If You Could Only Have One Fly Rod

[Gavin]

You cant go wrong with a Sage, best fly rod mfg on the planet today IMO, though I'd go with the 4pc. A 28" tube vs. a 55" tube..... the 4pc will be much easier to transport...fits in the canoe better, plus I can rarely tell the difference between a good 4pc and a 2pc rod. Lamson..they make some nice reels......But there are lots of good reel mfgs too...hard to find a bad one for $100. Rio makes a good fly lines. Sounds like a really nice setup. Cheers.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Scientific Anglers GPX line is good stuff -- about $65. Sharkskin --- never tried it, but I hear its an overpriced gimmick.

Take a look at the rod-tube on the 2 pc - 9ft. Its about like having another canoe paddle. If you don't mind that, and I don't, then go for it. Most of my fly rods are 3 or 4 piecers, but a I do have a couple 2 piecers. A 2 pc 7 and 1/2 footer isn't so bad, but the 2 piece 9 foot rod tube is a monstrosity and isn't going to sit nicely in a trunk. It needs the floor-board and some space in the backseat of most cars.

I just bought a couple of Albright Bugati reels for $35 each. Large arbor, disc drag - cartridge type. Looks sharp and is smooth as glass. Don't waste money on no fly reel. For the price of the Lamson, you could almost buy another Launch, say in a 7 wt. or a 3 wt.

[Flysmallie]

You know I always hear the thing about Sharkskin being a gimmick. I don't know maybe it is. But I had a SA GPX line before it and it's better than that.

The guys that have it seem to love it, the guys that don't seem to call it a gimmick.

But I have heard of guys that have used it and didn't like it. And it does take some getting used to. The noise is the biggest thing. But I can cast it a lot better that I have anything else. Maybe that's why I can get by using a 5wt on smallmouth.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Look, between saving $100 on the reel (Lamson Konic vs. Albright Bugati) and also saving another $40 on the line (SA GPX vs. Sharkskin) . . . . thats $140, almost enough for a whole 'nother outfit!

[Flysmallie]

Look, between saving $100 on the reel (Lamson Konic vs. Albright Bugati) and also saving another $40 on the line (SA GPX vs. Sharkskin) . . . . thats $140, almost enough for a whole 'nother outfit!

He makes a good point.

i still like my Sharkskin, just saying

[CS Huntley]

Eric, here is the easy way out. Lets say you picked the

TFO Pro. If I recall correctly you can purchase that rod as a combo.

You get a 9ft, 5wt TFO rod, TFO reel and line all matched to the rod.

The price is usually better also when bought this way.

Dano

Yup, I got a 9ft, 5wt TFO Pro from Bass Pro and it came with a Hobbs Creek reel for a penny. It came with line as well and even some 3x tippet. I think I spent around $160 total for it and I love the rod. In fact I'm thinking about buying another one thats 7wt.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Serisously - the Lefty Kreh beginner line is fine stuff. Its got a great coating on it and it lasts... think they still call it the Headstart line. Its also got a good taper designed to help a little on the " load " of todays faster rods.. or get you better distance with a traditional rod that is labeled a 5wt and actually casts a 5wt.

The Launch is a great rod. Doesnt Sage have a good warranty on it too ?

Reels ??? You don't want me started in on reels. All advice given so far is great.

( though I am partial to you shopping for a Sc-Ang System 2 )

Sometimes less is more. Write that down.

Brian

[snagged in outlet 3]

I cast all the new stuff when it comes out and the trend lately is for faster rods. I agree that a slower rod is easier to learn with and in my opinion they are more pleasurable to cast over the long haul. I have Lamson Lightspeeds with sage and Loomis rods. I could have bought any rod that Sage had at the time but the VPS just felt better to me.

I'm a golfer so a new $400 dollar stick every year isn't a big deal to me. Cast them first and don't worry if it's fast or slow. Also cast them with the reel you want I've cast some horribly matched up outfits before and it makes a huge difference.

One side note though. If you are going to fish tailwaters I would go with 9'6" rod or better yet 10'. If you going to the trout parks or small Missouri trout rivers I would stay at 9' or less.

I guess Dallas and I have the same great taste in wrenches.

SIO3

[eric1978]

The Launch is a great rod. Doesnt Sage have a good warranty on it too ?

Lifetime Warranty, whatever that means.

The rod's a done deal. I got the Sage Launch 590 for $132 on ebay. I think they've discontinued the Launch models, so it was a good discounted price. Cabela's wanted $220 for one, which they said was their sale price.

I had it side by side to another Sage model that was $600, also a 9' 5 wt. It was 1/16 oz lighter, I couldn't tell any difference on the action of it, and other than having prettier wood below the grip and a little nicer reel seat, I really couldn't tell the difference.

Take a look at the rod-tube on the 2 pc - 9ft. Its about like having another canoe paddle. If you don't mind that, and I don't, then go for it. Most of my fly rods are 3 or 4 piecers, but a I do have a couple 2 piecers. A 2 pc 7 and 1/2 footer isn't so bad, but the 2 piece 9 foot rod tube is a monstrosity and isn't going to sit nicely in a trunk. It needs the floor-board and some space in the backseat of most cars.

I did go ahead and get the two piece...just two less things that can go wrong for a beginner is I guess how I looked at it. Honestly I don't see myself bringing it in the canoe much (maybe I'm wrong), but if I do, there's plenty of room for it. No biggie. I've been hauling around 6 foot rods and longer in the cab of my truck all my life, so I'm really not concerned about the space a 4.5' tube will take up.

Lamson Konic, great reel from what I hear. I don't own one but it will be the next reel that I purchase.

Can't go wrong with a Rio line, but I really like the Sharkskin that I have. I know a lot of guys don't like it, but just like everything else in the world, some like it and some don't. Some people like pigs feet and I do not.

At this point I'm leaning toward the Konic because I really like the conical drag. I haven't seen the Albright Bugati yet, but I'll definitely take a look. I don't think I saw them at BPS or Cabela's. You know who carries them? I may have just missed them there...I'm on confusion overload right now.

I'll keep sifting through opinions on line and figure that out later. I won't have my rod for a week or so anyway so I have some time to figure it out. And of course I spent the money that was supposed to go toward replacing my old leaky waders, so I can't really go anywhere anyway...I might have until Christmas to wait. Maybe I'll take it out to Busch in the meantime. ..........I don't even wanna hear it from you guys...but I know it's coming.

Oh, and Ronnie, I'm with you on the pig's feet.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I wouldn't go overboard on the reel unless you plan on Salmon/Steelhead fishing. The line can defiantly make or break you, put some research into that.

I like the combination rod and reel cases, no stringing it up every time you get ready to fish, or move a distance in your vehicle.