeguy) in here saying some prices will go up.

When that happens, you can go back into HTS and look at 9507 again and see if those numbers changed. If they didn’t, the price increase was NOT due to a tariff change.

[UmairF]

Can we get back to talking about high-end rods here? I keep getting excited seeing there’s a new comment but it’s turned into a tariff convo.

To the OP, did you get your answer? I’m still leaning XBites for you but would like to hear what your thoughts have been

[PHolmes]

You are correct, I didn't edit out anything. This guy just has issues.

We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, and there’s really no good reason as to why.

Apparently, my BS comment hit a nerve that I wasn’t even trying to hit. I was referring to BS in the sense that current conversations regarding tariffs are long on sensationalized BS from media conjecture, but short on actual facts.

If my comment came across as accusing you personally of spreading BS in some way then I apologize. That was not my intent.

I personally have over 20 years of experience in dealing with foreign trade as an importer in various roles. I can’t count how many times tariffs get blamed for price increases when the reality is far from it.

You clearly have insider information from manufacturers. I’m not questioning that at all.

The only point I’m trying to make is that the current state of tariffs are not changing relative to imported fishing gear. Furthermore, there are no notifications from CPB or any other tariff authority suggesting changes to imported equipment are imminent.

Further furthermore, if manufacturers do change prices on imported equipment, it is very easy to check and see if the price change coincides with a duty rate change.

Again, apologies if that came across as an attack on you personally. It was not my intent.

[dragon1]

We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, and there’s really no good reason as to why.

Apparently, my BS comment hit a nerve that I wasn’t even trying to hit. I was referring to BS in the sense that current conversations regarding tariffs are long on sensationalized BS from media conjecture, but short on actual facts.

If my comment came across as accusing you personally of spreading BS in some way then I apologize. That was not my intent.

I personally have over 20 years of experience in dealing with foreign trade as an importer in various roles. I can’t count how many times tariffs get blamed for price increases when the reality is far from it.

You clearly have insider information from manufacturers. I’m not questioning that at all.

The only point I’m trying to make is that the current state of tariffs are not changing relative to imported fishing gear. Furthermore, there are no notifications from CPB or any other tariff authority suggesting changes to imported equipment are imminent.

Further furthermore, if manufacturers do change prices on imported equipment, it is very easy to check and see if the price change coincides with a duty rate change.

Again, apologies if that came across as an attack on you personally. It was not my intent.

Good stuff, thanks for expounding.

[Aimless]

Can we get back to talking about high-end rods here? I keep getting excited seeing there’s a new comment but it’s turned into a tariff convo.

To the OP, did you get your answer? I’m still leaning XBites for you but would like to hear what your thoughts have been

I’m 99% sure I’m going to get the x bites and of course it will be from Bronzefly! Unfortunately, I have to wait a month or so to get it which is why I’m so concerned about price increases.

I certainly wasn’t expecting prices to go down, but given the reduction in tariffs with the trade deal that was just reached I figured there would now be no reason to raise prices. At least for the time being. For instance you said the steez ags was going up to $750 from $550. I would hope that’s not the case anymore. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple weeks unfortunately.

[Aimless]

He left out my parts of my entire quote that didn’t align with the point he was trying to make. That’s called selective editing.

The BS I was referring to was in regards to people in various threads across several of these forums suggesting they had inside information that tariffs were coming to increase the prices of their favorite fishing equipment.

I could write a book on this topic but here’s the quick and dirty.

Tariffs are a bargaining tool. Nothing more, nothing less. Only those directly involved with the bargaining process have any real knowledge of what’s going on. Every single piece of information you see otherwise is some combination of hearsay, conjecture, and/or anecdotal evidence. Sure, some information may get ‘leaked’ but that is again part of the bargaining process much like your favorite athlete bargains with a team for a new contract.

Said another way, there is not a single person that works for Daiwa, Shimano, or any other major global manufacturer of goods that has any idea what the end result of a tariff bargaining process will be.

