When I started fishing as a hobby, I couldn't believe that it was the only hobby I've ever taken up that pretty much had unanimous recommendations for beginners. Everyone seemed to suggest the Ugly Stik GX2 on every website or forum. And there were no threads about how I should buy a more expensive rod/reel, other than a few that mentioned that I might want to upgrade the reel on the GX2 after a year or so.
Even the salesperson at the Bass Pro Shops store recommended the GX2 even though I could have afforded a bit more.
It was a completely new experience for me. I am used to having to spend at least $300-400 on initial investments for new hobbies. Fishing was only CAD$120 for everything!
Griffin, not Skyscale