# So I’m Interested in learning how to Fly Fish



## JRyno10 (Feb 3, 2014)

I’ve never fly fished before but I’m interested in giving it a try. I mainly fish by site casting to redfish 90% of the time and have recently become interested in learning to fly fish. I really don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a combo and end up not enjoying it. Is there a combo in the 100$  *250$ * range that would at least get me out there?


----------



## sotilloa1078 (Mar 27, 2014)

Go on the Cortland Website they have a few combos there that will get you started. If you do enjoy it my recommendation is, spend the money the first time.....


----------



## GladesFlyFishing (Jan 17, 2020)

JRyno10 said:


> I’ve never fly fished before but I’m interested in giving it a try. I mainly fish by site casting to redfish 90% of the time and have recently become interested in learning to fly fish. I really don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a combo and end up not enjoying it. Is there a combo in the 100$ range that would atleast get me out there?


The biggest thing is to make sure whatever the combo you get has a saltwater line, if you are going to fish the salt. We sell a ton of the Reddington Path combo with a saltwater line for 199$ its more than you want to spend, but its a good package.


----------



## VANMflyfishing (Nov 11, 2019)

Echo Base 890-4 Fly Rod Outfit Kit : 8wt 9'0"


Check out the deal on Echo Base 890-4 Fly Rod Outfit Kit : 8wt 9'0" at REELFLYROD




www.reelflyrod.com





This is a solid starter setup. 

I'd look through facebook marketplace and try to find a deal on anything TFO, Reddington, Orvis, or similar. TFO signature rods are nice for the price in addition to the Fenwick Aetos. TFO, Allen, Reddington, and Echo reels are best bang for your buck. You can find nice fly line on sale most places. Probably the most important part is a nice line to turnover flies. Weight forward taper is the key thing and nice lines can be over $100. You can always upgrade in the future, but a deal is probably to be had if you look on Marketplace.


----------



## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

TFO NXT, it’s still the rod I hand to casters struggling with a faster action rod.
It comes with a decent line, down the road you can upgrade the line and really make it shine.


----------



## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

VANMflyfishing said:


> Probably the most important part is a nice line to turnover flies. Weight forward taper is the key thing and nice lines can be over $100. You can always upgrade in the future, but a deal is probably to be had if you look on Marketplace.


Florida Keys Outfitters Sale | Dedicated To The Smallest Of Skiffs (microskiff.com)
FKO Fly Line Sale


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I think a fly shop will try to up sell you on expensive gear IMHO. Go to Amazon type in fly rods. You can get a Redington combo just read reviews to see if the reel goes in saltwater. Then you need floating fly line and backing. Always get a fast action rod. After you get your set up go for lessons and get an 8 wt.


----------



## VANMflyfishing (Nov 11, 2019)

fatman said:


> Florida Keys Outfitters Sale | Dedicated To The Smallest Of Skiffs (microskiff.com)
> FKO Fly Line Sale


Great line and price. Like I said, scoring deals on $100+ lines is key. I guide and we use Scientific Angler line, especially the Titan taper long, redfish, and grand slam. My personal experience is the Rio lines are a little more temperature sensitive and don't hold up to as much abuse.


----------



## Thtguyrobb (Nov 1, 2019)

JRyno10 said:


> I’ve never fly fished before but I’m interested in giving it a try. I mainly fish by site casting to redfish 90% of the time and have recently become interested in learning to fly fish. I really don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a combo and end up not enjoying it. Is there a combo in the 100$ range that would atleast get me out there?


Where are you located at? I have a 8wt setup you can have...
It’s a Scott Tidal 8wt with a Redington Behemoth reel. The rod has seen plenty of usage, and the reel is perfectly functional but does have some rash on it from rolling around a rough skiff. Has cortland liquid crystal clear line on it... I’d use it to lawn cast and then get a new line to fish with.

if you’re around the central florida area, I’ll even help you out with some crash course casting pointers


----------



## tailwalk (Nov 20, 2016)

Take that offer! Scott makes excellent fly rods and the tidal would make a fantastic first stick.


