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Fly rod and reel

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5K views 40 replies 10 participants last post by  Peddler 
#1 ·
I currently just got back to fly fishing on a trip to Western MD and had a blast with it. I currently have a 8' 6" Berkley Cherrywood 7-8 wt. It was a hand-me-down from someone when I was much younger, like 20 years ago. I remember the guy saying he had broken the tip and had repaired it. It still works fine, I don't have any issues with it but I'm looking at getting a new rod and reel.

From my research I've found that 7-8 weight is a decent middle of the road rod weight. What I'm having problems with is determining a good length. I'm looking for a rod I can do inshore (drum and trout) AND bass fishing. Does anyone have any recommendations on rods and reels?

I'll be fishing from shore, bass boat, and wading.

Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
All depends on what you want to spend. I have a Scott Meridian ($865), TFO BVK ($280) and a Colton Tradewinds XS ($225) in 8 wt. The Meridian is definitely a much nicer rod, but the other two also get the job done. The Colton is my boat rod, meaning it stays in the boat and gets banged around. The Scott is my travel rod and the BVK is my back up.

The Orvis Clearwater seems like a decent rod with a good warranty. Check out the Colton website, it is good stuff for a fair price. Also check out Yellowstone Angler 8 wt shoot out.

When choosing reels you really need to decide if it is a line holder or you need a good drag system. A good drag system is not inexpensive. I have a bunch of Nautilus reels and really like them, also have a bunch of Lamson Velocity reels (discontinued). The Lamson reels are nice and reasonably priced, the Nautilus reels are works of art. Galvan Rush Light is a good bang for the buck, have one for my 6 wt (Douglas DXF) and am really impressed with it.

If you want to cast some rods, I also have a 7 wt Echo and a Sage Xi2 9wt. Will give you feel for a very fast rod to a medium action rod.
 
#3 ·
Looking for a good pairing (rod and reel with line) under $500.

I was actually looking at the Orvis Clearwater 9' 8wt outfit (rod and reel) (https://www.orvis.com/p/clearwater-8-weight-9-fly-rod/2s7r?item_index=1). I've read good reviews on this rod and it has the Clearwater IV Reel.
I'll take a gander at Colton as well.

Thanks for the suggestions. Definitely a lot to look into, hence why I asked for recommendations from all of you pros.

If I'm up in the Raleigh area I may hit you up if I haven't bought one yet.

I was actually debating whether to build one myself, but since I don't really know what a quality fly rod feels like, I don't think it would be a great idea. I've built a few spinning rods in the past couple years and they have turned out nice for a beginner rod builder (caught some big fish on them already).
 
#5 ·
Just a tad over an hour from me. Not too bad.
I may shoot Bob, the owner of Colton, an e-mail and see what he suggests.
I have some time to decide, no rush, just figuring out what I'm looking for at this point.
 
#6 ·
The Colton stuff usually goes on sale for 35% off in November, if you are not in a hurry. Edit, just noticed it is on sale now.
 
#7 ·
I did see it is on sale. Apparently their stuff has been on sale pretty often as of recent from some of the other forums I've read. I'll be keeping any eye on it. It's going to be my birthday present in September. :)
 
#8 ·
I have friends with the new Clearwater rods and love them. Mine is 9 years old and counting. You can pay more or pay less. This is a good rod- not as refined as a Sage Xi2 or Scott Meridian but far easier to cast unless you are an expert. You may want to rethink the reel. A Mad River review of the Clearwater reels said great things about them but noted you may not want to use them in saltwater. I have some 9-year old Clearwater reels and I know what he saying. Also, this is a stamped/pressed aluminum reel and not a machined reel. That means it could bend real quickly (even chip off some) if dropped. For just a little bit more, you could get an Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor Disc drag reel. (They also. Make a Battenkill Mid Arbor click and pawl reel- don’t get that for saltwater- you want a good drag.). The largest redfish I ever caught (over 24 pounds) was on an old Battenkill Mid Arbor. It has an excellent drag and will resist normal wear and tear. If you pocketbook can stand about another $100, go for the machined reel. Also, stretch it a bit more and get an extra spool for it. They are always changing models and the new and improved never works with the old and reliable. This way you can have several types of line ready to go. Don’t wait to get it later- later may be too late. This reel is a great bargain. I have several Lamson Guru 3.5 reels that I like, though the drag knob is hard to turn (the rest of the Lamson line of reels seem to have very workable drags. But the Guru is the lowest priced of their machined reels. And don’t skimp on fly line. There is a difference. My fly lines tend to last 5-7 years so a $70 fly line is costing me $10 per year as opposed to $5 per year for cheap stuff. The line will cast better, last longer, and perform better.
A 9’ 8-wt. will do what you want done. I even fish for bluegills with an 8-wt. because big bass live where bluegills live and a good 8-wt. will work in saltwater and fresh water. For the future, know that the 7-wt. is a really fun rod. I have several and use them a lot for bream, bass, speckled trout, red drum, and flounders.
Or go ahead and get the Clearwater IV, too, and use it on your 7-wt. Berkeley for fishing, practice, or as a back-up reel. One can never have too many rods or reels.
 
