Fly Rod Advice

What is the minimum that I'd need to spend to get a decent 9', medium-fast action, 7-weight fly rod and reel?*

(Me: new to fishing; living in Anchorage; took a fly-fishing course this weekend; am pretty sure a 7-weight would be the best fit for my needs; and am not totally confident that I'll continue fly fishing when I leave Anchorage for SF this fall. Oh, and I'm definitely want to fish with a fly rod.)

The guide/instructor I spoke with seemed to think that I should spend at least $250-300 for a basic rod and reel set up. I guess I can afford to spend that much, but I would prefer to start with something cheaper. Thoughts?


*I know that this could have been posted in Tech Talk, but, well, this forum seemed more appropriate.

TFO Lefty Kreh ($195-$245)

with an Okuma Airframe reel($40 and bullet proof)

foolproof set up, bound to get you hooked.

Yup good to go with the #7, but I'd really look at a 10' so you can use it for steelies too. You'll be a little over gunned for dinks, but any decent sized trout you'll be set. Get a nice #5 when you get in to it, unless of course you want to catch dinks first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pow4Brains

Yup good to go with the #7, but I'd really look at a 10' so you can use it for steelies too. You'll be a little over gunned for dinks, but any decent sized trout you'll be set. Get a nice #5 when you get in to it, unless of course you want to catch dinks first.

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Yeah, as I understand it, a 7-weight would serve as a kind of 'tweener rod. Big enough to deal with most salmon (Kings excluded) and large rainbows but small enough to catch smaller lake fish like grayling. On the other hand, it's not an ideal size for either. Still, I'm a total novice, so it doesn't make sense for me to build a quiver before I even wet a fly.

Warthog- thanks for the recommendations. That reel seems like a pretty good bargain. (My instructor was pushing a $160 Ross Cimarron.)

Bruin,

I have a Powell LTSH 7-8 two-piece I would let go for $100 shipped.
It's fairly stiff--I used to use it for fall streamer fishing. It's probably 8 years old, great shape. A tad heavier than today's rods.
PM me if interested.

Don't forget the 35 to 60 dollars for line and then 4 bucks per leader and then $1.50 to 2.50 per fly. Welcome to the wonderful world of flyfishing.

I would get the best set-up that you can afford. You will enjoy it more in the long run. Think of it in skiing terms. Would you go out and get a shitty pair of skis just because they cost a little less? Probably not. Also, the better the initial set-up the longer you will probably use it. Then if you do really get into it, you will have a 7 wieght that you can actually add to your quiver instead of a piece of junk that just sits in your garage. I am not advocating spending 1000 dollars on a set-up, but I wouldn't go any cheaper than 200 to 300 for a rod and then somewhere between 100 to 200 dollars for a reel. The bigger the fish the more you are going to have to use the reel.

don't use a cheap $35 line. If you order online <$1.50/each for flies often closer to $1 or less.

listen to warthog - there's plenty of decent stuff out there. TFO is supposed to be good, so is St. Croix.

SA WF-#-F line is a wise choice for your first line.

(# being whatever weight rod you go)

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Originally Posted by AKbruin

Warthog- thanks for the recommendations. That reel seems like a pretty good bargain. (My instructor was pushing a $160 Ross Cimarron.)

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Depends how much you actually get into the reel. I know plenty of guys fighting monster redfish and snook with the composite reels. They last, they just aren't all shiny and expensive looking like the machined stuff. Plus, reels break, even expensive ones. I'd rather replace a $40 reel than a $300 reel.

Scientific Anglers line is what I use. Can't reco anything else. $60 is about what I have seen for the line I use here.

Any opinions on Echo rods? Tried a 790-4 ($160) at the shop today with a Ross Flywater Reel. It wasn't bad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by warthog

TFO Lefty Kreh ($195-$245)

with an Okuma Airframe reel($40 and bullet proof)

foolproof set up, bound to get you hooked.

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What he said, lets go fishing when I get back from Ugashik, I know where the fish are

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AKbruin

Any opinions on Echo rods? Tried a 790-4 ($160) at the shop today with a Ross Flywater Reel. It wasn't bad.

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Fast.
They're cheap and decent rods.

AKPM- Definitely. Have fun in the bush.

FRL- Thanks. Leaning toward the Echo.

Warthog- Are you recommending the TFO TICR line (790-4 = $205) or just TFO generally? I noticed that they actually have a cheaper series or two.

Aside from Echo

TFO TiCR-X
I use both a TiCR-X and a Bluewater

I use the TiCR. The others will work just fine too.

Cheap Flies

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Originally Posted by ak_powder_monkey

lets go fishing when I get back from Ugashik, I know where the fish are

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Hijack- AKPM, What are you doing in Ugashik? Gillnetting or up at the braids and lagoon? If you are netting, ADFG just came out and said you could be sitting in Dago Creek awhile...sad to think I'm more on top of whats happening in The 'Gash while sitting in SLC than I would be if I was 50-75 miles away from there in the Nushagak.

On subject, I've had a Powell Ultra 6 wt for about 15 years...IMO Pwell makes some bomber rods and $100 bucks is a good deal for that 7-wt if its in good shape. Than again, my opinion is usually wrong.

i use LL Bean rods and reels. the rods i love, the reels, well they do have a very good return policy. my brother is a long time LL bean employee and gets me my gear at half off, so that affects my decisions. i use the double l classics.

i have a friend who swears by temple fork fly rods for cheaper rods. good replacement policy if you break one and they fish well. they tend to be a little on the slower side, but often times if you are fishing a big rod like a 7 wt you will be chucking lots of steamers. and i prefer a slower rod for big streamers.

a good place to find cheap rods is Sierra Trading Post. you kind of need to know what you are looking for, but the discounts are good.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I made the purchase last night:

• Echo 790-4 rod ($169)
• Okuma SLT (composite) reel ($49) (couldn't find a local store that sold the Airframe)
• Scientific Angler Headstart fly line ($35) (specially made for novices)

Next: waders and flies.

the line was kind of a waste.
You should have gone with just a normal SA weight forward floating line.
But it'll work.

if you were a beginner why did you want a medium-fast action rod? If you can cast that get a 'real' line.

The fishing pro/instructor guy that I took the course from recommended that I get a medium-fast rod. So did the seemingly knowledgeable dudes at my local fly shop.

They also recommended getting the Headstart line, perhaps because my casting is kinda nasty. But it's not that drastically different from normal line, is it? It's still weight-forward, only it's 10' shorter, has a shorter head and belly, and costs less.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AKbruin

only it's 10' shorter, has a shorter head and belly, and costs less.

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Which should help load a med./fast action rod better.

Very easy question to answer. Get a St. Croix Avid series 9' 7wt rod. Then I suggest going with the Ross Reels, but another good option, God this pains me, is the Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor reel. This little setup would fit your price range, then spend a little extra on line. I'm a big fan of Rio but have SA Mastery on an 8wt and really like it.

Oh, and the Avid series is still made in the USA, by little old retired ladies in Park Falls WI. And they have unreal warranty and service.

Good Luck, and welcome to the addiction!
Jay