Rod and Reel Recommendations

Lefty Kreh, the dean of saltwater fly fishing, has said that almost any rod over $250 is better than most of the anglers who use it.

For Starters

There are two schools of thought on purchasing your first fly rod.

The first view is to buy a fairly inexpensive outfit. Orvis, LL Bean, Redington, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and Temple Fork Outfitters- to name a few- all have inexpensive outfits for beginners in the $100-$250 range. They have rod, reel, case, backing, line, and maybe even a fly or two. The outfits are either 5- or 6- wt. outfits for trout and general fresh water or else they are 8- or 9- wt. outfits for saltwater as well as fresh water (some of us fish for bream with an 8-wt. rod in case a big bass grabs hold). The thought is you can try fly fishing without spending too much money. If you decide to quit fly fishing, you can sell the outfit for ½ price to someone who wants to learn the sport or to someone who needs a good back-up or practice rod. This means that if you decide in favor of fly fishing and get a nicer outfit, you have a back-up rod and a practice rod already.

As a rule, beginner outfits have reasonable rods and line but fairly cheap reels that are stamped instead of being machined. This means, the reels are more susceptible to bending or breaking if dropped than machined reels. A number of the manufacturers of Good Deals reels have composite reels that work well but can chip or crack when dropped. The rods, generally, have a medium action or a medium fast action (how deeply the rod bends in casting and fighting a fish). This means the rods are fairly easy to cast, have a bit more “feel” than fast or ultra-fast rod actions. Thus, the beginning angler will learn the “feel” of casting much quicker than with a faster rod.

Of course, if you really want to get a feel for what’s going in casting, find an old fiberglass rod at a yard sale and buy it for $5. They, and many of the bamboo rods, had such a slow action that the old saying was you could light up a cigarette and smoke half of it just waiting on your back cast to unroll before making your forward cast. They weren’t that slow. But you could feel and see the rod load up. You could feel it all happen. That’s not what they mean by “cheap thrills,” but it could qualify. I’ll even bring a couple of fiberglass rods to a casting clinic sometime. They are a hoot.

The second view is to buy the best rod and reel you can afford and grow into it. Starting out with a very good rod and reel may take slightly longer to learn but you have a rod and reel that can last a lifetime. Temple Fork Outfitters makes several rod series that cost in the mid-to-upper $200 on into the $300 range but compare favorable in performance to many of the much higher costing rods. They are made off-shore but do a surprisingly good job. The BVK series was designed by the famous Lefty Kreh and the Mangrove series was designed by the famous Flip Pallot. Get a cheap real with cheap line for practice with a really good rod and you can be ahead of the game in the long run.

Personally, I like a 6-wt. for fresh water, but more 5-wt. rods are sold, and I like a 9-wt. saltwater rod, even though more 8-wt. rods are sold. Also, I have a 4-wt. I made from a blank that is the cat’s meow. Try several before you buy one- far easier in a local fly shop than in a big box store or from on-line. Also, you can check e-Bay for second hand rods and reels. Good luck. Ask us if you have any questions. I have a whole batch of rods and will be glad to let you try some of them out.

As you grow in the sport, it is likely your rod collection will grow as well. With time, you may discover that certain rods do particular things better than other rods. One may stand out casting sinking line, while another is great for fishing smaller flies. Or a fresh water rod may handle nymph rigs better than dry flies. Keep notes and it will help you determine what to take on particular trips.

Additional guidance from other members of the club:

Robert Kohlmeyer:

May I add a couple of thoughts on rods, reels, etc.? My first rod was a glass Fenwick 8 ft 5 wt that I bought in 1970. I shut it in a car door 2 years later. I have probably owned 30 rods since then. All have been for trout and smallmouth bass fishing except one 9 ft 8 wt that I used for salt water reds, specs, jacks, snook, etc. A majority have been Orvis. Their quality has been very consistent unlike a couple of premium brands I could name. My favorite rods have been Scott’s which I acquired back when the top of the line were about $400. When they cracked $800, I gave them up. As I got older, I came to realize that I could have as much fun and catch as many fish with rods that cost.$200 or less as I could with high priced rods. The last rod I bought and will probably ever buy was a $169 glass rod. I will never need or use Helios high performance if I ever did, so why pay for it!

