Hey! Well, I’m not actually completely brand new, I’ve done a lot of bait fishing. But I am interested in fly fishing and am still puzzling over what price range I could find a rod and reel at. I think I have found an okay 4 peice Plfueger rod, but I want a REALLY cheap reel. Could anybody recommend a brand and its cost (Canadian dollars?). Cheers!
I suggest saving up for a reel that is not really cheap. You can get a nice reel, under a good brand such as Orvis and Redington for fairly cheap (around $100 or less). You can also find expensive reels on places like eBay for a lot less money. A common misconception is that the reel is just a line holder…but that is not its only function.
A smooth drag is quite important while fishing.
“If firearms cause crimes and kill people, all of the ones I have must be defective.”
Buy the best rod / reel outfit you can afford. It was less than a year after starting to FF seriously that I began to covet the better rods. Finally, when I got a good rod as a gift, it was pure bliss to cast, after flogging the water with my wet noodle LL Bean starter rod.
If you are fishing for fish with a 6wt rod or under, then the cheapest reel you buy is fine. A pfluger Medalist 1494 (?) is cheap and good. I bought one, which was okay, and it still is okay 30 years later. Cost about $20 American. Save your money. Lines and flies cost enough until you figure out what you really want to invest in.
ps, welcome to FAOL!
jed
DON’T BUY CHEAP, IT COST MORE WHEN YOU DECIDE TO CHANGE, I KNOW AND IT COST.
Welcome to FAOL Kermit.Jed is right in my book.A cheap reel will work fine for fishing with a 6wt or under.Spend your money on the rod and line.Unless you are fishing for real big fish you will not need a drag.You will find that most of the time you are controlling the line with your fingers.I have been fly fishing for thirty some years and have yet to use drag on any trout i have ever caught.You will get lots of suggestions on what you should do,but do what feels right to you.It is always a learning experience.I am still learning what the right thing to do is, and if the day comes that i think i know it all that is the day that i quit.Good luck and tight lines.
Rocky
Sage if offering a moderate priced reel, line, and backing combo for $75. That is a great, deal in my opinion - the Sage 1201. It’s rated for 4-6 weight lines. I also think that Pflueger rods are a terrific value-oriented buy.
What are you going to be fishing for? You really need to answer this first. Smaller fish only require a reel that is just line storage while larger fish require a reel with a good drag.
Kermitt,
I assume you’re going after trout. Want to know just how much you can put on a reel, drop by the ff shop on Granville Island. Quality stuff, but $$$.
Army and Navy will still have the best deals for you. (Is it still open ??).
Don’t get talked into getting a $$ reel that you can use for steelhead. Wait for that as you’ll probably want another rig altogether.
There’s another shop in Burnaby, but I can’t remember the name. On E.Broadway, the owner passed away a few years ago and they have some REALLY quality stuff at sellout prices. If its still open.(not M&Y, the other one, … M&Y is good too)
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/:bf968]http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/[/url:bf968]
Thanks guys for all the advice! I am planning on just trout fishing for now, so I was treating reels as line holders when I was looking about. I’m still a student so I don’t want to roll out too much dough, and was surprised that Sage has got a $75 reel combo thingy. Their site only has got the big 2500’s and what not now, so if anyone can tell me more about the 1201 that would be super. Hope to stay with FAOL. Cheers!
Toad
Kermit…
In my opinion one of the least expensive reels on the market is as good as any you will need for a long time> I have one that I expected to be less than adequate I bought it anyway. It has an adjustable drag that actually works fine. It only weighs 3.5 ounces and ballances my one weight rod perfectly. I believe that this is my third or fourth year with this reel and it has performed far beyond my expectations. I prefer it to one I have that cost eight times as much.
The reel…Cabellas 567 price $20.00 us
extra spool price $9.00 us
IMHO This reel can not be beat money considered.
Ol’ Bill
Thanks, I’ll check into that. Have any of you heard of Dragonfly? I’m still looking for their site, but through my e-mail relays with a whole buncha shops in my area the Dragonfly Kamloops is supposed to be the cheapest running at around $20 CND. Any info on them would be great. Cheers!
Toad
Sorry for the double post, but could I have some more info on the Sage 1201 that came up in this thread? I’m confused cause it is not on the Sage site and one shopkeep said that it was just a cheap Korean reel with Sage stamped on the front. Thanks.
Toad
Toad,
Check out some of the combos at Cabela’s. I have found that you really can’t go too wrong with their stuff. They have great combos at “beginner” prices. Also if you can get to a streamside flyshop, many of them have used rigs that will serve you well.
Kermitthetoad,
I found some info on the SAGE 1201 on this site, and it has pictures. Maybe this will help with your decision.
[url=http://www.flyfishusa.com/reels/sage-1201.htm:f58ed]Look Here[/url:f58ed]