# want to try out fly fishing quick question



## john66 (Aug 3, 2006)

Ok Guy's I have been wanting to try out fly-fishing. Would it be worth purchasing one of the 50- 60 dollars combos that academy sells just to see if this is something I might want. To do Iris this a bay way of doing it don't want to spend a lot on cash and then not get in to thanks for the advice in advance.


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

IMHO- no, don't buy one of the $50-$60 Academy jobs. They won't perform and you'll get frustrated. Find a friend who fly fishes and con them into letting you try their gear or go with a fly guide and then decide. But be sure the shop lets you demo stuff first.


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

agree 100%

get some lessons from a pro up front , maybe on a small open pond, you need to get the basic casting skills down right or you will just end up tired and frustrated

save your money and fish w a few diff. rigs to get a feel for what you like and is in your budget


----------



## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

TFF is having a fly tying expo on the 2nd. There will be an opportunity to practice casting and see what's going on there. In April, we will have our annual auction, which is a good opportunity to pick up some gear on the cheap.

http://www.texasflyfishers.org/index.html

Our next meeting will be the 28th of January. You'd be more than welcome to come sit in.


----------



## Muleman (Dec 6, 2011)

Call the Orvis store in the Woodlands, they have lessons for about 25.00 a hour and have Rods to try..


----------



## john66 (Aug 3, 2006)

thanks for all the input guys .
the cash i would have spent i will put in to casting lessons 
I thank I am going to try and make the expo on the 2ed .


----------



## curmudgeon (Dec 23, 2010)

FWIW: I picked up a cheapie combo from Amazon for about $20 so I could play with it in the yard. It's actually much better than I thought it would be, but I don't think I'd risk a fish on it. It's perfect for practice and I can leave it on the front porch without worrying about it.
I'd really like to get into flyfishing, but I don't want to risk $300-500 on a good set-up only to figure out that I hate it. This was a good way for me to see if I had any aptitude without laying out too much cash.


----------



## Pete A. (Dec 10, 2010)

I have a closet full of better qaulity fly fishing equipment. However I think a case can be made for starter kits. My oldest has a 6wt Cortland his god father bought him several years ago. I think is was in the $50-65 range.

He's caught a bunch of fish; brim, crappie, bass, specs, etc with it. He slaughtered spec's one night under the light with it several years ago. Since he's moved up to better kits but will never give up on that kit.

Best performance, no but serviceable yes. The rod is moderate action which is far better IMHO for general purpose than to ultra fast rods so popular today.

Hey if you can't afford $300+ for your first kit *DON'T GIVE ON FLYFISHING*. Just start humble. The VAST majority of fly fishing can be done with a cheap cheap reel (for your first rig spend least on reel) and budget rods. If your are to "splurge" but the best line you can afford.

Lastly keep an eye out here as there was a great looking TFO 8wt with a very credible reel, line and backing going to $100 ofr sale here just 2 weeks ago. In my view it was quite a bargain.

Might put a "WTB" (want to by) for fly fishing equipment in fishing classified. I did this for a friend last summer and we got a fantastic kit for cheap.

Pete A.


----------



## deerhunter5 (Oct 12, 2011)

I bought the Pfluger fly combo from academy for about $75 including flys and leaders. It worked great for the money. I caught many bass and bluegill on it. I also use it for light saltwater use under the lights. You might eventually want to upgrade the reel (the drag wears down after a while) but I replaced it with a 20 dollar reel from academy and cheap 10 dollar fly line and used the same backing off my pfluger. It is defiantly worth it.


----------



## Ikanizer (May 20, 2010)

I flyfish in Colorado with a $100 5 wt package from Bass Pro and it works great.


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

Ikanizer said:


> I flyfish in Colorado with a $100 5 wt package from Bass Pro and it works great.


The $100 white river 5 wt package from Bass Pro Shops is great. it comes with rod, reel, line, backing etc. All you have to do is tie on a fly...

For $70 more you can upgrade to a Professional 2 TFO rod and the same reel line etc that comes on the other package. But the the rod comes with a life time warrenty and is a great starting setup imo. This price is usually on the website.


----------



## Canberra (Jan 27, 2013)

I have gone to demo days and tried $1,000 fly rods to see why they are so good, really can't tell any difference with similar quality action rods. What I CAN tell the difference in are the fly lines. If you spend money, I would spend it on a fly line.

To start out, a combo package probably isn't a bad deal. I didn't start that way, but you can also look at it as a training rod for a friend so they can learn on that also...