----------



## WC53 (Dec 2, 2015)

I have one of these for the youngsters when we go out in kayaks. Dang if I don’t enjoy fishing it myself 






Cabela's CGR/Prestige Plus Fly Combo | Bass Pro Shops


Travel back to the golden age of fly fishing when you head to the river with Cabela's CGR/Prestige Plus Fly Combo. There's nothing quite like a fiberglass fly rod when you need to make delicate...




www.basspro.com


----------



## Padre (Jul 29, 2016)

You will enjoy it. The first time you watch a redfish eat the fly and then the pull, there will be no turning back.


----------



## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

Great info all around. Buy from a fly shop, or take the free offer. Can't beat a deal like that. Then use your budgeted money to get a good line and terminal tackle.
Thtguyrobb, way to step it up!


----------



## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

TFO has lots of different rods and reels. The NXT is really nice for a starter. The Lefty Pro Series is also a very good starter line. Look used. Get a lesson. Visit your local fly shop. Most importantly, find your local fly fishing club! It may change your life...


----------



## Surffshr (Dec 28, 2017)

If you have sight casted to red fish 90% of your fishing time (I’m assuming lures), then what you need to learn is about 90% more of what goes in to fly fishing. And if you were “fished out” you will very much enjoy that next 90.


----------



## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

JRyno10 said:


> Is there a combo in the 100$ range that would atleast get me out there?


Depends on what your expectations are.
If the catching part of fishing is most important, then stick with what your familiar with.

In this day and age If I didn't know a fly fisherman I'd see if there is a casting/tying club in my area.
You'll find that most people in a club like newbies and like to pass on their knowledge.
At a casting club there's a good chance that you could cast a few rods and get some instruction for free.
Another group of people to look for would be if there's a local skiff club. 
I imagine that for every 10 skiffs a significant portion will have some fly fishers...

If practicable I'd take up the offer for the free Scott.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Padre said:


> You will enjoy it. The first time you watch a redfish eat the fly and then the pull, there will be no turning back.


This.

Its more likely you'll put away your spin gear if you can snag a little success on the fly.

I got a well used combo (older Orvis gear) from a buddy for $150 back in 2015 and never looked back.


----------



## JRyno10 (Feb 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone for the responses. Thtguyrobb, I appreciate such a generous offer, unfortunately I’m not too close to central FL area! I’m going to go the local fly shop route and go from there. I agree with Padre, there is nothing I love more than getting a redfish to eat a lure and I think it will be even greater to get it to eat a fly.


----------



## Jaterac (Jul 30, 2020)

Sierra Trading Post has killer deals. Once it’s sold out, that’s it. I picked up a TFO NXT combo for $100 new.

I’m rambling past this post. You’ve been warned.


I started with Tenkara for backpacking and eventually progressed to traditional fly fishing. That was 6 years ago. I love fly fishing. Self taught.

Check your local area. If you are in NE Florida, I can let you try a bunch of different rods and show you the basics. I suck at casting (compared to the pros) but I do pretty well getting flies far away from me.

Avoid going to a shop for everything when starting out. They are going to try and sell you stuff. Most shops I’ve been to don’t offer starter gear. The local shop here usd to only have rods ranging from 300-1200 doll hairs and then their reel selection was equally as daunting. Don’t drop $1000 on a rod, reel, and line setup starting out. I’ve seen shops sell that kind of gear to people that didn’t even know if they liked fly fishing yet. You do NOT need high end gear.

Avoid “fly fishing” scissors because adding the words “fly fishing” make the price go up. I get cheap forceps from amazon or eBay. Nail clippers and nose hair scissors work great. My first vice, bobbins, and whip finisher were homemade.

Stick with lower end gear starting out. Scientific Ampere combos are great if you can find them. TFO NXT is a good starter combo. Try to avoid plastic reels. Don’t wanna be biased towards them but plastic reels just don’t have that good feel to them. THATs just me though. Pfluger nighthawk isn’t a bad plastic reels reel though.

I wouldn’t recommend learning on a fiberglass rod because they may give you bad habits when casting a fast action, but the Eagle Claw Featherlight fly rod is a sweeeeeeeet rod for the price. Doesn’t come in a combo. Slow action rods like glass are super easy to cast. They make fly fishing easy. That could give you bad habits like trying to powerful through the cast once you switch to graphite.

Definitely avoid cheap amazon Chinese brands. Sierra.com is where I’ve gotten most of my fly gear. Check it every day. Stuff comes and goes on that site. Amazon is flooded with cheap junk. Companies like kastkings use services that flood their products pages with positive reviews. I got a few 5 star reels from Amazon’s and they were garbage. Bent axles and almost no drag, sharp molding, loose screws, etc. I will mail you my last junk reel if you pay shipping. Good for a 6 weight. Croch is the brand I think. 4.8 stars out of 3k reviews. All fake.

