8 weight - you can catch all the fish the 2 3 4 and 5 weight guys can PLUS throw really big baits whenever u want.

Goto craigslist and your local fly club

post an ad - wanted cheap fly equipment -

Get a 4 piece if you can

get a used TFO with the $25 replacement policy ++++++

get the cheapest used reels U can find, suffer clickers


Get a great quality lines - perhaps 2 - 1 float and 1 sink ( get a 2nd cheapo reel) Do your home work!.


Stay away from Bass Pro White River stuff.


Collect good lines and buy good tapered leaders - cause thats where its at !



$100 bucks could be enough $ especially if you go for a used 2 piece rod

The No Fault policy on TFO (and warranty on other rod manufacturers) only applies to the original registered owner.

If you are the original owner though they will fix as much as you break it, hope my 8wt gets back to the house from them today the weather is prime for some lunker LMB on Lake Austin.

+1 I dont know why people think this, I can usually feel it load. then again, I did learn on an 8wt...

Get the 5 wt. Learn on small fish. Easy to cast. Won't get tired as fast as casting a larger weight.

Find someone you can either learn with or teach you. Move from there. It is possible to teach yourself if you have the drive. I did it.

Also, something that hasn't been mentioned yet, I think... ALWAYS wear glasses of some kind!

I am with you pondbass -- I bet a majority of fly fishers learn on a 5 or 6wt.

The wt of the rod has little to do with "feeling the rod load" it has to do with the ACTION of the rod. By overlining the rod, putting a 6wt line on a 5wt rod, you are essentially slowing the ACTION of the rod down.

Rods are often labeled as slow, med, med-fast and fast action. (Orvis rates theirs in flex).

Generally a slow or med action rod is easier to learn with, but does not punch line into the wind as easily as a fast action rod.

I'm changing my advice to

" Get a 30 + year old Wright McGill (?) fiberglass rod with a double taper Cortland 444 fly line and learn to roll cast and double haul. "

It'll probably be about 4 weight , right ?
And orange colored too


Thats what I did, It worked for me, I had some great times.

Thanks for all the advice folks. I can see I have some decisions to make and some more research to do.

I appreciate all of your views and believe this will aid me in making as informed a decision as possible.

More opinions are always welcome. PM me if you have some gear that you are looking to offload.

OP with new questions...

Any thoughts on Scientific Angler gear? BPS gear? Looking at combo start up sets from both these manufacturers and wondering if any of you have comments on their pros/cons. Both are in my target price range ($100ish).

Also, I did some checking around on the target species in the pond I'll be fishing(in order order of catch frequency). small/Mid size Channel cats, Bluegill, Smallish LMBs, and Rainbows (stocked in winter). Nothing huge coming out of the pond. Any advice on "must have" flies for these species, respectively??

Thanks again for all your advice!

Woolly Buggers-White,black,brown,olive(size#6-#10),Small poppers,couple of streamers. That will catch all of your posted targets.

those outfits will do a spectacular job of getting you started. You might find later that you want to upgrade and they'll still be good backup or loaners. But then again you may find that they fit the bill from here on out!

Thanks for the continued input, deckhand* and rrhyne56.