----------



## jblrail (Mar 31, 2005)

I have old hand me down rod and a Martin auto reel. Its sure not something that any pro would use but its absolutely deadly on the bream. Bream is all I ever go for with the fly rig. Whenever it wears out, I'll check into a more conventional rig but for now it sure does the job. Mostly, it helps to keep the line out of the way. Anyway, I have never used anything else. For you folks that are more experienced, what are the advantages of a manual over an auto?


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

jblrail said:


> I have old hand me down rod and a Martin auto reel. Its sure not something that any pro would use but its absolutely deadly on the bream. Bream is all I ever go for with the fly rig. Whenever it wears out, I'll check into a more conventional rig but for now it sure does the job. Mostly, it helps to keep the line out of the way. Anyway, I have never used anything else. For you folks that are more experienced, what are the advantages of a manual over an auto?


Autos are first and foremost heavy. Plus there is a spring to deal with that you dont want to break espically on the water. If you have an old fiberglass rod, a automatic reel can give it a cool vintage feel.

Overall, autos are best for 4-6 wts and for freshwater applications. You dont see alot of people using them for a reason. Its like playing golf with hickery shaft golf clubs....


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

I usually use a sage z-axis 4wt for freshwater but I got this cool gift for christmas. A vintage eagle-claw 6wt fiberglass and 1950 Martin Mohawk 40a automatic reel....


----------



## jblrail (Mar 31, 2005)

Billy Baroo--Mine is a Martin 49A. I can see where a spring breaking on a trip would be bad. I just tighten up when I see the price of one of the manual reels. Guess I'll keep on with what I have until forced to spend the money. Appreciate your comments.


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

Bass pro hobbs creek for $40 is all you need for freshwater. It is a click and paw system that has more then enough drag for all texas rivers.


----------



## flyfishingmike (Nov 26, 2010)

CoastalOutfitters said:


> agree 100%
> 
> get some lessons from a pro up front , maybe on a small open pond, you need to get the basic casting skills down right or you will just end up tired and frustrated
> 
> save your money and fish w a few diff. rigs to get a feel for what you like and is in your budget


Ditto

I bought a cheap outfit to start, and went out on the river without any casting lessons. It was so frustrating, my rod nearly ended up in the trash.

Lucky for me my neighbor was an expert fly fisher, and the president of Central Texas Fly Fishers. He gave me lessons and invited me to join the club. Within an hour, I was casting accurately at a distance of about 40 feet. Soon I caught my first fish.

Learn from experienced fly fishers and you will be hooked for life.


----------



## Longshot270 (Aug 5, 2011)

My first fly rod was a re-purposed slow action casting rod that was too flimsy for catfish and it had a beat up old Shakespeare cheapo reel. It caught lots of fish, but only because a friend of mine was a very good fly fisherman and taught me how. IMO, soft rods are great for starting out because they are more forgiving and make the learning curve more bearable. I say start out with a QUALITY starter kit and a fishing buddy that knows how.

I have since upgraded slightly to a Black Beauty fly rod that I stumbled onto on clearance at Academy and a cabela's prestige reel.

Couple that with my square stern canoe with trolling motor/DIY remote steering and it is a heck of a rig. I'll probably be heading to Town lake tomorrow and the San Marcos River next weekend. Hope to see you guys out there. :cheers:


----------



## jblrail (Mar 31, 2005)

My casting accuracy has always very good but never really able to consistently roll my fly under a branch or pier. I always thought that was just a result on not using the fly fishing rig more than a week or two a year and always fishing from the second seat in the boat. I have my own rig now and will be all over the north end of Conroe, starting in about 2-3 weeks. Anyone on these notes fish that area?


----------



## jblrail (Mar 31, 2005)

Okay, you experienced fly fishermen, I went to Academy and it had 2 Pflueger outfits:
For $0, we get an Wright & McGill 8 ft 3-pc rod, 25 yds blue fly line (no description as to weight forward, floating, or anything else) 7'6" tapered leader, 50 yds 20# backing, and 5 assorted dry flys. Reel is a Pflueger single action. No model info shown.
---
For $50, we get a Pflueger model 1494 with adj drag, a 9 ft Wright & McGill 3-pc rod, 30 yds weight forward yellow line, 50 yds backing 7'6" tapered leader.
--The $10 is no issue: which is the better rod & Reel? Thanks.


----------



## Canberra (Jan 27, 2013)

The reels are really just line holders although I like an adjustable drag primarily to assist in casting where the cast will not pull line out. A fish, you can control with your palm as the drag. A non adjustable one sometimes has a clicker in there and those can be really loud, I like the silent adjustable ones.

For the rods, those can come in 3, 4, or more pieces. Really doesn't matter too much. I think what you will really find is the quality of the line makes the biggest difference as I have tried demo rods and nice rods from $150 to $1000 you can't really tell that much difference. If someone pays $1000, then it has to be better. Certainly more expense in the better rods, but can the human touch REALLY notice?

