Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Help Selecting Rod, Reel, etc.

There has been some good input here. Additonally, there have been a variety of suggestions, none of which appears wrong or bad. I will ad one thing. Someone above mentioned over-lining in passing. I think over-lining by one weight (5 wt line on 4 wt rod) really assists a beginner in getting the hang of things with no identifiable drawbacks whatsoever. I actually know several people I consider experts who do that any way. Good luck with whatever you decide. It is a very addicting hobby.

If you look at the old Powell rods you will see that Walton habitually marked them all with three consecutive line weights. Line weight for a given rod is not carved in stone. Crazy as it sounds, Wright & McGill used to sell a cheap 7.5-foot 6-wt yellow colored glass rod through Kmart for about 20/25-bucks that was a great little caster. You probably can still find them on eBay. Put on some Cortland 333 and any ol real you get your hands on and you are "off to the races!"

I am a designer in the fishing industry and a certified casting instructor. Fly fishing is s fun way to fish to fish for sure, but does require a bit more practice than conventional fishing methods. IMO a 5 star is a bit light, and in general light lines and rods are harder to cast. Remember for your targeted fish. It's very easy to cast a smaller fly with a heavier line than the reverse. I think someone said this earlier but it is very true. A good teacher can get doing basic casts fairly quickly, but to become comfortable casting will take practice on your part. Starting pond fishing is great and easier than moving water.
I would Ho no smaller than six and seven offers the ability to throw wind resistant poppers etc for bot large and smallmouth.i would by a bass bug taper, it will turn over better with bigger flies but still work with smaller flies as well. Entry level rods from Redington, TFO, St.Croix, canelas will sell do the job. Go to a local fly shop and get dome instruction, do not skimp on the line and have fun. Pm me if you have question...I'm happy to help. Goodshot