Wantin To Get Into Fly Fishing But Broke Lol

[jjtroutbum]

Jerod thats not how you promote a addiction tho. The first time is always for free. lol

LA let me know when you get your kit rod and Ill send ya some free flies.

What kinda and where are you going to be fishing?

[fly2fish]

It's not that expensive when you tally up the end result

Orvis waders $149

Orvis boots 49

used Sage 4wt 100

Battenkill reel 98

wonderline (ebay) 25

vest 25

_______________________

~$450

A good night of 50+ fish = priceless

The above is my normal setup I use, since I am an addict I have a Browning 8'3wt that I paid $40 with a Browing Citori reel $40, a 7'9" Berkley 6wt $28, 8' 8wt Heddon Challenger that someone gave my dad that I just added a Loomis large arbor reel $190, an extra 3wt Crystal River reel $20.

Once hooked on flyfishing next comes fly tying, one addiction leads to another when will it end.

[vanven]

I appologize if I am hijacking this thread but I find the overall topic very interesting. I am also not trying to be arguementative, I just write that way.

Just for fun lets look at the contents of my vest because this is where it adds up fast for me. The worst part is almost all of this stuff is disposable.

• SA Streamer Fly box $42
  
• SA Nymph Fly box $30
  
• Nips $16
  
• Surgical hemostats $16
  
• Zingers 4 @ $5 each
  
• Net $24
  
• Net magnetic leash $24
  
• Spools of tippet in 7x,6x,5x @ $10 each
  
• Flies 200 @ $1.50 each
  
• Leaders 6x,5x,4x (one extra each) $5 each
  

That is $550+ and I havent touched a piece of clothing (outer, inner, undergarmets, socks), waders, wader liners, wading boots, hats, vest, sunglasses, or rod/reel. Sadly most of these things I have multiple of and very few have practical uses in real life. At least I can wear the undergarmets to a Chiefs game when its cold.

I am pretty sure my wife would hurt me if she saw just that list.

I clearly need to be better friends with Michael.

-Jerod

[WebFreeman]

I say go for the inexpensive Bass Pro combo. You don't have to buy spools of tippet @ $10 each. Use the 4# mono from your spinning reel. You're already a fisherman, so it's not like you don't have a warm jacket. If you bought a $50 combo, $6 fly box and $20-30 in flies, you'd have more than enough to keep you busy while you're drifting worm/minnow/pb w/ your family for under $100. Plus, if you got frustrate w/ the fly gear, you could also drift w/ it on your spinning gear. Not many of use have spent $100 on our spinning rods and still catch fish. You'll notice a difference when you upgrade, but don't let it stand it your way.

[brownieman]

I agree Jerod,

Any hobby these days is expensive...just the fuel to get to the fishin hole hurts enouph, lol.

I can't begin to total up the value of fishing stuff I have but with all I have I really use the same few things.

Seems I have bought it all from cheap stuff to, well...high dollar stuff to me. I believe it's wise to really buy gear and equipment that will fill your needs sufficiently. Alot of money can be spent just figuring out what you like and works for you.

To be honest I probably don't use 10% of my stuff...i think most have their 'go to stuff', I know I do.

I could probably sell most of what I have and on the water never miss it.

It would be wise to talk with someone who knows and does the kind of fishing you want to get into...may be less expensive in the long run and keep your investment at a minimum.

bm

[Brian Sloss]

I definitely think you can get started with an inexpensive set up, $150 or less. Anything more is way more than you should spend just getting started (see how much you like it 2 years from now before upgrading). Also, getting a $500+ rod is like getting a $1000 set of Ping golf clubs when you can't break 100. At that point it is the Indian, not the arrow. As you progress and your skills improve, the higher end rods will make a difference. I'd suggest going to a store and trying out some different options. As for all the odds and ends you can get that will add up, you don't need them all and some are just over priced. Nippers for instance can cost a lot (6-7 dollars), but fingernail clippers do the same thing for 99 cents and you can get them at any grocery store. Get what you need to get started, remember to have fun, and if you really enjoy it, you can enjoy it for far less than most people pay to play golf. Yeah, the flies and leader and such will add up,but if you enjoy it enough, the expense will be well worth it.

[JobyKSU]

I agree that fly fishing can be an extremely expensive hobby.

From experience, however, I say it can be done (with just as much enjoyment) on the cheap:

$70 - Rod/Reel/Line: Very usable SA kit from Walmart

$60 - Used or Walmart bootfoot waders (check auction sites!)

$5 - Plano fly box

$10 - flouro tippet

$12 - 3pack leaders

$20 - flies

$5 - indicators and splitshot

$8 - basic Nippers/hemostats

$15 - Walmart fly vest

You can consider the $20 in flies as a low end and recurring expense. Unless you tie your own be prepared to pay that each time. Leaders, especially when you're beginning, are also a regular cost. After some time on the water, though, you'll be able to average a number of trips on one leader. You may desire a net, but it isn't always necessary.

The SA kits from Walmart are very usable. It's what I started out on and actually performs better than some of the low-end "name brand" rods I have borrowed. The reel is the weakest part of the kit and I wouldn't trust the drag for too long.

My point is this - For a little over $200 plus the cost of license, you can get on the water and enjoy yourself. After about 1 year, I chose to upgrade a large portion of the items in the list (except the waders). I had enough experience to make decisions based on what I wanted, rather than recommendations from others. I could also upgrade them one piece at a time and still be able to fish in the meantime.

[Brian Sloss]

I definitely think you can get started with an inexpensive set up, $150 or less. Anything more is way more than you should spend just getting started (see how much you like it 2 years from now before upgrading). Also, getting a $500+ rod is like getting a $1000 set of Ping golf clubs when you can't break 100. At that point it is the Indian, not the arrow. As you progress and your skills improve, the higher end rods will make a difference. I'd suggest going to a store and trying out some different options. As for all the odds and ends you can get that will add up, you don't need them all and some are just over priced. Nippers for instance can cost a lot (6-7 dollars), but fingernail clippers do the same thing for 99 cents and you can get them at any grocery store. Get what you need to get started, remember to have fun, and if you really enjoy it, you can enjoy it for far less than most people pay to play golf. Yeah, the flies and leader and such will add up,but if you enjoy it enough, the expense will be well worth it.

[duckydoty]

I started fly fishing with an 8 ft. willow stick that I stripped all the bark off of and taped eyelets on that I cut off another zebco rod.

I picked up a used cheap real for $2.00 and tied up 6 wooley buggers for about 3 dollars in initial material cost. I waded in shorts and sneakers and carried every thing in my shorts pockets.

Fly fishing cost me about $6.00 to get into and I caught enough fish to get hooked into all this high dollar stuff.

duckydoty

I started fly fishing with an 8 ft. willow stick that I stripped all the bark off of and taped eyelets on that I cut off another zebco rod.

I picked up a used cheap real for $2.00 and tied up 6 wooley buggers for about 3 dollars in initial material cost. I waded in shorts and sneakers and carried every thing in my shorts pockets.

Fly fishing cost me about $6.00 to get into and I caught enough fish to get hooked into all this high dollar stuff.

duckydoty

[vanven]

I started fly fishing with an 8 ft. willow stick that I stripped all the bark off of and taped eyelets on that I cut off another zebco rod.

Geez D how am i supposed to compete with that?

Are you going to be fishing this weekend?

-Jerod