Help Upgrading Gear

fishingkidPA

fishingkidPA

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Joined
Feb 13, 2011
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100
Well i am now hooked on fly fishing and by next spring i want to have a quality set up. Right now i have a 8' 5/6 wt. Is that a good wt. to stick with? should i look for a longer rod too? My budget is about $200-$225. i also need a reel ( should i go with a combo?)Is that enough for a good outfit? Since im new to fly fishing i barely know any of the big name fly fishing brands. If you guys could suggest something within my price range it would be appreciated. thanks in advance!
 
Can't go wrong with St. Croix.

(BTW, everybody has their favorite brands, and are going to recomend them.....oh, I have 4 St. Croix rods)
 
Dear fishingkid,

You can definitely put a nice rod and reel combo together for $ 200.00 - 225.00.

A 5/6 weight combo is ideal for most of the trout fishing you'll find in PA. There will probably come a time when you want something lighter for mostly dry fly fishing but for right now you are solidly in the game with the rig you have.

A 9 foot rod is a little nicer rod to nymph with because it allows you to high stick and keep more line of the water easily and the extra length makes it easier to mend the line to reduce drag on your drifts.

There are a lot of nice rods out there. St. Croix, Redington, and TFO all have rods in your price range or $ 100.00 - $ 150.00. Your Pflueger reel will be catching trout for years to come but if you want to upgrade there are many reels available for under $ 100.00.

Save your money up and got visit a fly shop when you have all the cash in hand. If you buy a good combo now and take care of it you'll be able to fish with it 30 or 40 years from now no problem.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)

 
I'll second MKern's suggestion. for the money, St Croix is one of the best rods out there IMO. I have a 6wt and 8 wt legend ultra (out of your budget, I know). I fished briefly with a 5wt and 4wt of the same type. I like them and so does a buddy.
Not as good as my Sage and other Sage's I have thrown, but at half the price, it's a good compromise.
I imagine the other rods in that series are good value rods too.
They tend to be heavier than other higher quality rods (and feel that way), but as long as you balance the rod with a slightly heavier reel its not a big deal
 
The best way to get high end gear for a reasonable price is to wait for the manufacturers to discontinue a rod. That's how I got a brand spanking new zero g w/ warranty for $300.
 
Get a St.croix, redington, tfo, etc.. and put an allen large arbor on it.. 200 bucks and you're good for many years
 
St. Croix "Imperial" series or Cortland's "Brook" Series. They are both good rods in your price range.
 
flyshopcloseouts, madison river trading company, sierra trading company, and the classified ads of online forums.

put your money into a good rod, buying a closeout or used rod can really net you a bargin. you might be surprised what you'll find used, especially if you bide your time.

your reel is good enough, i'd just keep using it for now. you won't notice a difference in fishing with a new reel, but you will notice it with a good rod.

a good 8'6 or 9' 5wt would be fine, although perhaps a 4 or a 6 might be better, depending on what you predominately fish for.
 
you have started down a slippery slope. you think that you only need one more rod or one more reel...but, for some of us, it never ends. Different line weights, lengths, actions, graphite, glass, bamboo etc. Disc drags, gear and pawl reels, mid or large arbors....

These guys, as usual, have listed some great suggestions. St. Croix, Cortland, Redington, TFO, all are great rods for the price and they'll last.

One that I would add would be Echo. Their warranty is amazing and their rods are very nice for the money. check out Rajeff Sports for their models.

Have fun with it.
 
turkey wrote:
you have started down a slippery slope. you think that you only need one more rod or one more reel...but, for some of us, it never ends. Different line weights, lengths, actions, graphite, glass, bamboo etc. Disc drags, gear and pawl reels, mid or large arbors....

These guys, as usual, have listed some great suggestions. St. Croix, Cortland, Redington, TFO, all are great rods for the price and they'll last.

One that I would add would be Echo. Their warranty is amazing and their rods are very nice for the money. check out Rajeff Sports for their models.

Have fun with it.


ahhh yes. Before i took up fly fishing i couldnt get the bait monkey off my back and i ended up with so much gear..... hey but you can never have to much can you ;-)
 
I upgraded earlier in the year from a $25. cortland rod to the Winston Passport 8'6" 4 wt. I am very happy. The combo was just under $300.
 
I must say I have put a lot of time in fishing since i have started a little over two years ago but I feel my casting has greatly improved due to the rod I use. I got a great deal on the sage Fli now the Sage Flight. If you enjoy a faster rod and I have seen one in the swao forum I would go with this rod. I bought my brother a reddington crosswater combo and then let him use my FLi and I can honestly say his casting was noticeably better as soon as he picked it up.
 
The previous posters have provided good advice.

