Recommened Rod and reel for beginner. (saltwater ready)

[HuyFishin]

Hello Everyone,

I'm looking into joining the fly fishing community. Mainly starting with trout.
I just wanted to know what rod and reels you would recommend within the 500 dollar mark.Main thing i'm looking for will be a Saltwater ready set up I can use for sea run cutties when i'm out west. I'm new within the fly community so any information and recommendations that point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

If I have to adjust my budget a little more then let me know.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by HuyFishin

Hello Everyone,

I'm looking into joining the fly fishing community. Mainly starting with trout.
I just wanted to know what rod and reels you would recommend within the 500 dollar mark.Main thing i'm looking for will be a Saltwater ready set up I can use for sea run cutties when i'm out west. I'm new within the fly community so any information and recommendations that point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

If I have to adjust my budget a little more then let me know.

pretty much any sealed drag machined anodized aluminum reel will work. At $500 for rod and reel you won't buy new...just used.

If you get something in that price range likely you must clean the guides with fresh water and dry after each salt water use and soak, rinse and dry the reel in fresh water after each use.

For salt rods you want larger guides that wont rust.

If I were you I would go over to Fish Tales and chat with the crew there about ideas. Maybe they have a clearance item or sale?

[Bolete]

The Fishin Hole has Sage Motive rods (saltwater) in 6 and 7 weight on for 40% off.

[Smoky buck]

Honestly if it’s just going to see saltwater on rare trips I would not worry too much. Just make sure you rinse everything off at the end of the day. As a kid I would just throw my reel in a bucket of water and hose of my rod at the end of the day. I still do that out of habit even though I have an islander reel and sage for saltwater

If you want it for sea run cutties odds are you will find the fishing is often better in the rivers themselves too

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Honestly if it’s just going to see saltwater on rare trips I would not worry too much. Just make sure you rinse everything off at the end of the day. As a kid I would just throw my reel in a bucket of water and hose of my rod at the end of the day. I still do that out of habit even though I have an islander reel and sage for saltwater

If you want it for sea run cutties odds are you will find the fishing is often better in the rivers themselves too

Same here. I'm not doing enough to get too crazy and specific. Just large arbour is useful if your going after bigger prey. That said, I had my 7 wt rod and reel with sinking line last year out on the open ocean. Slayed coho and changed a guides approach for good!
Regular reel used, not large arbour. Would have been nice but, meh. More a nice to have as well. Rod is always more important than the reel.

[HuyFishin]

Hey everyone!

Thank you for all the great response. I'm slightly fussy when it comes equipment quality. one of my greatest pet peeves is when something does not work as I intend it to. Reason I was looking for something "saltwater ready" is because every time I use a reel in the salt and I rinse it using it once. The next day I use it again and it doesn't feel the same. After the 3rd, 4th and 5th use it gradually gets worse. It doesnt feel as silky smooth. I suppose I am a little fussy. After reading all the comments i've decided I may have to up my budget. What I will do is purchase the reel and patiently wait till I can afford the rod.

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...ES%2F&se=33443

I know van Staal is very big in the salt spinning reel game. Not so much at fly fishing. But for a reel that is sealed and fully submersible. For 270+gst its not too bad. I just have to save up for this fly rod. My original budget was at 500 Dollars. Because the reel has already taken a huge chunk of that budget I cant buy the rod right away. I will just have to purchase the reel and sit on it for a bit till I have enough. I feel some patients will pay off for something I can long term. This is the rod i'm eyeing down.

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...ES%2F&se=29684


(I would also like to mention my budget was 500 because my sister and boyfriend got me a gift card from the fishin hole, I was origionally gonna order a Daiwa Saltist for the salt but figured I should try fly fishing)

[Smoky buck]

For a reel buy an islander and be done with it

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Honestly if it’s just going to see saltwater on rare trips I would not worry too much. Just make sure you rinse everything off at the end of the day. As a kid I would just throw my reel in a bucket of water and hose of my rod at the end of the day. I still do that out of habit even though I have an islander reel and sage for saltwater

If you want it for sea run cutties odds are you will find the fishing is often better in the rivers themselves too

Exactly....now the OP mentions about being fussy...no probs but I got a set up 40 years old that I bought up in Alaska still going strong....salt water use just put the reel in a sink of fresh water after rinsing it...the rod I use to put in the bath tub after rinsing for just an additional soak for an hour...you buy one set up that will do both and then carry on....but some like many addictions have many and that is not a bad thing if you got the cash.

[FlyTheory]

Originally Posted by HuyFishin

Hey everyone!

Thank you for all the great response. I'm slightly fussy when it comes equipment quality. one of my greatest pet peeves is when something does not work as I intend it to. Reason I was looking for something "saltwater ready" is because every time I use a reel in the salt and I rinse it using it once. The next day I use it again and it doesn't feel the same. After the 3rd, 4th and 5th use it gradually gets worse. It doesnt feel as silky smooth. I suppose I am a little fussy. After reading all the comments i've decided I may have to up my budget. What I will do is purchase the reel and patiently wait till I can afford the rod.

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...ES%2F&se=33443

I know van Staal is very big in the salt spinning reel game. Not so much at fly fishing. But for a reel that is sealed and fully submersible. For 270+gst its not too bad. I just have to save up for this fly rod. My original budget was at 500 Dollars. Because the reel has already taken a huge chunk of that budget I cant buy the rod right away. I will just have to purchase the reel and sit on it for a bit till I have enough. I feel some patients will pay off for something I can long term. This is the rod i'm eyeing down.

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...ES%2F&se=29684


(I would also like to mention my budget was 500 because my sister and boyfriend got me a gift card from the fishin hole, I was origionally gonna order a Daiwa Saltist for the salt but figured I should try fly fishing)

That all looks good to me. Even though it’s rated for salt, always rinse your stuff down after it’s seen saltwater. That’s like the #1 rule regardless of the intended use, sure saltwater components will hold up if they aren’t rinsed for a while, but they’ll start to degrade and boom it’ll rust up. It’s like changing the oil in your vehicle... speaking of which, oiling your drag every year really increases the life of any fly reel. I have a 10 year old loop Opti reel that has literally been fished around the world and a little TLC in December makes it last.