New to Fly Fishing Recommend set up

[Sakoman]

Looking at getting into fly fishing, planning to mostly fish the bow and other river in southern AB. Can you recommend what length and weight rod I should look for? Don't need top of the line stuff but don't want junk either. Thanks in advance.

[npauls]

I would look at a mid level 9' 5wt. 4 piece rod and a larger arbor reel. This set up should do pretty good for most situations in Alberta.

As for line I would look into something like a rio gold line.

Go check out a few different shops and see which rods catch your eye and feel good to you.

There is hundreds of different rods available but key in on the ones that are in your budget. Another thing to look at will be warranty. Especially if you are hard on your gear like me.

[Dust1n]

Originally Posted by Sakoman

Looking at getting into fly fishing, planning to mostly fish the bow and other river in southern AB. Can you recommend what length and weight rod I should look for? Don't need top of the line stuff but don't want junk either. Thanks in advance.

A 5/6wt id lean towards the 6wt if your fishing the bow more but you cant go wrong with either.
Deffinitly go with the 9ft rod its the most versitile rod you can have in Alberta.
Tons of different brands out there but TFOs are a good place to start. I like them and A lot of other people like them too.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=165877

[MtnGiant]

9'-0" 6wt is the common beginner set up.
Its middle of the road....then branch off after you get used to it.
And yes...TFO is a great starter

[pikergolf]

6wt. for a beginner, easier to cast, especially given the winds in southern Ab.

[lannie]

All the advice above is great and very consistent!

[Bhflyfisher]

My vote is in for the 6wt. St Croix Imperial Model.

[alacringa]

Agree with all above. For larger waters, 6 wt is excellent. I'm also a TFO fan - you might check out their BVK rod...I love it. For reels, there is quite the variety. Both TFO and Amundsen make good reels, at a reasonable price. And Rio Gold is a great line.

[onthefly]

No wrong advice on here, just depends what water systems you intend to fish... General advise;

- 4wt 8' if you mostly fish small streams & creeks
- 5wt 8' 6" if your not sure or will fish a little of everything
- 6wt 9' if you mostly fish open water or large rivers like the Bow

Chances are if you get in to fly fishing, you will own one of each someday for whatever the occasion calls for... Or several of each like me & lots of others on this forum lol.

[shortkut]

I would totally agree with the warranty! When you have a long rod, which all the fly rods are, you will have oops moments from time to time. Personally I use sage rods but that's a ford dodge chev thing!

The other thing is get a comfy vest but do not over spend on your 1st vest as you "will" upgrade it! I have gone through 4 now and well the fith is in the thinking stage!

With that said a good rod will help you enjoy casting.

Welcome to the world of fly fishing!

[brown trout]

Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher

My vote is in for the 6wt. St Croix Imperial Model.

X2.

Maybe consider a 9' #5 depending on that exactly you're going to do mostly. (Mostly the Bow with some other places a few times, #6. Mostly smaller streams like the Livingstone or Crow, and the Bow once in a while, #5).

IMHO, you're getting a way better rod going for the Imperial. Made in the US, lifetime warranty (actually a GREAT warranty, especially when you're starting). Those are one of the top 3 or 4 rods under $300 for sure (and they only cost like $189 for a 4-piece). If you're willing to spend an extra 100 bucks, check out the Greys FX2 Streamflex or standard XF2 in a 9'#5. Sweet rods.

You won't outgrow that rod for several good years.

Don't buy a rod just because of the warranty available in Calgary. If you take reasonable care of your rod, you won't often run into issues.

[SilversidesBC]

Originally Posted by Sakoman

Looking at getting into fly fishing, planning to mostly fish the bow and other river in southern AB. Can you recommend what length and weight rod I should look for? Don't need top of the line stuff but don't want junk either. Thanks in advance.

