Fishing stuff comes in various flavors, just like guns. It's not all created equal: there is Lorcin-level fishing gear and then there is the Noveske-level fishing gear.
A rod from BassPro/SwapMeet/flea market, is not going to be the same as the upper-tier fishing gear. Just because a rod has guides on it does not mean it's a good piece of equipment any more than a rifle having a metal barrel on it makes it a good rifle.
A very wide cross-section of fishing gear is sold on eBay for fairly competitive prices.