I already gave you a couple of examples, but there were 2 CI's in the Springfield store, 1 CI in the Branson store, an MCI and a CI in the Islamorado store, a CI in the Memphis store who is also a UK-Ghillie. The now mgr of the Branson/former mgr of the Springfield WRFS came there from running the fly fishing division of Eddie Bauer in New York about 15-20 years ago. The head buyer for FF for BPS is HIGHLY respected in the FF industry. And you might be amazed at who shops at White River Fly Shops around the country if you actually KNEW much.

If I may offer a suggestion, just quit trying to rip others and focus on helping those who ask questions in a constructive way. And don't extend yourself beyond the actual limits of your knowledge and experience. As Clint said in his last western, "A man's gotta know his limitations."

I'm not trying to pick on you. I'm simply trying to correct misinformation. It's not my fault that it was YOU who posted that bad info.

Actually, Larry, that was a very fair and helpful post.

I think we can all agree to disagree here, I sure can.

Bottom line is, get something and get out there and get to fishing!

The BPS set up will get you started, the TFO is better. Both will get you started.

Relief! Thanks Ken, I thought your previous post was aimed at me.

To be fair about the fore mentioned big box stores... I have experience with just the ones in my area. That doesn't mean that it's consistent throughout all locations. That�s why I started my statement with �just my opinion.�

To help steer us back on topic, I'd like to address the money part of this deal.

When I first started getting interested in fly fishing, we were in the middle of a cross-state move, had two house payments, and were changing jobs. To say that money was tight is a huge understatement. My responsibilities to my family dictated that I wait a month before I even bought the $20 Shakespere combo at WallyWorld. It came with level, stiff, underweight flyline and a heavy fiberglass rod that was no picnic to cast, but it was what I could afford at the time. If I had waited until I could afford the gear I fish with now, I probably would have stayed with conventional gear. Once I upgraded my gear, I then had the el cheapo stuff to use as backup or for a friend to use without fear of them tearing up something expensive.

I've never used the BassPro gear, but I've been very happy with my Cabelas Three Forks combos. The cost of them allowed me to eventually get three of them that go from a 3wt to an 8wt and gives me great versatility. The only thing I'd change about them would be a better quality line, but that would increase the cost of the combo. I've slowly upgraded the lines on those rigs as I've learned more and found deals. I'm guessing the BassPro gear would give you a similar experience.

The bottom line is get what you can afford and upgrade as you can afford to and as your knowledge and skills improve. Just like any other hobby, you can spend $100 or $10,000 dollars to get started, but the gear isn't what makes a good angler. Time and experience are what makes a better angler and most of that is free.

I've often wondered if technology hasn't made the cheap gear of today roughly equivalent to the moderately expensive gear of yesteryear. Folks seemed to catch fish with that equipment just fine.

Actually Ken, Clint Eastwood made that statement in the 1973 Dirty Harry film "Magnum Force."

