Looking to start fly fishing

[Cjones19]

I am looking to start fly fishing, but I do not want to dish out crazy amounts of money, and it seems like most fly rod/reel setups are pretty pricy... Does anybody have some advice on where to purchase some cheaper equipment?

 

I live in central Ontario, and I am only using it for smallmouth and trout, probably only up to about 4 pounds at max, so i do not need any heavy action stuff either.

[AKRISONER]

here is one thing I have learned...spend your money on a rod and dont worry so much about the reel.

 

I have been fly fishing for a couple of years and I still havent fought a fish on the reel yet. I am sure I will hook into something huge eventually, but almost all fish can be fought stripping line.

 

As with any type of fishing, you dont want to cheap out too much if you are taking it somewhat seriously. Ive used really low end stuff and it will make you feel like you are a terrible caster...ive also used really really high end stuff and its much the same until you know what you are doing. Its taken me about two years to start really get my casting together and even then its a lifetime of work. for reference I fly fish off of my dock at my cottage probably 30 weeks a year. so its a lot of practice.

its important to start out with a rod thats somewhat half decent though IMO, the rods will be forgiving but will still allow you to learn to properly cast...the transition over to higher end stuff will be easy.

 

Unfortunately for you, if you want to fish smallies and trout you are pretty much in two different weight categories. A 5wt is definitely light for a 4lb smallie...but an 8 is overkill for trout.

 

I personally have two rods a 5 and an 8 and it pretty much covers me through the whole spectrum...you can handle a big salmon on an 8 and you can fish small trout on a 5 and have a great time.

 

my 8wt was the first fly rod i bought its a temple fork outfitters lefty kreh signature series...a very very affordable rod with great performance. It actually somewhat measures up to my winston...and thats saying something when you compare the price.

 

Finally, dont cheap out on your fly line...ive got some really crap fly line on my 5 wt right now because I was in a pinch and it sucks, theres a crazy noticeable difference between high end line and the canadian tire junk. Good luck!

Edited September 21, 2017 by AKRISONER

[bigcreekdad]

I second Akrisoner...rod way more important than the reel. When fishing trout and bass, the reel basically holds the line. The only times I really needed a good drag were on tarpon, bonefish, and large pike.

 

I worked part time in the fly fishing dept of cabelas. I got the question often as to which rod. When asked what the species fished would be it was usually trout and salmon.....obviously not a one rod answer. Yours is at least a little closer. I've caught bass regularly on a 6 weight, and this would also work for trout, albeit just a hair heavy. What I might ask is what you will be fishing with. A streamer can be cast well for both bass and trout. However, dry flies for trout lean more towards a 5 weight. Also, big poppers for bass really should be cast with a 7 or 8 weight. I know it seems crazy, but its the truth (IMO).

 

If you have a Cabelas near, they can rig you up with something that will fit your budget

 

Good luck...and have fun!!

[fishing n autograph]

You can get reasonable combos that are good quality that are affordable at bass pro.

 

I've got a 4 wt and a 7wt set up.

I haven't done much fly fishing lately but it's fun

[BillM]

Yup an all in one 4wt setup from Bass Pro will do you just fine.

[J Roelofsen]

If your not in too much of a hurry watch kijiji/eBay for a 9' 6wt TFO professional. It won't break the bank and will work very well both those species. Pick up a 7wt Fenwick profile WF floating line for $30, it will balance that rod perfectly for a new caster. As for a reel, a Redington Crossswater or Okuma SLV will serve you well.

 

If your wanting to pick up something quick, just get the entire Redington Crossswater combo in a 6wt. The rod won't be quite as forgiving of casting stroke or have the excellent warranty of the TFO tho...

 

Josh

[Tom S]

I am going to recommend that before you put any money into equipment that you either hook up with an experienced fly caster or take some lessons through a reputable teacher. Let them know that you're just starting and ask them to bring a few rods for you to test cast. That will let you get a feel for different rods and figure out what feels best for you.

