New to flyfishing

[bcn989]

I am new to fly fishing and would like to start. I do not know a lot about brands and which are the best values. I have a friend who has pretty much told me what to get, but I need some help deciding which gear to get. I have looked around on the internet for some reviews but I am a little lost.

During the Summer I am going to be fishing fresh water and salt water in South Carolina. However I live on a pond in Richmond that has some bass in it. Basically, I am wondering if I can purchase a rod able to do all of these? I was thinking somewhere around a 6 or 7 wt rod.

As for the reel and line I do not know what to really look for. Any help would be appreciated.

I am not trying to spend a ton of money, but I do know you get what you pay for. So I am asking if there are any package deals, or if you know of any good values on gear.

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated,
Brandon

[ab4usa]

Brandon,

Weelcome to Fly Fishing! If you are going to fish in salt water, make sure that the equipment is made for that purpose. I think you will have more luck finding a 7 weight for salt rather than a 6 weight. Either will work for bass. What will you be fishing for in the salt? Larger fish are going to dictate a reel with better drag. Right now you can find last year's Lamson Velocity reels for less that $150 and they will have good drag. They come in different sizes (1, 1.5, 2,etc.) to match the rod. There are others that will do. This is the one I have experience with and it's a good reel. For most fresh water fishing a floating weight forward line should work. To this you can add a sinking tip to get you down a bit in Salt water. If you need to fish deeper in the salt you may need a second spool and a sinking line as well. You might make do with the sinking tip this year and do the second spool thing later if you really like fly fishing. A lot of my friends use Airflo Ridge line. Seems to last a long time. Available for under $50 on ebay from England ( where its made) with free shipping. Have heard some very nice things about the Albright A-5 rods. Sold direct from Albright for $140.00.

Hope this helps

[bcn989]

^^Thank You.

My grandparents live outside of Charleston, and when I'm down there I want to try and catch some redfish, jack crevalle, sea trout and maybe some mackerel. But i will most likely be targeting the redfish.

Will the rod have a size recommendation for the reel?

I was thinking that I could get different liters for the salt and the pond in my backyard,and put off getting another spool til later.

Brandon

[ab4usa]

I woud go with a 7 weight. That might be a bit light for the bigger fish but you should be OK. What you want is a reel for a 7 weight rod. Various reel manufacturers use different model numbers to identify the matched rod weight or (usually) weights. Reels usually span 2 or more weights. If you look at the specs on a reel they will tell you what weights that specific reel supports. In the Lamson world, the appropriate reel would span a 7 and 8 weight. As far as leaders go, you will deffinitly want different ones for different fish. If you have to fish deep you will need to get a sinking tip. This is a (usually) 10' section that goes on the end of your fly line. These sind a various rates but the idea is that you can get a line down most of the length of your sinking tip and leader. Sinking tips are pretty inexpensive.

[mdram]

for a decent rog with a great warranty and good price, look into temple forks.

honestly i would suggest going to a local fly shop, and test casting a couple to see what fits your style.
reels: ive heard good things about lamson, also check out pfluger president series. again a local shop will have many types to look at.

i do like my ridgeflow line i have. you can also think about a multi tip line. many come with floating, sinking and intermediate tips.
im assuming the redfish will be on the flats, a full sinking may not be needed

[McMinn]

Brandon

Hope that you enjoy fly fishing - it is basically all that I do. I have one comment about the outfit weight that you are considering - I'd say that a seven weight is the minimum I'd go with as a beginner. Sure, there are days with no wind where a lighter outfit is fun to fish, but remember you'll be just learning how to cast and will find times when a bigger outfit may be a better match - particularly if you do much pulling on reds or jacks. Personally I'd go with an 8-weight, but no lighter than 7.

John

[STeveZ]

7-wt sounds like the best compromise for what you have in mind. I would go to Bass Pro and buy one of the full outfits they have on sale every year. You'll get a matched set rod, reel and line for <$100. The quality is good for the price. I wouldn't start spending on primo gear before you have at least a season's experience. Then you will have a touchstone for future selection of action, rod length, line weight, reel type, etc. Plus you will have a back up rig.

[jimmag]

I'd suggest and 8 wt also if you plan to do any saltwater fishing at all. It'll be a little heavy for freshwater ponds, but 7 wts can be tough to cast in the wind.

All the above suggestions for good value brands are great. I think Temple Fork offers really good rods for the cost, and I hear their customer service is great if you need to get a broken rod repaired.

I would add that Cabela's has some pretty good values on their fly rods, some with decent warrantees. Their rod/reel/line combos are hard to beat.