Suggestions On Gear Upgrade For Newbie

[flytyer57]

  On 3/23/2011 at 6:53 PM, Jack Jones said:

Actually, I've been relatively satisfied with the Dogwood Canyon reel. It does have an adjustable drag, and I've played with that a few times. Does anyone have any input on fly lines to replace what's on their? I'm looking at Cabela's lines since I'm not sure I'm ready to spend $50-60 on line yet.

Again, you get what you pay for. A better line will cast a lot better than a cheap line.

I've used the Cortland lines from Walmart. I think I paid about $20 for them. They're not bad, but when I got the money, I replaced them with RIO, about $65.

[sean c]

Jack your total budget is really important. I just went through this with a friend who wanted to upgrade. His budget was $500 we went Sage Vantage$250, Lamson Konic$120 and Rio Gold$80. I was pretty dead set on line and reel but with the rod he had tons of options in that price range. I would even suggest buying the reel and line first and then cast as many rods with it as possible. The main thing with the rod is a lifetime warranty don't buy one without it TFO's warranty is second to none but remember with their rods you don't normally get a case just a rod sock.

[Ill Trout Bum]

  On 3/22/2011 at 11:57 PM, Jack Jones said:

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Orvis Streamline Combo?

I bought the Streamline combo for the kids to use and as a loaner for beginners.While it's not an upper end Orvis rod, it performs satisfactorily for a beginner set. I would have no problem recommending it to a beginner who doesn't want to spend a lot of money to get started.

[troutfiend1985]

Jack, I've had the Cabelas Traditional II in a 8'6 5 wt for years and it is a great rod for the money. They're on sale now and I would recommend them to a friend. The TFO pro series is great too. IMO you cannot go wrong with either.

I would highly recommend staying away from the Hobbs Creek reel by bass pro. It's only 40 dollars, and the second best day of your life might be pitching that thing in the garbage IMO.

As far as reels that are affordable, Lamson Konic or G. Loomis Venture are my favorites. I'vr never tried a Ross, although I am curious about the Ross Fly Start.

[Jack Jones]

I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who provided input on this issue. You all gave me a lot of interesting opinions, options, and things to consider. I think I'm really gonna like this forum. Thanks.

[Larry Richards]

Another thing to consider is building your own fly rod.Most fly shops have rod building classes.Nothing like building your own rod and catching fish on it..

[3wt]

I vote tfo + lamson. It's tough to get in much cheaper while getting something that you won't want to upgrade from in a couple of years. And I'd say 4wt for trout unless you spend a lot of time in bigger tailwater like taney. Then go 5 - I'll get some flack for this, but 6wt it too much for typical trout. I get the impression that the 6wt thing is a carry over from 20+ years ago when rods were very different and you needed the weight of the line because the rods weren't fast.

Don't skimp on the line. If you can go to cabelas and get the rod and reel together the bundle usually throws in good line for essentially free. It used to be SA GPX. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

$50-$60 is not that big deal. Line will be the first thing you'll want to upgrade if you get a cheap brand (there are exceptions). I say you can't go wrong with RIO.

In general I think most of us would be of the mindset that you don't get much for your money with orvis. Not that they don't have good stuff, just apples to apples with other brands you're going to pay more.

[troutfiend1985]

If he's going to chase both bass and trout, and only can get one rod, then I would say a 9' 5wt, unless you're going to the back country streams in which a 3 or 4 wt. I have a 6 wt, I use it to chase bass and to throw streamers for trout. I agree with 3wt in that a 6 wieght rod is just too much for typical trout situations. My 6 wt is mainly a bass rod and it works great for that appliacation. Stick with a 5 wt, get a 4 or 3 wt in a few years.

[dave potts]

You can get some darn nice rods and reels by checking the for sale sections on FAOL forums as well as flytyingforum and rodbuilding forum. People are always buying and selling equipment at bargain prices. I recently picked up a custom built Winston Vapor rod for $95 including shipment. That rod retailed for $315 several years ago. You can often get complete rod,reel and line packages.

Dave