#9 ·
Whitefish,
Thanks for the reply and the info on the Clearwater reels. That'll definitely change my approach on that. I currently have a Pleuger Medalist 1594RC on the Berkeley and it does pretty well, easy to use, and well-oiled. I'd probably keep that as a back-up for freshwater though. I don't know much about the reel other than what I was able to find on it via Google. I used those on some panfish a couple weeks back and had a good time with them.

If I can swing it, would you go with the Orvis Hydro or still the Battenkill Disc Reel?

NCTribute,
I'll definitely look into the Colton and the other brands down the road as I get further and deeper into fly fishing. I don't know if I'd be able to swing one of their rods AND a good saltwater reel at this time.

Thanks for all the advice guys!
 
#10 ·
I have a Hydros IV (8- /9- wt) and love it. It will be a bit heavier and despite what they claim, holds a bit more backing. But then the Mid-Arbor claims 200 yards of 20 lb with 8-wt line but I don’t think it will hold that much Dacron. I don’t have one of the new Mid Arbors but have a batch of the Battenkill and Access versions- never had a problem.
Tight lines
 
#11 ·
I'll chat with the wife about it and see if I can swing the cost of the Hydros IV; it's about $50 more with the backing and line. Was going to go with the all-around saltwater fly line and Dacron. Figure I can't go wrong with that and it'll already be spooled so I don't have to deal with that.
 
#12 ·
Orvis use to make a redfish taper that was superb. But, for some strange and unexplained reason, they dropped it. The all around saltwater should work or go to Rio or SA for their redfish taper. It has a lot of the weight up front so you can make short casts (and long ones, too- I can hit 90’ consistently). Lefty Kreh always said to strive for 100’ so your form will be good enough to be able to hit 30’ in a strong wind. His pal, Flip Pallot, says you should never have to cast more than 40’. But I have caught a whole batch of reds because I could cast 50’-90’.
Down the iine, consider getting a 9’ 9-wt. They are great for casting in wind and I find myself using my 9-wt rods almost as much as my 8s. And a a nice 7-wt. isn’t too shabby. Our club is heading to Galax, VA, to fish the New River for smallmouth and I am making sure I have a couple of 7s with me. Since I live with saltwater on three sides, I fish the brine more than fresh water and find it easier to cast the heavier lines. Our club members who have a lot of trout stream experience are at home with 3- through 6- and find the heavier rods harder to cast. It just takes practice. Lots of practice.
Also, get in a fly fishing club or hire a guide who is a good teacher. The last thing you want to do is do what I did- teach yourself to cast. I wound up taking a lot longer to learn because I kept reinforcing bad habits. If you have an Orvis store close at hand, they have classes (but their bias is still toward fresh water).
I don’t get up to your neck of the woods very often but Joe Schute on Atlantic Beach might be able to help you with instruction. It’s not hard when you quite trying to make it hard. In fact, the hardest thing about fly fishing for me is remembering how easy it is.
Tight lines and have fun with a marvelous addiction.
 
#13 ·
Fly lines are tricky, this past spring I cast my rods with all the different lines I had and found that some lines I initially had kind of written off worked great with a different rod. Unfortunately it is not easy to have a bunch of different lines to try and find the one that works best with your rod and casting style. I have gravitated toward Scientific Anglers (4-9 wt and owned by Orvis) and Airflo (10-12 wt) lines, getting away from RIO lines.

I suspect the Clearwater 8 wt would perform well with a bonefish taper line and might be easily over powered by a redfish taper. There is a trend toward heavier lines, but I personally think that they hamper your true learning curve. Better to use them after you are good at casting a more traditional taper.
 
#14 ·
I was looking at this line: https://www.orvis.com/p/hydros-saltwater-all-rounder/2ash Figured it'd be a good starting line to go with but I'll take a peek at the SA, Airflo, and RIO lines.

My next question would have been, is there a fly shop or instructor around the Jacksonville, Morehead, Wilmington area? I just sent Bob Schute an e-mail about instruction. There is another place, "Pogie's" in Swansboro that I'll probably be wandering over to in the next week or so.

I'm glad I asked for advice here before diving in as I'd be getting into this completely blind. Thank you guys again for everything!
 
#23 ·
Local Help



While you might have a difficult time finding Joe Shute available, Pogies is closer and they are pretty much in tune with equipment for the area you fish. They also have several folks who can offer instruction. Demo as many as you can but be careful.....it can lead to a never ending addiction.
 
