Shakespear flyrod outfit for 20.00?

[DeaDrift]

At walmart there is a flyrod outfit (rod, reel, line, 6 flies, backing, etc..) for twenty dollars..My little cousin (whos 10)loves to fish and wants to try fly fishing..He has used my pole before for a few casts and caught a smallmouth...I dont want to waste too much money and have him in the long run not like it..is this a good buy?

[J Castwell]

I have not seen this combo. Sounds too cheap to be any good, but who knows. I have a WW near me, will try to check it out.

[Gardenfish]

I bought one when I started two and a half years ago. It was junk and I sold it. SPent some more money and never regreted it. That WW outfit was awkward, heavy and stiff, but this is my view. The line is level line and I found weight forward to be easier to cast.

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Deadrift,

Two friends got together, bought two of the afore mentioned fly rods
from Wallyworld and came over and asked me to show them how to
flyfish.*G* I helped them rig the rods and spent a half hour showing
basics. They couldn't cast worth a darned. I took one of the rods to
show them. I couldn't cast worth a darned either.*G* I walked in the
shop and grabbed a pair of stowaways by Cabelas. They were both
cranking out 50 feet of line with reasonable accuracy in a matter of
minutes.*G* Then I tried one. I suddenly remembered how to cast.*G*
Amazing how those cheap rods affected my memory.*G* Warm
regards, Jim

[J Castwell]

Not what you want to hear, but... at WW there is a $59.95 combo that is real good. It is by Scientific Anglers. May be more than you want to spend right now though. You don't want to hear this either. We gave away two of them this last week in Michigan.

[rookie]

From personal experience, a child or young person will loose interest very quickly if their gear doesn't work properly. This doesn't mean you have to go out and buy them the best on the market, but you may have to pay a little more than you wanted to.

Just my opinion and best of luck.

[DeaDrift]

Thats okay guys...I went out and bought him a 100 dollar martin outfit...It got good ratings..He should be happy..

[MOturkE]

Not that it matters to anyone now, but my own personal experience with the WW rod...

Bought it about 2 1/2 years ago and couldn't cast it well at all. Got a real rod from my aunt and realized what flyfishing was meant to be.

I tried to use the WW rod last weekend, I nearly killed myself with it. I was ready to throw it into the lake, but that would be littering, wouldn't it? One should never throw trash in the water... heh, heh, hehhhh...

Redington Crosswater is a good starter fly rod, bought one for my daughter, when she became interested in fly angling. When I purchased one, they were available in two-piece, or four-piece. Also available rod only, or complete with fly rod, case, reel, and line.

Since then Redington was sold to Sage, so I do not know if they are still available.

[tailingloop]

The Crosswater series was available through this year but a being discontinued. I believe it is being replaced by a new series. Crosswater rods and combos have started to show up at a discount. I have seen the rods for $39, combos for $79 and $99 (4 pc)