Furthermore, once a tariff agreement is in place, there are extremely detailed and nuanced regulations that ultimately apply to a specific product. And these details can be vastly different for every single item that enters a port authority. I won’t even begin to attempt to describe all the details that go into final agreements.

And finally, I will add that there is no current agreement, no CBP notifications, no HTS updates, no WTO data updates, nothing, zero, zilch, nada, to even suggest your fishing reel is going up in price due to tariffs. I don’t care what you read on CNN, Fox, or any other media outlet. There’s nothing there. In fact, the current agreement announced today has all signs pointing towards nothing happening to your fishing equipment import duties for a long time.

I appreciate your insight. To share some of mine, an owner of a large online JDM tackle shop confirmed to me that prices would be increasing in late May/early June. Also some products would be discontinued. I have this in DMs from instagram straight from the horses mouth. I also spoke to a sales rep at Okuma who have their rod factory in China and they were planning on raising prices as well. Yesterday they told me they were unsure if prices would still increase or not as it’s a fluid situation.

Personally, I’d love to talk via PMs to you if you have the time. I’m very worried about getting priced out of my favorite hobby. From what you’ve explained, it seems a lot of manufacturers are going to raise prices claiming the cause is tariffs but that’s not actually why. Definitely rubs me the wrong way.

[UmairF]

I appreciate your insight. To share some of mine, an owner of a large online JDM tackle shop confirmed to me that prices would be increasing in late May/early June. Also some products would be discontinued. I have this in DMs from instagram straight from the horses mouth. I also spoke to a sales rep at Okuma who have their rod factory in China and they were planning on raising prices as well. Yesterday they told me they were unsure if prices would still increase or not as it’s a fluid situation.

Personally, I’d love to talk via PMs to you if you have the time. I’m very worried about getting priced out of my favorite hobby. From what you’ve explained, it seems a lot of manufacturers are going to raise prices claiming the cause is tariffs but that’s not actually why. Definitely rubs me the wrong way.

Don’t forget that it’s not the gear that catches the fish, it’s the angler. If you’re saying you’re going to get “priced out of your favorite hobby”, consider looking at rods at a step down in price. At this $500+ price range you’re definitely getting some of the best gear out there but by no means are $250-$400 incapable of delivering amazing sensitivity and enjoyment. I would be totally fine with an entire fleet of Expride Bs instead of NRX+, Steez AGS, and P5s.

Fishing is never inaccessible, it’s about broadening your horizons and making it work for yourself. If this tariff thing is really stressing you out that much. Keep it simple and find a rod that won’t stress you out. Plenty of phenomenal rod lines like the Exprides, Adrenas, and X10s out there for you to explore. These are considered high-end for most anyways. We’re just the lucky ones that get to snob over more expensive gear. The fish won’t know if you hooked him on a 50 dollar Walmart combo or a $1000 combo. You can drive a Toyota or a Ferrari to the same place. The experience will be a little better with the Ferrari, but you’re still getting there with either. Look at the too anglers in the world. Most of them aren’t using such expensive gear but they’re better fishermen than all of us combined here.

Unless the hobby has become collecting expensive fishing gear which in that case, you’ve missed the point entirely.

No judgement here. Just my two cents!

[Bronzefly]

We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, and there’s really no good reason as to why.

Understood and fair enough. We'll move on then...

I can say with certainty that major manufacturers in the tackle industry are concerned about the tariff situation. Price increases have been proposed on some that matter to me and our customers, but not yet implemented. Tariffs, particularly on Made in China items, are the key concern regardless of their present implementation status. It's obviously a fluid situation.

Aimless - I'll make this offer to you to help set your mind at ease if possible. If you want to get an X-Bites from us say by June 15th, I'll honor the current price regardless what happens to MSRP.

[PHolmes]

I can say with certainty that major manufacturers in the tackle industry are concerned about the tariff situation.

Completely sane and reasonable behavior. It’s not easy to delineate political posturing and bloviating from real actionable change to trade agreements. And nobody likes running a business in Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) environments.

