I am trying to get into fly fishing. A buddy of mine took me fly fishing and now I want to get my own setup.

I just wanted some suggestions on what to look for in a setup.

I would like to spend no more than $100 in the rod and reel alone. Any brand suggestions? or any decent combos around?
I will be fishing just freshwater for bass or sunfish so I am guessing 5-7 wt
Any suggestions on types of flies I should be getting?

Thanks for all the help!

ps1135, welcome to the forum! I moved this here for better visibility.

The best thing to do is get with some folks in your area and try different rods, everyone has their preference.

Cabelas sells some great combos as do the other retailers. With your price point, you are going to be limited with you're options.

personally, I'd go with a 4wt. a good reddington combo can be had for around $120 at gander.

good luck

You should attend Texoma on the Fly at Eisenhower State Park on Saturday September 17, 2016. The event is free and a certified casting instructor will provide casting lessons. You will get a chance to cast some rods before you buy. Here is the link:

http://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/education/go-fish-learn-to-fish-event-25

Thanks so much for the comments!

A couple more events coming up



http://txflyfishexpo.com/

Cabelas has 3 different combos for $99.00 or less . Not sure how good they really are but maybe others can chime in that know of the brands offered .

Cabelas Combos

I have the RLS+ combo that's on sale now for $169.99 . I have it in 9' , 5 wt and I really like it well !

Cabelas' RLS+ Combo

I also see in the description where Cabelas is offering LifeTime Warranty on their RLS+ Combo . That's pretty darn good compared to others !

With that price range you're looking at one of the "big box" (ie. Cabela's or BPS) combos.

A 9' or 8'6" 5 wt is, IMO, the most versatile rod for fresh water.

As others have said, there are several events/gatherings in the next few weeks you could consider attending.

You have two excellent opportunities to learn more about equipment before spending any money with the Expo tomorrow and Saturday in Grapevine and the Learn to Fly Fish event next weekend at Eisenhower state park on Lake Texoma.

You'll have to opportunity to cast other rods at both of these events which will enable you to make a more informed decision when you buy your own equipment.

I plan to be at both events and would be happy help.

I personally haven't bought or owned this setup, but have a friend that has and was very impressed.

http://www.redington.com/fly-fishing-combos/crosswater-combo

Here's another good option.

http://echoflyfishing.com/project/echobasekit/

Cabela's has great options in your price range as well.

With Sunfish and Bass some people may disagree, but the reel is really just a line storage device. I'm much more concerned with the quality of my flyline than the reel.

When choosing a rod wt for bass and sunfish you have to realize you will be compromising one thing or another. For bass it's not that you need a 7-8 wt to handle the fish, you need it the throw the larger wind resistant and heavily weighted flies bass like, the downside is catching sunfish on a 7-8wt is not nearly as fun. Conversely, 3-5wt rods that make fishing for sunfish a blast can "chunk" but not really "cast" the heavy bulky bass flies. That's not to say you won't or can't catch plenty of bass on the smaller sized stuff you can throw on the lighter rods. Last week I caught the biggest bass I've every caught (6#'s) on a size 10 wollybugger.

Figure out which species is the primary one your after and then choose rod wt. I suggest going the 4-5 wt route. If you are starting out, casting and catching fish is what your after. It's tough to beat catching sunfish after sunfish on a lightweight rod.

For flies I'd start with wollybuggers and small poppers.

I absolutely love my cabelas combo. I dont remember the name, but it was just over $100 and the best thing about it is that if it breaks they will replace it no questions asked.. ask me how I know.... lol. It has been fantastic for me and has been through a beating. Cabelas customer service is top notch most of the time. Especially if the product has their name on it.

It is the wind river combo in the 9ft 5 weight.

Not saying you should do what I did, but just giving you an example!

I bought a cheap combo from Academy that was already spooled with the reel (storage device) and whippy glass rod and tapered leader already tied and included.
It was around $60 and all I had to do was add the tippet and some flies.
I got on Youtube and watched a bunch of video's as there are a ton of them, and then went out in the backyard and practiced. Wasn't that long I got the hang of it.
If you can take classes that's fine, but it's not all that hard to do with just a small amount of basic knowledge.
I upgraded the rod to a graphite one that is much lighter and a little faster tip, but I think I paid about $40 even for that new rod.

You can buy a handfull of flies head down to a local creek or pond and tear up the bluegills and bass.
Fly fishing is like any hobby. You can jump in with both feet and spend a fortune or you can dabble and still have fun. I had to fight it, but I still just dabble after several years.

thanks so much for all the recommendations. I went with a Cabelas RLS+ combo 9' 6wt I am liking it a lot. only problem is I cant find places to fish (at least places that produce)

You can get great start up kits at Bass Pro and Cabela's. 6 wt is good overall for starters.

Most of the parks in Richardson, Plano, Allen and McKinney that have ponds have fish in there that will bite. Some get more fishing pressure than others, but usually if you throw flies you can get bit since most of the pressure is from people throwing big lures on conventional tackle. In Richardson, try Breckinridge Park, Huffhines Park, Crowley Park or Duck Creek. If you expand your fishing area into Plano and Collin County, there are dozens of places to fish. Try smaller olive woolly buggers, which will catch just about anything that swims.