fishinwrench Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 The rod's a done deal. I got the Sage Launch 590 Right on !
ness Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Eric -- good choice on the rod. That should tide you over nicely until you get into bamboo. Albright Bugatti? Coldwater, where do you find this stuff? Never heard of it. Don't go tooo cheap on the reel. It's not all about the drag either. You want something well-made, that'll last a while and looks at least good enough that you're not embarrassed to be seen with it. I won't do plastic, and I won't do painted metal. Plastic's gonna break, painted metal's gonna look like crap soon. I've got several Orvis Battenkills. It's a decent, serviceable reel that's been around forever. I didn't check today, but I think they're around $75. You can buy extra spools, so you can kinda look at that as more reel for the money (spool it with different line weights). They've also got a low-end metal reel called, I think, the Madison line. They're worth a look. Nobody ever brings them up in these conversations but me, and I don't really know why that is. They're decent reels for the money and carry the Orvis no-questions-asked guarantee. John
Wayne SW/MO Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 I've got several Orvis Battenkills. I agree, they're a good reel for the money and plenty of drag for Missouri fish and I've got three. The spare spools are cheap enough to have one for a bug taper. Today's release is tomorrows gift to another fisherman.
eric1978 Posted November 16, 2009 Author Posted November 16, 2009 Eric -- good choice on the rod. That should tide you over nicely until you get into bamboo. Albright Bugatti? Coldwater, where do you find this stuff? Never heard of it. Don't go tooo cheap on the reel. It's not all about the drag either. You want something well-made, that'll last a while and looks at least good enough that you're not embarrassed to be seen with it. I won't do plastic, and I won't do painted metal. Plastic's gonna break, painted metal's gonna look like crap soon. I've got several Orvis Battenkills. It's a decent, serviceable reel that's been around forever. I didn't check today, but I think they're around $75. You can buy extra spools, so you can kinda look at that as more reel for the money (spool it with different line weights). They've also got a low-end metal reel called, I think, the Madison line. They're worth a look. Nobody ever brings them up in these conversations but me, and I don't really know why that is. They're decent reels for the money and carry the Orvis no-questions-asked guarantee. I'll check those out, ness. You know, this is going to be the only fly rod I'm gonna have for a while, so I'm willing to spend a little extra to get something I'm going to enjoy using, will make learning easier, and that will last a long time. I've spent far more on reels than $130, so it really feels like a bargain. I'm sure there are plenty of $50 reels that work great and would be all I'd need, but $80-$100 dollars isn't like a life-changing amount of money, so it doesn't really bother me to spend it. I just want to give myself every opportunity to enjoy my first experiences with fly fishing, because I know it's going to be difficult and frustrating in the beginning, so I might as well be able to have fun with my equipment in the meantime.
ness Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Man, I love it -- Albright website says Bugati MSRP $250, on sale for $35. Whoops. John
eric1978 Posted November 16, 2009 Author Posted November 16, 2009 Man, I love it -- Albright website says Bugati MSRP $250, on sale for $35. What the hell does that mean? Either that's the most transparent marketing trick ever, or they're junk and they can't get rid of them...which one is it?
Wayne SW/MO Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Some do and some don't, but I tend to buy a reel a line above my rod because of the balance it offers. Most shops will let you put a reel on the rod and get a feel of it. Today's release is tomorrows gift to another fisherman.
eric1978 Posted November 16, 2009 Author Posted November 16, 2009 Some do and some don't, but I tend to buy a reel a line above my rod because of the balance it offers. Most shops will let you put a reel on the rod and get a feel of it. Yeah, I put on a 4/5 and a 5/6 and the 5/6 felt a lot better, or maybe it just looked better, because I don't think I could really feel the difference between a quarter ounce...maybe I could or maybe it was in my head.
fishinwrench Posted November 17, 2009 Posted November 17, 2009 Yeah, I put on a 4/5 and a 5/6 and the 5/6 felt a lot better, or maybe it just looked better, because I don't think I could really feel the difference between a quarter ounce...maybe I could or maybe it was in my head. Don't kid yourself... 1/4oz. of ballast weight makes a huge difference.
Members bigbeefybrown Posted November 17, 2009 Members Posted November 17, 2009 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. I use Sharkskin and believe it was well worth the money...the noise was never a problem and I have yet to use a line that casts and mends as well as the skin... I give it a quick cleaning every once in a while and it still works like new MFU
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