As a fly fishing guide I have tried many rods over the years and big names have not always been the best choice although I love Loomis. Currently I have a few Dragonfly rods that are very good performers and excellent value at under $90. I don't know what shops you can find them in but ask around I guess. If you are a rookie I suggest going 1 weight higher, so a 6 or 7 would be ideal for any river fishing, a 5-6wt for stillwater, its easier to learn casting and control. Make sure your line is 1 wt heavier than your rod. Rio makes excellent lines. You'll probably use sinktips a lot so make sure your dry line(main) has a factory loop at the end and have your fly shop make up some Rio sink tips of various lengths with a proper loop at 1 end and 16" of 15lb at the other with a loop also. I like the T-14 or slightly lighter in lengths of 5, 8 and 10 ft. carry spools of good leader, flourocarbon for gin clear waters and Maxima for dirty water.
Have you taken fly casting lessons? It saves lives! lol
If you want an easy way to learn the basic fundamentals of how a line casts properly then take a 50ft piece of heavy string and tie it to a 2ft stick or just hold one end in your casting hand. When you can cast it with ease you'll never look back.
Good luck!

[MtnGiant]

I like the stick and string practice setup that silversidesbc said.
I had a Dragonfly 6wt until I stepped on the tip.
Pretty sure you can only get them in BC like I got mine.
Seems TFO is the common rod in AB and the Dragonfly is the common BC rod?

[Bhflyfisher]

Originally Posted by brown trout

X2.

Maybe consider a 9' #5 depending on that exactly you're going to do mostly. (Mostly the Bow with some other places a few times, #6. Mostly smaller streams like the Livingstone or Crow, and the Bow once in a while, #5).

IMHO, you're getting a way better rod going for the Imperial. Made in the US, lifetime warranty (actually a GREAT warranty, especially when you're starting). Those are one of the top 3 or 4 rods under $300 for sure (and they only cost like $189 for a 4-piece). If you're willing to spend an extra 100 bucks, check out the Greys FX2 Streamflex or standard XF2 in a 9'#5. Sweet rods.

You won't outgrow that rod for several good years.

Don't buy a rod just because of the warranty available in Calgary. If you take reasonable care of your rod, you won't often run into issues.

The imperial has always been far better then any tfo rods, or any rod in that price range. Their warranty is just as good as tfo. If you picked a tfo up in one hand, and an imperial up in another, you'd see the difference right there. St croix says the imperial is fast action, but i'd say its more moderate-fast. Really nice for any general application anyone would want it for. I had the very original imperial that was bought i think almost 10 years ago. My cousin has it now, but It has handled tons of bow river fish, crashed into a cliff on the blackstone, and has been into 100+ salmon, that thing is a warrior. Oh and just recently... i borrowed said rod on a trip and landed a double digit weight bull trout. The rod has been used so much that its cork is finally tearing and coming apart, and the epoxy is just starting to wear away and the thread on the ferrules are just starting to fray. But for 10 years and hard use, im thoroughly impressed. Im sold on that rod. I would recommend it to anyone.

[SilversidesBC]

Originally Posted by mtngiant

I like the stick and string practice setup that silversidesbc said.
I had a Dragonfly 6wt until I stepped on the tip.
Pretty sure you can only get them in BC like I got mine.
Seems TFO is the common rod in AB and the Dragonfly is the common BC rod?

The TFO and Dragonfly are basically identical rods, I've used both and they both perform well. Could be identical blanks?

[ÜberFly]

I would contest the advise, pretaining to "overlining"!! Definitely depends on the action of the rod! I would NOT overline a medium (soft) rod, cautiously over line a med/fast and most likely overline a fast action rod (though with a GPX type line as oppsed to 1 wt heavier - GPX is only 1/2 a line wt heavier).

At this point don't be too concerned about which rod/line/reel combo, but just get out there and practice, read and watch! I would recommend that you sign up for some lessons (at a local fly shop), you willl lessen the learning curve and prevent you from starting any bad habits that will take you years to unlearn!

9' 6 wt and decent floating line will do what you want it to - especially for the Bow (don't spend more the $200 on the entire kit at this stage)! Look on Kijiji or the Trading Post thread. The only specific advice I would give you is consider a 4 piece over a 2 piece (even though better deals to be had on a 2 piece rod), for the only reason is that it is more portable...

Good luck!

