Castwell's column advising the Alaskan gentleman on purchasing a new rod gave me the courage to put this up here. I normally would not post the same thing that I had posted somewhere else. The other site is a local general fishing site while FAOL is a national site specialized in fly fishing. I am making an exception because I want to see what the reaction would be here.

Though your Snoopy spincasting combo is not in the same league as a Stella/Loomis, it has its place in the development of a young fisherman. Similarly, I think there needs to be an equivalent fly combo. Till recently I thought the $40 Pfluerger combo available in the catalogs was all that was left in that category. Therefore it was a pleasant surprise to find a $20 fly combo (rod, reel, line, leader) at a Walmart in Bloomington, IL.

Though I realize that the price offends some, I will repeat that fly fishing needs outfits like this. Like rental skis that will never make it to the olympics, these are the outfits that get the beginner begun. They will take the beating that a beginner dishes out. If they break, the whole outfit can be replaced for less than the Loomis service and shipping charge. They will serve as the grasshopper learns the basics of casting and catching. Since it will be a year or two before the beginner misses the subtltities in action and design that increase the cost 2500%, why risk the premium priced gear right from the start?

If you need another comparison, consider. How many people give their daughters or sons a Corvette as soon as they get their driver's licenses?

In case you were wondering how Castwell inspired me, he did it this way. His whole line of thought showed that there are other ways of thinking about the purchase of a fly rod besides the standard. The Standard tells you to buy the best. You get what you pay for. Users testify that they never regreted spending the extra bucks. Etc., etc., etc. ...