As for learning, redington has the best practice rod. I love mine. It’s fun to whip around and try to hit things for accuracy. But nothing beats casting a few fly rod.

I highly recommend watching videos from Joan Wulff, Lefty, and George Roberts Jr. There’s tons of YouTube videos out there but anything by them will be prime time. Orvis has a good line up of videos too.


----------



## plisser (Sep 8, 2020)

I belong to a FB group called "Fly-fishing Buy/Sell/Trade. You'll find some really good deals on something to get started. If you like sightcasting to reds I would go with an 8wt outfit with WF8F line to start. Good luck and keep at it. Its way more satisfying to hook and land fish using this method.


----------



## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

jackson man said:


> go to a local fly shop and let them steer you in the right direction. It's too competetive out there for shops to not take care of their customers.


And think of this - if your local Fly Shop closes down, where are you gonna buy a couple spools of leader on a Friday afternoon when you've got a 5:30 am Saturday meeting at the boat ramp?


----------



## JRyno10 (Feb 3, 2014)

If I were to look on the 200$ range is there a combo that people would suggest? I have seen a few mention the TFO NXT and the Reddington Path. Any others I should look at?


----------



## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Don't know if you looked into the "free Scott".
Original price new was $495.00
(imagine this model was around 90% of what you got for their top end rods.
Decent fly line 80 to $100.00
Reel that _might_ last you a couple seasons $40/$50.00
(A reel must have is an exposed rim that you can add resistance to supplement the drag by hand.
All but one of my reels, even the high end ones with good drags have exposed spools.)

The fly line can make or break how well a rod casts.
Unfortunately both the rod makers and line companies have some products that don't match the customary rod/line weight norms. For instance I've 5 wt rod that I casts best with WFF 7 wt that has a conventional 30 ft taper and spot on for it's weight. One of my 9 wts I use a 350 grain line and on my 12/13 wt rod a 540 grain line. Pretty much all my other rods use "proper' line to rod weights.

Then there's the backing and leaders or leader material if you tie your own.
Last I checked flys are extra too 

There are combos that you can get for $200.00 or less but if it turns out that you get hooked...
Expect to spend more in the future.
Cabelas has one of the best return policies. You might be able to get one of their combos and if you don't like it they most likely will let you send it back.


----------



## trekker (Sep 19, 2015)

Youtube taught me. That will atleast get you started.


----------



## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

trekker said:


> *Youtube* taught me. That will atleast get you started.


Feeling my age maybe...
When I got my first fly rod i think we got 3 or 4 channels on the TV, and they were on past 11 or so only on Friday nights


----------



## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

mro said:


> 162413[/ATTACH]


----------



## Charles Hadley (Jan 20, 2019)

I have a 7wt sage rod hardy reel and cortland redfishline combo for sale if interested pm me.


----------



## B8duncan (Aug 15, 2019)

JRyno10 said:


> I’ve never fly fished before but I’m interested in giving it a try. I mainly fish by site casting to redfish 90% of the time and have recently become interested in learning to fly fish. I really don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a combo and end up not enjoying it. Is there a combo in the 100$ range that would atleast get me out there?


JRyno you're in Destin? I live in Destin as well and would be more than happy to link up with you and put a fly rod in your hands to give it a go. I've only been fly fishing for about a year now and honestly I can't force myself to pick up a spinning reel again! I do agree with mro if catching is important it may not be for you but if you're like me and a glutton for punishment because the one fish caught makes the whole day worth it i think you'll love it! If you end up liking it I can also put you in touch with the club I'm a part of. It's a really awesome group of guys with an astonishing wealth of knowledge on all things fly fishing! 

Hit me up if you want to link up some time!


----------



## Utah fly guy (Dec 2, 2020)

Padre said:


> You will enjoy it. The first time you watch a redfish eat the fly and then the pull, there will be no turning back.


Warn the poor guy this is a dark road to go down, from which there is no return


----------



## knot_trying (Oct 28, 2020)

If you need a new obsession, fly fishing is a great one.

If you live somewhere that has a Trout Unlimited chapter they often have events to help newbies learn the basics and casting.


----------

