Fly Rod Recommendations?

[Bucksnort101]

Am looking to get into Fly fishing and would like recommendations on a good, inexpensive setup. I plan on fishing mainly for Trout, Panfish, and maybe the occasional Bass (and whatever else might accidently bite) so am thinking a 4 or 5 weight rod would be best. Plan on backpacking it as well so a break down rod would be preferred.

So far I've looked at both an Albright A-5 and the Cortland Brook series, read good things about both rods, but am open to other suggestions as well.

[LHarris]

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8'6" 4 weight

[Clay.P]

Cabela's has some really good setups that are very reasonable in price. Great customer service too. If you are looking at doing some backpacking, maybe a 5 or 7 piece rod would work for you.

I would agree with LHarris on the length and weight of the rod.

[LHarris]

opps....my bad....won't do again.

[Wildabeast]

Why don't you look through previous postings on this very subject?

[Bucksnort101]

Thanks for the info. I did try to do a search of the forums, but just didn't seem to get the any hit's that answered my question, may have to modify my search terms to find more.

[Wildabeast]

I plan on fishing mainly for Trout, Panfish, and maybe the occasional Bass (and whatever else might accidently bite) so am thinking a 4 or 5 weight rod would be best.

SE. MN or W. WI trout streams I would pick a 4wt. For Panfish or Bass I would go heavier and pick a 6wt (or 7wt if Bass is more than occasional). The purpose of the rod and fly line is to cast the fly so what rod/line combo to use really depends on how far you need to cast and how heavy of a fly (or wind resistant) you want to cast. The size of fish is a secondary consideration. In either case around here the reel is mainly used for line storage and not for its drag so a less expensive reel is appropriate. Another part of the equation is your casting stroke and finding a rod that fits in with your habits. Although I've fly fished for a few years and like a fast action rod for certain situations (like fighting wind) I prefer to fish trout with a mod to slow action rod. I find that I have better control of the presentation. So my recomendation is to visit a fly shop and work with them on identifying a combination that will work for you. BTW, buy a good fly line - it won't be cheap but it's a very important part of the equation, much more so than the reel. As far as brands and models go it doesn't matter much, find one that works well with your casting stroke.

[Quickstrike]

If you're looking into getting into Bass as well, I would step up to a 5 wt. Still going to be a little on the light side, but you can make it work with slightly lighter flies than you would throw with say a 7 or 8 wt. Brands that I have been most impressed by their entry level rods would be: TFO, ECHO, and Reddington. All three brands carry lifetime warranties and can be had for around the 100$ mark. Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

[so haaad]

I would agree with Kent, step up to 5 wt if you want to go for bass. A 5 wt is still very active for pannies and trout, too.

[insufishentfunds*]

Agree with the last few posts, regarding the versitility of the 5wt. I would be careful about going with any length less than 9', especially if you plan to fish freom a canoe, float tube, toon, etc.. In fact I have 10' rods for this very reason - keeps the line off the water during my spastic casting. Hit a local flyshop to test a few rods, but don't worry about going top brands. I have a few 'generic' flyrods that work great and were less than 35$. Most importantly, have fun and watch the dust collect on your spinning rods next year!

[jigginjim]

I have 2, 5wt 9ft rods. you can still go with a 4-4.5 wt line for trout& pannies, yet you can bump into a 6wt for bass. all with the same rod.

[Muddog]

It all depends on what you want to throw with the rod. If you just want to use Nymphs, wet flys and dry fly. the 4-5 will work. If you want to use weighted flies, bass popers and divers. Then you will need a 7-9wt.

Remember in fly fishing ,the line is throwing the lure. The larger the fly (more wind resistant ) the heaver the line must be. It is not as much fun to catch a panfish on a 8wt as it is on a 4wt but,,,, an 8wt will do all that a 4wt will do +.

It would be easier to learn to cast with a 5wt rod with 6wt line. It will help to get the feel of the rod loading and the timing that gos with it.

[Bucksnort101]

Well, ended up picking up a Cabelas Genesis Fly Rod Package for a great price today. Signed up for the Cabela's Club and cashed in a gift card and got the rig for around $60.00. 8'6" % weight Rod. Can't wait to get out to try it out.