Hello everyone,

For a few years ago I bought a Wal Mart 5/6 weight rod/reel combo that I have set up for 6 wt (I thought it was a Scientific Anglers, but the Rod says Pfleuger and the reel is Shakspear) and I have tried teaching myself flycasting with horrible results. I finaly broke down and admitted its time to call in professional help, so next friday my Uncle and I are taking private fly casting lessons with a certified Fly Casting instructor.

So once that I have had proper instruction I want to start looking at a couple of new rod/reel combos for different purposes, and I am looking for some recomendations. Most important is a bass set-up. My Uncle and I are huge bass fishermen, and thats the primary interest for him and I (though I am looking to divide my time between warmwater and cold water stream/river). The size of our bass is not near as big as down south (the largest we have ever personally caught was close to 6 lbs) so I don't think I will need a super heavy weight rod. We fish from a canoe. I am thinking to budget about $150 for the rod/reel, though I think I can stretch that to $200 if need be.

The next rod/reel combo I am interested in is for the above mentioned cold water stream/river pursuit I wish to undertake. Honestly, I have never fished a small cold water stream, let alone I have never fished for trout (except ice fishing once.) So I am starting with a blank slate here, not just in flycasting, but this type of fishing period. I am a very avid hiker of the White Mountain National Forest, and its my dream to fly fish some of the remote Wilderness streams and small rivers, some requiering over 5 miles of hiking to get to. So I would think I need a rod that is in three sections or more to make packing easier. I have no clue about which would be a good weight, length, etc. I assume the rod I have now will be acceptable until I can afford this better combo. The price range would be the same as above, $150 for the rod/reel with $200 if need be.

Lastly, would either of the above combos be able to serve doule duty for a bit larger river and going for trout in the 2+ lb range? Perhaps the Warm water rig? I ask only because I am also thinking of fishing the Connecticut River, which is larger and holds bigger fish than the smaller streams. This is not as important as meeting the other above needs, but if those combos above will not fill the need is there a third suggestion for a rod/reel combo?

Thank you,

Brian