New To Fly Fishing NEED HELP!!!

[Mr.Sheephead]

I saw some multiple piece Fly rods with reels all in a pack ready to go and fish at gander mountain. The cheapest one was a Pflueger which went for like 50-70 range and it seemed to catch my eyes. Thinking about buying one now but I dont know were to start! What size rod would I need? Should i even get one? I mainly fish bass with a spinning rod and a baitcaster and I call myself a semi pro... not that im soo good just that im averege to better than the averege bass fishermen and i only fish from shore! Any ways yea I dont do much panfishing or trout fishing since i do not have the time and gas to drive far to fish for trout. What are the main fish targeted with fly fishing? Should i get one?

[0119]

Ive used an 8wt but prefer a 6wt even when targeting bigger bass.  Fly fishing is an extremely complex or at least usually is. I'd suggest you get the kind of guidance you can only get from a fly fishing for bass specific website. I think the best is warmfly.com. The guys there will help you and the have a common sense approach that wont tell you that you have to spend thousands to catch a bass.

[bass or bass ?]

I just started fly fishing again after many years. I fish for bass, stripers, crappie, sunfish from my boat. Check out BPS online catalog for rods. I got a White River Dogwood Canyon DC-906 from that catalog that is priced at $56, is 2 piece, 9' long, 6 weight. Very nice rod for that price. . I'm using a Daiwa Regal Strike SF 706 reel with Scientific Anglers Lefty Kreh Signature Series fly line; WF-6-F floating with Trilene XL mono backing, 10 # test.

Whole rig @ $145.

This is a much better rig than the "kit" rig you mentioned.

[RandySBreth]

If it was one of those blister packs with the rod, reel, line, and a couple of dozen flies, avoid it like the Bubonic Plague.

Both Cabelas and Basspro have some inexpensive starter outfits that are much better.

The hardest thing to learn is casting, everything else is pretty simple for warmwater flyfishing.

[DRhodes]

If it was one of those blister packs with the rod, reel, line, and a couple of dozen flies, avoid it like the Bubonic Plague.

Both Cabelas and Basspro have some inexpensive starter outfits that are much better.

The hardest thing to learn is casting, everything else is pretty simple for warmwater flyfishing.

I would agree - avoid the combo packs as it is low quality and you will not enjoy it. St Croix was having a closeout last year and I bought a nice fly rod and love it. We go on a trout fishing trip every year, fly fishing takes some time learning, but it feels great landing a fish on a fly rod.

[Redlinerobert]

This is the page for you.  Dan is a friend and no one knows the sport better.

http://www.danblanton.com/

[Stasher1]

If it was one of those blister packs with the rod, reel, line, and a couple of dozen flies, avoid it like the Bubonic Plague.

Both Cabelas and Basspro have some inexpensive starter outfits that are much better.

The hardest thing to learn is casting, everything else is pretty simple for warmwater flyfishing.

I would agree - avoid the combo packs as it is low quality and you will not enjoy it. St Croix was having a closeout last year and I bought a nice fly rod and love it. We go on a trout fishing trip every year, fly fishing takes some time learning, but it feels great landing a fish on a fly rod.

x3

I would also advise skipping the low-end combos, but not all combos are bad. BPS and Cabelas offer decent, functional combos for not much more than the low-end Pflueger setup you were looking at. As a matter of fact, Cabelas offers a combo with their Three Forks rod, Pflueger Medalist reel (which has hardly changed in the past 50 years, and has probably caught more fish than any other fly reel in history), line, leader, and backing for only $75. It's not listed in their catalog, but you can get it from their site...

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431-cat604907&id=0054033320426a&navCount=3&podId=0054033&parentId=cat604907&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IA&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233

The rod definitely isn't top of the line, but it gets pretty good reviews from the people who own and use it, and the reel is the industry standard. It's a great starter reel, but you may never have a reason to upgrade. They're not flashy reels, but they're dead-nuts reliable.

[new2BC4bass]

I saw some multiple piece Fly rods with reels all in a pack ready to go and fish at gander mountain. The cheapest one was a Pflueger which went for like 50-70 range and it seemed to catch my eyes. Thinking about buying one now but I dont know were to start! What size rod would I need? Should i even get one? I mainly fish bass with a spinning rod and a baitcaster and I call myself a semi pro... not that im soo good just that im averege to better than the averege bass fishermen and i only fish from shore! Any ways yea I dont do much panfishing or trout fishing since i do not have the time and gas to drive far to fish for trout. What are the main fish targeted with fly fishing? Should i get one?

