Help A Newbie with Rod Selection

I've always wanted to get into flyfishing. it's a little daunting to someone who has never done it or been expose to this style of fishing. I frequent most of the southern Trout destinations Lower Mtn. , Blue River , White River , etc. so I would like to buy something I can use for Trout but also target bass , sandies and other warmer water species. I don't want to have to take out a bank loan to get started , but I can swing a couple hundred for rod,reel ,and line. Thanks in advance for any and all input.

Look for an 8.5 or 9 foot 5 weight from a reputable company like Temple Fork, Redington, or Orvis. Keep warranties in mind, fly rods break, it's a fact of life, so investing a little more to have a replacement when something happens is nice peace of mind. Don't get enamored with reels, with most freshwater species, it's just a line holder. Your first fly rod is more about figuring out what you will want your next rod to be.

My main suggestion is to invest in a quality fly line, it really makes a big difference in casting and will smooth out the learning curve.

^^ What he said.

Go to any reputable fly shop, tell them your budget, and they'll get it sorted.

Don't skimp on the line.

Thanks guys

Check out Cabela's line of rods as several are half price right now. A few are in the $40-$60 range and are good rods. Same for reels. I would pay more attention to the fly line for just starting out. I would try out both glass and carbon rods before purchasing to see how each feels.

Check out TFO and Echo, two of the best at entry level rods and great customer service.

Taking lessons will shorten the learning curve and the frustration level dramatically. Several CCI instructors on this site.

These Echo rod sets are great for the price. I know everybody has different options but the Yellowstone Angler 9' 5wt shootout has the $90 Echo Base rod beating the $260 TFO BVK, $450 Sage Pulse and the $945 RL Winston Air.

I’ll second Echo comments. Got the 5wt Base for my wife and it’s an awesome rod for the price. The medium action helped her pick it up quick.

I'll echo the Echo support. My 2wt is the Echo Carbon XL and it is my favorite rod. Buddy has the Base, loves it. Lifetime warranty, can't go wrong for the price.

I ditto the get a good line, however I would consider a Cabela's outfit, possibly in a 6wt which can also handle a 5wt and 7 wt lines (though I would go 5 & 6) My son caught a respectable Steelhead out in CA using my 5 wt rod. Then some "cheap" reels with WF floating and another with sink tip (though I favor sinking leaders, but I am not overly experienced.) Don't know if I will ever get back to the Rockies but the fish in the Luguna Madre are BIGGER and you can use 1/0 flies with a 6 wt.
Just mi dos pesoes
Tio Pick

Cabelas has several of their combos' on sale right now with good prices .I have their 5-WT RLS+ Combo and it's a really great combo .

OP,
Fly fishing is not rocket science. My first fly rod/reel combo when I was just 8yr's old was [censored], so screw all this name brand nonsense, but I caught fish like nobody's business. I just purchased a Martin rod/reel combo off eBay for $25 shipped! Do you think the fish know or care how much you spent? Does a $4000 Oyster Bamboo rod catch more fish than a $20 Walmart/Academy rod....NO!

c r a p i s n o w c e n s o r e d ?

Hay Nancy

You don't need to drop a lot of money to get started. Get a moderately priced Cabelas or White River (Bass Pro) combo. Next step is to upgrade the line if it comes with some real cheap hard to cast good stuff.

I had a Hobbs Creek combo when I was much younger and then I bought a TFO/Hobbs Creek reel combo and went with the SA Mastery MPX line when I got back in to it 18 months ago. I recently bought a TFO BVK rod to cast farther and bigger flies of the same wt as my other equipment. Next step is probably a 7 wt.

Get ready for the addiction...

Just go back into fly fishing full time and have purchased lots of new gear from these guys!

http://www.maxcatchfishing.com

Yes it's from China, but most stuff is! Very good prices, and great quality! The fly line is great, don't let the price scare ya! $ 50 reels are top shelf and the rods ($ 100), great! I own 11'6" 4 weight switch, 10' 3 weight nymph, 10' 4 weight nymph, and four 9' 5weight! The only draw back is ship time. 5 weeks to get gear.

I know I'm late to the convo, but thought I'd throw in my 2 cents in the event you hadn't already taken the plunge!

Depends on how much you want to get into the sport, the species you want to target, etc...but, I'll say that you'll be hard pressed to beat a good 6wt rod. I have just about everything from a 4wt up to 9wt varying from single hand, switch, to spey (2 hander) and they all have their strengths and weaknesses depending on what you're trying to do.

I'll be honest though, I have a boat rod from cabela's (5wt) that I've kept through the years and has caught thousands of fish and it does the job! The more you get into the sport the more you will appreciate different actions and features and I feel like that is dependent on the individual. Myself...I like Medium Fast action, more forgiving, and feels best in my hands, but I have plenty of friends that swear by fast action. To each his own.

My personal weapon of choice in a single hand is the LOOP S1 Cross Flatsman 6wt 9' 4 piece. Turns over flies and rigs effortlessly and is dadgum sexy AF! I've caught carp/trout/salmon/bass/etc on it and it is hard to beat. If you don't wanna spend $900 on a rod to start off with though, I really like the LOOP Q series for the money. Of course, there are other manufacturers that have great stuff, but I would stick to a brand with a well known and good reputation. I could recommend Sierra Trading Post for picking up good deals. Be sure to sign up for their weekly/daily letter as they often do 25% off already discounted stuff. Most of the time they sale reputable and quality stuff and you can get reels, rods, line, tippet, leaders, etc there. I've yet to see backing on there though. But. *shrugs* Lemme know if you have any questions and I'm more than happy to give you the skinny on whatever I can.