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affordable fly fishing gear?

mg42doc

mg42doc

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I'm looking to get into fly fishing......affordably if possible. Freshwater set up. Target fish will be Trout.

I was looking for recommendations on rods/reels that wont break the bank, but isn't a piece of crap either


for the sake of argument, assume I spend the majority of my money on firearms and have a vigilant wife.[smile], so my budget would be limited. For example, I would consider $100 for a reel expensive. Part of that is available funds, part of that is me being a cheap bastid.



I'm not looking to tie my own flies right off the bat, but we'll see how that goes.[laugh]

thanks!
 
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TFO rods. I have some more expensive rods such as Sage and Loomis, but the TFO's work just as well. Use quality lines and leaders. For almost all freshwater fly fishing, the reel is just something to hold your line.

What type of fish are you going after?
 
Freshwater setup?
The Cabela's RLS combo is a good deal and 5wt is a good trout rod. A fishing buddy bought it last year and it's a nice rod & reel setup. The RLS reel goes for $80 on it's own.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-RLS-Fly-Combo/1555116.uts?
If $150 for the RLS is too high, the Three Forks combos range from $75 to $120
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1102570

There aren't any combos in the Bargain Cave right now, but keep checking it. You can find some pretty good deals in there. There tends to be more stuff show up there as Spring gets closer.
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/rods-reels-line/_/N-1102797/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_105764580

There are Saltwater combos too, but they're mostly running $200+

Hope that helps
 
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If you can wait until April, Orvis starts offering their free Fly Fishing 101 classes at Orvis stores and some dealers. Good way to learn some stuff and try out some equipment, and they usually give out good coupons like $25 or 20% off Orvis products. Their Encounter combos (rod, reel, line, backing) are about $170 without any coupon. One of my buddies teaches at the one in Manchester and they always get a big turnout.
 
Fresh or salt?
fresh = 5 wgt, maybe 6
salt = no larger than 8 - if you're going for schoolies, the 6 will be tons of fun. If you want 36"+tuna stripers and 8 or 9 - don't kid yourself - you're learning. The larger the weight, the more technical the casting needs to be.

Starting out - look for a combo - Scientific Anglers, etc. Use it for 2 years and change one piece at a time. Find a mentor to help you learn to cast then try any rod folks will let you. Mostly the reel is a line storage device until you get into the 8wgt and up range. The first thing I'd change from a kit would be the rod and/or line. That's the real balanced pieces of it all anyway.

If you find the right mentor, he'll give one of the 17 sets he has laying around...

Maybe avoid DSG and bum around Bears Den on the south shore, orvis, l.l.bean, KTP, cabelas and the like - Bean outlets sometimes have the kits but not often. Search on line for kits but stick to reputable makers - hard to go wrong with Sci-Anglers on a discount from anywhere.

Temple Fork Outfitters - or TFO - is a great recommendation for either fresh or salt.

Understand salt water reels are expensive because salt water will eat most materials without incessant maintenance. The cheaper Okuma plastic reels and the like are well suited for fresh water.

Avoid CL listings until you know what you're looking at - same with crusty flea market stuff - yard sales can yield gems but usually you gotta know what you're looking at. I got a great 8 wgt, 2 pc for $10 - perfect for stripers. I paid more for the line than I did the rest of the outfit.

Get a copy of "The Curtis Creek Manifesto" and "How to Fool Fish With Feathers" - both are must reads, are comical and can be studied for years as they are both stuffed with great info. I've been using fly (not well) for over 20 years, it's my favorite way to catch/not catch fish. I've never been skunked ice fishing but casting into that little hole is tough.

Casting is timing and rhythm - some rods are faster so the front, back, front tempo is faster - once you feel a good cast, you'll understand better.

Lastly, find a club and a local chunk of water - the more you do it, the faster you'll get better. Sunnies on a 4 wgt is a hoot, especially when a large mouth hits it...

PM if you need more.
 
I've updated the original post: Freshwater set up, Trout's the intended target.
most of my fishing will be in the area of the Quabbin. (Millers, and Swift rivers, and assorted sexy tributaries.)

rod: fiberglass or graphite? does it matter at this stage of the game?

I'll keep an eye out for a 5wt combo....

I have a 7/8wt graphite rod that was donated to me the last time I went up to Moosehead. My friends said it was a POS, (someone left it in the boat) but to me it's my lucky rod.
we were trolling with lead core line and I hooked into a 35in 18lb lake trout. He's on my wall now.
The reel I used was a borrowed 70s era pfleuger medalist, from what I understand they arent made like that anymore...
 
