Fly rods $

[halibuthitman]

I personally find that putting a $400 reel and $90 worth of line on a $50 flyrod to have a certain poetic charm... Very oregonian.. I do it often-

 

[OnTheFly]

I personally find that putting a $400 reel and $90 worth of line on a $50 flyrod to have a certain poetic charm... Very oregonian.. I do it often-

Ha! You must have bought that old glass Fenwick from troutdude after a night with Jameson and now you're trying to clean up bad judgement by calling it poetic. Bahaha......

 

[halibuthitman]

Ha! You must have bought that old glass Fenwick from troutdude after a night with Jameson and now you're trying to clean up bad judgement by calling it poetic. Bahaha......

Sheesh, i bought those fenwicks to hold up my tomato plants... Its getting hard to find ugly sticks given their new found popularity..

 

[eugene1]

Lol

 

[TimberTodd]

Sheesh, i bought those fenwicks to hold up my tomato plants... Its getting hard to find ugly sticks given their new found popularity..

:lol:

 

[troutdude]

Ha! You must have bought that old glass Fenwick from troutdude after a night with Jameson and now you're trying to clean up bad judgement by calling it poetic. Bahaha......

I made a killing. But, those really weren't "tomato" plants...know what I mean man? eace:

 

[halibuthitman]

I made a killing. But, those really weren't "tomato" plants...know what I mean man? eace:

Actually, i already own or sold most of those same rods.. But jay already knew that i bet. You had some fine specimens-

 

[eugene1]

Haha,

this thread is cracking me up!

It's so sweet I can use my old broken and junker rods for other things!

Best,

I made a killing. But, those really weren't "tomato" plants...know what I mean man? eace:

 

[catchallthefish]

no bro!.... see the red Christmas bulbs on them... there "tomato's" trust me they work

 

[wozniasm]

Everybody has an opinion so I'll add my 2 cents.
I started on a cheap 7 foot combo from Walmart and taught myself to cast.
Had no problem catching trout and after I decided I was going to stick with fly fishing, upgraded to a $200 combo then later upgraded again over the years.
Now I have the cheaper ones as backups and are available for my nephews to use. I started them on the cheapies to learn the basics since they are not as nice and if they broke them, not much of a loss then gave them the better rods to try.
definitely, the more expensive rods (not poles) will cast so much better.

 

[schwinndigley]

I'm so rough on rods I won't but one without a lifetime warranty anymore.

I know what you mean, i can pretty much keep time by the frequency of my rod destruction. lol

 

[Bean]

There ARE big differences. Visit a couple of fly shops, and ask questions. Also ask if you can practice cast, the ones that you think you like. Don't be in a hurry, and you'll find one you'll like. Narrowing down the type of fishing--and / or the specie--will also be a big help.

I definitely agree with the fact that there are huge differences in rods especially in the feel of each brand. For example, a Winston rod tends to have a lot more flex and feel (a more traditional rod, I guess). A Sage rod will be a bit stiffer all around (their medium action rods would act like a fast action Winston). You definitely need to consider the weight of the rod depending on what you're fishing for. So, trout start out with a 5 weight which you can use for some bigger fish, but not that big. Small bass, crappie, perch, etc. Steelhead, big bass, carp, bigger fish, you're going to want a 6 or 7 weight. As a beginning fly fisher, my advice would be to start with ANY rod in the weight that you need for the species you are targeting (5 or 7 wt.) It's likely that once you actually become proficient at casting, and then fishing the rod, you are going to find things that don't suit your style, or that you don't like about the rod. Better not to waste a ton of money on your first rod and end up hating it. Good starter rods would be Echo or Reddington. They are not amazing, but they are not the garbage sold in the all-in-one kit. You can find a relatively low priced rod (100 to 300 dollar range) but still have a decent quality rod to grow with, so to speak. The thing that will never change is your reel. If you intend to pursue the sport then a quality reel is something to buy right away. Ross reels are my favorite, but shop around. Hope this gives some insight. One more note on the quote above. When you go into a fly shop, remember that you are still dealing with salesmen. Definitely ask them to demo rods, and take in all the info that they give you, but go home and do your research on that info. They are still there to sell a product. Said to you by someone who worked at a fly shop and was not the best seller. I really never wanted to sell the wrong rod to the wrong person. Luckily I was good at sending flies out the door. However, if the fly shop guy was good to you after your research, go back and buy something from them!

 

[Later, Peter]

You need to figure out: where you'll be fishing. How much you'll be fishing. How often you'll be fishing. What it is you'll be fishing for. How you'll be fishing (dry fly, nymphing, wet fly)... A GOOD class will offer you different types of rods (lengths, type of action, weights). This doesn't all have to make sense to you now. And I would STRONGLY recommend NOT trying to figure it all out by yourself... it is much easier to learn correctly then to UNlearn bad habits... (a class, a friend, a group, a stranger on the river...)
as an ex-teacher of fly fishing for PCC (& privately)... I do not recommend going full out cheap. A bad rod can ruin the learning curve & the fun of fly fishing...