P

Originally Posted by SilversidesBC

As a fly fishing guide I have tried many rods over the years and big names have not always been the best choice although I love Loomis. Currently I have a few Dragonfly rods that are very good performers and excellent value at under $90. I don't know what shops you can find them in but ask around I guess. If you are a rookie I suggest going 1 weight higher, so a 6 or 7 would be ideal for any river fishing, a 5-6wt for stillwater, its easier to learn casting and control. Make sure your line is 1 wt heavier than your rod. Rio makes excellent lines. You'll probably use sinktips a lot so make sure your dry line(main) has a factory loop at the end and have your fly shop make up some Rio sink tips of various lengths with a proper loop at 1 end and 16" of 15lb at the other with a loop also. I like the T-14 or slightly lighter in lengths of 5, 8 and 10 ft. carry spools of good leader, flourocarbon for gin clear waters and Maxima for dirty water.
Have you taken fly casting lessons? It saves lives! lol
If you want an easy way to learn the basic fundamentals of how a line casts properly then take a 50ft piece of heavy string and tie it to a 2ft stick or just hold one end in your casting hand. When you can cast it with ease you'll never look back.
Good luck!

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by ÜberFly

I would contest the advise, pretaining to "overlining"!! Definitely depends on the action of the rod! I would NOT overline a medium (soft) rod, cautiously over line a med/fast and most likely overline a fast action rod (though with a GPX type line as oppsed to 1 wt heavier - GPX is only 1/2 a line wt heavier).

At this point don't be too concerned about which rod/line/reel combo, but just get out there and practice, read and watch! I would recommend that you sign up for some lessons (at a local fly shop), you willl lessen the learning curve and prevent you from starting any bad habits that will take you years to unlearn!

9' 6 wt and decent floating line will do what you want it to - especially for the Bow (don't spend more the $200 on the entire kit at this stage)! Look on Kijiji or the Trading Post thread. The only specific advice I would give you is consider a 4 piece over a 2 piece (even though better deals to be had on a 2 piece rod), for the only reason is that it is more portable...

Good luck!

P

X2 on everything said here except the 4 pcs. In the cheaper rods I find the 4 pcs models heavier and have poor swing weight. Once you get into a decent rod it matters less or not at all.

The beginners I have dealt with don't seem to be able to keep the 4 pcs aligned properly and don't notice if they start to come apart. There was one young fellow that snapped his rod as it was not fully put together when a fish hit. The connecting point being at a stronger point would have prevented this.

I find the 2 pcs rods cheaper to buy and just as easy to transport to rivers and pot hole lakes. I leave mine strung up in a two piece case with reel attached. I can be chucking bugs in minutes while others are stringing a 4 pcs. My son insisted on a 4 pcs rod but now only breaks it done in two pieces and uses a two piece case that allows the reel to remain on.

If back packing a 4 pcs rod would obviously be the ticket.

The new Sage VXP comes with a very nice 4 pcs case that allows the reel to stay on the rod. It is much nicer than the ones that came with the Flight series combo. It is less balky and has individual compartments for each piece.

[brown trout]

Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher

The imperial has always been far better then any tfo rods, or any rod in that price range. Their warranty is just as good as tfo. If you picked a tfo up in one hand, and an imperial up in another, you'd see the difference right there. St croix says the imperial is fast action, but i'd say its more moderate-fast. Really nice for any general application anyone would want it for. I had the very original imperial that was bought i think almost 10 years ago. My cousin has it now, but It has handled tons of bow river fish, crashed into a cliff on the blackstone, and has been into 100+ salmon, that thing is a warrior. Oh and just recently... i borrowed said rod on a trip and landed a double digit weight bull trout. The rod has been used so much that its cork is finally tearing and coming apart, and the epoxy is just starting to wear away and the thread on the ferrules are just starting to fray. But for 10 years and hard use, im thoroughly impressed. Im sold on that rod. I would recommend it to anyone.

