Hello all,

I am looking for a friend that wants to get into fly fishing and wanted to ask if you could recommend me a decent fly rod/reel combo he can start with. I think he said to keep it around 100 but lower is preferred if possible. I am no expert on fly fishing which is why I am asking you guys.
The combo I have, Cabela's doesn't carry anymore and was a hell of a deal(IMO) back then considering it came with lifetime warranty.

He would be using it for multi species fishing(bass, trout(when or where is available), pan fish, etc) so I would assume a 9ft 6 wt (since it is what i have and fish for all those ) should be OK for him(or even 5wt).

Thanks in advance for all the recommendations.

I see combo's all the time in the White River line at Bass Pro or I would look at Echo and Orvis outside of that but I think they will be higher. Also Temple Fork.

Not gonna find anything below $100..... Bass Pro's white river kits start about $125 I think. 9' 5wt starter.

Cabelas and Basspro both have a few under or at $100 I just have no idea what is "decent".

Look on amazon at some of the Japanese rods. There are multiple brands now putting out reasonably quality gear at cheap prices. I'd also recommend getting the fly line separately. The fly lines that come spooled on the starter combos cost about $4 and are not worth half that.

Agreed. I am not gonna say that you have to spend $120 on a fly line but a quality fly line makes casting much easier. Conversely, crappy lines cast like garbage no matter how good of a rod you have.

I second all the ones saying get a Bass Pro White River or a Cabelas rod and reel combo. The rods and reels are fine quality for the price point, which you can easily find them for $90-150-ish. I got a Cabelas Prestige combo as a beater last year around Christmas for $100 when they had a sale, and it was a whole kit with rod, reel, cases, flies, line, backing, leader, nippers, forceps, and various other items. I would recommend upgrading the line to Rio Gold or similar because the stuff it comes with is not great, but other than that there is some excellent value to be found with the BPS/Cabelas store brand rods and reels.

If they want to spend some money to get something really nice to start with, I really like the Redington Classic Series rods ($150) with either a Piscifun Sword reel ($50) or a Lamson Liquid reel ($100), RIO Gold line ($80), and of course your backing, leader, etc.

If money is an issue, I would look on eBay. If you spend a little time, you can get great equipment for half the normal price. If you are serious about fly fishing, you should get a reel with a center drag, not a click and pawl reel. I like Okuma reels, but there a many good brands. I use a 6/7 rod for almost all of my freshwater fishing, but I am after big record fish. For largemouth bass or smaller fish, a 6 wt or smaller is fine. Carp are one of the most underutilized freshwater species in the US, and big carp will absolutely tear up a 5 wt

Martin® 5/6 Weight Complete Fly Kit Is About $30