Those quality items give you a better feeling in casting, reeling, and even setting up the hook, etc, Rock. You should try them and experience the feel.
Sure, you can catch fish with any kind of line or pole--even a bamboo stick, which is still common in trout fishing. But there's something that just allows you to set the hook better, feel the bite sooner more, etc.
The experts have fished and tested their equipments based on those experiences and the experiences of many professional and survival anglers. They know what to do about hooking those fish.
Smallmouths are fun to catch but aren't yummy. Nor are largemouths yummier but largemouths are more fun to catch.