Getting my first Fly Rod and Reel set up , looking for some guidance . Been looking at the TFO combo’s , good choice ? Thanks for any help .
The TFO combos are quality products RiverEagle. You won’t go wrong. I have 3! Which one are you looking at?
And they are a sponsor of this site.
If you’re buying from a shop ask to test it out, just to make sure you like the feel.
Regards,
Scott
TFO combos are very good values and perform well. TFO has great warranty service too if you ever need it.
RiverEagle,
Don’t know your budget, but I would recommend looking at the Sage Vantage outfit. They come in 5, 6 or 8 wt with tube, 1650 or 1680 reel and weighted-forward flyline. Sage also makes their Flight series in a combo as well. Checkout their website at http://www.sageflyfish.com/
I would recommend a 4 weight rod with a weight forward line so you can pratice more and longer with out getting worn out like you could with a heavier outfit. As far as which brand , until your casting stroke developes , which will change over time with practice , its a crap shoot. One of my favorite rod’s cost 30 buck’s. For what ever reason it just fit’s my casting style. I cast one rod that was the latest , greatest and most expensive but for me it was like a broom. There are a lot of rod’s out there that cost more for a reason , built better with better material’s but that does not mean they can transform your cast like magic. I guess I would say cast and test every rod you can get your hand’s on without having to buy it until you find one that feel’s right.
I would choose a combo based on the biggest flies I was planning on using and the biggest fish I was going after. You can extend the leader and fish #22 dry flies with a nine weight rod but very few people can cast a weighted 1/0 streamer with a two weight. After saying that I would add that lighter rods are more fun for average size fish and flies. I had a chance to cast one of the scientific anglers 4 piece starter outfits last fall. I think they are a great deal for the price. The best price we found was at troutlet.com, another sponsor. If you have access to a fly shop it might be worth the extra money to go in and tell them you are a beginner. Hopefully they will go outside with you and help you with how to cast as well as choosing a rod.
I’ve owned TFO stuff before. Bottom line, they make good stuff. Mine was a 9’ 4 piece, 4 weight Professional model. I’m sorry I sold it.
Talked with the fly shop gentleman at the bass pro shop about a few of the different TFO , Sage , St.Croix rods and combo’s TFO Pro-2 , Signature-2 and a couple others . Will be able to actually set up the various combos and take them out side and see which feels the best to me , as he said to me it will be your rod , he does fish a couple of the TFO rods himself and spoke very highly of them as well . Talked about a 9’ 5wght 4pc w/ a BVK reel , backing weight forward line case all this comes with the TFO combos, as well as a couple sage combos . I do know the guy as well so that will be a plus , he also stated that we will go over the various actions and dosen’t want to set me up with a broom stick or a buggy whip . So next good weather we have get to go play and see what I can come up with . Thanks to all for your help as well .
I don’t own any TFO rods - yet. But I visit several fly fishing boards on a regular basis and can report this. I’ve heard tons of people bragging up the quality, performance, value and warranty service on their TFO rods. I have yet to read a single complaint on any of these same TFO topics.
As an additional positive factor for me, I’ve also seen a ton of positive comments about how well TFO has done things to support active and medically retired members of our armed forces. But they seem to do this quietly, not using it for their marketing purposes.
Go for it!
Almost any name brand equipment will do. More important is that you hook yourself up with a quality instructor. While many people start from books and from a friends advice and training, you will benefit immeasurably from quality instruction. It will take years off your learning curve. So unless you take pride from being one of those who can boast of having learned everything themselves, save yourself some heartaches.
Bob
If you decide to put together your own combo and go with TFO, the Professional series is being closed out and is on sale. Here’s one place. Second item on page 9:
http://www.mrfc.com/MadisonRiverShopping/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=4
TFOs are nice but can be really slow/soft. For a first outfit I’d suggest a Cabela’s Cahill outfit. (Just enter “cahill” in the key word window of cabelas.com).
$60 and fully loaded with backing and line. We use these all the time for teaching casting. Very reliable and easy to fish…and affordable.
