Fishing Q&A

Fly fishing?

I was wondering about all the diffrent types of fly rods, line , and reels and what makes some so expencive and some fairly cheep. I have a 5 piece 8' 6'' #5 graphite White River Indian Point combo it came with a rod, reel ,line leader, and case. It cost about $100. I was considering upgrading my line and mabey my rod soon. But before I even think about that I want to know what am I going to get out of a $100 rod compared to one I have now and compared to one of those $350+ dollar ones. And compared to a reel I have now or a much more expensive ones like $250. And the line should probley be a diffrent question all together but I was thinking this is probley the most important part of the rod setup so could I get some advice on the line. So basically I was wonder What I will get out a rod that cost just as much as a whole set of things just like mine. And I relly don't see the between the two besides a few things like flexability length weight, and most importantly the price.

Public Comments

1. Basically it's just for brand name. If you buy a $70 one, and you can fly-fish good, you will catch fish. If you buy a $350 one, and don't know how to fly-fish, it won't work as good. As long as you take care of it, it should last you a while. Good luck and have fun fishing!
2. Before it was due to materials amongst other things such as craftsmanship. Nowadays you can purchase a decent fly rod by top brands such as Redington for less than $100.00. Reels however I would not skimp. It depends on the Weight and length of the rod and line in question. You probably made a good choice purchasing a #5 weight line for it is the most versatile. It's sensitive and light enough to use in smaller creeks and rivers where you would want to use a #3 weight but durable enough to use in larger rivers. As with anything you usually get what you pay for to a point. If you are a beginner I would probably pass on a $300.00 St. Croix, Redington or G Loomis. The best way to pick a rod and reel for you is to go to a shop that will allow you to try the setup you are planning on purchasing. I work for Sportsman's Warehouse and we will set up the outfit you are interested in purchasing and allow you to try it out. As for reels for under $200.00 I would recommend a G Loomis Venture series I have a 5 weight on my Redington 9" 5 weight with Laser Line. The line you definitely do not want to skimp. The reel Will run you about $120.00 or so and the Line will run you about $60.00. Ross also makes moderately priced reels that have a good warranty on them. Have fun fishing and welcome to an awesome hobby!
3. I was wondering when you would get around to rods and reels and line. All three are important, but the least important for regular trout fishing is the reel. Some of the first fly reels came with a drag system called Click & Pawl. Some reels are still made that way today as it is an effective drag system for smaller fish, like your average trout. Most of the time, trout will end up fighting the action of the rod and the drag of any line still in the water. They won't strip out a lot of line, if any at all. So, when they do manage to grab a little line off the reel the Click and Pawl system will work. The more modern version of reels for trout come with a Disc Drag system, however, not all disc drags are the same. When you get into larger fish and the reel starts to scream as the line goes out, some disc drags will be over matched and will burn up or seize and freeze the reel. Neither is a good thing to have happen. Some disc drags have a smoother transfer of drag, so the leader isn't stressed when a fish makes a sudden run. Some disc drags have a sealed system keeping sand and junk from getting into the drag, others have exposed drags that can get contaminated. A rule of thumb is the more you pay for a reel the better grade of reel it will be, but shop wisely. Most likely, the reel that came with our $100 outfit can last you a long time if you only fish for trout. Not knowing the type of reel, I will assume it is not a large arbor reel. If you ever do decide to upgrade your reel, you may want to consider going to a large arbor, because of the speed that you can get the line back on the reel as compared to a regular reel, 3 to 4 times faster. Some large arbor reels do have a drawback, they won't hold that much backing and there are times when you need backing. Naturally when you get a huge fish and it takes off for the ocean but also when you snag your leader onto a rock or a tree and you are going downstream in a boat. It is handy to have some backing to allow the boat operator to stop the boat. Enough on reels. Rods. What a major topic that is. Personal preference has a lot to do with what brand of rod you buy. But, if you are brand new to fly fishing, how are you going to have a personal preference? I usually suggest to people who are just starting out into fly fishing and still don't know if they are really going to stick with it, to buy an outfit like you did. You know the rod and reel and line are not the best in the world, but you accept that and you use the outfit at first to learn fly fishing, and down the road, you bring it along as a back up system. I know of several instructors who have a saying, "A standard fly rod is a 5 or 6 weight 9 foot fly rod, all others are specialty rods." You have an 8'6" rod, sort of a specialty rod, but still very usable especially for smaller rivers and streams. The shorter rods are handy when fighting brush and trees to get to a fishing location. Also your rod is most likely a 2 piece rod. Again, handy for moving in brush as you can break your rod down in half with out doing anything with the line, keep your rod rigged up and break it down, move thru the brush and put the rod back together. You are ready to fish. 2 piece rods tend to be less expensive that 4 to 6 piece rods because the manufacturer only has to have one ferrule, so it doesn't take as much time nor labor to build a 2 piece. 