I'm going to play the devil's advocate and suggest you stick with what you've got. Your 5-6WT will cover a lot of bases. Spending over $200 for a fly rod is a good bit of money. For what it's worth, I've fly fished over 30 years and have never spent that much on a fly rod (combo set-up with line, yes). When I was your age I did fine with a couple fiberglass rods that were in the $25 range and Martin reels that were less.

Enjoy the sport. Don't worry too much about gear.
 
I'll second what fishidiot says. the fish don't care what rod you have. before you go spend big bucks, try to cast some friends rods, try different actions and materials. find the one YOU like. go to a fly shop and cast as many as the guy will let you, even if they are way out of your price range. it will give you something to compare to. I fish with 10 dollar rods, and I fish with 400 dollar rods. both catch fish equally well.
as for trout reels, you don't need to spend alot. simple click pawl reels have caught millions of fish. buy from a company that will stand behind their product and will hopefully have parts available 20 years from now should you need them. with proper care, fly fishing equipment can last a lifetime or more.
 
bikerfish wrote:
I fish with 10 dollar rods, and I fish with 400 dollar rods. both catch fish equally well.


Fish demand to be caught on Sage rods, with Abel reels while wearing Simms waders. Or, that's what I've learned while browsing the innerwebs.

You can trust me, I'm an Expert. I write a blog!

I'd never be caught fishing a $20 Eagle Claw and a $20 Medalist. I believe in serious trout business, which means top flight gear lovingly babied at all times.

So, again, I say bide your time and wait for something really nice to show up in a bargin bin someday and pounce on that. Its remarkable the sort of stuff that people will clearance out on forums for next to nothing*. Until then, window shop, test cast, and refine your thoughts.

There's something nice about owning a fancy piece of equipment (and then scorning it in favour of $20 "junk"), but don't buy in because you feel compelled. 'Til then, use what you've got til it fails.

Oh, and is that a Medalist in your avatar? Its timeless.

[size=xx-small](* - Heritage Angler is old. When he goes, there'll be such a flood of fly rods on the market it will depress worldwide fly rod values to the point where you'll be able to trade five Sages to a loaf of bread. Would I lie about this sort of thing just to get a dig in on HA's age? I assure you I would not!)[/size]
 
gfen wrote:
[size=xx-small](* - Heritage Angler is old. When he goes, there'll be such a flood of fly rods on the market it will depress worldwide fly rod values to the point where you'll be able to trade five Sages to a loaf of bread. Would I lie about this sort of thing just to get a dig in on HA's age? I assure you I would not!)[/size]

Have you considered switching to non-toxic head cement? :lol:
 
I almost bought a sage fli as well, somehow I was told I didn't need it...
 
Heritage-Angler wrote:
Have you considered switching to non-toxic head cement? :lol:

Not as much fun, little for the fly and a snort for me.
 
gfen wrote:
bikerfish wrote:
I fish with 10 dollar rods, and I fish with 400 dollar rods. both catch fish equally well.


Fish demand to be caught on Sage rods, with Abel reels while wearing Simms waders. Or, that's what I've learned while browsing the innerwebs.

You can trust me, I'm an Expert. I write a blog!

I'd never be caught fishing a $20 Eagle Claw and a $20 Medalist. I believe in serious trout business, which means top flight gear lovingly babied at all times.

So, again, I say bide your time and wait for something really nice to show up in a bargin bin someday and pounce on that. Its remarkable the sort of stuff that people will clearance out on forums for next to nothing*. Until then, window shop, test cast, and refine your thoughts.

There's something nice about owning a fancy piece of equipment (and then scorning it in favour of $20 "junk"), but don't buy in because you feel compelled. 'Til then, use what you've got til it fails.

[color=CCFF00]Oh, and is that a Medalist in your avatar? Its timeless.[/color]

[size=xx-small](* - Heritage Angler is old. When he goes, there'll be such a flood of fly rods on the market it will depress worldwide fly rod values to the point where you'll be able to trade five Sages to a loaf of bread. Would I lie about this sort of thing just to get a dig in on HA's age? I assure you I would not!)[/size]


it may be, it came with my pfleuger beginner kit.
 
I agree you can get away with inexpensive equipment in some instances, but there is something to be said about equipment that improves your ability to catch fish. I have a couple inexpensive rods when i first started. I am willing to use them on smaller creeks like spring and bfc because I am not casting very far. With the cheaper rods I have experienced the cast just falls apart on anything over 35 ft. Lack of skill? Maybe? When I cast the sage however I can accurately cast 50 to 60 feet regularly, and when fishing Penns or the D you need some extra length.

I was once told there is a rod for every scenario just like there is a tool for every job. Think about how what when and where you want to fish and choose a setup that works for you and the application
 
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