A lot of people fishing using float. If you are the person using the float to tell you when to set hook, you don't need good quality rod.
A $20 fishing rod is good enough.
Who will need quality and sensitivity rod?
Someone who are fishing without float, that means you try to feel the fish bite from your rod vibration and set the hook;
And if you are casting as frequent as more then once every 2 minute.
The feature of good quality rod are sensitive, very light weight and durable.
In the case if you use Spinnerbait to locate where the fish are in the lake, like cast 50 time per hour, your arm still able to handle the stress for the rest of the day activity.
The difference between $200 to $400 baitcaster fishing reel include the material to build the reel, number of bearing on the reel, break system type, number of break system, reel weight and the reel durability. Some baitcaster reel would not perform well when you casting in a windy day, you need to turn on more then 1 set of break tab to improve your casting. And when you flipping and pitching, you need different setting on your reel break system as well.
Some reel have very high max drag but not other. You need this max drag to pull fish out from the structure or heavy weed water. How smoother the drag release the line also important. You never know how the fish react when you reel it in, some fish react like crazy (escape) at the time you try to pick it up from tater. I see fish try to swim back into water few feet deep when you try to pick it; and if your drag doesn't release the line well smooth at that time, most likely your line will break and your rod tip could break too. Sure I am talking about the fish size like 2 lbs or lager, not talk about Sun fish here.