Do you get what you pay for? I mean all the guys here that fish plastic reels (and I know there are a ton that did on TFR) do you really complain when your reel melts... Literally. Or when you drop it on a rock and it cracks...

Or do you buy a quality reel that is made from bar stock and pay a bit more...

Same goes for rods....

Do you buy a WONDER ROD... And think that it cast as well and is made as well as say a Lamiglass Honey Rod, or Stephen Bros Rod? Do you buy a P Special knowing that it will break sooner or later... and because its so cheap you dont worry about it because you can buy 10 rods for the price that you could buy an Orvis Helios (by the way the king of fly rods) or a Sage TCX.

Do you buy your flies or make them....
If you buy do you buy them for a cheap outlet store who has purchased the flues from some child labor camp in Kenya, Mexico or Vietnam... made by a child who can only tie that one fly and has never cast said fly.. And its gaurooonteeed to fall apart after one fish... Or do you go to a shop that actually ties there own flies?
Or better yet.. Do you tie your own flies so you can control the quality only to go pick up your supplies from a big box store who might have the stuff your looking for... But you better know what your looking for because the warm body that said big box store threw in the "shop" has only been fly fishing for a day and cant tell you what a haul is or what a royal coachman looks like. And God forbid you ask them about a piece of equipment, because they have no clue.... They havent been told what to say.. they have no experience with said product because they get paid so little they cant afford the product they pimp...

Or

Do you go to a local fly shop, I know its getting harder to find those these days and support the little guy who on his days off is either tying flies for the shop or fishing.

These are interesting times we live in, Im just interested in what you guys do...

Please No Trolls... I No Interest In What Trolls Have To Say...

I usually order my stuff online...no fly shops nearby although when I'm near one I stop in and usually buy something. . . I tye my own flies but they aint near as purty as the ones little Thai kids tie but they do last longer

This is an interesting topic...should have some fireworks in here shortly. I'll start it off,

Reels: As most freshwater fly fisherman know, it really just a storage device to hold your line. But with that being said i believe you want something that your conferable with and that will get the job done. All of my reels are orvis batenkill mid arbors. A nice reel for the price and has yet to fail me. Saltwater on the other hand is all about the reel. I can understand spending $300- $ a lot. The fishing requires a good drag and the reel needs to be able to hold lots of line.

Rods: I have a few rods all over the spectrum. My first rod was my dads hand me down which wasn't worth anything, but it got me hooked. As I became a better fisherman and better caster I was beginning to know what I wanted from a fly rod (it wasn't always the most expensive set up either). Over time I have accumulated rods that cost all prices ($200 and up), and they each have a purpose. Whether it be my 9' 6wt TICR which is a nymphing machine or my helios 8wt for bones and reds, I know what I want from all my rods and they all have a purpose.

Flies: I tie most of my own flies just because of the satisfaction of landing a 25 inch rainbow on size 22 midge you tied. I think this is almost the rewarding things in fly fishing. The ones I cant or don't want to tie (too lazy) I usually buy from a recognized fly shop. Not just some store down the road.

Fly shops: I would disagree with you on this one, I've been to many fly shops here in Dallas and around the U.S. and I have always had a great experience. The staff are knowledgeable and are willing to help on any basis. As I used to work in the fly shop as Basspro in Grapevine, we had/have some very knowledgeable people that work in that shop. It may not be your Orvis/Tailwaters or fly shop along that famous river or shop in Bozeman MT, but those guys sure know their stuff. I mean you have to know which ones to stop in, but with a little research on the internet that is nothing these days.


Just some of what I think.

rod and reel I go with what I am comfortable with, right now that is a cheep reel since I have yet to catch a fish that I even had to worry about the drag on and a rod I got on sale at BPS. I am looking into getting a TFO outfit partially because I casted one and liked its feel and because they have a great warranty and I am clumsy.

Flies I tie my own and have from the start, I buy a pattern every so often to reverse engineer because mine are so ugly and I think fish are like women, if its pretty they will take it.

