I'm going fly fishing for the first time and need to buy a rod, reel and waders. whats good and where do I buy?
I heard Sage makes a good rod and I should get a 9 foot 5 weight 4 piece. But I don't want to break the bank.
My advice would be to get a 9' 5wt of medium fast action as this is considered the best "all around" action
Here's a rundown:
Orvis makes a full line-up of rods ranging from the Clearwater starting at $169 to the ZG Helios - upwards of $755. They are 4 piece rods. The nice thing about Orvis is that you can choose the action of the rod - they make their rods from full flex (trout bum series) to mid-flex and tip flex in all their other series, and are covered by a 25 year warrantee.
Loomis flyrods are generally fast action. You can spend $660 for a GLX, $300 for a GL3 (which is old technology ) or now they have a new series for beginners called the Neptune - for $215 all are 4 piece rods
Sage makes great fly rods - Introductory rods include the Sage Launch ( I bought one of these for my daughter) which is a medium fast action rod and not too expensive and casts well at $250 and the Sage Flight which is a fast action introductory rod for $280.
You can step up to a Z-Axis for for about $630
All are 4 piece rods
There are others to consider that are not as expensive
Echo makes a great casting rod (called the Carbon) for under $200 that is terrific, check out www.kmdtackle.com for a great deal on it.
I like this rod ALOT
St. Croix makes some nice value series rods as well, the Triumph series is not bad for $120, but in my opinion, most St. Croix fly rods have a "clunky" feel to them.
Redington (owned by Sage) makes a decent rod for money as well.
Reel: you don't need to break the bank here either.
Depending upon how much cash you want to spend, I would argue
that a Bauer or a Galvan is your best bang for the buck in the $300
world of fly reels
Under $200 it would be hard to argue with a Ross Cimmaron,
Under $150 I would hands down say an Orvis Mid-Arbor
Under $100 I would no doubt say a Cabela's Prestige Plus. I use this reel on occasion for Salmon and Steelhead with no problems at all.
Don't skimp on your flyline - Rio, or Scientific Angler make good value series lines.
You can get a decent pair of breathable waders for under $120 - Cabela's makes a good pair in that range and the Orvis Endura's are in that price range also. If you want to go less, Hodgeman makes a bargain pair for about $79
Currently Available on eBay
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 SAGE ONE 5wt 9 4pc Fly Rod NEW w Warranty  £458.86
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 Sage 4280 Fly Reel for 7 8 weight rods Free Rio line New Choice of color £195.57
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 SAGE VT2 FLY FISHING ROD VERY GOOD CONDITION £175.00
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 GENUINE OVAL SAGE STICKER for fly fishing rods reels £11.56
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 Minty SAGE RPLX 990 3 9wt 3pc 9ft Fly Rod Salmon Striped Bass Tarpon sa fishing £126.58
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 SAGE FLIGHT FLY ROD 86 4 4 PCS RRP £27999 £199.99
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 USA SAGE CAP for fly fishing rod reel angler NEW £23.83
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 Sage Flight Fly Rod 8 6 5wt 4pc £221.52
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 Sage Flight Fly Rod 8 6 4wt 4pc £221.52
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 Sage Flight Fly Rod 7 6 4wt 4pc £221.52
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 Sage Flight Fly Rod 7 3wt 4pc £221.52
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 SAGE FLIGHT FLY ROD 10 7 4 PCS EX DEMO RRP £29999 £199.99
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 GENUINE LOGO SAGE STICKER for fly fishing rods reels £10.88
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 Sage TXL F 7ft 10inch 0wt 4pc Fly Rod £395.57
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 Sage TXL F 7ft 10inch 2wt 4pc Fly Rod £395.57
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 Sage TXL F 7ft 10inch 3wt 4pc Fly Rod £395.57
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 Sage Flight Fly Rod 9 5wt 4pc £221.52
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 Sage VXP Fly Rod 7ft 9inch 3wt 4pc £306.96
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 New Sage One 590 4pc 5Wt 90 Fly Fishing Rod W Rod Carry Tube Pick Ur Colors £373.10
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 Sage Xi3 6 10 Wt 4 pc Fly Rods Comes W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £398.10
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 New 2011 12 Sage Bass II Fly Rod W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £295.89
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 New 2011 12 Sage ESN Nymph Rods W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £376.58
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 Sage TCX 6 10 Wt 4 pc Fly Rods Comes W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £438.61
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 Sage TCX 4 6 Wt 4 pc Fly Rods Comes W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £427.85
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 Sage Xi3 11 13 Wt 4 pc Fly Rods Comes W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £417.09
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 Sage 99 Nymph Rods 4 pc 4 8 wts Comes W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £371.52
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 Sage ZXL 5 and 6 Wt Fly Rods Comes W Free Ship WW and Fly Line £374.05
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 Sage ZXL 2 thru4 Wt Fly Rods Comes W FREE Ship WW and Fly Line £371.52
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 Sage Z Axis Series Fly Rod 8ft 6 5 £575.00
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 New Sage Z Axis Series Fly Rod 9ft 6 8 £505.00
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 New Sage One 10ft 8 Fly Rod £599.00
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 New Sage Z Axis Series Fly Rod 9ft 6 7 £505.00
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 Sage TCX Custom Spey 10 Wt 4 pc Fly Rods Fly Lines £498.10
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 Sage Custom VXP 3 thru 6 Wt Fly Rods Fly Lines £266.46
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 Sage Custom ZXL 5 and 6 Wt Fly Rods Fly Lines £374.05
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 Sage Custom VXP 6 thru 10 Wt Fly Rods Fly Lines £282.91
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And a selection of products from Amazon
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Flextec Kinetic Fly Rod 4 piece 9ft 7/8 £239.99
Sale Price: £39.99  |
DescriptionKinetic - New for 2011(Please note that the reel photographed is not included in this sale but is available at an extra cost)For nearly 5 years we have been selling the CDX66 and the CRX88 range of fly rods making them perhaps the most successful range of fly rods ever launched for a fledgling rod company... |
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Flextec PowerTec Fly Rod 4 pc 10ft 7/8 £269.99
Sale Price: £69.99 |
DescriptionPowerTec - New for 2011(Please note that the reel used in the photograph is not included in the sale but is available separetely at a great price)Flextec PowerTec 4 pcs fly rods come in a nice codura tube with a high quality cloth bag... |
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Flextec Streamtec Fly Rod AND Aerotec Reel Package Price RRP £379.99 - 9' 6" #6
Sale Price: £124.99 |
DescriptionFlextec StreamTec Fly Rods and Aerotec Fly Reel Package RRP from £349.99So many of our Streamtec customers end up purchasing the Aerotec Reel to go with it that we thought we would advertise them together as one package... |
SAGE TCR Fly Fishing Rods - Red Truck Fly Fishing