New Fly Rod-Help

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Cowboy73
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Location: Alamo Heights Texas

New Fly Rod-Help

Post by Cowboy73 »

I get to go tomarrow and pick out a late Christmas gift for myself, a flyrod. I am new to this type of fishing and do not want to get in over my head. I went to The Tackle Box in San Antonio and was shown a G-Loomis rod and reel for $180.00. It is I believe an 8 or 9 weight. I will be using it primarly at the coast with my kayak. Is this a good starter package? Good price? Or should I check a few other places? Thanks
Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas.
Kayak Kid
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Post by Kayak Kid »

cowboy,

I'm not familiar with the fly shops in your area, but if possible, locate a good fly ship and get their advice. An 8 weight is what most of us use on the coast for reds and trout. Remember the wind........at our usual 10 to 15 knots, you need the correct weight, action, and line. Good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of salt water fly fishing.
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Bos
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Post by Bos »

Cowboy 73,
There are many fine rods on the market today at very reasonable prices. Not too many years ago, there were not as many to choose from, and the sport was not nearly as popular as now.
I own 3 Loomis fly rods, as well as baitcasting. I have an 8 & 5 wt, both GL3s, and an older 3 wt. I love them.
Now the disclaimer. I owned a Loomis popping rod prior to buying my first Loomis fly rod. That really pushed me towards the Loomis. Other than 2 cheap fly rods, one an old glass, Loomis is all I've owned. I have tried other rods, and there are some great ones out there.
I can't speek to the price, depending on which rod/reel combo your looking. I don't have any Loomis reels.
I do believe Loomis makes a good product. I am also sure that there are many on this board that can give you much more detailed advice. But, depending on which rods you are looking at, in general, you won't go wrong with a Loomis.
I agree with Kayak Kid, an 8 wt is a good weight for red/trout.
Bos
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Barry's Dad
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fly fishing cowboy

Post by Barry's Dad »

Welcome to the great world of kayak fly fishing Cowboy.

The Gloomis is a good choice. it will do you well for many years. Well for a few years. OK untill you want more rods and better reels or just a different weight......

You did not say what action rod you are getting. I hope for a med. fast action, 9 ft You can get as many pieces as you can carry.
The Reel is one thing for salt water you can not get cheap on it can cost you a big fish or fly line. The GLoomis Kit comes with a reel that will work but unless you wash it after every day's use, you will be buying a new in in a week, There is a spray that helps Corrosion X. Works to slow the salt action.

The Fly lines of today are were you will need to spend some money. Yours will come with a Begnniers WF *F line I is a good one to learn with. Getting a new line in the near future is a known.

Leaders and tippets, flies and so many gagets that you will be spending time in all the Fly Catalogs you can find. It is fun just shopping for the goodes.
You will be opening an new door to Fishing Paddling and just having fun. It will soon become a lifestyle

If you can get to the APTKF meeting on Saturday the 8th at Slowrides kayak shack I will be giving fly casting lesson. This will make it so much easier for you to improve your casting and catching.
Happy New Year
ol Al
Lefty Ray
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Post by Lefty Ray »

Cowboy,

That kit you are refering to is the Pescado 8 weight. It is the Loomis starter kit. It is a great starter kit and was recently mentioned in the Corpus paper. The reel is graphite and will handle saltwater fine.

Get Bruce at that shop to give you a casting lesson or give me a call. I give lessons year round in SA. 210-543-1865
Cowboy73
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Post by Cowboy73 »

The Pescado 8 wt, good to start with then? What about price-$180.00-fair or shouls I shop around? About the reel and cleanning it, I am very faithful about washing and maintaining my equipment after every trip, will this reel require any more attention than my curados? Thanks for all your input.
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Post by Guest »

Cowboy;

I will chime in, if you would allow me.

Before you buy a rod, take a casting class. There are some great teachers around. Teaching yourself is not an easy task. I did it, and it probably took me ten times as long to get the cast down as it would have if I had invested some time in a class.

There is, in my opinion, no type of saltwater fishing that is harder to do than flyfishing, nor is there ANY type of fishing that is more fun and rewarding once you start to get it down. Sightcasting to fish is just terrific, and you will become a better overall angler as you continue to learn saltwater flyfishing.

Buy a good rod, one with which you feel comfortable. 8 wt is my preference, mostly because it allows you to land fish quickly, particularly when the water is warm. Playing a fish stresses it dramatically in warm water.

As it relates to reels, buy the best reel you can afford. Aluminum, anodized reels are the only way to go in saltwater. Ross makes an excellent reel and Billy Pate reels are very good. Not cheap, but will withstand an atom bomb. I have seen so many anglers lose fish over and over, break them off, have reel problems and generally struggle because they skimped on the reel. Graphite works OK, but it chips and under serious strain, sometimes the spool fractures. Also, I have not seen a graphite reel with a decent friction drag. That said, that does not mean that someone does not make one. My reels are Billy Pate and yeah, I saved my money for a while to get each of them. But they are flawless, six years after I bought the first one and a jillion hours of exposure to harsh conditions.

There are a million different flylines out there, and none of them are cheap. I have tried almost all the different tapers, and for my money, the Cortland 444 series or 555 series are every bit as good as the specialty tapers. And they are much less expensive.

Umpqua makes an excellent "Redfish" leader. Buy some flourocarbon tippet that is the same diameter as the leader tip and you will be in business.

In short, get the best gear you can afford. If you skimp on gear, one of two things happens. If you continue to flyfish, you will end up buying better gear. So, the money you spent on the first set of gear ends up being largely wasted. For example, if you spend $180 on a rod and reel, then end up buying a better rod and reel, that better set of gear ends up costing you $180 more than it should have. Second, if you decide you are not going to continue flyfishing, you will recoup very little of your initial investment if you try to resell it.

Now, if all you feel you can realistically afford is $180, then go for it. There is no kind of fishing that I have ever done that is as rewarding and fun as fishing with a flyrod.

PM me if I can help you.

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Bernie
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Post by Bernie »

Cant go wrong with a Loomis but these days even some rods under $100 work just as well as rods costing hundreds more.The main thing is to be sure everything match's up.For SW 8-10 weight rigs are best with 3-8 wts good for fresh.Casting lessons is a great suggestion.It's not hard to learn to cast but it is very hard to correct bad habits once they take hold.Good luck!
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Post by Lefty Ray »

One thing you will find out real fast is that fly fishing gear is not discounted. Expect to find the same price (list price) on everything except when the model has been discontinued, the shop is going out of business, or maybe going into an off season (mostly clothes though).

The other options are to order via mail order to avoid state tax.
Kayak Kid
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Post by Kayak Kid »

Lefty reminded me of something I feel the need to pass on to you.

Just as in the 'game' of golf, it is better to invest in lessons from the pro before investing in the equiptment.

You can either spend the first outlay of cash on a series of lessons from a pro like Lefty, or perhaps, to save a few bucks, learn from me for free.......and consequently pick up all of my hard learned bad habits.

I truly believe that lessons learned from a professional teacher such as Lefty will save you a great deal of money and frustration in the future.
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