I don’t know if you go through import/distribution methods or not but hopefully there are good relationships between all parties from the manufacturers, retailers, and everyone in between in your industry. Those can go a long way for making sure the end consumer doesn’t bear the full burden of tariff changes and risk killing a market.

Im keeping my eye on Chapter 95 HTS codes fwiw.

[PHolmes]

Personally, I’d love to talk via PMs to you if you have the time.

I don’t mind. I just want to be clear that I don’t have inside information about the fishing equipment industry. I just know how tariffs work.

If a manufacturer has already told you prices are going up, I have no reason to believe that isn’t true.

Manufacturers have hundreds of variables that can cause a price increase. A tariff is but one of those reasons.

[Aimless]

Understood and fair enough. We'll move on then...

I can say with certainty that major manufacturers in the tackle industry are concerned about the tariff situation. Price increases have been proposed on some that matter to me and our customers, but not yet implemented. Tariffs, particularly on Made in China items, are the key concern regardless of their present implementation status. It's obviously a fluid situation.

Aimless - I'll make this offer to you to help set your mind at ease if possible. If you want to get an X-Bites from us say by June 15th, I'll honor the current price regardless what happens to MSRP.

@Bronzefly That’s extremely generous of you! I honestly don’t know what to say other than thank you so much! Things like this are how you get a customer for life!

Last thing I’ll ask off topic in this thread: To Bronzefly, I know you can’t get specific regarding price increases, but is there any chance you could share a rough timeframe of when these increases could take effect?

Ok! Back on topic! Has anyone been able to take their p5 x bites out and throw a weightless 5” senko and weightless 5” fluke lately? I’d still love to hear feedback from people that have them.

[Aimless]

Don’t forget that it’s not the gear that catches the fish, it’s the angler. If you’re saying you’re going to get “priced out of your favorite hobby”, consider looking at rods at a step down in price. At this $500+ price range you’re definitely getting some of the best gear out there but by no means are $250-$400 incapable of delivering amazing sensitivity and enjoyment. I would be totally fine with an entire fleet of Expride Bs instead of NRX+, Steez AGS, and P5s.

Fishing is never inaccessible, it’s about broadening your horizons and making it work for yourself. If this tariff thing is really stressing you out that much. Keep it simple and find a rod that won’t stress you out. Plenty of phenomenal rod lines like the Exprides, Adrenas, and X10s out there for you to explore. These are considered high-end for most anyways. We’re just the lucky ones that get to snob over more expensive gear. The fish won’t know if you hooked him on a 50 dollar Walmart combo or a $1000 combo. You can drive a Toyota or a Ferrari to the same place. The experience will be a little better with the Ferrari, but you’re still getting there with either. Look at the too anglers in the world. Most of them aren’t using such expensive gear but they’re better fishermen than all of us combined here.

Unless the hobby has become collecting expensive fishing gear which in that case, you’ve missed the point entirely.

No judgement here. Just my two cents!

That’s a very good point. When I wrote about being priced out of my hobby it was more for rhetoric and out of frustration than actually meaning it. I do agree though, I don’t need the best high end gear out there. I just want it!

[Bronzefly]

@Bronzefly That’s extremely generous of you! I honestly don’t know what to say other than thank you so much! Things like this are how you get a customer for life!

Last thing I’ll ask off topic in this thread: To Bronzefly, I know you can’t get specific regarding price increases, but is there any chance you could share a rough timeframe of when these increases could take effect?

Ok! Back on topic! Has anyone been able to take their p5 x bites out and throw a weightless 5” senko and weightless 5” fluke lately? I’d still love to hear feedback from people that have them.

You're welcome, no problem at all.

I can't offer any more insights presently. The situation is obviously volatile and changing quickly.

I've fished a 5" weightless Senko on the X-Bites since it came out a few years back. It excels with this presentation and it's right in the zone for what it does best. I'm not a huge fan of fishing a fluke, but the rod will most definitely handle them very well.