Looking for rod/reel combo??

Mozer67

New member
Hi, I'm new to the forum and fly fishing and happend upon this site while researching gear. I pretty much have decided I don't want a "Wally World" outfit but liked to purchase a new/used name brand entry level #5 weight combo. I'll mostly be fishing for trout and panfish with it but maybe throw larger flys to bass occasionally. Any suggestions? Thanks!
 

ZG

Busy Fly Fishing
9ft, 5wt. Orvis, Redington, others all have great beginner outfits for roughly $200. Spend enough, have a lifetime warranty. I've broken more rods than I can count...
 

thefishhawk

Adventurer
Doesn't say where you are at, you really need to find a local flyshop to help you get started. go cast several types of rods to find out what you like and works for you. Different actions, lengths, pieces, etc. all affect a rod. For instance, in one rod family I might like their 4wt, 4 piece, but I might hate their 5wt 2pc. I've cast rods where I like the 2 pc but don't like the 4pc as well of the same rod, or liked the 8' but didn't like the 9', you get the idea. For some applications I might want a faster action and for some a more medium. If I'm backpacking I want more breakdown but in the truck it doesn't matter. Cast a bunch and one will just "click" and feel good to you. Different shops might carry different brands so it might take a couple trips. You don't know what you like yet so casting a few demo rods will help you get started and not end up with something you didn't even know sucked.
 
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Mozer67

New member
Thanks, I've located an orvis store in my area (northern Kentucky) that has a beginners clinic this Saturday so I'm gonna go and try out some of there equipment. I was looking at a sage 2250 online and it looked to be a good reel for the price? Thanks again for the input!
 

thefishhawk

Adventurer
that's going to be a great place to start. Like ZG said, the 9' 5wt is considered the swiss army knife and a great first do it all rod. I'm not familiar with the streams there, I'm sure the Orvis guys will be able to recommend if you maybe want to drop down or up in rod weight for what you plan on doing.

Sage looks ok but you can probably get a nicer reel for the same money. That one is die cast instead of machined aluminum, a bit on the heavy side. Check out some places like Sierra Trading Post, Backcountry.com (steepandcheap), ebay. etc. I bet you can find a Lamson, Redington, Ross, Orvis or something nicer. (for the money I mean, nothing against Sage, they are some of my favorite rods) Really comes down to budget. If you want to do a combo you might be stuck with what's in it. The cheaper stuff might have a one-year warranty or none, spend a little more get a lifetime. Send the rod back and $50 and they fix it.

At any rate, even if you only spend $2-300 to get setup at first, you'll be infinitely happier going that route than any kind of cheap "wally world" type combo that will just frustrate you and you won't like.
 

Shmee

New member
The Echo Rods and reals are solid options at good prices. I love my 5wt Echo Carbon rod and Echo Ion reel, would be higher up the price spectrum than a loaded ready-to-cast setup like a Reddington Path outfit, but will match or outperform a lot of rod/reel combos in much higher price brakes.
I liked my 5wt Carbon so much i went out and bought a 3wt Echo Boost, but went with a Reddington Zero reel.


For the money, you'll be had pressed to find a better "starter outfit" than something like a Reddington Path pre-strung kit, but it's not a great platform to build off of. Same goes for pretty much all bagged ready-to-fish outfits.


For a bit more money, you can get into something like I did with an Echo Base(or Carbon like mine) with a Echo Ion reel, and an extra spool or 2 loaded with different line types for different types of fishing.
check out echoflyfishing(dot)com (not allowed to post links??)

Most local Fly shops will also work you a really good deal if you go this route. Getting almost a complete extra spool with backing, line, leader for free, and even a little box of flies is not uncommon from some of the better fly shops, thats what I got when I bout my setup at least. If you add in wadders and wading boots, which you'll also probably need, you can get some other good deals on gear and extras. Best thing is always make friends with your local fly shop. They will almost always hook you up, lol, in order to keep your business vs big box stores like Cabela's, Basspro and online vendors and will often match prices if you are a good customer.
 

Jasalvas

New member
Ehhh... Don't bother yourself with an entry level set up... You need an 8' 3 7/8 oz RL Winston 2 piece bamboo fly rod built by Glen Brackett, paired with a Hardy LRH fly reel, lined with a DT5 floating fly line. Build your own leaders and your in business!!


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MOgoat

New member
I would recommend spending just enough to get something with a warranty. It is hard to know what you want at first, so you don't want to spend too much. However, a Wally World combo just isn't the same and may even be harder for you to learn on. In a similar situation I bought a Redington Classic Trout and a cheap Cabela's reel and they've both been great.


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dlh62c

Explorer
Picked up a Tenkara rod to see what the hype was about. Haven't used my western fly rod in three years.
 

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