13 replies to this topic

[Cyphus]

Alright Ladies and Gentleman,

 

Here's the deal, birthday just went by and ended up with $250 in BassPro giftcards and I'm thinking about getting a fly outfit. I need some advice from all you fly guys.

 

It's my first fly outfit, so I'm not really sure what too buy and could use some advice. I fish for bass, pike, and panfish most often, although I would like too add salmon and trout to that list since I live near the Credit River, and I'm going to algonquin for a week in 3 weeks. I fish lakes mostly, but as I said, since I live near the credit I will obviously be doing some river/stream fishing. I was thinking an 8wt would be a decent place to start, maybe 9'? (although length matters less to me... unless you think it should lol). I was looking at the St. Croix Rio Santos outfit, but of course BP doesn't sell it. lol Anyways, like I said, I don't really know what I should go for and I would love some input, so let me know. 

 

Just keep in mind it's gotta be from BassPro. Thanks in advance!

 

aaaaaaaaaand GO!

[Christopher K]

Ok here we go.

 

First, find someone to trade those giftcards with for cash that you can spend anywhere! (if you really want to go with bass pro then go with temple fork). Now for the actual specifics of the rod I hate to say it but you're not going to have a rod that fishes all of those situations well. For salmon you'll need at least an 8wt which is far from ideal for trout and panfish, you can fish for them with it but not as effectively as something >5wt. Length absolutely matters and again for salmon I would say no less than 9ft is what you want, this will be fine for the other situations you mentioned as well. Also, try to test cast the rod first, not all rods cast the same despite weight ratings and lengths, a rio santo is much faster than a temple fork NXT and it will be harder for a beginner to control.

[FrequentFlyer]

is $250 your entire budget? or is there room above that, keep in mind a decent rod will run you $150, a reel for $50-$100, backing $10, line $45-$100, leaders 3.50 each, tippet and flies.

 

that being said, look into TFO, and redington, and to expand on Chris K's comments, if you trade those cards for cash, look at ross fly rods, incredibly easy to cast

[Cyphus]

I'd had considered selling them, but haven't decided yet Chris. lol, yeah, I know there's never gonna be a 'coverall' kind of rod, but if there's something that would cover some if not most, that would be ideal, right? Like I said, I'm mostly a bass and pike guy, and I would love to add trout and salmon, but trout is the more realistic of the two, so if you recommend a lighter rod for trout then I'll keep that in mind. I figured a 7 or 8wt might be a bit better if I land a decent sized pike or something? As for length, fill me in bud! why do you prefer one length over another? As for testing the rod, I know what you mean, and I'm totally okay with a rod that is harder to learn in the beginning if it's a better rod in the long run. I learn quick anyways, and although I don't expect to be good right out off the bat, it won't take me super long to get out of the retard stage. Lol, I'm happy to go out to a local park and practice! =D

Yeah FF, I had considered that, and I could probably afford to spend an extra $50 or so, but I'm mostly trying to get away with out it lol. that way it at least feels free ha ha. I actually have a bunch of flies and tippets (I've been using the a-just-a-bubble system for a little bit) so that's alright, but I know what you mean, all that stuff add's up quickly. Rod, reel, backing, line, extra spools, so on and son on $$$. I did check out some of the TFO outfits, and the Reddington on the site, but I'm unsure as to what the quality of them is like? I tried looking around for reviews on them but didn't find much (I don't really  trust the BP reviews!). I don't mind spending a bit of extra money, god knows I spend enough on my other gear, but I have no experience with those two brands and have no idea if they're worth spending the money on.

[Shmogley]

you know its not the best thing in the world but itll get you started. they have a temple fork starter rod and reel with line kit for around 170$

with the leftover money buy some decent fly line and toss away the poop it comes with. the backing it comes with is fine but the fly line is junk. that should leave you a little bit after to buy some tippet/leader so you can start fishing right away.