2 piece rods are harder to store. They tend to take up the whole back seat of your car, so for that reason they are not a user friendly as the 4 to 6 piece rods. When you decide to buy your next rod, first decide if you want a 2 or 4 piece, or more. That is a small decision to make when it comes to rods. Not all graphite rods are built the same. If all rods used the same graphite material things would be different, but they don't. You have grades of material, it's composition, how it is produced and many other factors. As a rule of thumb, the more expensive rods will be built with the better grade of graphite. But, you are just learning to fly fish, so don't worry about that, yet. Another thing you don't need to worry about just yet is the action of the rod. Right now you are going to cast with how ever the rod you have was made. First learn to cast a fly line, then when you decide to get a second fly rod, that is when you should consider the action of the rod. Most graphite rods are built with a medium-fast to a fast action. There are a few medium action rods, I own one, a Sage VPS Light 5 weight, which is a true medium action rod, but they don't make them anymore. Then there are some ultra fast rods, very much a specialty rod and you don't even want to get into those at this point. For dry flies, a medium-fast rod is great. A fast rod can tend to snap the fly off if you are not careful. What is a medium-fast as compared to a fast rod? When you cast a line with a rod, the line is what is going to carry the fly to the target. In spin fishing, the lure carries the line to the target. A fly is so light that you can't even throw it with your hand, at least not very far. So, the line carries the fly. It is the rod that powers the line. As you cast both forward and backwards, the line is pulling on the rod, that loads up the rod. Think of the rod as a bow and the line as an arrow. As you pull back on the arrow, the bow bends, or loads up. If you pull back just a few inches and let the arrow go, then the arrow will drop to the ground right in front of you. If you pull the arrow all the way back, it will shoot out a long distance. But, if your bow is made of a very flexible material, you will be able to pull it back it ease and while the arrow will fly, it won't fly as fast or as far as an arrow shot out of a bow made of really stiff material that takes a lot of power to pull it back. A rod does the same thing. The line causes the rod to bend and depending on how the rod was made, it will flex and load up with power that it transfers to the line when you stop the movement of the rod. When you stop, all of the power built up in the rod goes into the line. A medium-fast action rod bends or loads farther down the rod than a fast action rod. The transfer of power is a little slower with a medium-fast rod than it is with a fast action rod. The medium fast rod will be a little more forgiving of your casting mistakes than a fast action rod. Another way to put it is the bad habits you have in casting will be emphasized more with a fast action rod than with a medium-fast rod. For many people, a medium-fast rod is all they need. After you get your casting down to a decent level, and you want to buy another rod, go to a fly shop and talk to them about the differences between the medium-fast and fast action rods. They should let you cast both so you can see and feel the difference. If you do that, then please buy a rod from that fly shop, don't go to them and then buy one at a wholesale store where you can't test the rods. There are hundreds of companies out there selling rods. When you decide to buy another rod, set a price in your mind as to how much you are willing to spend then look around at the different brands and buy the one you want. I would really be to your advantage to buy one after you try it out, if you can do that. You can buy an entry level Sage, the Launch series for around $175, and it is made in America and guaranteed for life. Redington, which is also owed by Sage, sells imported fly rods, but they are good rods and again, guaranteed for life. The Redington rods sell for $80 & $130 & $230 and their top of the line is $299. What you will get from either one of them is consistency and a fantastic guarantee. No matter which company you buy from, check out their guarantee or warranty and buy a rod that fits the type of fishing you want to do. I could write on book on rods, in fact, many people have. Enough on rods. You also asked about lines. Fly lines are very important. Not all fly lines are made the same, not all fly lines cast the same. Not all fly rods cast the same with different fly lines that are supposed to be the same. I know, it sounds confusing because it is. Stick with a name brand and plan on spending around $55 to $70 for a decent line. Most dry fly lines are weight forward styles, but they still make double taper lines. The double tapers are supposed to work better for dry flies, some say, and they do have the advantage of being able to turn the line around if one end gets damaged. They may not cast as far as weight forward lines, depending on our casting style. However, most lines are weight forward and will give you the greatest distance you can cast. They also will cast a heavier fly, like a Woolly Bugger or other streamers better. Another fly line that is nice to have is an intermediate sinking line, in a clear or a camo style. It will take your fly under but not allow it to sink to the bottom, except in shallow water, as long as you keep the line moving. If you cast it and let it sit for a long time it will sink to the bottom but they have a slow sink rate. The sinking tip lines also come in handy for certain types of fishing, getting down deep fast depending on the sink rate you need, like a 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or greater. The higher the number the faster the sink rate. Rio makes good lines and Sage bought them a little while ago. Scientific Angler also makes a decent line. There are a number of companies out there, go for a quality line, it is important. Hope this helps and wasn't too confusing. Larry
4. well some have a lifetime warranty on them which would make the price steeper, but worth it. alot may also come from the accessories, such as the quality of the cork rings, reel seat, and guides. i build rods so i understand the differences between these. some rods are machine wrapped and built, compared to a hand made rod, and that's a huge difference.
5. Get a couple of books on fly fishing - that should clear it up to a point you can make sense of the babble surrounding the sport. Go fly fishing for about a week and fish hard every day, then get ahold of one of the high quality rods and you should be able to figure out the answer to your question. Fly rod tapers are a subtle thing. The math use to develop the design and the manufacturing processes make a huge difference. If you want the best get a Bamboo rod from a quality rod maker.