Last spring, after having not fly fished for a couple years, I built 2 new outfits to replace the aging (and, quite frankly, cheap) original equipment: one was a 9-foot 9 weight for big bass flies and light saltwater; the other was an 8'6'' 5-weight, for lighter fishing. Neither was tremendously expensive; the two together cost less than some fly rods all by themselves I think I spent, in total, right around $300 for each one.

Anyway...I like them both, but as spring started rolling around again, I was thinking that I might also like a shorter, lighter 'small water' setup: something for all the little, tree-lined streams and ponds around where I live. So I started doing some research a few weeks ago, and decided to build a 7' or 7'6", 3-weight outfit. After a little more looking around, I decided on:

- a 7'6", 4-piece, 3 weight TFO Professional & the rod tube to go with it

- a RIO 3-weight line. Went back and forth between the Grand, Windcutter II, and Gold, and settled on the Gold after talking to the owner of a local fly shop.

Now all I needed was a reel...an Orvis Battenkill Bar Stock was my first choice. I already own 2 Battenkill mid-arbors, and I like them. The BBS-II was also the lightest reel I found at or below the $100 price point. Unfortunately, I then found out that the only Orvis dealer within 2 hours of here closed right after Christmas It also looks like ordering would be even more expensive. A lot of shipping for such a small thing, especially if I use expedited. Yes, I am impatient

Next choice, and a little cheaper, was an Okuma Magnitude. But nobody around here sells those, either.

So, what do I end up with? A ~$140 rod, a $65 fly line and, to top it all off, a $30 SA Concept 2 reel I do still intend to get a BBS-II; just not terribly soon, most likely - I'll wait until the next time I head up to St. Louis to visit friends & family (I live and work in Bentonville, AR), and get one from Bass Pro or one of the fly shops in the city.