 

also ive had steelhead and salmon and carp all on my 6weight and it did the job. not as good as a 8-9wt would but i didnt have to overplay the fish or feel like my rod was in danger of damage. but its a switch rod and has some extra length to compensate(aww yea)

and to be fair the carp and salmon were not monsters. im sure a 30+pound fish would have given me a lot of trouble.

so, imo, if you want something that can be an "overall" rod go with a longer 6/7 or an 8wt regular length. itll can a bit rough on small fish but if you are careful its ok

 

anyways all good advice here above. chris k  and FF are both veterans and know their stuff inside/out and while im still new i get out a lot

good luck bro

[Christopher K]

I'd had considered selling them, but haven't decided yet Chris. lol, yeah, I know there's never gonna be a 'coverall' kind of rod, but if there's something that would cover some if not most, that would be ideal, right? Like I said, I'm mostly a bass and pike guy, and I would love to add trout and salmon, but trout is the more realistic of the two, so if you recommend a lighter rod for trout then I'll keep that in mind.

 

Can you clarify if you mean steelhead or trout? If trout you're really better with an 8wt as there isn't anything that will get you trout and the others, you'll need it for the pike and although you don't need it for bass it will work well for them too.

 

I figured a 7 or 8wt might be a bit better if I land a decent sized pike or something? As for length, fill me in bud! why do you prefer one length over another?

 

Same reasons as a spinning rod! You're concerned about casting distance mostly, a shorter rod is good for tight casting spaces but for the species you've mentioned you usually have plenty of space to cast. A longer rod of 9' to 10' is also nice if you like to nymph for steelhead and salmon as it allows you to just "dap" you fly over the fish.

 

As for testing the rod, I know what you mean, and I'm totally okay with a rod that is harder to learn in the beginning if it's a better rod in the long run. I learn quick anyways, and although I don't expect to be good right out off the bat, it won't take me super long to get out of the retard stage. Lol, I'm happy to go out to a local park and practice! =D

 

It's not so much about casting ability but casting style, I consider myself to be fairly experienced at casting (although I still have troubles). However, I still prefer a slow action rod as I get much more accuracy and I'm not strong enough to control something like Sage's predator rod which is designed as a fast action distance casting rod.

 

Also, for a line go with either Rio, Airflo or Cortland, those are my favourite lines and will give you plenty of use.
 

[Christopher K]

you know its not the best thing in the world but itll get you started. they have a temple fork starter rod and reel with line kit for around 170$

with the leftover money buy some decent fly line and toss away the poop it comes with. the backing it comes with is fine but the fly line is junk. that should leave you a little bit after to buy some tippet/leader so you can start fishing right away.

 

also ive had steelhead and salmon and carp all on my 6weight and it did the job. not as good as a 8-9wt would but i didnt have to overplay the fish or feel like my rod was in danger of damage. but its a switch rod and has some extra length to compensate(aww yea)

and to be fair the carp and salmon were not monsters. im sure a 30+pound fish would have given me a lot of trouble.

so, imo, if you want something that can be an "overall" rod go with a longer 6/7 or an 8wt regular length. itll can a bit rough on small fish but if you are careful its ok

 

anyways all good advice here above. chris k  and FF are both veterans and know their stuff inside/out and while im still new i get out a lot

good luck bro

Remember that 6wt is a spey rod, more like a 7 or 8wt single hand, a 6wt is extremely under powered for salmon and carp and most rods that light will snap if you try this!

[Shmogley]

yea like i said the extra length compensates for some strength. its something to consider none the less

[Cyphus]

You have a good point there Shmog, and it's a definite possibility that I buy something cheaper and upgrade what comes with it, but we will see! From what I've read I might be a bit nervous going for salmon and steeles on a 6wt, but good on you for getting them in ha ha. I'm sure you had to play em out a bit, even if they weren't too big. but that's half the fun! =) lol who doesn't love extra length.

