Where to start...?

[crazyhats5]

I want to get a fly fishing set up for smallmouth bass and trout. What would be my best bang for the $? My current budget is $500.00 which should include reel and rod and line. I am new to this sport so any help would be greatfull!!! Is  6wt going to be the best to go with? :-

[vicdotcom]

5-6 weight is perfect to start with for bass and trout. Now is 500$ including rod,reel,and line?

You will want a weight forward floating line to start with. Get a high quality line that matches your rod weight it will make your casting easier to start with. This will run 60-100$ The reel will run you another 50-85 or so fo ra decent reel. Some say that the reel isnt as important and I partially agree. You will want a reel with a good drag for smallies and trout. And I personally stay away from any plastic reels.

Now for the rod. I may get slammed for this but I recommend a rod that costs arround the 200-250 range to begin with. The reason is that there are many good casting rods for that range. They may not be Sage quality, but keep in mind that you may want to try another rod in the future once you learn how you like to cast. If you get a 500$ rod right away, you may not like it or like the way it casts etc. Once you learn more also, you may find out that you are looking for somethign else in your rod.

Rods have all different actions from different companies. So if you stay within this range, you have enough to get another rod later. There are a few St. Croix rods in this range. I also like Temple Fork Outfitters. Reddington is also putting out a lot better rods also. If you are luckly enough to have a fly store near you, they will usually let you try out the rod a few times in the back or something. If you are buying online, be careful because it may not feel right in your hands once you get it out of the box. Comfort and feel are very important. As well as balance. So have a reel already picked out. That can impact the balance of the rod.

Think about how many pieces you want from your rod. Will you be able to transport a 2 piece? etc.

Ummm and dont forget about the flys! Go with some wooly buggers to start with.

Its an awsome sport.  Bass are AMAZING on a fly rod!

[crazyhats5]

Thank you for the info! $500 in cludes rod real and line yes, guy by my house at fly shop showed me a sage launch, winston acsent and a baeur reel. Both those together would cost reel..$265 and rod....$245. reel was like butter!  What do you think of that set-up? I can transfer either 2pc or 4pc rod.

[vicdotcom]

Thank you for the info! $500 in cludes rod real and line yes, guy by my house at fly shop showed me a sage launch, winston acsent and a baeur reel. Both those together would cost reel..$265 and rod....$245. reel was like butter! What do you think of that set-up? I can transfer either 2pc or 4pc rod.

Cant go wrong with a sage to start off with. I havent had much experience with winston though. But it is great that you have a local shop to go to! Ask of you can test the action out. Since you are serious about purchasing usually the store doesnt mind. Sage might have a little slower action from what I remember than St. Croix or TFO. Its not a bad thing, epsecially if you like slower actions. A slow action takes a little longer to "load" the rod when you are casting.

One bit of advice though... I personally think that a 265$ reel is way too much especially for a 245$ rod. The only time I would consider spending that much for a fly reel is if I am hitting the salts or flats for tarpon,permit, or bonefish. For trout and bass, I think that reel is overmatching your rod. You may be better served at this point spending about 100-150 for the reel and maybe upgrade the rod. The reel doesnt have much to do with casting besides balance. The drag may make some difference when fighing the fish, but for the most part you will be fighting with finger pressure on the line.

Just something to think about. The reel may feel like butter but the only time you will really be using it is to pick up slack line or letting a trout make a run and maybe fighting a bass. Reel shouldn't cost more than your rod.

Also remember the line! The line is a MAJOR factor in casting. I would rather get a 10$ reel and a 100$ line LOL it will make your casting more fun and easier to pick up. That will be at least 60-100$

Rod,Line then Reel should be your priority when it comes to fly-fishing.

But in the end its your decision. If you feel that you will have more fun and enjoyment with the better reel, then go for it. After all its all about the enjoyment of fishing and enjoying your gear is part of the fun.

Enjoy!

Vic

[crazyhats5]

Thats kinda what i have been thinking over. Do you know any brands or models that are in that price range? I did look at the g loomis that was $185 i think. I was just trying to not have to ugrade the reel later in the future....guess i can get more than one!!! Which brands should i look at as far as line goes?

[vicdotcom]

The 350$ price range will get you a WHOLE lotta options when it comes to fly rods.  Many of them great rods also.   You can get a near top of the line St. Croix Legend Ultra fly rod for about that range.  It used to be top of the line until the legend elite came out.  It also has a great warranty.  In the sage line you can go for the sage flight which is one up from the launch series.  Temple fork outfiters makes a Axiom series that is nice at just under 300.  You can even go to a G-loomis.  

Once you pass the 350$  mark for a flyrod, you get a lot more options than you would at 250$   because you just passed "value rod" territory and a little under "elite rods" territory.  

As far as line goes, Rio Grand is a great line (70$)  Cortland 444 or 555 (50-70$) Scientific angler mastery series (60-70$) Scientific angers SharkSkin (100$ LOUD line but one of the best casters)  Now line is expensive and you can use 30$ line, but after a lot of casting you can really tell the difference in the way it tosses lures.  I also think that a better casting line will help beginers learn better. I dont think you will run into many fly fishermen that would disagree about quality line.  Some though may argue that quality ends at about the 50$ mark but to each their own.

And like you said, the reel you can always upgrade later because it will not help you learn to cast better.  But Rod and Line have a lot of impact on casting and learning.

One thing also, if you can change the name of your thread to "Where to start for Flyfishing?" you will probably get more repsonses and opinions.  I almost didnt open this thread but was glad I did since I love talking Fly Fishing.

Vic

[crazyhats5]

I'am going to research ST. Croix today and see what i can find. It totally makes sense to be able to have the proper (good )gear to cast well rather than focus on the reel which I was doing I think. If I feel frisky I may get a higher end reel but I don't think that will be nessaciary for the type of fishing I will be doing. Thank you so more for your guidence I would have done it backwards had I not asked for help. ;D

[vicdotcom]

Anytime,  I love this forum and got lots of help when I was learning to fish traditional gear.  And you can always upgrade reels later also.  But once you start learning to cast and flyfish, you will see why the rod is so much more important in casting fly fishing.  You wont even notice the reel unless it causes balance issues.

Good luck and keep us updated!  Feel free to ask questions anytime.

Vic

[Jacob0434]

The above fly rods mentioned are great rods. I've owned many a flyrods from makers like Orvis,St croix, Temple Fork,Sage, Loomis, T&T,Redington and a few others. My personal Fav. is my 9' 5 WT. ST. Croix Legend ultra. That rod can throw some serious line. My local Sportsmans has them on sale for around $150.00, so maybe you can find one on sale. If you not looking into a large arbor reel, you might want to look at the Orvis Battenkill barstock reels. they're built out of aluminum bar stock and have excellent drags and can handle lots of abuse, also they're under $100.00. I hope this helps and tight lines!