Fly fishing combos

[vortfu]

I have seen a few cheap fly fishing combos floating around (around the $100 mark) and as someone who has never fly fished and would only probably fly light freshwater a couple times a month (if that), I was wondering if these are good enough to start playing around with.

Being a poor youngin (22) I really cant afford these great quality rods/reels and would be tempted not to if I decided that Im exceptionally bad at it when I give it a go.

Or should these cheap combos be avoided at all costs ?

vort

[SNELLY]

Vort,

Like most things in life you get what you pay for.

A $100- outfit is not going to do you much good. There are two outcomes with this type of outfit you will get feedup with it and not go any further with flyfishing or you will want a better outfit. Within reason I would recommend that you buy the best outfit you can possibly afford or look for a second hand outfit. Even before you part with any hard earned go to a GOOD fly shop and have a go and the better rods and you will see what I mean.

Snelly

[thunnus]

vort,

as snelly suggested go for the best you can afford. If you give us a location we might be able to piont you in the right direction in the way of a quality fly fishing shop.

cheers, Justin

[Gordon_Scamp]

Vort,
I agree with both of the earlier replies buy the best that you can afford and make sure that you get advice at the Tackle Shop on the weight of rod that you need for the type of fishing you have in mind.
I've still got my first "cheap" combo that I bought in Tumut about 16 years ago, I learned to cast with it and boy does it make me appreciate the quality of the rods that I now use.

Good luck
Gordon

[Quinny69]

You could get a fairly decent(ie, 1 that will cast alright and last more than 1 trip) combo for $250/$300.The reel would be fairly basic but theres some OK rods geting around fairly cheap these days.Lines are VERY IMPORTAINT,Not only must it be the correct weight and Taper but some lines are just rubish. Fly fishings a great Hobby/sport and "well worth your lerning", and its not as confusing as it 1st seems. Let us all know if you have more questions. MQ

[vince]

Vort the rod and the line are important, the reel deosn't matter for what you are going to do, but if you are going to use it for salt water pelagics then that is important too. don't buy that cheap combo at all as they said you get frusterated and give up fly fishing, start saving now and start fly fishing later.
cheers Vince.

[Local_Guy]

i'm no expert. but there is a rod/reel package on ebay going for $70 at the moment
i've used the 8wt version of that exact same rod and they are very easy to cast. i've just ordered a saltwater 9wt rod same brand. Hawk.
the rods cost price is about $75.

for $70 you can't go wrong and it's well withing your budget. but be careful as i might be buying it

[Dale_Tan]

One advise to you vort,

When you have the fly bug- dont get sucked in by fly rod/tackle manufacturers selling their rip off mega bucks outfit when you can spend significantly less money for products that has the same or better performance. Get a reasonable fly rod, for lets say $150 to $200 and get the cheapest reel you can afford, rex hunt ones are fine. What really matter, Vort, is the way you adapt to different fly rods and fly lines, get your casting right and it doesnt really matter if you're casting a $100 or a $1000 rod. Us young people must stand up against manufacturers ripping us off with their products they are obviously marketing their stuff to a few affluent ones. they must now realise that fly fishing is not for the rich anymore.

[Quinny69]

Right on Dale,,,,,,,,,Compare what we pay for rods to what the yanks pay, even with the aussie dollar how it is you can tell how badly we get ripped of on tackle. Vort/Local HAWK Classic Flyrods are OK,, Ive owned 2, a bit broomstickish but they do the job, the best flyrod Ive found for under $150 is the Xplorer Classic series,keep an eye out for them. Mq

[Gordon_Scamp]

Quinny/Dale, guys isn't it 'horses for courses' re what you spend/can afford for an outfit? Sure if the rod works for you buy it, but don't knock the top end stuff! Also, let's not promote the myth that we get ripped off compared with what the yanks pay! Pick a US web site (Cabelas) and a top shelf rod (around US$600+), multiply by 1.3 (AU$1.00 = US$0.76), then add shipping and insurance (approx. US$75) don't forget to multiply by 1.3 again! Now with a final AU$ value do this - add 5% + 10% + 5% (that's what Aus Customs on behalf of the ATO will charge you in duty when the rod arrives) - remember you won't be able to have the rod delivered until this is paid!.
Total cost of that US top end rod? AU$1,064.20 AND you had to wait for it (nevermind about future warranty claims!). Now this may be a few bucks short of what your local tackle retailer is charging, but you can go down there, have a coffee and yarn, cast/play with a couple of rods etc. etc. then decide or change your mind.

[Dale_Tan]

Gordon, try explaining to the young guy that you do not need top shelf tackle to go flyfishing. Prices of tackle compared to the US shows how manufacturers can alter/dictate their prices, if they market their stuff the same price as in the US. as you have explained, then I and many others would have been put off by flyfishing because of the cost of reasonable gear. What they must realise is that they would make a better image for themselves if they start catering for the bottom end of the market providing struggling teenagers to get started with flyfishing with quality tackle at a reasonable price.

