Need rod/reel recommendations.

SemperFiDawg · May 21, 2018

My 10 year old son is crazy about fishing. Guess he got it naturally. This weekend my best friend gave him a custom rod and reel sized to a 10 year old to get him started fly fishing. Now I need to get one also so I can fish with him. I have never fly fished and have no idea where to start.

We will be fishing mostly the Ohoopee river in South Georgia and maybe some ponds. Targets will be mostly panfish with maybe an occasional bass. Looking for a rod/reel combo under $200, cheaper would be better. Any help with that as well as flies, poppers would be greatly appreciated.

Cmp1 · May 21, 2018

There was a great post on beginning fly fishing in the fly fishing thread, can't remember the name of it,,,, you could always get with NCHillbilly,,,,

Para Bellum · May 21, 2018

Cabelas combo. Great rods and reels for the $ IMO.

SemperFiDawg · May 21, 2018

Metro Trout said:
Cabelas combo. Great rods and reels for the $ IMO.

What sizes, lengths, weights, line, etc. I literally know nothing.

SemperFiDawg · May 21, 2018

Cmp1 said:
There was a great post on beginning fly fishing in the fly fishing thread, can't remember the name of it,,,, you could always get with NCHillbilly,,,,

Tks. Will try and find it. Wish it was stickied.

Cmp1 · May 21, 2018

http://northgeorgiasportsman.blogspo...y-fishing.html

Ferrulewax · May 21, 2018

I would get a redington path combo- yes, it is at the very top end of your budget, however the rod has a lifetime warranty, which will likely save you money in the long run.

NCHillbilly · May 21, 2018

You can't go wrong with Cabela's branded rods/combos, or a Redington either one. TFO is another good choice for not a lot of money. A 9' 5-weight will handle most general fly fishing chores.

salmotrutta17 · May 22, 2018

Most of your brand name companies have entry level rods. The warranty is important. After breaking the same Scott rod twice it’s more than paid for itself. Go to a shop and cast several. Buy the one that suits you. A 5wt will get the job done for most of our fishing. Spend extra on the reel, not the rod.

615groundpounder · May 22, 2018

salmotrutta17 said:
Spend extra on the reel, not the rod.

I disagree. He mentions fishing for panfish and an occasional bass. Its not like he is needing a good drag system. Just a line holder. You might want to spend more on a good quality line than on the reel in my opinion.

NCHillbilly · May 22, 2018

salmotrutta17 said:
Most of your brand name companies have entry level rods. The warranty is important. After breaking the same Scott rod twice it’s more than paid for itself. Go to a shop and cast several. Buy the one that suits you. A 5wt will get the job done for most of our fishing. Spend extra on the reel, not the rod.

Disagree to a large point. If you break the same rod twice, you are either clumsy, or it was a crappy rod. Ive broken exactly two fly rods in forty years of fly fishing. I shut one of them up in my truck door, and the other was an old bamboo rod with a rotten spot in the core.

615groundpounder said:
I disagree. He mentions fishing for panfish and an occasional bass. Its not like he is needing a good drag system. Just a line holder. You might want to spend more on a good quality line than on the reel in my opinion.

Absolutely agree. I could give a crap about the reel. It's a spool to hold line, unless you're fishing for redfish or stripers or something. I've caught quite a few 20"+ trout and plenty of good-sized bass on cheapo click-and-pawl reels. I catch probably well over a thousand fish a year on a fly rod. Very few of them ever go on the reel.

Troy Butler · May 22, 2018

the cabela's brand are as good as they come imo. 8" 5wt also good.

salmotrutta17 · May 22, 2018

NCHillbilly said:
Disagree to a large point. If you break the same rod twice, you are either clumsy, or it was a crappy rod. Ive broken exactly two fly rods in forty years of fly fishing. I shut one of them up in my truck door, and the other was an old bamboo rod with a rotten spot in the core.

Absolutely agree. I could give a crap about the reel. It's a spool to hold line, unless you're fishing for redfish or stripers or something. I've caught quite a few 20"+ trout and plenty of good-sized bass on cheapo Martin click-and-pawl reels. I catch probably well over a thousand fish a year on a fly rod. Very few of them ever go on the reel.

Or maybe I was fishing in some very hard terrain, slipped and fell on it, or maybe I was in a boat that hit a rock and fell backward on it. Or maybe it got caught in the tailgate of the truck...doesn’t matter. Scott rods are far from “crappy.” I know, I’ll get some “I used to fire straighten cane from the rivers of the where ever to make my rods” story...so have at it.

More often than not you’re both correct, however when you need a good reel you need it. I’d rather have it and not need it very much than to need it and not have it.

