Thinking about getting into fly fishing and I know very little about the equipment. Mainly would be used freshwater and some salt water.

What reel and rod would any of you recommend? Not looking for the most expensive equipment just good quality.

Thanks Deans

No idea what size fish you plan to target and I have zero knowledge about saltwater gear so I'll leave rod/line weight to others with more experience than myself but for a great price on quality equipment take a look at this place.

http://www.flyshopcloseouts.com/fly-rod-and-reel-outfits.html

I bought a 9' 6wt TFO/Orvis combo from them last year that I'm getting along great with.
TFO's lifetime warranty's an added bonus.

Have fun.

Deans,

I see you are from Houston so I assume when you say fresh water you mean Bass, because I don't think of Texas and trout. Also Trout rods and Salt Water Rods are not the same thing.

Now a good Largemouth Bass Rod that will also do great in the salt for redfish, Speckled Trout, etc. will be a fast action 8 or 9 wt. rod, with me liking the 8 wt. best.

Now if my assumptions are incorrect let me know what you will be targeting in fresh water and we will go from there.

Ed

Ed thanks for your reply. Believe it or not there are rainbow trout available on the Guadalupe below Canyon Lake damn and is rated in the top 100 trout streams and is stocked yearly by TPW.

With the rod you recommend what would you advise for a reel?

Deans

Deans,

Thanks for educating me on the Guadalupe and it Rainbow Trout. would like to give them a try some time.

Normally I tell people who are just beginning fly fishing to spend very little on the reel and put as much money in the rod as you can. This is because in fresh water trout fishing and Bass fishing the reel seldom needs to do anything but hold the line for you. You will hook the trout or bass and bring it to hand or net by stripping the line in by hand. There are exceptions and large trophy trout will take drag, but for the most part you can get by with a $100 or less fly reel. I have some reels I use only for bass and they are very cheap, $50 or so.

In your case you mentioned salt water and that takes it up a level. Salt water species will work a reels drag and you will be fighting the fish from the reel most of the time. Obviously the corrosive environment of salt water fishing also demands more from a reel. I would recommend a Ross CLA size 4, which is approximately $250, if you are going to purchase new. I would look for a used reel if possible and you could save some money or upgrade the quality by doing so. I fish saltwater often, and reels like Nautilus, Hatch, Tibor etc. ($600 +) are what you will want if this fly fishing gets in your blood, but the Ross will work if you clean it well after each saltwater use. The Ross CLA will make you a great bass and large trout reel that will last a lifetime.

Normally a beginner can get into fly fishing cheap if trout and bass are all you will be targeting but the salt means considerably more money.

I hope this helps and good luck.

Ed, thank you so much for your help.

Would love to have you here in Texas to fish Guadalupe. I bet you would have fun and a good time.

You need to size the rod to the size of fish you're going after, and then size the reel to the rod. If you're going after fish in the 12-16" 1/2-2# fish than a 4wt rod will be nicely sized for the fish. For larger fish you're going to want a rod in the 7 to 9 weight class. For very large fish a 12 wt.

TFO makes some nice reasonably priced rods, but there are plenty of good choices. You can find excellent rods in the $200 range, go under $100 and you're really giving up quality, you can spend alot more but unless you've been fishing for awhile you likely won't be able to appreciate the differences.

Fly reels for smaller fish to an extent aren't terribly important as they are mostly a place to store your line. You'd be better off getting a less expensive reel and putting your money into a quality fly line.

458 Lott, thanks for the great advise.

This in a 5 weight:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/TFO-Pro-Special-Fly-Rods/1589207.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3FrecordsPerPage%3D18%26No%3D0%26N%3D0%26nl%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DTemple%2Bfork%26search%3DSearch&No=0&Ntt=Temple+fork

GUADALUPE RIVER

The Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake dam is listed as one of the top 100 trout streams in America. It is also the southernmost trout stream in the U.S. The Guadalupe River chapter of Trout Unlimited is the largest chapter in the nation. The section of the Guadalupe River we fly fish on is managed as a trophy trout fishery. The bag limit is one trout over 18" per day and must be caught on an artificial lure or fly. The quality of the fishing in this section of the Guadalupe River improves every year. The Guadalupe River is stocked each winter by Texas Parks and Wildlife as well as Trout Unlimited. The average Guadalupe trout will be in the 12" to 14" range. Fish over 20" are not uncommon and we have caught a few trout in the 5lb to 8lb range over the years.

