Gear Recommendations Needed: Waders, line

[mark2741]

After about 5 years of not fishing at all I'm itching to get back into it. I was pretty much still a beginner/mediocre flyfisher when I had to stop fishing (mostly due to a couple of young kids taking up all my free time : )

Here is the equipment I have:

Cabelas Three Forks 3wt, 7'6"
Orvis Clearwater reel
Vest, loads of flies, and just about every accessory I think I'd need for now.

The two things I need are:

line - this line has sat on the reel for 5 years untouched, and I'm sure I never cleaned it before. It looks to be in good shape as it sits on the reel, but I've read a lot of people change their line at least once a year so I'm sure it's probably time for me to change this line and start fresh. Any recommendations on mid-priced line?

Waders - I had a set of Orvis Clearwater waders and wading boots that were okay. I had them a year when I loaned them to an in-law who I thought wanted them to fish with, but it turned out he works maintenance for a school with a pond on the grounds and needed to clean the damn pond....he tore the waders up. He's even poorer than me and when he asked me how much the waders cost (before he told me he shredded em) and I told him the look of sadness on his face was so pathetic I told him don't worry about it.

I don't have a lot of cash at the moment so I don't want to spend too much. I do remember always thinking that I'd rather have bootfoot instead of the separate boots/wader set I had before. I saw a set of bootfoot waders online at Cabelas for $59. I was thinking of taking a drive out there to Cabelas to check em out (and probably pick up the line while I'm there). They also have a set of Hodgman's, which I recall back in the day were a good brand, for about $100.

I wouldn't mind another set of Clearwaters. The first set I bought started leaking after a month or two but after mentioning it to a salesman at the Orvis store he replaced them for free.

 

[JackM]

You might want to check out the line and possibly save the money to put toward the waders. There is no reason it had to go bad over the years, though it may have. Probably the biggest issue will be coiling which could be aggravating. I suggest stripping the line out and laying it in long rows in the lawn with some sun on it to warm it up (not too long, maybe an hour, too long could be harmful). Then use a mild soap (ivory if you have it or dish soap, but not laundry soap) in a bucket with a soft rag and go end to end 5-6 times pulling the line through the soapy rag. In this process, you may notice severe cracks, etc. and decide you need a new line. If not, once it has been cleaned well, rinse it well. If it remains badly coiled, even though not cracked up, you may want to replace it. However, if not, treat it with some line dressing and you just saved anywhere from 30-60 bucks that you can dedicate to waders. I have had such bad luck with waders, I can't suggest any, but I'm interested in what recommendations are made by others, since I'll need to be getting a new pair myself soon.

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Those cabelas three forks waders, while not breathable, are fairly durable and cool, my wife has had the bootfoot model for two years without a problem. She recently upgraded to some orvis silver labels.

Line.....have used cabelas prestige plus on several rods and have been happy.

After tearing through a pair of cabelas and hodgman waders, I upgraded to a pair of patagonia watermasters that were half off a few months ago. Have been very happy.....they have snaps on the suspenders which allow easy conversion to waist highs and I can tell are reenforced a lot.....they also have an excellent reputation on returns.

Off to the yough I go.....

 

[Heritage-Angler]

While I much prefer stockingfoot waders and separate wading boots to bootfoot waders, these are a pretty good bargain:

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=flyweight-ii-boot-foot-waders&categoryId=48791&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=3936&cat4=1109&shop_method=pp&feat=3936-tn

They are backed by the absolute best warranty in the industry!


http://www.llbean.com/customerService/aboutLLBean/guarantee.html

Of course, I'm a little biased on my opinion, since I work for this company, but I promise you they stand behind their products like no one else!

 

[sight_nymph_17109]

If your line is cracked and needs replaced, I'll offer my 2 cents. I've used and love Courtland 444SL rocket taper as long as I can remember. It's not too soft, not too stiff and shoots through the guides pretty well. I think you'll find 555 Laser line to be stiff and have too much memory for fishing cold water streams. I've also have some Air-Flo Polyfuse 7000 (or something like that). It's soft as cooked pasta. If you like a high floating line that sags between the guides, look no further. I'd say that budget minded...Courtland 333 is a good line and if you'd be OK spending another $10-15 444SL is my pick.

 

[mark2741]

Thanks guys. This forum is awesome.

Those LL Bean waders look perfect but unfortunately they won't be available, according to their site, in my size until October 18th, which is way too far off for me as I hope to start flyfishing within the next week. I'll check and see if they have stocking foot ones and if so I may have to go with that considering the awesome warranty. Basically it'd be a lifetime purchase so long as I don't get too fat as I grow older : )

I'm heading out to an all-day barbeque/family get-together tomorrow at a state park in the Poconos called Beltzfield Park and supposedly there is a stocked lake there. I rigged up my 4 year old daughter's Disney Princess fishing rod tonight (but of course can't find any bobbers around for her : ( and she's excited to try to catch some fish for the first time. I'm sure we'll be able to hook into some sunfish for her, which will be awesome. I still remember the first time I caught a fish when I was a kid. On a pier, with a cane pole (I'm only 35 and grew up in Philadelphia, so I'm surprised my parents had a cane pole on hand for me : )

Anyways - I went to Walmart tonight to pick up some things and I took a quick look at the fishing section and to my surprise they had a nice stock of Hodgmans stocking-foot breathable waders for only $74, and Hodgmans wading boots for $24.99. I think that's a heck of a deal as I've always heard good things about Hodgmans stuff.

 

[mark2741]

Just did a search and found the Hodgmans I saw at the local Walmart store online:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4875642

Only $50 on clearance! I am gonna go back tomorrow night and see if they are that cheap at the store.

 

[skiltonian]

i have a used pair of Orvis Pro-guide 2s i'd sell you cheap.
they were a back up pair with little use, and I'd like to get a pair of LL Beans with the goretex feet for these hot summer days. Neoprene booties are killing me with all the hiking i'm doing lately...