Your/ya’ll’s need are obviously different than mine. If I have extra money it goes in the reel. Cada loca com su tema(whatever floats your boat).

My point still stands - go to shop and cast the rods. Don’t take some random internet advice on models and weights. Same with the reels. Figure out the right combination that works for you.

Tentwing · May 22, 2018

SemperFiDawg;
First let me say Thank you for your service.

Now down to brass tacks FerruleWax mentioned the Redington Path combo. That is a good option. It is on page 19 of the 2018 Cabelas catalog item number FG-325887 for $189.
If your willing to stretch your budget another $20 I would go with the Redington Classic Trout rod for $149. That IMO the best bang for your buck rod out there right now. That action on mine is identical to my Sage Light Line. ( Sage collectors will start cussing me here? )
Then I would go with the Cabelas Prestige plus fly reel $39. It is aluminum large arbor with a cork drag system. Most of the time you won't need a cork drag, but about once a year or so I'm glad to have mine. ?
Again it is a great reel for small $$. Page 26 on the 2018 Cabelas fly fishing catalog.

This will give you son a great set up that he is unlikely to ever outgrow. All you need now is a good fly line. I wouldn't cut to many corners on the line or the rod. Those are the major components involved in a smooth casting experience.
What ever you decide I hope you and your son both have a great time. Tentwing

SemperFiDawg · May 23, 2018

Thanks for all the advice Brothers

Jimmy Harris · May 23, 2018

Tentwing is dead on about the Redington Classic. Best casting of all the rods in that price range. Sage LL's are selling on ebay every week for north of $600 and that's because they are some of the sweetest casting rods ever made.

WMA Man · May 23, 2018

As for flies for bream just about any cork body/rubber leg will work. I prefer yellow or orange color. My favorite bream fly ever is an Accardo round dinny. But don’t think they make them any more. Also never had much luck actually popping bream “poppers”. You can also catch bream on subsurface/wet flies, but that’s not nearly as fun.

NCHillbilly · May 24, 2018

Redington is hard to beat for the money, that's for sure. I bought a 3-wt 8 foot Redington RedStart combo for less than $200 back in the early 90s. It was described as their "entry level" rod and reel. Nearly 30 years and tens of thousands of fish later, it's still my go-to trout rod most days, and I have also caught loads of smallmouth bass and bream and such on it. It came with a lifetime warranty that I've never had to use. I'm always amazed at folks who buy $800 fly rods and are constantly having to send them back to get this and that fixed, often months after buying them. I think high-end fly rods are one of the biggest rip-offs in the outdoor world.

SemperFiDawg · May 24, 2018

Tentwing said:
SemperFiDawg;
First let me say Thank you for your service.

Now down to brass tacks FerruleWax mentioned the Redington Path combo. That is a good option. It is on page 19 of the 2018 Cabelas catalog item number FG-325887 for $189.
If your willing to stretch your budget another $20 I would go with the Redington Classic Trout rod for $149. That IMO the best bang for your buck rod out there right now. That action on mine is identical to my Sage Light Line. ( Sage collectors will start cussing me hereðŸ˜‰ )
Then I would go with the Cabelas Prestige plus fly reel $39. It is aluminum large arbor with a cork drag system. Most of the time you won't need a cork drag, but about once a year or so I'm glad to have mine. ðŸ˜‰
Again it is a great reel for small $$. Page 26 on the 2018 Cabelas fly fishing catalog.

This will give you son a great set up that he is unlikely to ever outgrow. All you need now is a good fly line. I wouldn't cut to many corners on the line or the rod. Those are the major components involved in a smooth casting experience.
What ever you decide I hope you and your son both have a great time. Tentwing

They’re on sale for 24$.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-PRESTIGE-PLUS-REEL/2170980.uts?slotId=1

There’s a lot of options I have no idea about

Model
Diameter
Width
Size
Line Weight
Backing capacity

Would appreciate any more help

NCHillbilly · May 24, 2018

SemperFiDawg said:
They’re on sale for 24$.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-PRESTIGE-PLUS-REEL/2170980.uts?slotId=1

There’s a lot of options I have no idea about

Model
Diameter
Width
Size
Line Weight
Backing capacity

Would appreciate any more help

That's a great deal on a good reel! As for picking which one, just match the fly line weight on the reel chart to your rod weight-for example, if you have a 3-wt rod, you want the 1-4 reel, or with a 5 wt rod, you want the 5-6.

A 7-8 reel on a 3 wt rod would be way too big and heavy and unbalanced, and vice-versa. All the other stuff you don't need to worry about-it's fixed with whichever size reel you get, and should match your rod.

Need rod/reel recommendations.

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