FS Digest

If you are serious about wanting to get into fly fishing and you are a novice should you still go ahead and get a solid, quality setup to start with?

I've always been under the impression that when you start a new hobby or sport you should start small and work up to the expensive stuff over time. However, I keep hearing from various sources that quality fly gear (not necessarily the most expensive, top of the heap, end all be all) makes a huge difference not only in the obvious sense of being an experienced fly fishermen but also a novice. So is it a good decision to go ahead and get a decent mid range setup when just starting out? I'm looking at the Sage Foundation for example.

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by Kitchen_Trout

FS Digest

Sage foundation is great. You might want to go slightly less expensive and get something like a Clearwater outfit that will get you started for less and let you learn what you like and don’t like before putting lots of money down. If the Foundation isn’t too much to you then go for it, with something like a Lamson Liquid reel.

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by PasswordIsNotKitten

FS Digest

It is true...ish. What people usually forget to add is that pretty-ok grade affordable fly gear is a hell of a lot more common now than it was when that rule was developed. There was a time where if you weren't spending a few hundred, you were often stuck with a rod and reel that came in a package at Walmart and sucked.

You don't need to start with Sage anything. You can but it's not even close to necessary.

You can get good, quality gear (not even starting gear, years in the game gear too) for good prices online. If you're spending more than about $200 on a complete setup (rod, reel, line/leader/tippet), then it's because you choose to, not because you need to.

Hop on Amazon, Cabelas, or other big box/online retailers and search around and read reviews. The world of fly fishing has changed a lot in 15 years.

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by flyawayfish44

FS Digest

Lots of relatively cheap (like around $100) rod outfits on the market. They will work just fine for starting out. I myself started on an old fiberglass rod.

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by Charlie24601

FS Digest

I personally think the Clearwater is a giant ripoff based on my personal experience using one...if I was looking for an entry level rod I would go with a Redington or a TFO...I think you get way more quality for a similar price. When I was new to the sport I bought a Redington Classic Trout on sale from Cabela’s for about 100 bucks and it was a great rod. I don’t have it anymore because I broke it and when I sent it in to be repaired Redington sent me a new Vapen back instead, as they didn’t have the parts to fix the CT. The Vapen is also a very nice rod. Later I bought a TFO and it’s been my go to rod ever since.

Also don’t forget about eBay. You can find some really nice rods for pretty cheap compared to brand new.

One thing I don’t skimp on is fly line. When I was a beginner I bought the Rio Grande fly line and it made casting 1000x easier.

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by dryfly307

FS Digest

If you are serious about your commitment and have the disposable income then go ahead. As a matter of fact that's usually the advice I give. Good quality gear that will last and make you want to fish, as long as you can afford it. However, like the others said there is lots of very nice entry level equipment. My dad just bought the maxcatch ultralight 7' 3 wt and I was very impressed by it. Enough so that I'm buying my son an outfit for his birthday. You can get the maxcatch rod, piscifun sword reel, and a decent line for $150.

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by UncleIrohsSandal

FS Digest

I’m going to use my $100 ($70 US) Maxcatch combo for the first time tomorrow... will see how it compares to my TFO Signature and Lamson combo.

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by BlazeFenton