# Cheap way to start fly fishing



## santander (Jan 18, 2008)

I have decieded that i want to try fly fishing, i am not sure how i'm going to like it so i just want to set up a rod and reel for VERY cheap. I have a unused 8 ft pole that i used with a spinning reel that is very flexible so i thought it may work. I picked up a nice Mitchell travel pole and reel that included a 6 wt reel that is what lighted my intrest in fly fishing. I got some cheap fly line on ebay. Now my question is can i just use some mono as backing and a leader or do i really need to buy fly specifc line. Would it make a huge difference using the mono? I am broke so can't afford anything fancy. Also what are some good basic flies to buy? I bought a few online last night but i have no idea what is best for what i'm fishing for: Reds between 14-30 inches, trout between 10-23 inches, and flounder. Let me know what you think
thanks


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## santander (Jan 18, 2008)

here are the flies i ordered : Clouser Black/White w/flash, Deceiver Cockroach, Mullet, Salt Shrimp Gold,
Sponge Bob Green/Orange Foam Popper, Crab Salt. Including shipping i spent $9.00 on these flies. Good or bad deal?


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

oh boy, based on that request you could be a real project, but I like your ambition.  

Cheap and fly fishing rarely end up in the same sentence any more, so your quest is essentially a mirage. However, you can get by with far less than many will tell you. I started out with fly tackle in the late 60's and early 70's that would be considered absolute junk these days, never mind I could still cast and catch fish with that same gear today. Unfortunately practicality doesn't matter any more. You need to have fly equipment that will impress people at the mere mention that you own such gear. Ok, OK, I'll stop there... :

Here's the deal. Forget that flimsy spinning rod thing you're talking about, you really need a real fly rod. If you want cheap, you can get an no-name combo rig at like Sports Authority for around $40, fly line and backing included and go slay the bass and bluegill at you favorite pond. With a little proficiency and a dose of luck you could also catch a season or two worth of slot redfish, small snook and pretty much any trout in the brine too. I actually have one of these for my 12yr old son, Finalist I think it's called. The rod is 8' long 7wt and cast very well, especially for what it is. The reel is complete crap, no drag, just an obnoxious clicker, but will hold a 100 yds of 20lb dacron backing and a 7wt line. Anyway, as sh!tty as it is, with a little palm or finger pressure will subdue a 10lb jack crevalle or any slot redfish you'll ever run into. But more than enough to see if you like fly fishing or not. If you don't want it any more, it won't be worth anything to anyone. You may not even be able to give it away. But this a cheap outfit, which is not the same as inexpensive starter rig.

If you think you might actually enjoy fly fishing though, you're going to need to cough up something on the order of $300, which with care could last you many years and actually have 30-40% resale value if you decide to bail out or upgrade a few minutes after you buy it. :-?

There are a lot of options here, but if you want something more specific along these lines I would look at TFO Series 1 in 8wt and a Pflueger Trion Model 1978, which combined should be about $200. For maybe $50 more you could upgrade the reel to something like a Redington CD, which is probably the best reel out there for the money. St. Croix and Redington have similar entry level rods too. Either way you'll need 150 yds of 20lb backing and an 8wt weight forward floating line. You can go mad choosing a fly line these days but I would stick with a saltwater taper. I'm a Scientific Angler fan, everyone will probably say they like something different. Regardless, all the name-brand lines(Rio, Cortland, etc) are very good these days. But plan to spend at least $50 for a fly line, more like $70 though, plus $10 or so for the backing. Many shops online or otherwise have closeouts and what not, so you can save some money if you snoop around some. 

This is just an idea of where to get started. You can spend a little less, a little more or 5 times as much. There's a price point for every tax bracket right up to lotto winners. Try to find some fly shops in your area. Most of them have casting clinic's (read sales opportunities) on weekends. You can usually try different outfits and get a lot of feed back from others, plus some local tips on where to catch 10"-23" fish of your preference.  Good luck, fly fishing is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. - eric


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

Scientific Angler makes a line called the Headstart. It is a beginner line made for saltwater and costs $35. Very nice line. Still have it on a backup reel. I bought it at the Flyfisherman in Titusville and since I bought the line from them they put the backing on for free. The Redington CD reel is an AWESOME reel. Especially for the money.


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## Spook (Apr 6, 2007)

If you watch Sierra Trading Post, they always have fly lines on sale. The problem is that the standard weights (e.g. 6,8,10) tend to sell out first, so you usually have to keep watching for the line you need. They frequently have rods and reels as well. Don't use the spinning rod. Learning to cast is frustrating enough that you shouldn't give yourself a huge handicap right off the bat. Eric is right. You would be better off with a no name fly rod. The reel is less important. If you can use finger contact on a spinning reel spool to feather drag, you can palm a fly reel spool to do the same. A cheap reel just won't last very long. Hopefully, by the time it rusts out, you will have decided whether or not you like flyfishing enough to step up your gear.