 

The second thing I'm going to recommend is looking for some decent used equipment. There are more than enough fellows out there with money to burn who upgrade every year or two, and if you can get a line on some of that equipment you can get some top-quality equipment for a great price. As recommended, put money into the rod. For trout and bass you won't be putting them on the reel anyhow. Lines are debatable - to get a quality line you don't always need to break the bank. I would stay away from any lines you can purchase at Crappie Tire and look instead at either purchasing either an overrun line from flylines.ca or something like a Barrio line that won't break the bank.

 

That leads me to my biggest beef with the fly fishing industry. The markup and the hype around the 'newest' equipment and lines can be ridiculous. A Rio line may be top class and may help you cast a bit farther, but practice and good form are more important than expensive lines. For the $60-$90 a Rio line will cost you can purchase 3-4 overrun lines to try out and see what balances your outfit and casting style better. Maybe even step up a line weight from the rod's rating for the first while to make loading the rod a bit easier, then buy a line matching the rod weight to feel the difference. Get an intermediate line for stillwater.

 

If you're really looking for the cheapest, funnest setup out there I'm going to recommend an Eagle Claw Featherlight. The rod is indestructible, costs about $25, and has quite the following among fiberglass admirers. Just be aware that you'll probably need to go up a line weight or two in order to get it casting correctly, they are rated a bit strangely.

[FloatnFly]

For a beginner setup, redington makes an all in one combo, around $160. Rod, reel, line, leader, and a couple flies to get you started.

 

The rod is actually pretty decent, the reel will need to be upgraded when you feel ready

 

For bass, a heavier weight rod, 7-8 wt is recommended just because of the flies you'd be throwing, highly wind resistent, so you need a strong rod with lots of power to throw it.

 

 

My two rods are a 6 and an 8wt. My 6wt I would consider a mid level setup, my 8wt, well, let's not go there.....I haven't even told my gf the cost of that setup.

 

I would recommend a 6 or 7wt rod setup for you. TFO, redington, echo all make nice entry level rods. For a reel, echo ion all the way, it's about $100, excellent drag, large arbor, and about the best bang for your buck at that price point.

[Joeytier]

If you're really looking for the cheapest, funnest setup out there I'm going to recommend an Eagle Claw Featherlight. The rod is indestructible, costs about $25, and has quite the following among fiberglass admirers. Just be aware that you'll probably need to go up a line weight or two in order to get it casting correctly, they are rated a bit strangely.

I have the 3/4 and the 5/6 wt. The little guy is a blast for small creek specs. The 5/6 lacks punch for lake casting...cant wait to replace it with something like an Aetos.

 

As for good quality starter setups, Cabelas brand is perfectly suitable and will give you a good introductory experience. I have a prestige II reel and it's excellent for the price.

[Tom S]

I have the 3/4 and the 5/6 wt. The little guy is a blast for small creek specs. The 5/6 lacks punch for lake casting...cant wait to replace it with something like an Aetos.

 

I've got the 5/6 in the 8' length, and with 7WF line it can punch out bass bugs and streamers without much trouble. Love that combo. I think it was $25 for the rod, $20 for a used Shakespeare Beaulite reel, and I had the line already.

And you don't want and Aetos. You want a Fenglass.

[AKRISONER]

 

 

The second thing I'm going to recommend is looking for some decent used equipment. There are more than enough fellows out there with money to burn who upgrade every year or two, and if you can get a line on some of that equipment you can get some top-quality equipment for a great price. As recommended, put money into the rod. For trout and bass you won't be putting them on the reel anyhow. Lines are debatable - to get a quality line you don't always need to break the bank. I would stay away from any lines you can purchase at Crappie Tire and look instead at either purchasing either an overrun line from flylines.ca or something like a Barrio line that won't break the bank.

 

 

 

much love for this link!