[thunnus]

dale - sounds like you HAVE been listening to my whinging when we've been tuna chasing!

hope alls going well for ya mate and happy easter!

cheers, justin

[Maxg]

Well I'm not so sure about that, there are rods out there that are pretty good and don't cost a mint. Like Temple Fork, which are significantly under 1000 buks here and perform as well if not better than the very top brands. You can get reels that are very good and cost a few buks but in reels cheap is usually cheap.
You can shop at EBay but the customs guys will look at the gear.
I suggest you try a IM6 TFO in whatever weight you choose. It will be easy to cast, and perform as well as anything in the tackle shops around the traps. Max

[matuka]

Dale

You replied to Gordon Scamp by telling him to "try explaining to the young guy that you do not need top shelf tackle to go flyfishing"

I long ago learned that trying to tell young guys anything is often a waste of breath and time; however you seem like an intelligent young bloke and you’re obviously keen to get into fly fishing so I will ignore my own counsel and give you some advice to pass on to your mates.

Firstly have a think about sports shoes (yes, sports shoes). The young guys you speak of probably wouldn’t be seen dead in anything else but a pair of Nikboks which cost them around $300. If we look behind the cost structure of these adolescent treasures you will find that they cost less than $5 to manufacture in some Asian sweatshop. Yet young guys (and amazingly some old guys) eagerly pay the ridiculous price asked. It’s interesting to note that Choice magazine did a comparison a few years back and found that the Dunlop KT 26 outperformed all other sports shoes on the market on every aspect they measured. That’s right, they’re the daggy looking ones you pay about $20 bucks for down at K-Mart.

How does this relate to fly rods? Basically, just as is the case for sports shoes, and many other consumer items, fly rods go onto the market for a lot more than they cost to produce, and price is not necessarily a guide to quality. There are some very good rods in the $200 to $400 price range and some real stinkers for around the $1400 mark. Conversely some of the cheap rods are cheap in every sense of the word and some of the expensive rods are works of art that are a joy to cast.

You can spend the rest of your life bemoaning the injustices of the marketplace or you can become an intelligent consumer and go fishing. If you really want to buy a fly rod and you have a price beyond which you can’t afford to go, then you need to look around and find the good rods in your range. From my own experience, Kilwell are a good place to start. Innovators are worth a look and you could also think about building your own. I’m no handyman but I have built a very nice 8 weight and a reasonable 6 weight on Brisbane manufactured Pacific Composites blanks (IMG 40) for about $200 each. The second hand market is another place to look for a good rod you can afford.

Sorry for sounding like your father or one of your teachers but I have been fly fishing for over 35 years and have loved every second I have spent waving the magic wand. I would love to think that a new generation could get as much enjoyment out of the sport as I have over the years, but if they really do take the attitude you describe (i.e all their gear has to be to “top shelf” or they’re not going) then I have to shake my old grey head and wonder where we’re heading in this country.

After 35 years collecting them, I now have quite a collection fly rods including Sage, Loomis, Kilwell, Silstar, Pacific Composites and my original ABU which still has a special place in my memories. They range from “top shelf” to el cheapos. I enjoy fishing every one of them, each has its own character, feel and performance characteristics.

The best rod for you is the one you can afford, that suits both your casting style and the purpose you want to use it for

I guarantee if I blindfolded you and gave you a Sage to cast followed by (say) an Innovator you wouldn’t be able to tell which was which. I’m not having a go at you personally when I say this, there would be very few fly fishers out there who could consistently pick the difference between top end rods and some of the better $300 rods under blindfold conditions.

To sum up there are some excellent rods available for around $250 to $400 and any young bloke who doesn’t take up fly fishing because he couldn’t possibly be seen without the latest and the greatest $1300 rod to wave around needs his head read.



Here endeth the sermon.

Regards and best wishes.

Matuka

[Dale_Tan]

Matuka,
First of all Im not getting into fly fishing I am already into fly fishing and probably reached a state of enlightenement to see the wank factor involved with fly fishing stuff. Im only giving advise to vortfu who started this thread on how not to get sucked in by tackle munufacturers marketing their stuff. I dont know what you think but with all your wisdom and your experience, I hope you can see that the general public still see flyfishing as a elitist sport and only the rich can afford it. Guys thinking that they are the elites because they fly fish are the main culprits for this, these are the ones who pride themselves by showing off their $1500 rods and make the public believe that you need these sort of gear to get started.
As for shoes Matuka, I also run marathons and have ran seven of them on a $60 bargain bin shoes in Amart and three on $35 bargain bin item as well so dont tell us young fellas that we are ignorant enough to believe the hype to compare image vs. performance, I knew this and it applies with fishing gear as well. As for those teenagers who could not be seen with under 300 dollars shoes then I hope they dont grow up to be in fly fishing because I'd hate to see more wankers in the sport.