Courtland makes a nice combo package for a beginner. Berkley might be a little cheaper. Get about a 6 weight and go try for some bass and bluegills when they're on their beds this spring. <br>http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...egory&amp;rid=

 

Thanks for all the help. <br>NWDave, I hate going the cheap route and i understand your point(I do drive a dodge ;D) but dthis is something im gonna try, and if i like it as much as everyone i talk to says I will, i will buy the nice stuff, its like when i started playing guitar I bought a Yamaha accoustic because it was only $300, now i am moving up to a Martin $850-$3000 , but you get what you pay for. Anyway thanks again for the help.

 

It takes more than reading a few lessons. Some good reading will get the motivation going. I started out reading Ted Trueblood when he was writing for Field &amp; Stream. Robert Traver is very entertaining, and Lee/ Joan Wulff. You will also pick up on some technique and terminology as well as the fact that it's ok to make a mistake. Can you say &quot;Wind knot&quot;?<br><br>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...221424-7551812<br><br>http://goldenwitch.com/

 

Northwest Dave seems to know his stuff... Take his advise!<br><br>With that said, I think a great flyrod combo for the money is the Orvis Clearwater 9' 5 wt. This will seem like a lot of money. $235 for the outfit. This gives you a nice flyrod that will allow you to learn, improve, and become a good flyfisherman. It comes with a nice real and nice line. Good flyline is $50, and you can tell a HUGE difference between casting cheap flyline and high quality fly line. I personally fish g-loomis and scott, but I highly recommend this Orvis rod. <br><br>http://www.orvis.com/store/product_c...;subcat%5Fid=1

 

Just ordered the G.W. Master Wrapper rod wrapping machine.
http://goldenwitch.com/cgi-bin/shop/...amp;partner=gw

Building this in a 586
http://www.sageflyfish.com/sage_products/xpSeries.shtml

The seat I put on, the Bellinger ULSB 720 dlx in Maple Burl
from GoldenWitch.

Also a 13 pc Flor Cork grip, &quot;Snake&quot; guides, silk wraps ( I plan on some feather inlays), nickle silver keeper, and still on the fence about an agate stripper guide.

 

I have not ventured into rod building yet... I have at least $1500 in flytying alone... I don't even want to add up the cost in flyrods, waders, floattubes, pontoons, fins, cleats, wading staffs... I hope I make a bunch of money someday... **** this sport is EXPENSIVE!

 

Tell me about it. I've been debating on getting a Renzetti vice for a year now. Maybe this spring. My Simms weren't even broke in when they came out with Gore-tex waders. Almost as bad as computers.

 

Comfortable waders are priceless when fishing for Brittish Columbia Steelhead... <br><br>My advise if someone is going to get into flyfishing--- If you are not fishing for big fish, spend all your money on the pole and line. Buy a cheap Plueger real at first, you hardly ever use the real unless you hook into a big fish...

 

I have several Orvis rods and they are very good. The first rod I bought was LL Bean. There are many, go to a very good fly fishing store and they can direct you to something nice and useful for your purposes.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to take a fly fishing course from Doug Swisher in Montana several years ago. He is a fantastic teacher and great guide. He has written a lot , but I really like his fly fishing videos ($29.95). They start with the basics and get more complicated. He also does schools in local fly shops, at least he used to. His schools on the Bitterroot are now about $800 for two days.

In order for this to be a fun experience you need to practice, and practice and practice. It is not like spin casting where all you do is throw the line out and it goes way out and clunk. Fly fishing is loop control, and laying the line and finally the fly gently on the water upstream of the big ones - then splash they take the hook just as it comes over their heads - dumb fish! Lots of practice at home on grass with an old stick and a piece of yarn will make you a great caster. Once you have your basic cast down then the fun is to learn the many other tricks used to put it under a tree branch, through the ripples, etc. What I like about fly fishing as compared to all others is that when they arn't biting you just enjoy the time perfecting your cast. Hey, this is an art and lots of fun. Go for it!!!!

Doug has a website at: http://www.dougswisher.com/

There are many other guides, so do a search.

 

[quote author=FiverBob link=board=10;threadid=11464;start=0#109040 date=1046211494]You got that right, Tony. Excellent fish. We like to scuba for lobster off the coast here. Once we fill the &quot;bug bag&quot;, we pull out the gun and take a couple nice size grouper, then head for the boat before the big boys come around sniffing for the blood. Keep the freezer full of lobster and grouper that way. Fun.<br>[/quote]<br><br>Speaking of lobster, I once convinced my little brother that I'd taught my pet lobster how to shake hands...

 

I work for the state so I have lots of time off. I have averaged 100 days of fishing /year for the past 5 years. Fly fishing doesnt have to be expensive-an excellent reel can be had from cabelas for $25 and a rod for about 7<br>$70-if you wanna look like the yuppie flailers then its gonna cost ya!!

 

there nothing wrong with going to kmart and buying a kit from there. <br>you can always do things the expensive way or<br>the smarter cheaper way..<br>$5,000 worth of stuff it's going to make any better flyfisher man then someone with a $50 setup.<br>thats the truth <br>it may not be a best but it still works like the best

 

[quote author=Hoss link=board=10;threadid=11464;start=15#109330 date=1046274792]<br>[quote author=FiverBob link=board=10;threadid=11464;start=0#109040 date=1046211494]You got that right, Tony. Excellent fish. We like to scuba for lobster off the coast here. Once we fill the &quot;bug bag&quot;, we pull out the gun and take a couple nice size grouper, then head for the boat before the big boys come around sniffing for the blood. Keep the freezer full of lobster and grouper that way. Fun.<br>[/quote]<br><br>Speaking of lobster, I once convinced my little brother that I'd taught my pet lobster how to shake hands... <br>[/quote]<br><br>OUCH!!! :'( :'( Gee, what a sweet brother. Sounds like some things my boys did to their sister. &gt; &gt;<br><br>BigMeanDaddyBob

 

Whoever mentioned the yuppie flailers got it dead right on that one.........<br><br>You don't have to go overboard with the equipment to have FUN flyfishing. I can catch more fish and have more fun on a farm pond catching panfish than anybody I have seen running around a lake on an expensive bass boat with depthfinders, fishfinders, live wells, and a gas tank to fill up.<br><br>Until you get the hang of the rhythm of flyfishing a starter combo is all you need. My Dad has used cheap rods for 60 years and still manages to have the prettiest cast of anybody I have seen, including some of the &quot;gurus&quot;. If you have a talent for it flyfishing is incredibly easy - just like most hand-eye coordination activities.<br><br>Don't get too caught up in the equipment at first and become &quot;Queer for gear.&quot; (always loved that label - perfectly describes a number of pastimes that yuppies seem to migrate to with their overly expensive non-talented enthusiasm). Just remember - &quot;A River Runs Through It&quot; was a movie, not a documentary.