Fly shops.....uhhh I have been in one or two REAL fly shops and wasnt impressed, I guess I dont look like someone who can be talked to, however I get the same treatment at the big stores, that is why I come here if I need info I ask you folks...that is all the knowledge I need.

I tend to read allot of online reviews and I buy what seems interesting, within my budget and will work for me. Nothing I've bought was put on a charge card, meaning I paid cash for everything. That being said I have around 12 different fly rod and reel outfits that I have bought in the last eight months. Four TFO, 1 Ross, 2 Albright, 1 Scientific Anglers, 2 Cabela's, 1 St Croix rod and even a Eagle Claw Granger IM7 3 wt. I have mainly Okuma reels (several SLV, Integrity, Cascade, etc). I consider all of these "decent" equipment. I don't own an Orvis, Sage, Winston, Lamson, Hardy, etc. and I don't feel at all deprived by having to fish with "lesser" gear. I have a good friend who owns several of the big name brand outfits I've mentioned. We've swapped outfits a time or two and I couldn't really tell the difference.

As far as flies go..I buy from several online sellers (most say they tie their own but who knows). I also have bought some from a couple of fly shops. They don't tie them in shop and they have been falling apart worse than the online flies. I haven't got into tying flies..yet. Fly shops are funny (alot like motorcycle dealers)...seems the ones I've visited size you up the minute you walk in the door. If you don't look like $$ they tend to ignore you.

As you can tell I like trying out different gear and it gives me great satisfaction finding a great deal. I've only paid full retail on a couple of things, most were found on sale. The biggest thing for me is to get out and catch fish. I know if I spent $600 on an outfit I's have to cut back on my fishing outings for a week or two.

My advice is buy what you can afford and get out and enjoy yourself.

best quote of the day so far.

Testify!

My most expensive rig is my TFO Mini Mag, and while I enjoy it immensely, I had almost as much fun at about 1/3 the cost with my Cabelas combos.

I have never had a plastic reel melt. Even when I leave it in the car in 100+ degrees days.
Has that actually happened to anyone?

Of course it hasn't CC. The plastic would have to be such a low grade to melt in a car like that.

Best I can afford/best value, and then go enjoy myself.

I tie my own because I get satisfaction out of it, can create what I need for my particular fishing, keeps me in the game when I can't be on the creek. I buy things I can't tie well like small dries and big deer hair.

My rods are just nice enough, upper end Reddingtons, mid range TFO, usually bought on sale and bought to replace even cheaper rods. I don't have the ability to discern between various grades, but I know a good casting rod when I've got it.

My reels were found on sale/clearance here and there, good value and aesthetically pleasing. Drag systems are overkill for what I do, probably should have just went with click n pawls and spent the money on line instead.

I shop for deals, but if I have a specific need I'll go to the local fly shop just because I like to support independently owned local businesses.

I disagree that you don't need a reel with a good drag for freshwater if you are targeting carp or big stripers but otherwise it is just a storage device.

All of my reels are Cabelas models minus a couple oldies I have picked up. Two of them are the Prestige models(the cheap ones) and they are on the 2wt and 5wt and are just that line holders. The other one is a Cabelas RLS which I use on my 8wt which has a good drag system for getting into bigger fish, I havent had to use it yet but it will be there when I need it. A higher grade reel is also a plus when you begin changing out spools while fishing.

Friend of mine has a really nice Sage that his wife got him (pretty cool eh?) Anyway, he let me play with it a bit. man oh man that thing cast like Darth Vader putting the Sith whompus on somebody seventy feet away! But Robin won't be buying one anytime soon cuz I have the 'lectric bill and young teeth to fix etc. etc. ya know. I won't go sour grapes on it, just wish that I had one and meanwhile enjoy what I do have.

my favorite rod is still a gander mtn plateau 9' 4wt with a lamson konic 1.5 and for a $50 rod it casts great and is perfectly balanced with that konic

the other 4 rods are all TFO's and other gander mtn rods