#15 ·
Ah yes, ask two fly anglers and you get 6 opinions. NC Tribute is fright about fly lines bring tricky. In addition to everything else, manufacturers are overloading ( or under/ labeling) which means that the line is labeled 8-wt though it has the weight of an 8.5 or even 9 wt line. So people will find it casting a little longer. So it is hard to know what to get.
Listen to an expert about this. Personal stock to the rated line weight. So see if the store owner has a variety of weights on the rod you want to buy.
 
#16 ·
Good to know! I'd rather have more opinions than not enough. Yes, it makes it a little more difficult to choose equipment but at least I have a few personal, well-meaning, and first-hand accounts on said equipment.

I may try and sneak out tomorrow and go to the two places I mentioned earlier.
 
#17 ·
That should have been, ”Personally, I stick to the rated line weight.” Anyway, the main thing is to get a basic outfit and start practicing. Read a lot of magazine articles, watch a lot of YouTube videos, and practice, practice, practice. Find a good coach and a good fly angler who will let you try out some of his/her rods and reels. If all else fails, get yourself down to Oak Island sometime and I will be glad to let you play with my arsenal. That’s what I let members of our Fly Fishing Club do to keep them from getting junk or paying more than they need to pay for good stuff. Like NC Tribute, I have a batch of rods from the very, very good to the nice and moderately priced, to cheap but good, to cheap and it shows. Yeah, I’m a gear hound but it sure can help newcomers to the sport. You don’t have to by 43 rods to get the right one for you. I don’t have everything but I have enough for me, though someone said if you know how many fly rods or shotguns you have, you don’t have enough.
 
#18 ·
Visiting Joe Schute today. Chatted with him a bit and let him I'm just getting into fly fishing. After speaking with him, I'm leaning toward purchasing a rod and reel from him rather than something I know nothing about. Would rather get the wisdom of a man who has decades of experience under his belt and who I can go to for advice/assistance if needed.
I'm looking at a TFO BVK or a TFO Pro II rod (9' 8wt) paired with a Redington Behemoth reel with intermediate sinking saltwater SA or RIO line.
Any one have any objections or issues to any of those?
 
#19 ·
TFO BVK is a fast action rod, I really like mine, the only thing it maybe does not do real well with is short casts. It is the one rod I am using a redfish tapered line with. The BVK pretty much dominates the best bang for your buck award in tests and reviews in the 8 wt. The other thing is they are known to be a little fragile, but also has a great warranty for the price point. Most light rods with low swing weight will be on the fragile side, so would not be too concerned.
 
#20 ·
If it wasn't raining/storming today when we stopped in, I would have asked if I could try some out. I still plan to do so before purchasing, but was unable to test them today. As soon as we left, it cleared up and became sunny... typical NC weather.

Seems as though the TFO BVK and Mangrove rods are pretty similar and have the same price tag. Would you go with one over the other or would the BVK be the better all-around rod between the two?

Sorry for asking so many questions!
 
