Need fly fishing gear... what to get, where to go?

[FisherLife420]

Well when it comes to fly fishing I am fairly clueless about what I should pick up and where to get it.

I'm going to Newfoundland for a few weeks this summer and need to get some good gear as I've always borrowed from family. I've fly fished many times and am quite experienced... I just don't know anything about the gear itself.

I'm hoping somebody can help me with some suggestions as to what to get. I'm looking for a good quality set-up for salmon fishing and speckles. I suppose it'll cost about $200-250 for a decent rod and reel?

Is a 5wt rod appropriate for a few salmon and speckles? Good reel/rod brand/models? Best line?

Best store? How's the Float and Paddles store in the west-end? That's probably the closest store for me.

Thanks for any tips!!

[Hookup]

Not to pass you off, but my recommendation would be to go talk to Float Paddle and Fly and the Green Drake... listen to both of them, as in my experience they both know a lot about the sport... I'm sure after talking to both you'll get 99% of your questions answered and have a good enough feeling to make a purchase.

I've not bias, I love both stores but youve got a load of questions there... and i think that there are a bunch of different ways to go depending on other factors such as how much fishing, what other fishing will you do with the setup and possibly other factors... Then you can weight that info with what you hear from this site (also loaded with good brains) before making that final purchase.

-now i think this is my most useless post of the day... sorry bout that...

[FisherLife420]

Thanks, I'll for sure hit up those shops.

Would there maybe be any brands that you would NOT recommend? Like in your opinion a certain brand tends to be too fragile, overpriced or lacking in quality... that sort of thing.

Best value for the price? I'm planning to get something that is of good quality and has excellent performance not like TheUglyStik of fly rods. Are there any brands that stand out a bit from the rest and are consistently good product?

[Fishboy]

There are a few questions you might ask yourself before buying gear.
1. What species are you most likely to target?
2. Will you most often fish stillwater or streams?
3. What did you budget for equipment?

Once you figure these out for yourself, it will make the experts' jobs easier in helping you choose the best tools for the job.

Personally, I would take a casting course (I took Green Drake's course) to learn the basic mechanics of fly fishing. There's no magic, but like golf, there are tried and true techniques. Taking the course will certainly reduce frustration on the water.

You can get starter kits for under $200 that allow you to ease into flyfishing without breaking the bank.

I would strongly recommend joining the Ottawa Flyfishers Society. Lots of fun and great people. The VP, Todd B., organizes the summer fishing outings mentioned at the top of the Flyfishing section on F-H.....a good way to practice with help from friends.

I hope this helps.

[Todd B.]

Well if you're fishing for brookies and salmon you're looking at two completely different outfits. Since it seems you are only in the market for one outfit, you will need to identify your primary target species (as Fishboy suggests) and purchase your rod/reel, etc accordingly. Unfortunatly you will still need to borrow gear for any species that is not covered by your primary outfit.

[wongrs]

As Todd was saying, you tend to gear your outfit depending on the style of fishing you're going to be doing. This is most dependent on the size of fish so for bigger fish, you need a bigger rod. Salmon is considerably larger and stronger than brookies so you'd likely be looking at an 8 weight rod. For brookies, you'd likely be looking at a 4-5 weight rod but you can still catch smaller fish on a big rod - they just won't put much of bend in it.

If I were in your situation, then I'd purchase a rod for the salmon and then either use that rod for smaller species or borrow a smaller rod. Smaller fish are still fun on a thicker rod.

You might also want to consider buying used to get a better price. The fly line and backing will cost you another $50 at least.

My 2 cents. Good luck.

[FisherLife420]

Thanks for all the info!

I have lots of experience flyfishing for salmon and speckles with hundreds and hundreds of hours casting.

In the past I've caught salmon on rods that are obviously strong enough but then also used the same rod for the speckles and never had a problem.

Anybody have any favourite lines or specific suggestions?

Thanks!

[Todd B.]

From the price point you listed you might consider looking at the TFO Series I or the Orvis Clearwater II rods. If you decide on a heavy rod for salmon it may be hard to locate a quality reel (i.e. large arbor, smooth drag) that is within your budget. Again, it's best to talk to the store professionals for their suggestions.

[FisherLife420]

Thanks!

I'm not set on spending only that much... I just glanced at few posts and though that was what a good set-up cost. I'm looking for some quality gear that will last and perform. Somehow I just got the idea that $250 was a good figure.