Chris, I'd definitely say trout as I fish more lakes than I do streams and rivers, in algonquin for example as i mentioned. That being said, being so close to the credit, I wouldn't mind hunting down some steeles, but that could always wait until I pick up my next outfit (cause you know... there's obviously gonna be more than one lol) I should clarify that some of the pike I catch are 15+ lb's easily. Not that that's gonna match a 30lber, but still a good sized fish. That's fair about rod length, I suppose I hadn't thought about that, ha. I see what you mean about the action too, generally with all my spinning gear I prefer an extra-fast or fast tip, they're a bit more... 'whippy' if you will and I find that lets me feel/make small adjustments during my casts. No idea if the same would be applicable for fly rods lol. Thanks for mentioning who makes good line too, ha ha, I had nooooooo freakin clue.

[FrequentFlyer]

personally i use a 9ft 8wt as my salmon/steelhead rod, i live and fish in the east, so im not too worried about having a longer rod for casting distance, however, the rod I do have has enough power in it to cast a long ways if i do venture out to some of the bigger western tribs.  Also, I prefer SA lines, just a personal choice, nothing against the other line makers.

 

a 6wt is nice, it'll handle your average sized steel without much problem, will it handle a salmon, in the hands of the right angler, sure, but like everything, you want the right tool for the job at hand, an 8wt while on the heavy end for trout and steelhead, will handle a salmon or pike pretty well, and also cast larger flies and have enough power to cast into the wind.

[Shmogley]

personally i use a 9ft 8wt as my salmon/steelhead rod, i live and fish in the east, so im not too worried about having a longer rod for casting distance, however, the rod I do have has enough power in it to cast a long ways if i do venture out to some of the bigger western tribs.  Also, I prefer SA lines, just a personal choice, nothing against the other line makers.

 

a 6wt is nice, it'll handle your average sized steel without much problem, will it handle a salmon, in the hands of the right angler, sure, but like everything, you want the right tool for the job at hand, an 8wt while on the heavy end for trout and steelhead, will handle a salmon or pike pretty well, and also cast larger flies and have enough power to cast into the wind.

^couldnt have put it better myself

 

just to clear up things a bit...

yes i have done it on my 6 wt switch rod. my 6wt is my first fly rod.

I, like the op wanted to get an all around type rod for my first one while i learn/untill i have more money to buy specialised gear.

thats the only reason i suggested  a 6wt, as you seem to be looking for something you can do a little bit of everything with.

at the end of the day you really should have a 8/9 for bigger fish and something around 5wt for stream

[Cyphus]

Ha ha, Well that's kind of the crux of the whole wt issue isn't it? Could it work, maybe, but you gotta be the right type of guy lol. Like you said, the right tool for the job. Good to know there's a bit of play there though!

[Cyphus]

^couldnt have put it better myself

 

just to clear up things a bit...

yes i have done it on my 6 wt switch rod. my 6wt is my first fly rod.

I, like the op wanted to get an all around type rod for my first one while i learn/untill i have more money to buy specialised gear.

thats the only reason i suggested  a 6wt, as you seem to be looking for something you can do a little bit of everything with.

at the end of the day you really should have a 8/9 for bigger fish and something around 5wt for stream

Totally cool with that man, I thought i'd ask you guys since you all have more experience with it than me. I'm sure I'll make all kinds of mistakes; lose fish, snag trees... or friends.... lol and do all the other stupid poop i can manage, but I'll at least try to avoid as much as possible.

[Snaggy]

Heres what I did..

 

I fish for mainly bass, so I chose a 7 weight.(spend the money on this) However, I also enjoy fishing panfish on the fly so I went to Canadian Tire and bought the cheapie 4/5 weight. cost me about 40 as a combo. Casts okay I guess, but then I realised, when I do fishing for small trout on streams and places for panfish, I never really cast far anyway lol. Just something to consider, panfishing on a lighter rod is way more fun.