Agree with Mountain & Sprocket, for freshwater the reel is mainly for keeping the line. I rarely take a trout to the reel. I was pointing out the RLS reel price just to highlight the value of the package. For freshwater, I use fairly cheap (but pretty well made) reels Pflueger Medalist Pro (light, but not sure if they're available anymore) and Plueger Trion (nice but heavy), my main criteria is light weight. Like Sprocket said, it's different with saltwater where you'll need good corrosion resistance and also a good drag. Same is true for the rod, I've had freshwater rod guides turn green after an afternoon trip to the Joppa Flats and forgetting to hose down my gear afterward.

For trout an 8'6" or 9' rod will serve you well. Graphite will be lighter than fiberglass and you'll find more rod choices in graphite these days.
Does it matter? A good rod like any of those listed, TFO (on my list), Orvis, Cabela's RLS and others like St. Croix, Reddington, Sage, Loomis, etc... will make it easier for you to cast well and cast well all day than a lesser quality rod.

Probably getting ahead of the thread here but...
Line, look for Double-Taper or Weight-Forward floating line. One advantage of a DT line is you can flip it on the reel if one end gets worn...both ends are identical and you'll get gentler presentations when casting.
I put a little backing on my reel, but for freshwater I don't sweat it as I've never been spooled by a trout or salmon...not yet anyway.

Leaders, mono will be fine, flourocarbon leaders are more expensive. I use mono leaders and add flourocarbon tippets which works pretty well.
 
Iv snagged a older Sage 7wt off ebay a few years back for under $100 and A sage 9/10 wt last year for $65. Keep an eye out and if you already have a spinning setup i have a buddy who fly fishes the salmon river with a shimano baitrunner reel. He swears by it.
 
A 5 wt should be the right size for your needs. Get a good quality weight forward taper line. Later you can use a 4 wt line if you like. That 7 wt will beat the crap out of trout water, but keep it for bass bugs and poppers.

Vintage USA made Pflueger reels are a collectible and work great. I use them with a better reel foot and drag plate from the One Pfoot company. I even have one for salt with a D2 tool steel drag plate. Do you know what size / model you have? You might be GTG with that.

Edit- Vintage Pflueger Medalist fly reels, specifically. The early USA ones. Other models- no.
 
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I don't know how quickly you need the gear, I would start with yard sales and flea markets, Craigslist, and estate sales.

I've always wanted to try fly-fishing and learn how to tie files --best of luck and have fun !
 
Good info above.
Llbean outlet usually has some demos on the floor.
If you're talking fresh water, don't be afraid to go 3 weight for use on our tight streams, and lots of fun when panfishing.
 
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Penniepup1 said:
Cabelas offers some decent stuff under their name brand
Click to expand...

This.

I started off with the RLS+ rod and reel combo in a 5WT, great setup that lasted me like three years. I did change out the fly line right away to cabelas prestige line. I've had two sets of cabelas weaders and boots aswell, best part is if they leak you send them back against the lifetime warranty. One thing to note with the RLS+ rod is that I broke the tip off and their are no replacement sections available from cabelas, unlike some nicer rod company who would have spare sections.

I'm using a TFO now and love it. Still using the RLS+ reel which is awesome, 5WT with Royal Wolff triangle taper line. Eventually I'll get a nice set-up but I don't think i'll spend over $250 on a rod for the time being.
 
Blue Northern is going out of business. They have a lot of fishing equipment and it would probably help out the owners by liquidating their inventory. They are great folks there and the shop will be missed.
 
I have a L.L. Bean 6 wt that I love. It's a 4 piece. The outfit is call the Quest II. They have some nice packages and a unlimited, lifetime return/exchange policy.

I've got an Orvis 8wt with a no-name spanish made reel that I use for Stripers.

I'd recommend either.

One piece of unasked for advice: Don't skimp on waders or boots. I did and was MISERABLE my first season.
 
Buy an beginner set up from LL Bean, if you don't like it down the road or want to upgrade it you can do so, no questions asked. I use an 4 wt TFO 4 piece outfit and it works fine for what I want to do. Heck an 1.5 lb smallmouth from local reservoir puts up a mean fight! You can always take a lesson from Natick Outdoor Store for cheap $. I know a guy who took a weekend lesson from Orvis and all I can say is, he still couldn't cast or even appear to know WTH he was doing. Lots of wealthy people buy $$$ gear and can't catch fish. Start with catching panfish first and work your way up - otherwise you can get discouraged quickly IMHO.
 
I enjoy catching bluegills on my fly rod as much as stripers or trout. Can't go wrong!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I got a beginners setup at BP last year, think I was at about $120 out the door. Bet Cabella's could hook you up with something similar if that is closer to you.
 