OK, time for a Bass Pro staffer to chime in. It is nice to see so many defend us. First a bit about my product knowledge and experience, I have been a dedicated fly fisher for over 35 years now,I started with my Great Grandfather when I was 12 years old. I was vice president two years of a FFF chapter. I have been a Montana State Licensed Guide specializing in Fly Fishing on Northwestern Montana's Thompson River and surrounding waters (this is the river I learned on with my Great Granpa) I also guided hunters for Deer, Elk and Black Bear which was my specialty. I have fished all over the western states as well as in Africa and now the great state of Texas again. I have tied flies for over 25 years and teach fly tying, casting and various other classes that cover almost all spectrums of fly fishing. Although I am fairly new to the gulf Coast Fishing (fished here from 80-85 while in the service)returned in August of 2008 just in time for a vist from Ike! I have taken the time over the past year to learn as much as possible and spend as much time as possible fishing the salt both inshore and offshore. For a test of my knowledge see my previous post about rigging for Yellow Fin Tuna or better yet, talk to Collins at TFO and he will fill you in. As for product knowledge I have used most brands and styles of rods and reels, I seek out information on and try to learn about anything new coming down the pike. How many have casted the new Sage XI3? I have. Ok enough about me, onto Bass Pro and the other two guys who work for me; Mike has fly fished the Gulf for 35 years for everything up to Tarpon. He takes two trips to Florida each year for Tarpon and Permit. Localy he fishes the bays in a kayak. He is testing for his master casting instructor certification next weekend. He has held a captains license and has guided professionaly. Thomas is a youngster who is here from West Virginia to go to college. He has fly fished for fresh water trout most of his life and is now a dedicated carper. His experience is less than the rest of us but his product knowledge and love of the sport is great. Our company like all companies in this business carry equipment to cover all price points and customers needs. Yes we even carry Pflueger auto reels and $20 rods for the old guys that know nothing else and will not buy anything else! The two Bass Pro set-ups the previous posts spoke about are the Dogwood Canyon Outfit and the Hobbs Creek Outfit. In our store TFO is the best selling brand and then the Hobbs Creek outfits are next. I personally don't much care for the Dogwood Canyon Outfits but realy like the Hobbs Creek outfit for beginers. It has a nice action and it is easy to make the transition to a higher quality outfit, when one is ready, than with most moderate priced starter type outfits. Again it is all about what the customers needs are and what they need to spend. The Hobbs Creek reel is a great low priced large arbor reel (lets face it in this type of fishing a $100 reel is not needed as it is mainly a storage device). I use a Hobbs Creek 3 on my TFO TICR 7wt fishing for Spanish Mackerel both inshore and offshore (I know a 7wt offshore is crazy but hey, it has a life time warranty!) We also have several other higher quality rods and reels in our line up and a couple of these I would have loved to have had up north while guiding. Our Gold Cup III Reel landed the world Record Permit on a 6 lb tippet! I interact frequently with our other stores and most every one I talk with seems to be knowledgeable. I have been helping our sister store in Katy revamp their shop as they have had a management change. The three guys in this store are all very knowledgable and dedicated to the sport. Of course like all large companies a few bad apples tend to spoil the reputation but we try to weed them out as fast as possible! I and my crew run the Pearland store just south of downtown Houston. If you want to come see us and let us prove what I have stated above please do so or come to the Texas Flyfishers of Houston Fly tying Festival in February where I have been invited to demonstrate my fly tying or come to the FFF Gulf Coast Conclave in New Braunfels in April where I will also be tying some of my size 24 Humpies and Salt Water Poppers. Fly Ty, please if you have a bad experience at Bass Pro speak to the store manager about it WE CANNOT RECTIFY THE PROBLEM IF WE ARN'T TOLD ABOU IT!

Time to get back to work now,
Good Fishing,
Brent

Good thread. TTT

Fly Ty, I don't think you're an a*s, just had some bad luck meeting less knowledgeable staff. I'm glad you're able to express your opinion here. Excellent post points from everyone and some impressive resumes to boot. Just my .02.

In many ways, yes...it has.

Oh yeah! Hmmm...not really my area of expertise. Clint Eastwood quotes, that is.

See? I need to learn to stay within my own limits.

when I googled Czech Nymph I saw nekked girls from Europe

I bought a $30 rod at Academy and a $30 Okuma reel. I then bought their Superfly brand of line for about $20 and started with mono for a leader. I used some spare braid that I had for backing and watched youtube to figure out how it all went together.

For $80 I was throwing a fly line and learning a bit every day. The only change I would make to this set up would be to buy Cortland 333 line or something else in that price range ($35 or so).

For the review on the rod:

Apache Tomahawk - never heard of it other than at Academy. It's really stiff but if you do a little haul on the back cast it will load up just fine. It is suppose to be a 5/6 wt but I am not sure I would put 5wt line on it because of the loading issue.

Okuma Sierra S5/6 reel - It's not bad. I now have an Integrity and it is way smoother but hey, this little guy just holds the line and it should do just fine for anything I catch on 6wt line.

I did notice at our Academy an Albright 5wt rod for $50. It was nice but I didn't see it until after I had already bought mine.

I agree with some of these guys when they say start out cheap. If you don't like fly fishing, you will not have invested a lot. If you do like it, you will buy a better set up (or five) down the road. Then, you will have a cheap one for your friend to break.

