Help on beginner flyrods

[gerry]

Hi everyone, first time on the site. I am looking for advise on what to by for a first fly rod? I recently purchased a orvis clearwater III reel, for 5-6wt. Probably under $200 for the rod. When I was a teenager used to fly fish a little, that was 30 years ago. Thanks for any help.

[DaveMac]

Welcome... Do you have any Fly Shops in your area? That way you could get set up with the proper line for your reel and rod as well as actually try casting their suggested rods. I am sure you will be getting many suggestions shortly from fellow members. This is a great place to visit between casts. We shall have to get you fly tying next!!!

[Lake Erie High Ball]

Hey qerry and welcome to FAOL.

Your on to a good start with a 5/6 wt reel.

I think most will agree a 5 wt. is the way to go for an all around rod. Once you start to hook up some fish you can tweak your choice of wt. rod.

There are so many choices for rods under $200. What it will come down to is what you like. I would recommend a trip to a fly shop with lots of choices (different brands) and cast them. I also wouldn't shy away from a good used rod made from a reputable company.

Good luck, have fun and let us know what you decide on.

Welcome Again,
Sean

[oldfrat]

Welcome Gerry! If you only plan to own one rod for freshwater fishing, I think a 5 weight is best. If you plan to fish mostly for trout in moving water, I'd start with a 4 weight, though, and add a 6 weight later. Most folks can't really feel a difference of one weight between rods, but will feel a two weight difference. I find that a 4 and a 6 cover all of my fresh water fishing needs. 8'6" or 9' seem to be the most popular lengths. Shorter lengths are used for small streams with tight brush cover. Longer rods are occasionally used.

I recommend multiple pieces over a two piece. These days most of them cast just as well and they are a lot easier to store and carry.

You can start off fine with a $200 rod. If you are like me, you can stay forever with rods that cost $200 or less. Check out your local fly shop to see what they recommend. If they reco an expensive rod, don't buy it. Go to Cabela's or try a TFO. If they reco a rod at $200 or less, buy it there and be happy to know you've found a good fly shop.

Keep coming back with your questions here. You'll find we love to help newbies and that there is no such thing as a dumb question. FAOL was a huge help to me when I was starting out.

[gerry]

Hi, thanks for the info. My local outdoor shop is selling off all their fly fishing gear. That is where I got my reel, unfortunately they were all sold out of rods, so I have to look else where.

[gerry]

Hi, thanks for the info. Unfortunately my local outdoor shop is selling off all their fly gear and they have no rods left. So I'm looking else where.

[rainbowchaser]

If you have to mail order a rod for a beginner look for one that says moderate or moderately fast action. It will be more forgiving and thus easier to re-learn on. One problem is that there is no standard for what those words mean. For casting a nine foot rod seems to be the standard but if you are fishing small waters with limited casting room a shorter rod might be better. If you are out West and plan on fishing big hoppers and streamers then a six weight might be better than the five weight. Check out the sponsors page for some good places to buy a rod. You don't say if you have budgeted for a good line. A good quality line may be as the imporrtant as the rod.

[tailingloop]

Just about any rod over $100 will work well and some under $100 will work well also. Some recommendations based on my experience are offerings from Redington, St. Croix, Temple Fork Outfitters. For really good value closer to $100 look at Redington Crosswater or Pursuit, Temple Fork Outfitters Lefty Kreh Signature Series, Echo Solo, and St. Croix Rio Santo rods. Also you may find some of last year's Redington Crosswater or Red.Fly2 rods at good discounts. Up around the $150 range consider the Ross Worldwide Essence FS, Temple Fork Outfitters Lefty Kreh Professional Series, Diamondback Americana, and St. Croix Imperial series rods. Though you have a reel already you might consider a Scientific Anglers outfit that comes with a 4pc rod, reel, line and instructional video. These kits are around $100- $110 and the rod is pretty decent. There are other options in these price ranges but I don't have much experience with them.

I understand that Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, and LL Bean have some nice inexpensive rods but I have no direct experience with those.

[kbproctor]

Old Frat, Rainbowchaser and Tailingloop all gave you good advice. You do not need to spend a boatload of money to have a good rod. As said, if the folks are pushing anything over $200, be wary.

I concur on the recommendations for a moderate to moderate fast action rod. If you can cast a few, the one that seems easiest to cast is the one to go with. Dollars do not necessarily translate to fun to fish. An easy to cast rod will be more fun to fish. Don't get stuck on the hype over super light rods, either. You will not spend 8 hours straight on the water without taking a break to water a bush or eat lunch or laugh at your buddy that fell in or taking some other kind of break, so the arguments of them being more comfortable to cast are hogwash.

The TFO Pro series is a good rod that won't break the bank. 8' to 9' to learn how to cast. Save the shorter rod for later. Don't be afraid of something like the Scientific Angler Outfits. Even Eagle Claw has some surprisingly nice casting little rods for next to no money.

[oldfrat]

More on the weight thing. The higher the weight, the stiffer the rod is. A more flexible rod will bend more when you have a fish hooked and on your line. There are a lot of issues about this but, to keep it simple, it is more fun to land a fish with a lighter weight rod. But, if your rod is too light, you risk playing the fish too long and killing fish that you would rather catch and release. Since I fish almost exclusively for trout in moving water, I use my 4 weight almost all of the time. I use my 6 weight, though, if I am fishing still waters where the fish might be bigger, when I am casting really heavy flies, or when it is really windy.

You'll get the best advice here if you specify your fishing plans and needs. If you plan to fish for salmon in Alaska, for example, none of the advice you have received thus far is any good.

Your next question should involve fly line. I'll jump ahead for you. My reco is to get a double taper line, not a weight forward. Most of your newbie fishing will be done with relatively short casts where the advantages of a weight forward line don't come into play. The DT lines give you the opportunity to turn the line around on your reel when the first end you use gets battered and stops floating. So a DT gives you the same performance at half the cost. There are tons of lines out there these days, including lots of high priced specialty lines. I can't give you a reco, but I can tell you that, after trying a few brands and types, I've come to use the Cortland 444 all the time. It is tried and true as an all around fly line. I'm sure there are good lines out there that are less expensive and I know there are many lines that are more expensive. The 444 is a mid-priced line that I have come to trust.