#22 ·
I am on the road with my wife visiting our sons, their wives, and our granddaughters so I am following you on my cell phone and iPad. Even though it is not in this thread, I am aware of your good visit with Joe Schuster and NC Tribute’s response.
First, whenever possible, support a local fly shop and make friends with the owner and staff. Any extra you pay for the products (if any) will be more than offset by the wisdom they will share with you. You can’t get that on-line or from a big box store.
Second, I have a batch of TFO BVKs, and couple of TFO Pro II, and a Mangrove (8-wt.) as well as an Impact 9-wt. So I have a lot of experience with TFO. I have so many of them because of their price and casting. I stuck a Pro II into a fan blade so it is now a 8’9” and not a 9’ rod (a 7-wt. 2 piece that I love). I helped a friend make a TFO BVK 8-wt. that he broke by high sticking. TFO had a replacement part back in no time flat. I often think their reputation for breaking is based in no small measure because so many guides use them because of their price and TFO’s quick service. In the hands of less experienced anglers, they will tend to get broken. I have loaned two nice Orvis rods to friends who broke them. Who knows?
The BVK was designed by Bernard V (Lefty) Kreh while the Mangrove was designed by Flip Pallot. I remember reading that Lefty once (at least) said than any fly rod that costs more than $200 is better than 95% of the anglers who will use it. So try them all out and see what fits better. It may be hard to tell. But that is OK. None of these rods are duds.
I will say about the reel the same as I said about the Orvis Clearwater, it is a stamped/pressed reel so can bend or crack when dropped. I have the Lamson version of this type of reel, have dropped it once, and have a 1/4” section of the rim of the spool missing. It has sharp edges where it broke that will make it hard to hand brake. I do like machined reels. But Redington’s reel has gotten rave reviews and the price is right. Again, get it and use it as a back-up or practice reel once you decide you like fly fishing and Mama says you can put a bit more money into a machined reel.
Intermediate line is really good line. Several experts have written that if they could have only one outfit, they would get a 9’ 9-wt. with intermediate line. Intermediate line is very slow sinking. It is great to use in the surf since it will sink below the surface. It will work in the wind since it is a bit heavier than floating line. But two things to remember, cast it a bit differently from floating line. I can it a horseshoe cast since you start with a side arm back cast that you turn into an overhand forward cast. Like with sinking line, you don’t want the line to have to stop before moving forward- that puts tremendous stress on the rod. By going sidearm to overhand means that the tip of the line never stops and changes direction. It moves in a giant curve and never stops. Second, with floating flies, the line will sink so you will have to get the line to the surface before making a cast. You bring it up by stripping and then use as many roll casts as you need to get the line and fly to the surface before making your horseshoe cast. Bottom line, get a second spool with intermediate and your primary spool with floating line. But then Joe Schute has caught more fish with a fly rod than I have caught in my dreams. So don’t ignore what he says. But I still use floating line 95% of the time.
By the time this is over, you are going to have a Ph.D. In fly fishing. The main thing is to get an outfit and start using it. Then read all the articles you can find, watch YouTube Videos by the score, and get some good catalogues from Feather Craft and other fly shops and begin to see what this sport is all about. But your own experience will be the best guide to what you need. The point is, you don’t need to cast like Lefty or Flip or Joe or Whitefish 115. You need to cast the way that suits you and works for you. You can learn to cast well enough to catch fish in 20 minutes but it will take a lifetime to make you an expert. Lefty, in his 90s when he died, still said he learned something new every day. So welcome to the club of the hopelessly addicted to a marvelous sport. The best part is it’s better than golf unless you have figured out a way to cook a golf ball.
And I will say again, the hardest thing for me about fly fishing is remembering how easy it is. If some part of your body hurts when you practice or it you get sore from practice, you are doing it wrong. TRying to figure out what you are doing wrong will take some time. But a fly rod will let you know if you’re not doing it properly.
Tight lines.
 
#24 ·
Whitefish,
Biggest reason I want to buy from a store is the experience, advice, and wisdom the shop can give. As easy as it is to purchase online I think making that personal connection to a shop will pay dividends down the road.
I've read the BVK has a tendency to break because it's a smaller rod as it's a faster rod than the Mangrove. I'll get with Joe and see if I can cast both of them to feel the difference. I think I'm at least down to the TFO BVK, Mangrove, or Orvis Clearwater.
The reel is a different story. I'm still pretty undecided on it. Joe recommends a Redington Behemoth and just rinse it well and let it air dry post trip. But I feel I should get a machined, sealed reel, of which, there are lots of choices in the same price range such as the Orvis Battenkill Disc (as you recommended) or the Orvis Hyrdos and a few others I was looking at yesterday.


fishn,
I saw Pogies and we were going to stop in there Friday but, being Swansboro, we didn't find any parking nearby and had the kiddo (and almost naptime) so we left. I haven't gotten back over there yet. But I do plan to swing by there one of these days to chat with them as well. I totally expect an addiction to come from this. :)
 
#27 ·
Understand the sentiment and the reasoning, but I have bamboo rods from the 60’s, a Fenwick rod and a Cabelas’ rod from the 70’s that all will catch fish, but are not nearly as pleasurable to use as my newer rods. It is not like he is looking to buy a Loomis Asquith and a Mako Reel, he is looking at the range of equipment that provides good performance at a reasonable price, a very realistic and good decision in my view.
 
#28 ·
Joe Shute will steer you right. Also, ask for Dallas at Pogies in Swansboro. Great guy and excellent fly fisherman.

I also recommend the Cape Lookout Flyfishers club (MHC). Dues are pretty low and you'll have the opportunity to meet some of the best fly fishers in our area. They meet monthly, they sponsor annual casting and fly tying clinics, and they have a casting pond open to members where you can probably get some hands on instruction.

There are tons of good choices for entry level fly outfits nowadays, and the products mentioned above are all on track. Since Colton came up, I'll put up a strong testimonial. I own three of his fly reels and one of his Slipstream rods (a 6 Wt.) The rod is inexpensive, but quite good. The reels are off the charts and are in my opinion the best value for a SW fly reel that you can find. Customer service is superb. His Slipstream rods run about $180 and his CRG II reels about $170. For a fully machined aluminum reel with an excellent drag, you just cannot find a better value in a saltwater ready reel. I'd also take a hard look at TFO. Great products, great values with an outstanding warranty policy.
 
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