Yup! I still have two of the old St Croix Pro Graphite rods (a 5 and a 6). They were my first "decent" rods. Actually, they are quite good if you don't look too hard at the cosmetics. The fiancee uses them now. The new Imperials are simply outstanding at that price range. If I was finacially strapped, I'd load up on those. TFO was a decent rod 12 years back when they cost around $100, but now that the cost is nearly 200, not worth it at all. The exact same rod. Amost twice the price. St Croix Imperials on the other had have actually gone down in cost over that same time, and are made in the USA. The QC is not there at TFO, as you can see by all the uneven tips on the rods sitting on the rack.

Anyway, warranty. Last I checked, the St Croix warranty will allow you to upgrade, for the additional price of the new rod being chosen, plus a modest fee. This means, if you get the Imperial rod, but if it breaks after a few years, you can actually get a higher end rod as the replacement, but you're $189 will actually count towards the new "purchase". Pretty cool deal if you ask me.

As always, the St Croix rod has a lifetime warranty, and I had good service from them the one time I needed it.

Nick

[Bhflyfisher]

Originally Posted by brown trout

Yup! I still have two of the old St Croix Pro Graphite rods (a 5 and a 6). They were my first "decent" rods. Actually, they are quite good if you don't look too hard at the cosmetics. The fiancee uses them now. The new Imperials are simply outstanding at that price range. If I was finacially strapped, I'd load up on those. TFO was a decent rod 12 years back when they cost around $100, but now that the cost is nearly 200, not worth it at all. The exact same rod. Amost twice the price. St Croix Imperials on the other had have actually gone down in cost over that same time, and are made in the USA. The QC is not there at TFO, as you can see by all the uneven tips on the rods sitting on the rack.

Anyway, warranty. Last I checked, the St Croix warranty will allow you to upgrade, for the additional price of the new rod being chosen, plus a modest fee. This means, if you get the Imperial rod, but if it breaks after a few years, you can actually get a higher end rod as the replacement, but you're $189 will actually count towards the new "purchase". Pretty cool deal if you ask me.

As always, the St Croix rod has a lifetime warranty, and I had good service from them the one time I needed it.

Nick

Yeup! The only rod i like that i've casted from tfo is the bvk. Its a good buy at the 300 dollar mark for the rod blank itself its a good blank, to build on, but with tfos factory component and quality check, it really doesnt help that rod out. Components on all tfo rods are very cheap and not high quality which is the reason for "low" cost that everyone thinks is great. But as for the 130-200 dollar "decent" tfo's everyone raves about, not worth it if you look closely. Not only beginners, but even experienced fisherman still NEVER look at the epoxy work, shape and etc of rods, cork and finish. They see the price tag, fits their budget and they go for it. Without paying much attention to the things that make the rod what it is. Like you said the QC just isnt there for Tfo.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher

Yeup! The only rod i like that i've casted from tfo is the bvk. Its a good buy at the 300 dollar mark for the rod blank itself its a good blank, to build on, but with tfos factory component and quality check, it really doesnt help that rod out. Components on all tfo rods are very cheap and not high quality which is the reason for "low" cost that everyone thinks is great. But as for the 130-200 dollar "decent" tfo's everyone raves about, not worth it if you look closely. Not only beginners, but even experienced fisherman still NEVER look at the epoxy work, shape and etc of rods, cork and finish. They see the price tag, fits their budget and they go for it. Without paying much attention to the things that make the rod what it is. Like you said the QC just isnt there for Tfo.

Couldn't agree more.^^....most accurate TFO review ever written!

I bought a BVK 2 years ago,based on all the raving reviews.As mentioned the blank is decent enough and comparable to many higher-end rods,but that's where it ends.Wish I'd have shopped around a bit more or scrutinized the BVK more closely,IMO there are lots of "nicer" rods in the same price range.
For instance,I was no more than 2 minutes into it's "maiden voyage" when I decided that the stripping guide was a noisy,cheesy POS.And this after driving directly from the CGY flyshop that shall remain nameless 1.5 hrs west into mountains to discover that the guy had grabbed me a 586-4 and not the 590-4 that I had asked for.....shared blame there for not checking myself,and not a really big deal,but still,a bit disappointed from the get go.....if I was closer and not so anxious to fish I'd have brought it back.