Quote Originally Posted by tyler
I have $300 to spend on fly gear and I need some breathable waders and a reel for an 7/8 wt. The reel will be on a new Dan Craft FT907-4 I'm building and will be for chasing red fish on the Texas coast. So the reel needs to perform in the salt.

I'm thinking Tioga magnum 8 for the reel, but I'd love to find a larger arbored reel just for the look. My eyes are bigger than my budget I'm afraid.

As for waders I'm at a complete loss. I've read so much about just about every brand, and there seems to be no consensus. Every brand has its lovers and its haters.

Would you try to buy both with the cash, or spend all $300 on one or the other and wait to save up for the other item?

Tyler
I'll be as brief as possible.

#1, if you have another reel that will work on your new rod, why do you want to buy another one? You can only fish with one rod at a time unless you are bank or boat fishing. I have more rods than reels for this very reason.

#2, if your waders are in reasonably good condition and don't have any unrepairable leaks, you don't need new waders.

If your goal is to impress someone with your new stuff, just buy one of the items and show it off frequently to get lots of oooohs and aaaaaahs. If you want to maximize your cash, use it to take a trip or trips that the $300 will cover. If you're like most of us, we have more STUFF than we have time to use it, so I would use the money to take a trip or two. Maybe a fish-in near you. Fun, educational, and it gets you away from home for a few days with likeminded people.

I have no clue why I'm so windy today. I hope this doesn't become a habit.

Joe