I'll visit the stores soon... just trying to get some advice, opinions and input from guys or gals that know.

[Todd B.]

In terms of quality rods, you're probably looking at a $20-$30 difference between a 5wt and a 10wt. If you go with a 5wt rod, you don't have to spend much on the reel as it is pretty much just a line holder, with the exception of the occasional large fish. If you're going with the heavier rod for bigger fish (i.e. salmon) you're going to want a reel with a quality drag system that can stand up to runs that big fish can make. As such you'd be investing in a more expensive reel.

[FisherLife420]

I'm guessing that I'll be catching more speckles than salmon. So I need a rod that can handle salmon if I luck on to one...

So a 6-7wt? Something in between>

[FisherLife420]

Okay, a 6wt is good for the occasional salmon and speckles?

Yes? So what is a good brand of reel?

If it was spinning gear I could for sure list off a few that I would recommend and a few that I would ban...

[FisherLife420]

Like pulling teeth here...

Okay,

Is it possible for you guys to recommend a rig for me? I might catch a salmon or 2 and for sure some speckles...

Does anybody have a favourite line?

Actually you know what... forget it... its been too much work to get any sort of help from you...

Most of you fit the stereotype so well... don't worry I won't tell anyone about your precious "fly-fishing" info... well-done on keeping it a secret.

Consider me one-less fly-fisherman...

If I had asked the same questions to general fisherman I would have been inundated with information... not impressed at all. Pathetic little men. Have fun with your little flies... way to keep the sport alive.

[newflyfisher]

just joined this website and saw your email. difficult for fly fishers to answer this properly. i am from the maritimes and fished alot for both salmon and brookie. two totally different fish in terms of fight and power. a 12-14" brookie caught on a 4-6 weight rod is great fun, catching a 5-20lb salmon on the same outfit...not good! just to land the fish you will probably kill it by over-playing the fish. when i lived in NS i used 4-5 weight for brookies and 8-9 weights for salmon. if you can only afford one rod/reel to do it all, recommend a 7 weight rod. lots of decent $5-70 fly reels which can handle the salmon. spend all the money you have on the rod and flyline. the flyline is what make it all work. all the flylines on the market (Orvis, SA, RIO, etc...) are good quality, just don't buy a no-name system. in terms of rods there are a number of good choices such as st.croix, orvis, TFO, etc...
if i were to make one recommendation, buy the Scientific Angler Bass rod system. it is about $200 with rod and reel and line. it is a 8 weight rod, reasonable quality, a bit heavy for the brookies but reasonable, adequate for salmon and at the same time you can use it back here for bass and pike. i think fly, foat and paddle has some in stock.
good luck and enjoy your trip

colin

[Todd B.]

Like pulling teeth here...

Okay,

Is it possible for you guys to recommend a rig for me? I might catch a salmon or 2 and for sure some speckles...

Does anybody have a favourite line?

Actually you know what... forget it... its been too much work to get any sort of help from you...

Most of you fit the stereotype so well... don't worry I won't tell anyone about your precious "fly-fishing" info... well-done on keeping it a secret.

Consider me one-less fly-fisherman...

If I had asked the same questions to general fisherman I would have been inundated with information... not impressed at all. Pathetic little men. Have fun with your little flies... way to keep the sport alive.

FisherLife,

It is unfortunate that you feel that way. The guys were clearly trying to determine the best possible outfit for you, unfortunately it seems that you do not have the patience to spec out a solution for you.

As Colin indicated, your desired usage for your outfit is not one that is easily addressed. If you were to post this in the general section it would be analogous to asking for a recommended outfit to fish for crappie but also be able to take muskie fishing. I'm sure it you posted something like that in the Hawk-Talk forum you would have received a lot of criticism from the muskie guys, or told to just pick up an Ugly Stick.

Fly anglers are not going to just tell you to run out and by a G. Loomis rod and a Hardy reel just because they're great (but expensive) rods and reels. Because the sport is typically such an investment, questions such as target species, type of water you'll be fishing, etc are asked in order to determine the "best fit" in terms of rod length, weight, line type, etc that you should be looking for. Brand names come up once the type of outfit and a user's planned budget are known.

As Colin suggested you might get by with a 7wt, although catching brookies on a 7wt will be like catching crappie on a heavy trolling rod.
Note that a number of brand names were mentioned within the thread as were two reputable fly shops in town. The brands stocked by both shops are quality brands, though anglers have personal preferences as to what they like/dislike.