I can't comment on a specific package, but my answer is a resounding YES. I know you love to fish. Flyfishing is another great alternative. Heck, I love just casting a rod!! The fish is a bonus. ;D ;D

I'm sure this doesn't need saying in your case, but you need to match the rod to the type of fishing you plan on doing. Panfish are tons of fun on a flyrod matched for this type of fishing. Of course bass are just as much fun. ;D

There are 2 things to be considered. Size of fish and size of fly. A 5-6 wt. rod is considered a good all-around rod depending on your target. Naturally Tuna fishing would require something a bit heavier. LOL.

I wouldn't fish for bass with a 4 wt. rod even tho it is doable in open water. Nor would I fish for bluegills with an 8 wt rod. Doable but not nearly as much fun.

IMO the size of the fly is equally important. If you are planning on targeting large bass using large flies, then that all-around 6 wt. rod is not your best choice. It is much easier to turn over a tiny fly on an 8 wt. rod than turn over a huge fly on a 6 wt. rod.

Basic casting of a fly rod is not hard to learn. Getting good is like anything else you try. Practice, practice, practice. I suggest a few lessons to get started. If you don't want to pay someone to teach you, then find a local fly shop to purchase your equipment from. In my limited experience these guys are more than willing to spend some time helping you out anytime they don't have customers to wait on. For free. In my case I drove about 45 minutes on a few Saturdays to get this free instruction. There is a closer fly shop, but I happened to buy my equipment at the other shop.

It is normally cheaper to buy online. However, please help keep these local small shops in business. Where else can you stop in to look at a variety of rods, talk fishing, get free help, and some even offer fly tying classes at a reasonable cost. Plus you will not only have the opportunity to check out rods before buying, but to also see some of the fly tying equipment before buying. I had a good time just stopping by and visiting with others of like mind.

Flyrod reels don't play anywhere near the roll that a spinning or baitcasting reel play...for the type of fishing you are planning on using it for. It merely holds the line. Sure you can spend $150 to $500 for a reel if you want, but it sure isn't necessary to get the job done.

[BassThumb]

Like New2 said, the reel is unimportant. Save a few bucks and spend it on good line. This is the stuff I like. It doesn't get "sticky" in the heat like some lines, and shoots very well. http://anglerhangout.com/product/1/1543/Discounted-Cortland-444-Series-Tropic-Plus-Redfish-Fly-Line-On-Sale.html

I would recommend the St. Croix combos. Cabelas had a closeout of Triumph combos a little while back, and they sold out quick. There might be a few around online though. Or you could buy a nice Avid rod and a $20 Martin automatic reel, which is what I use. I mainly fish deerhair bassbugs and divers, so sensitivity is not important, but a nice rod offers crispness, which is very important in flycasting, especially when learning to cast.

Go check out Thorne Brothers in Blaine, 25 minutes away from you. They're the best place in MN that I've seen for flyfishing supplies. They'll get you set up w/o breaking the bank.

http://www.thornebros.com/

[new2BC4bass]

Like New2 said, the reel is unimportant. Save a few bucks and spend it on good line. This is the stuff I like. It doesn't get "sticky" in the heat like some lines, and shoots very well. http://anglerhangout.com/product/1/1543/Discounted-Cortland-444-Series-Tropic-Plus-Redfish-Fly-Line-On-Sale.html

I would recommend the St. Croix combos. Cabelas had a closeout of Triumph combos a little while back, and they sold out quick. There might be a few around online though. Or you could buy a nice Avid rod and a $20 Martin automatic reel, which is what I use. I mainly fish deerhair bassbugs and divers, so sensitivity is not important, but a nice rod offers crispness, which is very important in flycasting, especially when learning to cast.

Go check out Thorne Brothers in Blaine, 25 minutes away from you. They're the best place in MN that I've seen for flyfishing supplies. They'll get you set up w/o breaking the bank.

http://www.thornebros.com/

Now here's a guy that can not only give you excellent advice, but also give you the name of a good place to buy your equipment. Don't you just love the Internet? ;D ;D

Lots of good people out there that you would never have the chance to 'meet' otherwise. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all those who have helped me. Just recently Big Al (goes by another name on this site) was a big help to me in choosing some new rods. He read a PM from me that was closer to a short novel, but took the time to not only read it, but reply with recommendations based on his experience. I am very grateful to him and the others who have given freely of their knowledge.