I've been fly fishing rivers and streams for 40 years and one of the best fly rods I ever owned was a little 5 weight fiberglass rod that I bought at wal*mart. I lent it to my son and never seen it again so I went back to get another one and they havent had that brand since
I have an expensive graphite rod now and dont use it much. I grab one of my fiberglass rods most of the time.
Graphite is like fishing with a twig and I dont know how many fish I lost because of it. Fiberglass feels more like original bamboo. 7-8 ft is all you will want for streams. 9 ft for big rivers or ponds and lakes.
Pick up a not too cheap set up in fiberglass, 5 weight for trout, 6-7 weight for bass. A nice reel is nice but you dont need an expensive one. All it does is hold the string.
 
OutdoorFanatic said:
I've been fly fishing rivers and streams for 40 years and one of the best fly rods I ever owned was a little 5 weight fiberglass rod that I bought at wal*mart. I lent it to my son and never seen it again so I went back to get another one and they havent had that brand since
Click to expand...

I picked up an Eagle Claw Black Eagle 2-pc 5wt 8.5' there. $20. After snapping the tip off in the kayak, I picked up another last season. I should've grabbed the three they had, as they're no longer listed as a stocked item.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eagle-Claw-8-6-Black-Eagle-2pc-Fly-Rod/16767728
 
One of my first setups is the LL Bean double L combo. I like it a lot and LL Bean have been great about spooling the backing and fly line on.

-kg
 
thanks for the great replies everybody..

should I have any concerns with the number of parts a rod comes in? is 2 more desirable than 4?
I guess generally the longer rods will have more segments, but I've noticed some differences among rods of a similar length
 
For one rod fishing both the Millers and the Swift, you need a 5 weight. The Millers needs a 5 (at minimum) to be able to throw heavier nymphs and medium streamers, and a 5 will still handle the limited dry fly opportunities that river provides.

On the Swift, a 5 is the heaviest I'll fish. Much more of my fishing is done with a 3wt or a 4wt, but a 5 is fine too. The challenge with a 5wt is handling bigger trout on 6X, 7X or even 8X tippet. For me, I can comfortably fish 7X with a 4wt or below, 6X with a 5wt or below. 7X on a 5wt is tougher for me. 8X is almost out of the question. Unfortunately, there's been a few times on the Swift where I've really felt the need for 7X or 8X. A couple of those times, I've been fishing a 5wt. I had more break-offs than I think I would have with a 4 or a 3wt, but I also caught some nice trout. Additionally, a 5wt is a great thing to have on the Swift for the summer, when higher flows and deeper water sometimes demand a heavy nymph rig...


Anyway, if I was in your position, I'd probably scour eBay. There's a ton of more than good enough graphite 5wt rods out there. You can score a great deal on a used rod. Read the 5wt shootout (google it), but don't feel compelled to buy any of those rods. (Although I do have a St Croix Imperial 5wt that I've had for four or five years, and I love the crap out of it.) I have a 3-piece BPS CV 8'6" 5wt, was like 30 bucks off eBay and has been perfectly good for everything I've used it for. 9' would be my second choice; a bit big for the Swift, but a bit nicer to nymph with, and probably better for the Millers.

Anyway. Any name-brand, or any BPS/Cabelas graphite rod made in the last 10 years that's a moderate or moderate-fast action and that's also an 8'6" 5wt will fill this role well enough. From my personal experience, I'd recommend the St. Croix Imperial if you can find one used. I haven't used the Redington Classic Trout in a 5wt, but I've loved both of my 4wt rods.

I usually buy last year's fly lines at closeout, and spend $35-55 for what was a 65-85 dollar line. Premium fly lines are priced high, but they're worth it.

You'll end up tying your own flies. Plan for it now, and start browsing for good deals on a vise.

You don't need to spend more than a $100 trout reel. Right around that price point, the Orvis Battenkill will give you everything you ever need for trout. Stay away from super cheap reels--unlike rods, where graphite and mass production improvements have helped bring the cost down, cheap reels are still pretty shoddy. Poor tolerances, poor anodizing, that kind of thing. I'll continue to by cheap(er) rods for the foreseeable future, but I'm done with crappy reels.

Feel free to PM me if you want any additional info, or if you want to head out some time--I fish those two rivers fairly regularly.
 
Try Bears Den in Taunton. Scott has a good selection of used items as well as everything under the sun for new items.
 
kope said:
Try Bears Den in Taunton. Scott has a good selection of used items as well as everything under the sun for new items.
Click to expand...
This.

I got my fly tying setup there and saved huge buying used. If I hadn't just bought a new gun, there was a very nice 4wt that would have come home with me. Tfo, I think it was.

Need to schedule another visit down that way so work can pay for my gas.... Wonder if it is still there

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 

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