I have bought other stuff since that set up but I am catching everything on major sales, a $200 rod for $60, a $80 reel for $20. Since I have my set up I can wait for a sale and still be fishing.

thank you all for your thoughts on this subject. with as much as i will be able to fly fish i think i am going to go with the hobbs creak, most seem to like it. after i outgrow it i will upgrade down the road and use it as a back up, but for know i can afford it, and the only think i need to add is flys. i also like the compact size and being able to carry it on a plane, especially since i travel home a bit ( great smokey mountains(gatlinburg) ). i will however check the ebay thing out and maybe try to piece something together, as i am not looking to run out and buy something this weekend, but something i am will to take my time with and not end up settling for something.

i field tested and wrote a review on 5 entry level combos several years ago. the hobbs creek was one of them. if i recall, the others were: orvis clearwater classic rod/reel, redington crosswater combo, tfo combo, and cabela's genesis combo...all readily available to the non-fly fishing public for less than $200 was the guideline.

all of them performed very respectably. i fished all of them for at least a full day of trout and pan fish fishing. i also had them all with me at a youth fishing day event where i had kids fish with them to see how they reacted to them. they were all 7 1/2 to 8 ft. 4wt's.

i evaluated them based on entry price, what you got for that price, sensitivity, accuracy, durability (fit, finish, etc.), reel quality, and the ever-subjective "aesthetics."

they all got dinged for not coming with a good quality line except for the orvis, which was the most expensive.

the cabela's genesis comes with some extra stuff that for a true beginner is good to have: cheap fly box, stream tools, little chest pack, etc...even a few pan fish flies.

the hobb's creek, tfo, and redington crosswater are all pretty similar in value for the dollar and not too far apart in price ($100-150). at $99 the redington crosswater combo gets my vote in the sub-$100 category. it's actually a very serviceable combo in the small stream/pan fish category. the reel is a private labeled okuma cascade (which is a very good value). the rod is no frills, but a good rod...very sensitive, strong, durable, and surprisingly accurate! the sub-100 price tag is achieved by not including a case. that's a big negative for me.

the hobbs creek combo reel is an okuma private labeled for bass pro, but it isn't as rugged as the cascade model. the one i tested was dropped by a kid and the frame bent. wasn't even a bad drop. you can drive nails with a cascade and keep on fishing. but the hobbs creek rod is a respectable rod. it is more of a full flex taper than a lot of stuff out there these days. but hobbs creek and finley river lines from bass pro are designed to be small stream and pan fish lines of rods/reels. they aren't designed for chuck-n-duck or long distance casting. and at shorter ranges (inside 50') and in tighter quarters, "softer" rods provide more accuracy and are easier to load with less fly line beyond the rod tip. they also provide far more "game" when playing smaller fish. but that doesn't mean they won't handle the bigger fish you find in these places.

the tfo's are medium to medium-fast action tapers. so their rods are stiffer. i always recommend that beginners over-line a tfo rod by 1-2 line weights so that they can feel the rod load more easily to develop better timing and mend more easily. and the combo doesn't come that way. that's the only real negative i have with the tfo combo.

the orvis had the best fly line and the clearwater classic is a respectable rod for anyone in the low-end consumer market...beginner through advanced. the reel is fine in the trout/pan fish category. again...no tube. big negative. and it was pushing $200 for just the rod, reel, and line.

so don't be afraid to go with the bass pro outfit. there is nothing whatsoever wrong with it. and i don't even know if they are still putting that cheap okuma reel on them. i haven't looked at them in a few years. but do yourself a favor and as soon as you get an extra $50-60 saved up, go buy a scientific anglers mastery series gp line for it and swap out the fly line. or...and i'm really gonna lose some of you here, but i'd dead serious and for $15 you should test this one for yourselves...call jeff or ray at global dorber and order a northern sport aquanova 0075 series extra high floating weight forward fly line in the appropriate size. just do them a favor and tell them you read about the line in a post i made on texas fishing forum. they have no idea where what % of their business is coming from. i don't get anything from them, but they can use the help figuring some things out and i'm trying to help them. i turned them on to this line a couple of years ago. a LOT of big name companies get their fly lines made by northern sport. and this one out-performs most of what they private label for everyone else. it has extremely low memory, it's density is way lower than the specific gravity of water, it's very durable, and the head design on the WF lines still allows for some amazing roll casting performance. for those who might not know what that ref to specific gravity means, the entire fly line floats above the surface tension of the water. this makes it extremely easy to see, pick up, and mend. it's a GREAT dry fly line! global dorber marks them up about $2-3. LOL it's insane. i know of specific cases where this line is being sold in the 0099 series (not much lighter than water) for over $40 under a different name brand.

i wrote all about this on my blog a couple of years ago. it's still there.

...at one cent per word this thread would have purchased a Winston Boron rod (which is what he really needs) and an Abel reel (with fancy paint job) short of those you're fishing with junk... ahem, cntryislandboy (orginal poster) get whatever you can afford, try to read some impartial stuff & look at catalogs, its really hard to buy a bad rod. Good fishin'