I wanted to get into Fly fishing but have never done it before. Basically I have no idea what equipment I need to start with or which brands I should go with. I will be doing fresh water fishing, and any recommendations would help. I don’t want to end up buying a crap rod but, I also don’t want to spend a lot on something that’s not worth it.
Freshwater fishing for what species and where will you be doing it?
Oh, and welcome.
Ecko,
What part of the country are you located in?
The absolute best way to get introduced to this sport is to join a good fly club. (if you have any)
The next best way is to camp out at your local fly shop. (if you have any).
The next way would be to really study some of the excellent DVD’s that are out there. Before we get into listing them, tell us where you are to see if the top two choices are available to you.
Another OK way is to team up with an existing fly fisher but not all fly fishers are good teachers, so this can lead to some really bad habits you could fall into (you will anyway ;)) or a lot of frustration.
So, first, where do you live?
Larry 
—sagefisher—
Well I’m in NYC and although there are one or two spots on Long Island that I have heard about I would like to go fish on the Croton River http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/nycfshwestput.pdf .
I have fished in all the places you’re thinking about. I would recommend a 5-weight outfit, probably, 8’ or 8 1/2’. I’m not going to name a specific brand. To a certain extent, it depends on how much you are planning to spend. Figure about $40 for a fly line, $30-$100 for a reel, and anything goes on the rod. There’s a lot of usable rods out there. As long as you don’t buy an Ugly-Stik, LOL, you will have something suitable to learn on.
Welcome Ecko… If you can’t find the information you’re looking for here, you can find.
Welcome to the board, the reason people havn’t jumped in with a specific rod or brand of rod is because your question is so complex. It is sort of like coming to America from abroad and asking which baseball team should I watch. There is no real correct answer. Generally speaking if a local flyshop is in business and competing against the big box stores successfully, it is because he is selling quality products. Thats where I’d start my search. Every sponsor on this website has been checked out by the site administration and found to be 100% ok or they simply wouldn’t be a sponsor.
There are many many fine rods out there and some junk too.
I certainly advocate getting a good caster to help you start out with. The local fly fish club is probably the best way to go on that.
It would help if we knew what your price range was. You can get an excellent starter rod reel line backing and leader Kit for under $80.00 or you can buy a $7,000 fly rod with an equally expensive reel. Both outfits will catch fish about equally.
Like I said at the start its a very hard question to answer properly.
ecko,
bedford hills n.y has a great fly fishing club. they are meet at the bedford sportsman and have lots of fishing trips both fresh and saltwater. checkl out the website.
Well the ideal price range is rod,reel and line for under $200, but if going over that a bit would make a difference then I probably would. I live in Queens NYC so there aren’t any stores around here dediacted to Fly gear. Sport’s Authority or Dick’s would probably have the biggest selection for me, but from the last time I was at SA they mostly just had Ugly Sticks.
This might save you miles of driving with today’s high gas prices. The gear is less expensive but can be more variable. Distance and accuracy still count for a lot, you will need to practice in the dark, (it helps in the long run). Do you have ‘Nite-vision’ glasses?
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/lighterside/jackohman/jack49.php
Get a pair of quality animal-twisting’ gloves too…
The Hook and Hackle Co is a sponsor here
They have a very good rod on closeout right now. A St Croix 8’ 5wt… $60
The H&H brand lines are top notch and also on sale ('till Thursday)
They also have some combos you might want to look at
the urban angler is on 5th ave in manhattan—my son was there a few times—there is a guy running daily charters in the catskills and works around the train schedules out of penn station and makes you a box lunch too—pm me and ill find the link that i sent to my son
Take a ride to the Orvis store in Greenvale (Nassau County), and check out a Clearwater outfit.