I am still picky about reels. I like Galvan or Orvis models, but there are a number of good moderately priced ones out there.

Charles White:

I would add two things to the discussion of rods that may require some trial and error to get right.

A great rod with a line that it does not like will be a real dog. An 8 weight rod will probably not do well with all 8 weight lines. Since the advent of those super fast action rods, the line builders have adjusted how they make some lines. A line that is labeled 8 weight may actually be 8.5 or 9 weight. The makers generally indicate if they have strayed from the classic weight. It might take some experimenting with several different lines to get a well balanced rig. You also have the issue of a whole bunch of different tapers. That throws another variable into the search.

Each rod and line combination will have a certain length of line that will load the rod most efficiently. Find that length by trial and error, but it is often close to where a WF line gets thinner. I know some people like to mark their lines at a whole bunch of places, but marking it at this one place is the only place I mark my lines. Flip even suggested that it is nice to mark it with some wraps of thin thread so you can feel it as you strip in line.

Ed Smith:

I’ll add my two cents to the rod selection conversation. You can spend crazy money when you first get started, and as you rightly pointed out, you don’t need to. There is a wide variety of well respected brands and each has various price points for rods/reels to help make the selection more affordable (albeit it more confusing at times). That wasn’t always to case…when I bought my first outfits, inexpensive rods were considered cheap products so I started with a mid range Orvis 5wt and 7wt, then added a 6wt Sage, then a 4wt Bass Pro 7.5′ travel rod, then an 8wt and 9wt Sage saltwater outfits with Ross reels. (all my fresh water reels are Orvis Battenkill) All of these outfits (except the 4wt) were in the $500-750 range each. (don’t tell my wife!) However, my last two outfits I purchased were Orvis Encounter (6 wt and 8wt) each cost $169 including backing and matching floating line.

My observations….I love them all, but my 6 weight Sage ($600) is my sweetest “go to” rod. I’ll travel with it….I love it. However, the one I use the MOST is the 6 wt Orvis Encounter ($169). I keep it strung in my garage. I grab it anytime I want to fish in my pond, I teach with it, I’ll throw it in my vehicle to fish the ponds in St James, and I kayak fish with it in freshwater streams. I would never do that with my Sage or other Orvis rods…I more or less baby them.

The point I’m trying to make is the type and frequency of fishing one does are perhaps two of the more important factors in the selection. Spur of the moment pond fishing for bass or bream doesn’t require a lot of high end equipment. If kayak fly fishing is a factor in the decision, consider you’ll have a 9′ rod on a 12-14′ kayak and the rod often gets in the way of brush or tree limbs, and if you’re not careful, it could easily snap at the tip or fall overboard. If one makes frequent trips to the mountains, or Montana or Alaska, then definitely a higher quality outfit would enhance the experience. Consider though, if these trips are guided, the guides will have their own rods for you to use, although it is more fun to use your own.

I’m not familiar with TFO outfits but I like their choice of outfits for around $300. I also think Orvis Clearwater outfits are an excellent outfit to start with too, for about the same money. (By the way, the Club has a Clearwater outfit if someone wants to try it out)

We all have our favorite brands, but I’m convinced buying a fly rod/reel is a lot like buying golf clubs. You go with the brand that just seems right – whether that’s price, appearance, technology or feel… you just know it when you cast it. The most expensive doesn’t always give the best results and is more than not, overkill.

By the way, Feather Craft is a fantastic fly fishing retailer, based in St Louis. Check them out at feather-craft.com They have experts that can help advise you on your selection…1-800-659-1707. Excellent fly selection and choice of waders, boots and clothing from all brands.