I was going to suggest that you vist Bass Pro since that is one of the few places around where you live. Some of the people at Fin & Feather in Iowa city are pretty knowledgable also. I would tell you not to spend very much on your first outfit because what you like will surely change over the next year or two. It would be very good to be able to cast some of the different rods, but for right now you won’t know what is good or bad and what might feel ok now with not casting experience will certainly be incorrect with a little more experience. If you buy a relatively inexpensive 5wt combo now that will get you started, then you can buy a much better setup later and keep the first as a backup or a loaner if you take a friend fishing, because the friend will be sure to ask questions and want to try fly fishing. Buy a decent rod and an inexpensive reel and spend any extra money on a good quality line and then take good care if it. Unless you start catching carp or something like that you will never use the reel for much more than storing line, while catching bluegills or crappies or bass around Red Rock. The same will hold true if you get to northern Iowa or southern Missouri trout fishing. Get some thing and get started and enjoy yourself and just understand that from here on out you will be tinkering and expermenting with all kinds of gear and will soon be asking about tying flies and so the adventure continues.:lol:
Bowmaker has an excellent point here. Buying a decent line AND keeping it and your guides clean are very important. I started fly fishing last year with a Bass Pro Hobbs Creek 6 wt outfit. I love the rod and reel, but the line wasn’t the best quality to begin with and I knew nothing about cleaning the line and guides after each use. I did not condition the line either. This lead to my line failing completely after only 6-8 months of use. The first 6 ft sank and no amount of cleaning or conditioning would bring it back. The line soon became completely uncastable. As I learned, I worked my way up to about a 60 ft cast, by the time I replaced the old line, I could not make a decent 20 ft cast. I replaced it with SA line and had to learn to cast all over again, as I had picked up some bad habits from trying to muscle around the bad line. It’s taken me a couple of weeks to retrain myself, but I’m not nearly as frustrated now and frustration is usually the downfall of new fly fishers. I can’t stress enough that if you live where there is plenty of mud in the water like there is here in Illinois, it becomes extremely important to care for your lines and guides. Luke
The Temple Fork Professional series rods were good rods for the regular price, and for ninety dollars at MRFC, you can go wrong with one of those for your first fly rod. Lots of guides have been using these rods for their clients since these rods came out. You will need to buy a rod tube, since Temple Fork does not provide them with their rods.
Like others have said, make sure to get a quality fly line. A reel does not make a big difference, but if you can afford it, get a decent reel, because you will be less likely to want to replace it at a later date.
I would highly recommend that your first outfit be a combo which offers you a rod, line and reel put together by the company that created the outfit. They will be offering you an outfit that is balanced which would make for a smoother casting outfit to start with. If you are not real familiar with fly rods and reels, you could possibly put a reel on a fly rod that is either too heavy or too light for the rod which would make for a poor casting outfit that is no fun to cast and fish. There are many good combos out there and that would be my suggestion. Just a thought and nothing more…
You can’t go wrong with TFO. JUMP on that Professional series sale. You’ll be happy with it for a long time. I had and used mine for ten years…until it got busted while packing up from my wild Montana adventure. (third time disaster hit that rod) I could sent it in sometime and get a replacement for it again…just haven’t gotten around to it. I have a lot of rods now so I don’t miss it as much as I used too.
In my book there is no point in spending a heap of money on rods like Sage until you have some considerable time fly fishing and casting under your belt. Then start playing with other rods ( your freinds and people you meet or go to shows) and see what they feel like. You won’t notice the differences in them and whether it’s worth the extra cost to you, until you have some experience. Just my two cents. 
I am another one to recommend a combo. Scientific Anglers has a good one for instance. I agree that it will be balanced and have all you need to start. Later on you may want a different rod, but the reel can go with it too. And it is always good to take a backup outfit on any trip, no matter how local.
The only other suggestion - which I have not seen here - is to go to your local (respected) flyshop or club and ask for used equipment. Both of those places will want you to return and not want to embarrass themselves. You will probably get better stuff than you could otherwise afford (when new), and it will still work as well as when new - someone just outgrew it or changed preferences. I am not saying you should use UpCountry in Connecticut (although they are trustworthy - look at my address, I am not affiliated with them, just have been there several times) but I am adding the link as an example of what is available used.
Good luck, Greg