starting with less expensive gear

[BPS]

What was your first set-up?
Did you start with cheaper gear? If so, do you think it made you a better ffer?

Personally I started with a hand me down fiberglass catchmaster or something with an old automatic reel that idk who made it. The rod didn't even say what line wt.it was. I know it would have probably worked for stripers tho lol. I used it for a year until I saved enough money from shovelling walks in the winter to buy a new Eagle claw 7 foot 5/6 wt. and a pflueger medalist reel which I loaded with SA 5wt level floating line and no backing. I really had no idea what I was doing. Nobody in my family flyfished. I used straight 6lb mono for leader/tippet connected to the line with those little barbed eyelets you push into the center of your flyline. That's the rig I used from ages 12 to about 16 when my grandpaps friend gave me a four piece fenwick 8 ft 5wt with a cfo reel loaded with line, backing, a furled leader and 5x tippet as well as all of his tying tools and materials. The difference was night and day from the old glass to the new eagle claw then improved with the longer fenwick. My casts always went where I needed them to go and I always caught fish, but now everything seemed like a lot less work. The only thing I really don't notice is any difference using my fancy leader than just a chunk of straight mono. Maybe its because I'm not much of a dry fly guy and use streamers about 85 percent of the time. Or maybe I'm just an idiot. One thing I know is this. Starting with cheaper gear made me a better fly fisher. It was like going from having one hand to having three when I got not just better gear but the proper set-up.

 

[drews]

Yikes if you would have said you were using minnows it would have sounded like my child hood! I had an almost carbon copy of your set ups but can't say it made me any better. I can say spending wert summer day from age 9 to 17 ish at the pond whipping the crappie into shape at my parents with poppers and sneaking my dads wet flies from his ff vest did help however. I know when I got my first fenwick (still use it) I noticed a dramatic improvement in my casting. I cannot say that I cast my Orvis or tfo rods any better. Not an expert but I think time on the water fishing and observing makes you a better fisherman.

 

[albatross]

I started at age 12 with an Eagle Claw fiberglass rod. I think its the early start that makes you a better fisherman, and going cheap with the first outfit will probably get most folks started sooner.

 

[bikerfish]

after 30 years, lots of us still use cheap gear!!LOL! remember, the fish don't care about your equipment!

 

[gfen]

bikerfish wrote:
after 30 years, lots of us still use cheap gear!!LOL! remember, the fish don't care about your equipment!

Budget, bikerfish. Its not cheap, its budget.

 

[PennKev]

Starting with inexpensive gear is not a problem. However, starting with gear that is mismatched, functions poorly, etc. is a problem. I started out with essentially hand-me-down equipment and I wish someone would have gave me a decent line and some real friggin' tapered leaders to use. It would have saved me a couple years of frustration! (When you're 11 or 12 a $30+ line and $2.50 leaders might as well cost $500.)

Kev

 

[mrchunk]

My first set up was a Shakespeare box combo. I was 8. IIRC the entire outfit was blue toned with silver or grey bling. The rod had a foam (yes foam) grip. The reel was no great shakes either. I couldnt even tell u what kinda line was on it. I did the mono leader too with some straight 6 lb test stren. Knots? Pfft. I probably overhanded the knots until I got something that stuck. I got better at things over the years but it was a helluva intro to the sport. I was primarily a spin fisherman thru the formative years and would break out this gem when I felt like doing something different for pannies or trout.

 

[MKern]

I started witha cheap Cortland combo and still allow people to learn on it, but I don't use it.

I don't recomend anyone new buying sheap stuff. I've taught about 10 people to fly fish and they have all stuck with it (differing levels of insanity though). Why waste the money, just to up-grade in a year or two. Very similar to buying a tying kit.

I have noticed that a lot of start combo kits are rediculous in the fact that the "trout" combo is always something like a 6 wt. with a non-tapered line.

 

[buffalo7]

MKern wrote:


I have noticed that a lot of start combo kits are rediculous in the fact that the "trout" combo is always something like a 6 wt. with a non-tapered line.

Starting out at 15, I didn't have a lot of money to buy a rod, I ordered a Garcia flyfishing out fit from cabelas, it had a 8ft. 6wt. gold model rod, graphite wasn't out yet, 6wt. was about standard for trout at that time, 7wt. was considered trout/bass. About 10 years later I built a 6ft. one piece rod that I used 4wt. on, that was the lightest at the time. That also was around the time 8x tippet came out. I was glad to get rid of the weight of the big 8ft. 6wt..

 

[WildTigerTrout]

My first flyrod was a hand me down rod that belonged to my dad. My brother and I used to take turns fishing with it. It was an old fiberglass Eagle Claw with an auto flyreel. My dad bought it in the mid to late 1960's. We would fish for panfish with it at a lake down the road from our house. In those days my brother and I would ride our bikes out to the pond with the fishing rods over the bike handlebars. We would fish to our hearts content and then ride home with a stringer of bluegills hanging off the handlebars.My favorite was fishing with panfish poppers.. Oh those were the days! I miss them.

 

[hendeylathe]

I started flyfishing with a hand me down 8 foot 5wt South Bend when I was about 11 or 12 years old. That rod had the weight and
action of your average telephone pole. Heck, I didn't know any better. Sure is a far cry from my 10 foot 5wt. GLX.

 

[Yotrout]

My reel is a shakespeare all metal job. Probably worth about $10.00. My rod is a 7' Eagle claw $24.99. As of right now i wouldn't trade it for the world. It's not that i don't have the ability to upgrade i just don't see why i should have to. I will be in the market for a new reel soon for another rod i have it's a 9' 5/6. Can anyone recommend a good reel under $50.00. Orvis makes one but im wondering if it's priced that low am i just purchasing the name at that point?

 

[bikerfish]

yotrout, I think the orvis battenkills start at 89 bucks. you might want to check out the reels that allen sells, lots of good things said about them here. then there is my personal favorite, the good old pflueger medalist, a real workhorse of a reel that can still be bought for 25 bucks.

 

[Tiltaxp]

7 1/2' 5WT cabela's with a cortland rimfly reel... still have them just don't really use them

yotrout - check out a rimfly, no drag but you really don't need it and it gets the job done nicely, put the saved money into a decent line.

 

[gfen]

Under $50?

Medalist. I know, I'm expected to say that sort of thing, but let's be honest here, you're setting the bar pretty low.

-or-

A used Orvis Battenkill Bar Stock should come close to that number. Even if its beat to hell, it'll still work.

 

[buffalo7]

Check out the Okuma Cascade, I Have the Airframe 4/6 that they don't make anymore but the spools are intercahngeable, I think the only difference is the name.