Good Morning Everbody!
I'm looking to purchase my first rod & reel. I live in an area where we have a good size river that has a good shad run, followed by the stripers, and we also have steelhead and salmon. I live 5 mins. from a lake that has a good population of blcak bass. I'm told by the local shops that a 7-8 wt would be perfect.
Does anyone a clue on what I should get as far as manufactors? I'm looking to spend 250-300 for the rod & reel.

Thanks for the feed back.

Is this your first foray into flyfishing? if not, what have you used before and did you like the gear? i fish mainly for stream trout so could not highly recommend anything in your sizes, but i've heard the temple fork outfitters professional series rods at $139 would probably work just fine for you, but it's just one option. the fish you're targeting would probably require a good reel with an excellent drag, so spend as much money on this as you can. an option would be the okuma integrity for about $60-$75, but personally, i don't like them for my needs. too heavy and touchy drag. i mention it only because others like them. orvis mid arbor and BBS, lamson radius, pflueger trion, ross flywater are other options, all between $85 and $130 i think. the tetons and teton's tioga are supposedly very good reels for the price. ross cimmaron, ross CLA and lamson velocity are just a tad more, around $150-$180. i really like my lamson radius but my other reel is a galvan OB-3 which i LOVE but that bumps you up to $275 i think. have you budgeted for the fly line too? keep in mind most premium lines are around $50-$60.

if you've got time and the inclination, wrap your own rod, it's pretty easy. you could have one on a forecast blank for about $60 total, use the remaining funds for the reel and line. since this is your first, it would be a good opportunity to learn what makes a good rod blank and go from there. cast as many rods as you can, borrowed from friends or at a shop. again, as your first (experience?) you probably haven't refined your taste yet so different rod actions may not be critical for you but i'd lean towards a medium fast to fast action rod overall.

good luck

eric
fresno, ca.

Thank for the reply Eric. To answer your ? yes this is going to be my first rod & reel. I've been doing some digging at local shops and get the whole sales thing. I'm trying to stick to the budget that I've set at the top end 3 bills. They say that they're going to throw $ for the line if I buy a rod & reel.

What i'm really looking for is some pointers on spotting good and bad thing on particular rod & reels in my price range.

Thanks
K

lakes and big rivers, big fish? you're going to want the ability to really cast the line so don't go for anything that feels too "whippy." i'm guessing medium fast to fast action. 9 foot is fine. most rods in that category of gear are going to work just fine for you. components for most rods have standardized these days. up locking reel seat, wood insert (sometimes graphite looking), snake guides. choose one that feels good, secondly one that looks good to you. multipiece rods are great (3/4/5pc)

look into the redington combos. good starter rods and reels, probably more than "starter" quality.

reels come in stamped aluminum and machined aluminum design, former being generally heavier. i like machined for the look, feel and light weight. disc drag, not click and pawl. but i'm sure either would work for you. deal with a fly shop, they typically know their stuff better than general sporting good stores, although there are exceptions.

eric
fresno, ca.

Teton Tioga would be in that price range and is good for fresh or salt.
The new Orvis mid-Arbor is also in that price range; but, doesn't have the history of the Tioga yet.

There are so many rods out there these days that it's hard to pick just one in that price range. Good luck!

So it looks like TFO, Redington, maybe St. Croix?? Any others?

Thanks
K

Hi KurtA...

If you are willing to buy "used" and on eBay, you can get a very good rod and reel set-up. Catch is you need to know what you're looking for. And you can determine that by trying different rods. Folks here would be glad to help you with "used" price input when you've narrowed the field down a bit.
Personally, I would say be sure to look at Ross reels, and also JRyall reels. I don't want to step on anyone's toes or insult their favorites but Ross is to flyreels what John Wayne is to Westerns.
Two more points - don't skimp on the line, and don't accept any dealer's offer of "tossing in a line". Expect to pay at least $50 for a line. Also, most of us still have most of the 30,000 flys we bought the day we bought our fiest rod. Most never see the light of day. Take the time to find out what locals are (really) using and limit your fly purchases to those. That alone will save you a ton of money.

HTH,
5/0

5/0, I'm a bit leary about a used rod for a beginner if they have a pinch of cash. I'd recommend one of the Sage products that are selling at a reduced rate (at least there's a warranty). Kurt; you won't be dissapointed if you find a new DS2 for around $150. Reels? Some good recommendations are posted and I'll add another close-out to the list: Galvan Standard 3.50.
Kurt, I also think a combo from Cabela's may be a good option.

PS; The "you don't want whippy" comment is only half right. You don't want a fast action rod either. Bad advice. Not a good choice if you're starting. Medium fast is the norm. Most instructors and pros reccomend it for a starter rod. Stick to it for now. You'll learn what you prefer as you go!

Have a serious look at a Loomis GL-3. It has a moderate fast action and the best warranty going. IMHO, a 4 or 5 weight will serve 97% of your needs. Shad are fighters. I know. I've caught many. Most weigh in at 3+/- pounds and bass about the same, so why over rod? Reel? Ross Cimarron, again because of the warranty and their service record. They're bullet proof.
Nimrod

my bad to say "fast action." seems my recent experience with a dan craft sig V and FT rods, usually termed fast but surprisingly not so, have clouded my judgement.

stick with medium fast.

eric
fresno, ca.

Thanks for all the info. I think I may know a bit more about this sport now, thanks to you all. Or at the very least, enough to make me very dangerous. (To my wallet).
I'll shut up now and try to decide.

Thanks
K