The Guadalupe River is a tail-water Cold water is released from the bottom of the Canyon Lake dam. As a result, the Guadalupe River has the potential for the trout to survive year round. We fly fish on the Guadalupe during the winter months, but trout can be caught every month of the year.

The Guadalupe River stream bed below Canyon Lake is publicly owned, but the river banks are all private property. Because public access is limited, the best way to fish the Guadalupe River is to float. All of our Guadalupe River floats are done in comfortable, stable rafts with room for 2 fishermen and 1 guide. Full day and half day floats are available. Early morning half day float trips are the best option during the warmer months due to recreational traffic. The Guadalupe River dates fill up fast during the winter months so book your date well in advance.

I understand that the Guadalupe River is the only stream in the world which harbors both Rainbow Trout and Alligator Gars. Could this be true?

I fish the Guadalupe some and the coast every chance I get. You would be better served by two rods. An 8wt is the go to for saltwater trout and Redfish and is also good for Largemouth bass.

It will be on the heavy side for trout and panfish. You could drop back to a 7 wt. which is a great all rounder but it will not fight the wind as well for coastal fishing and still is on the heavy side for FW trout.

For trout usually a five wt. is best unless really small flies
will be used. Some use 3 and 4 wts. but they are not as versatile.

For reels look for a hard anodized one with a disc or cone drag for salt water. I have had good luck with the Ross American reels and TFO. For fresh water the reel is not as critical.

I would check around for good top end used rods first as a couple generations old graphite rod will be in the same price range as a mid priced new one. Try as many as you can to decide what you like.

Yes the Guadalupe has Spotted and Alligator Gar and has also produced a record striped bass of 43lbs.



.

I concur with Lott...

The Cabelas rods are a good value and come with a 25 year warranty. For reels I look for machined from block aluminum as a starting point.

8wt all the way for reds on the coast and big bass in freshwater. Large arbor reels are helpful too. TFO makes a decent rod and sells it at a decent price.

Imagine what those trout would do in that river if the limit was 1 fish a day under 18 inches.

Pflueger make some well made fly reels that equal the quality of reels twice as much. The president and trion are two I would look at. If you want a reel that is cheap but descent quality the okuma sierra is a descent reel, it has a one way roller bearing and is quiet. I have had a 5/6 sierra for 10 years or more and its still kickin. The drag isn't as smooth as the pfluegers though but they are between 40 and 60 bucks vs 100 or more.

I also agree TFO has some great values for quality outfits.

For a ton of info about rods, reels, etc., I recommend you go on the Yellowstone Anglers website. These guys test the heck out of rods and reels, and have some good insight on equipment.

For saltwater fishing for bonefish, snook, permit, small tarpon, redfish etc., I use a G Loomis 9' 8 weight rod, and a TFO 375 Large Arbor reel. For throwing bigger flies in windy conditions, a 9', 9 weight TFO rod sees use.

The 8 weight can be used in a variety of freshwater fishing for larger species, such as silver salmon, steelhead, large trout, largemouth bass, etc. If I were going back to the Amazon for Peacock bass, the 9 weight would be the primary rod.

For smaller trout here in Colorado, my 9' 5 weight Orvis rod and a cheap Scientific Anglers reel see the most use.

There's no one rod/reel combo that's going to work for everything, and if you really get into fly fishing, you will end up with more than one rod and reel! Have fun.

Deans,

I've had good luck with Sage rods....I've got 5 of them....but I've found that I really like that Redington rod that I bought for my son...it's a 4 wt and has handled 20"+ fish on many occasions at the San Juan River...

I also recommend a Ross reel....they have very positive drag systems....