Buying First Fly Fishing Rod:

**Duffman** · 14th July 2012

Hey Guys,

I have always fished using spin gear but recently I have been thinking about learning how to fly fish. I might find someone who can teach me how to do it but I need to first buy some gear. I was looking online and have found this combo:
COMBO - TROUT 6wt OUTFIT - Fly Rods
*I need someone who knows something about fly fishing to give some advice on purchasing a combo, I will be targeting Trout. I don't believe in buying cheap at the start and then upgrading but believe in purchasing a good one from the start. Is the brand from the link equivalent to a Shimano or Daiwa in spin gear?

**Madfisher** · 14th July 2012

Mate I have no idea as I have never heard of this brand before, but $199 is not a lot of money when it comes to fly fishing gear. I say go for it, and upgrade later when you can afford it and you hnow what you want. Most flyfishers end up with heaps of diff rods anyway. To give you and idea I have three diff 5 weights rods, with the TFO being my fav, but they retail for around the $400 mark I believe.
Cheers Pete

**Duffman** · 15th July 2012

Hey Mate,

I am not keen on buying from a non reliable brand, so what are some good brands?

**JOYDIVISION** · 15th July 2012

I just did a fly casting clinic with Peter Morse and he showed me the 'wildfish' range of rods from Gillies. They retail at $150 for all weights and felt real nice to cast.
I'd seriously look at these mate. They are very, very nice for the price.

**Madfisher** · 16th July 2012

duffman some times the most expensive rods are the most fragile because they have such thin walls for super lightness. I think TFO offer excellent valve for money, Sage and loomis are top end but the rod may cost $1000. Go for one as decribed above till you learn then upgrade. Its better to get a quality flyline then reel, I have some cheapo stalker reels that cost $49 that I use for sinking lines. The reel for the most part in flyfishing only hol;ds the line.
Cheers Pete

**JOYDIVISION** · 16th July 2012

That S.P combo looks the goods especially if your after trout.

I owned there top of the range 8 weight and used it to teach myself (bad habits LOL). The rod was nice to cast while i was learning. I sold it on after buying a 2nd hand Redington CPX.
I could really notice the diffrence between the rods but that was to be expected whith the $$$$ diffrence. The only thing i didnt like about that S.P rod was it had only one ring to do up to hold the reel. It needed a 2nd locking ring to stop the 1st coming loose after a lot of casts. A black zip tie did the trick. By the looks of the picture i think that 6weight has 2 anyway. The cork was a little bit average but if ya look after the rod like i did they seem to be very corrosion resistant around the guides and fittings.

Pete's spot on about the reel not been important. For me it's all about the quality of the rod and the line. The reels for storing line only if your dealing with little fish.
TFO, Temple Fork Outfitters are well worth a look aswell for a great rod at a great price. I played with one on the weekend and they looked and felt great. I'm seriously considering a 10 weight TFO in the near future.

Also old mate that runs South Pacific is really good with his customer service. Fast postage, free bonus stickers and leaders aswell where part of my experience dealing with him. The rod tubes are top quality aswell.

**willbb** · 19th August 2012

Although i might annoy some people in saying this: "stay away from that rod!!!", if you want a decent rod, you would be better off looking at some of the lower end offerings by sage or some of the other reliable brands. In sage's lower end, you've got the vantage and the flight series, which are about to be replaced by new models, so you could either pick up a discounted flight/vantage rod or go for what they replace it with. In fly-fishing, getting a decent rod is much more important for beginners, because any decent fly-fisherman can cast a s*** rod, but a beginner will end up being turned off fly-fishing for good. The other thing is that although a top reel isn't necessary, you are still much better off having one that is matched to your rod, otherwise it will make casting difficult.
P.S. There is no way that that was ever a $395 rod

**willbb** · 19th August 2012

Also, if you do decide to buy a sage rod, you will find them much cheaper online, shipped from the states, but if you buy it in Australia, for a bit more, you won't have to pay for postage to from the US. By the way, Sage also has a lifetime warranty.
Take my response with a grain of salt, because I am extremely partial to Sage rods (THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL!).

**JOYDIVISION** · 20th August 2012

Originally Posted by willbb

Although i might annoy some people in saying this: "stay away from that rod!!!", if you want a decent rod, you would be better off looking at some of the lower end offerings by sage or some of the other reliable brands. In sage's lower end, you've got the vantage and the flight series, which are about to be replaced by new models, so you could either pick up a discounted flight/vantage rod or go for what they replace it with. In fly-fishing, getting a decent rod is much more important for beginners, because any decent fly-fisherman can cast a s*** rod, but a beginner will end up being turned off fly-fishing for good. The other thing is that although a top reel isn't necessary, you are still much better off having one that is matched to your rod, otherwise it will make casting difficult.
P.S. There is no way that that was ever a $395 rod

Which rod was never a $395 dollar rod ??

Sage are nice ....no doubt, but there are other brands that are good for a lot less and for a newbie whos chasing trout.......a massive overkill. Some blokes still prefer fibreglass or cane and pay a grand plus for some of them.

**willbb** · 20th August 2012

Originally Posted by JOYDIVISION

Which rod was never a $395 dollar rod ??

Sage are nice ....no doubt, but there are other brands that are good for a lot less and for a newbie whos chasing trout.......a massive overkill. Some blokes still prefer fibreglass or cane and pay a grand plus for some of them.

The site claims that it is a $395 rod marked down to $199, this is very common among these fake brands, they claim to be worth as much as the real brands, but still cost as much as cheap fakes. On the topic of Sage costing a lot, I only suggested the two cheapest rods that they make, and I also know that they are soon going to be marked down, so I think that he might be able to get quite a good deal on a much better rod.