Posted: Mon 12/29/08 1:34 pm Post subject: Beginner Fly Rod - Looking For A Beginner Fly Rod
As you know, I have an immense passion and somewhat of an obsession for fly fishing, like some of the guys here (or all of em). Because Im fly fishing out on the water while my dad's spin fishing, he feels left out so recently he decided to search for his first fly rod. Im happy to say that in this situation, the son passes the passion on to the father, not vise versa. As we were in PA for the holidays, we stopped into Dunkelbergers, in Stroudsburg to store up on some flies. As we were there, my dad develops this look of shock and says "Hey Evan, look at this. Its an Orvis pole going for 89$!". In his and my opinion, that was an amazing deal but he still refused to buy it b/c he believed that this rod and deal will last awhile. So, my dad and I are still looking for his first fly rod and reel outfit with an 8 1/2ft, 5wt rod (I said 8ft b/c of the generally thin rivers around the northeast) and a 5wt reel. The thing is, Orvis, as you know, is an amazing and reliable company but still very expensive. So I was wondering if anyone knows of a cheap, durable beginner outfit or fly rod that meets the measurements or even just some prominent manufacturers like Orvis, St. Croix, Scott, ect. Any info is useful b/c I cant wait to teach my dad the ropes on the water.
Last edited by evan on Tue 12/30/08 1:50 pm; edited 2 times in total
Posted: Tue 12/30/08 12:03 pm Post subject: My Take
Hi Evan,
Like anything else, there are a myriad of opinions and suggestions. So, this is by no means the "end-all-be-all" .. it is just my take on your situation. You mention that your dad already saw value in a rod from ORVIS. Why? Well A brand that has been in the fly fishing business for 150 years lends itself to being well known even outside of the fly fishing world. I happen to personally appreciate The Orvis Company for a variety of reasons; here are a couple.
1. Been in the fly fishing business for 150 years.
2. The company has an incredible guarantee and return policy and stands by its products
3. Orvis serves the beginner fly fisherman incredibly well. And many of its products are inline with what a beginner fisherman often values .. something nice, from a recognizable name for an affordable price.
4. In addition to the product lines that Orvis offers .. there are other value added products and services for the beginner fly fisherman. Orvis is connected world wide to guides, schools, outfitters, fly shops etc.. and has an impressive volume of literature and how-to content that has been created and refined and adapted through the course of 150 years of fly fishing.
5. So, especially for the beginner fly fisherman, when they align themselves with an Orvis product .. they naturally inherent a feeling of being connected to an enormous worldwide fly fishing network.
6. Orvis is dedicated to ensuring a consistent level of customer satisfaction with its endorsed guides, it own retail stores, its dealers, its endorsed lodges, its fly fishing schools etc...
7. A guy like your dad .. may not find as much value in the things that you or I find value in .. such as big hard fighting fish etc.. He may find value in a reasonably priced rod, easy to understand instruction for a beginner, feelign connected to a bigger picture and for him .. his first blue gill on a fly might be the catch of a lifetime.
8. I say these things .. because I believe them .. and my very first fly rod and reel outfit was a gift from my parents .. so, like many others, The Orvis brand is synonymous with their earliest fly fishing memories.. And, I can say without question .. that the company has stood by their product through and through.
9. My "home fly shop" is a full ine orvis dealer. Like many ohter fly fisherman .. I choose my Home fly shop very carefully and I am loyal to that shop because of so many other things that have nothing to do with a "fly rod" .. My friend owns the shop, my friend has gone above and beyond what would be expected to help me and my friends out (sending rods to florida for us to use as loners or whatever, lets me try rods, spins my backing, is friendly when i come in, appreciates my business etc.. ) .. So for these reasons and many more I am very loyal to his fly shop.
10. Whether i buy orvis product through my friends shop, other orvis shops while i am traveling or through orvis.com - the same consistency is there and the orvis company stands by the product i buy.
So - I am sure other people - have other recommendations or whatever .. and I am sure those are valid too. This is merely my opinion on your question, based on what I do and choose and recommend to my fly fishing friends .. and especially beginner fly fishing friends.
Anyway - I don't know if you appreciate technology and functionality, but if you do .. Orvis.com is an amazing asset with killer applications built to help fly fisherman in exact situations like you are in now .. This is just one of many of those killer applications and killer technology .. Check it out .. I think you will be able to find the perfect rod/reel combo for your dad .. truly a simple solution. Good Luck!
One the greatest combos for the money was the St. Croix combo at Dick's Sporting Goods, my friend has it. It's a tank. It has suffered some serious abuse and it casts nicely, and lays out some great line.
also The Cahill clear water? (I can't read it, I used this rod so many times the writing is scratched out. lol) This was my very first rod ever. 6/7 weight, and was about 40 bucks for the combo. I have this rod still strung up and use it often. It's going on 13 years old.
I would check out Redington rods. and also Albrighttackle.com (I know they are having a serious sale right now)
but if you save just a little bit, getting a nice Orvis combo would be worth every single penny in my opinion.
You can't go wrong with the entry level St Croix or Loomis rods. My First Rod was a Loomis GL2. It was a somewhat forgiving rod that was durable and easy to cast. You want something both reliable and functional to start. Many of the entry level main stream rods have comparable blank quality and components. The main thing is to get him on the water with something he feels comfortable with.
I gotta put in my two cents - Echo rods will really do the trick for you. They feel about twice their price. You can probably find some deals out there for less than $150
I think that LLbean has some fairly nice stuff out there that is not outrages in price. That maybe an option also. Again a company that will stand behind a product for years to come.
Cabelas has some pretty good setups for the begining fly fisherman. I can't remeber the names of them off the top of my head, but they have some great deals and a great return policy.
Posted: Thu 02/05/09 5:23 pm Post subject: Beginner Fly rods
Hi evan, Ul find most rods today will do the job OK,regardless of price,bottom line is u get what u pay 4,as previous discussed.
Cabelas,LLBean,Bass Pro,Sierra Trading,Orvis,etc,etc are all places to check,for a multitude . Also trade n stuff for good deals on new /2nd hand rods& reel. Also sells lines & leaders etc.@v/good prices.
I mostly use an old Shakespeare 30 yrs + vintage,as when I am returning after dark, as I wouldn't like to break a $600 US,aprox $1000 Aus stick,however I won't hesitate to use rodi n daylight/clear/going,
where u don't have 2 negotiate trees etc.
liphooked
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