What would be a decent "starter" set up for a beginner

Jevy

Adventurer
Hey everyone,

I am interested in learning how to fly fish and was curious what would be considered a decent beginner set up. More than likely it will be used for brim, crappie, and bass fishing. Is it possible to get into a basic set up without spending hundreds of dollars???? I have a son that loves to fish and I think he would be really good with it so I am looking at two set ups but he is only 12 so his setup will be different than mine.
 

Flagster

Expedition Leader
There are plenty of nice beginner combos at most Walmarts...Scientific Angler "branded" at my local one but I think most of the fly rod combos start around 50.00 bucks...should do fine
If you want a little nicer usually Cabelas, Beans, etc have some combos (rod and reel, line, flys) for around 150.00
 

dblosch

Adventurer
I'd get the Redington Crosswater combo. I bought myself an Orvis Clearwater combo, and it's great, but the Redington kit I got my fiance is almost as nice. The rod is great, the reel is decent, and the line is even better than what came with my Orvis stuff. If I had known what I know now- I'd have gotten myself the Redington kit and saved $200+. That $200 would make a huge difference in the quality of waders/boots. Or several big boxes of flies!

Oh and the Redington is about $120. Here it is on the site: http://www.redington.com/fly-fishing-outfits/crosswater/

Around here, a 9' 5 weight is the standard first rig.

:wavey:
Tight lines,
Dan
 
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My personal opinion, the walmart stuff is $50 bucks wasted. You can buy someone's used rig for say like 100 bucks. Or go with a decent cabelas house combo. For small fish put more money in the rod, until you get into fish that can run, the reel is just a place to store line. Even a decent sized large mouth won't run like a 20 inch trout.

Fly fisherman are always upgrading, so there's always good used stuff on the market. There's a big difference in a $300 dollar rod and a $50 buck one. Used or new. Think of this way, 3 tanks of gas = a nice rod. It's only a couple of hours to the white river in Arkansas from Memphis, one of the worlds best brown trout fisheries. Sooner or later the trout calls.
 

dlh62c

Explorer
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HERC

New member
Look into the Ross kits, everything you need, rod, reel, line, leader, and a case for 200 bucks. I bought one for my daughter and have no regrets, it casts as good as my Sage.
 
Second on the Orvis kits. I've kitted out several friends in their lower-end rods and ended up buying one myself because the feel was actually pretty fair. This time of year odds are you can find something reasonable on sale as well.

Have fun!
 

Rubicon

Observer
Having gone thru the same when I first started Fly-Fishing a number of years ago.... I would say that buying a quality rod and line makes the most bang-for-the-buck. For me, fishing mainly small spring creeks in the Sierra's, my reel is mainly just a line holder for when I'm storing the rod. Most of the trout I get into are "small" being in the 8-10" range (but are a blast on 2 and 3 wt rods), with a few 12-15" thrown in on occasion.... My "go-to" setup is an older G-Loomis GL3 (9' 5wt) with an Orvis Battenkill Reel. In the Sierra's I've only ever been "into my backing" and needed a reel to control a fish once or twice in the +/- 20 years I've been fishing the small streams up there. I agree with others that a good, basic 9' 5wt setup is generally a great way to go. If it is typically very windy where you are, you might want to jump up to a 6 or 7 wt, but 5 should work great.....

Montana is a whole other story! For MT fishing I have 5, 7 & 8 weights that I take depending on what & where we are fishing.

Key for me when I was learning was to have a rod that had a relatively quick action - My first rod (still have and fish maybe once per year) was my Grandfather's - an OLD bamboo rod from the 1920's that is so "slow" in action that it feels like trying to cast a wet noodle. For the first few trips back in the day, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't cast it worth a darn - then tried my buddy's Sage and figured out that the action is the key....

That's my $0.02 on the matter...

RUBE
 

windsock

Adventurer
Rubicon is the only one that has mentioned rod action. Buy a rod with the action to suit your casting action. Getting a particular rod and reel package because of cost is like opening a christmas present from an old aunty who hasn't seen you since 1985 and has knitted you a jersey. It might fit but it may not either. Rod action is all about fit.

Here in NZ when shopping with a good outfitter you can generally take a rod out to a casting area and try it before you buy it. The best advice I was given when starting out was buy the best rod you can afford. Your casting ability is what makes fly fishing enjoyable. A rod that has the action that works with you will be worth gold out on the river for years and years, and long after the cost has been forgotten. Next thing on the most important list is fly line. A lines dimensions and quality can mean the difference between a rod that works and a rod that needs work. It is also what connects you to the water and I liken it to buying tires for my truck. Horses for courses - buy the best line you can afford. I use a Rio Gold for windless days and a Rio Grand for windy days - works well. A line is more important than the reel. The most important thing to look at in the reel is the drag system for what you intend to fish. Second most important is balance with the rod you have purchased, and third is capacity and suitability to the weighting of the rod. I get away with a simple cork and disc drag and palm the reel when necessary old school style. I use large arbor so i can retrieve rapidly. I have a seriously ported reel for lightweight but this has compromised strength if I fall on it. Cork and disc requires maintenance, but then again so does my old land rover... have fun whichever way you go.

Tightlines!
 

Rubicon

Observer
Cannot agree more! Many of the shops around here also offer casting classes where you can use a number of different rods, lines, etc to see what matches up with your particular style....

Also, a good quality line that is matched to your needs is something I forgot to mention!

Was fishing with a friend in Northern California (up around Redding on the Upper Sacramento & other creeks, streams, lakes, etc in the area) a number of years ago. My friend had been coerced (forced?) to bring along a client of his who "had been fly-fishing since he was a kid" - and "knew" everything there was to know....

Well, turns out he shows up with a fly line that he literally hadn't had off the spool of his reel since the last time he fished - which he later admitted was 25 years earlier! Needless to say, he actually said that he "knew his line was fine because it hadn't been used in all that time".... and absolutely refused to purchase a new line or use one of the extra rods we had brought along.... All he did was whine about how hard the fishing was.... If you don't know, fly lines do "go bad" after a while - they dry out, crack and basically won't cast worth a darn....
 

Big_Geek

Drop Bear
I keep extra gear just for friends that may want to get into fly fishing. I let them borrow the gear and rotate through to see what they like. I try to give them an idea of the different character of the materials and action. Finding a rod that matches your desired rhythm and price point can be difficult, but determining what you do or do not like about a friend's gear can point you in the right direction before you let go of the cold, hard cash to buy your own.
 

Big_Geek

Drop Bear
Just noticed that you're in Memphis. If you ever want to meet at one of the trout rivers in Arkansas, send me a PM.
 

Goochm

Observer
Never buy a rod you cannot test cast. Hence, no Cabela's rods unless you can go to the store and try it. Casting action is too dependent on your abilities to risk something that won't work for you. Reels are only for storing line and spending a lot of $$ on one is a waste (steelhead, salmon and ocean fishing excepted). I still use an Orvis Battenkill click reel I've had since the early '80's and can't see a reason to "upgrade." And spending $75 on a line? Nope. Not at first.
 

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