Leaders - I think if you get a furled leader with a steel ring in the end, that will be the last one you will ever have to buy. Those are about $7.95 each. After you tied a few flies on, your leader will get short quick. Buying extra tippet in the stream or any place is easy to do with all your gear and rod in hand. It is easy to run the line through the steel ring, a quick Orvis knot and measure out the amount of tippet you want.

Although I tied good knot from leader to tippet, I have had some come apart due to the different line sizes. Never had an issue with the steel ring. Everyone has preferences. I think one thing you will notice and learn soon is mono or fluro leaders can kink, a furled leader (comes in fluro or mono) is easy to stretch and NO memory.

Just my $0.02 worth.


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

What weight on the rod? What do you want to fish for? how much you want to spend?


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

Finn Maccumhail said:


> IMHO- no, don't buy one of the $50-$60 Academy jobs. They won't perform and you'll get frustrated. Find a friend who fly fishes and con them into letting you try their gear or go with a fly guide and then decide. But be sure the shop lets you demo stuff first.


The best comment on this thread so far. That el cheapo Pfluger is **** in both the 8wt and 5wt. All mom and pop fly shops will let you test drive those nicer setups so you can see what action and speed you like...


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

Ikanizer said:


> I flyfish in Colorado with a $100 5 wt package from Bass Pro and it works great.


the $99 Bass Pro Shops White river combo is a nice setup for the $100. Cabelas has a similar setup. Reel as a good click and paw drag and action on the rod is great for beginners and intermedite users. Also includes 100yds of #20 backing, WF flyline and 9ft 3x leader.

At the end of the month is the Fishing Classic so I would not be suprise that it is on sale for that time.


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

Billy Baroo said:


> the $99 Bass Pro Shops White river combo is a nice setup for the $100. Cabelas has a similar setup. Reel as a good click and paw drag and action on the rod is great for beginners and intermedite users. Also includes 100yds of #20 backing, WF flyline and 9ft 3x leader.
> 
> At the end of the month is the Fishing Classic so I would not be suprise that it is on sale for that time.


the 9ft 5 wt is perfect for texas river fishing.


----------



## jblrail (Mar 31, 2005)

I sincerely appreciate each of your inputs. I don't hesitate to spend $100 on a good Abu Garcia baitcaster for my saltwater rig so why should I really get too tight on spending this on a solid fly rig. Will be at the Bass Pro in Pearland on 2/16 and will check out the White River combo--it sounds like an overall better deal. Cabela's seems to have some arrangement with Gander Mountain so I will check that one out as well. Thanks again to each of you. I have lots of fun chasing bluegills with my white accardo bug but would like to step it up a bit for other fish. Will let you know what I end up doing. Thanks, JBL.


----------



## jblrail (Mar 31, 2005)

One more question: My rod is an older Abu Garcia, 3 Star, TSF 8067, 2 pc 8ft 6-7 wt. It has 915203 marked but not sure what that is. With the Martin 49A it slayed lots of panfish. In your opinion, is the old glass rod still adequate for fresh water with focus on river, creeks and mostly bluegills with occasional bass in the mix. Or maybe just hang it on the wall.


----------



## Billy Baroo (Apr 21, 2010)

jblrail said:


> One more question: My rod is an older Abu Garcia, 3 Star, TSF 8067, 2 pc 8ft 6-7 wt. It has 915203 marked but not sure what that is. With the Martin 49A it slayed lots of panfish. In your opinion, is the old glass rod still adequate for fresh water with focus on river, creeks and mostly bluegills with occasional bass in the mix. Or maybe just hang it on the wall.


8067 = 8ft 6-7...915203 is probably just a serial number. Its still cool to throw the old stuff but understand your taking a gun to a knife fight. 5 wt is more than enough for everything in the river. Bluegills are a blast on 2-4wt rods. I use a 4wt for all freshwater and have brought in 28" rainbows, 4 pound bass, and 12+ pound common carp. You just need to learn to fight the fish at 45 degree angle.


----------



## Kabodude (Aug 29, 2007)

Trout Killer I would go with your gut... try the cheap outfits and maybe watch a video or two about casting. Get good enough to cast 30' and see if it is for you. I started with a $5 reel and a $10 rod and when I saw my first 30" trout 20' foot away I was hooked, but it is not for everyone. Those guys that posted that $1000 rods are not worth the money really don't know how to use them. I have a Thomas and Thomas and it helps me keep up wiht the better casters..... but there are much better options that you can grow with such as TFO for $250. But only do that when you get ready for it.


----------