Elie


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## santander (Jan 18, 2008)

thanks for the advice guys, i had no idea how expensive fly fishing is. I think i will wait till i graduate college at which point i should be able to afford a semi-decent set up. I went to gander mountain and the cheapest set up they had was $129 and it looked like the reel was made of composite plastic. Oh well, i may try my ghetto set up just to try it out since i bought some flies and then retry it later on down the road once properly equipt.


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## Un-shore (Sep 27, 2007)

Are you reffering to the Mitchell travel rod as your ghetto set up? If so yes, get started with that set up. forget the spinning rod, it will never work. Yes you can use mono for backing, you won't need to worry about it unless you get a big fish on the end of your line. You can tie your own leader with mono also. Use 3 or 4 progressively smaller test lines and tie them together to make a tapered leader. This is important so the line lays down properly. As far as what type of fly to use, match the hatch is the best rule to follow. If you are fishing in salt water shrimp, crab patterns and streamers that imitate baitfish are the likliest to get hit.  Use your search engine and look for fly fishing knots, redfish flys, and fly tying, there is a ton of stuff on the web.  I'm not familiar with gander mountain, if they have flies in stock buy on or two of these patterns and try them out.


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## ucfsae81 (Dec 5, 2007)

gander mountain has a crappy fly fishing section and their flys are price correctly so last time there i picked up 5 saltwater fly's for 1.45 a piece at bps they easly would be 3 to 5 but gander mountain did have some all in one kits but they were 150 you just do it right and get a decent rod like a low end tfo/sage/scott and a decent reel like the gold cup whenever you do something on the cheap end you end up paying more in the long run just my .05


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

> Yes you can use mono for backing, you won't need to worry about it unless you get a big fish on the end of your line.


Not trying to be too critical here, but that really isn't good or complete advice, especially with a low quality reel. Unless its wound on loose, mono can torque the arbor and if its wound on tight enough can actually damage the spool. Granted its not a huge thing if you don't wind it on tight initially and don't battle big enough fish to get deep into the backing, but there is a reason for using dacron or low/no stretch materials for backing on fly reels. Its not just static bulk used to increase the retrieve ratio. I understand he's on a really tight budget, but I think we're also trying to get him started on the right track. If we're going to tell him do to something unorthodox we should at least explain why.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

I wouldn't recommend those $100+ combo's either. If you going to spend over a $100 you're far better off assembling something from entry level name-brand components instead. May take a little longer to get everything, but you'll be way happier in the end. I only mentioned the $40 outfit because he said CHEAP and I bought one for my son as a starter outfit/beater rod when he was 9yrs old. That was almost 3 yrs ago so Sports Authority may not even sell them any more. We still use it though, but mostly in the yard for casting practice. At the same time I wouldn't sweat landing a 30lb tarpon with it either. The rod really is pretty good and IMO was worth $80 on its own. Since Trey has a really nice Loomis GL3 I'll probably upgrade the reel and line on the el-cheapo this spring and keep it as a backup or for those bush beater trips.


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

Also try www.flyshopcloseouts.com You can buy complete outfits, rod, reel, line, and backing for CHEAP!!!


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## ucfsae81 (Dec 5, 2007)

gander mountain had fly backing for 49.99 per 1100 yard spool so you could sell the rest if you wanted it would be the same as wasting you money on mono


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## ucfsae81 (Dec 5, 2007)

i also just picked up a sage fli 9wt with matching 1880 reel for $180 so if you just look you can find deals all the time but this is a good deal from that website aaron threw up i might even pick this package up myself, on Temple Fork Pro Series Fly Rod - Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor Reel -Line Combo for 219 and thats rod reel and fly line and backing


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## santander (Jan 18, 2008)

wow, lots of good advice here, thanks alot guys. I will continue fishing with my spinning set up but if conditions are right i will pull out my little mitchell travel rod and reel and see what happens.
thanks


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

> Also try www.flyshopcloseouts.com You can buy complete outfits, rod, reel, line, and backing for CHEAP!!!


Looks like some good deals, have you bought stuff from these guys before? 

I agree the TFO specials there look like a great deal too. I've never used that particular rod/reel before, but I am a huge fan of TFO products. I doubt you'd be disappointed for a first outfit. Of course that may still be too much money for a kid in school. 

Regardless, that site pretty much supports what we've been saying here though, $200-$300 is what you're looking at to get started and still have something worth owning.


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

I've never bought from them. I'm pretty set right now with rods and such. Also I'm pretty picky. But, if I was looking for a start-up set, or a cheap travel rod I wouldnt hesitate to buy from them. Plus it looks like they sell some other good stuff too like waders and other gear.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

yeah, I was just curious if you'd ever dealt with them. Last thing I need is another discount fly shop at my finger tips.


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

I know the feeling ;D


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## Un-shore (Sep 27, 2007)

> > Yes you can use mono for backing, you won't need to worry about it unless you get a big fish on the end of your line.
> 
> 
> Not trying to be too critical here, but that really isn't good or complete advice, especially with a low quality reel. Unless its wound on loose, mono can torque the arbor and if its wound on tight enough can actually damage the spool. Granted its not a huge thing if you don't wind it on tight initially and don't battle big enough fish to get deep into the backing, but there is a reason for using dacron or low/no stretch materials for backing on fly reels. Its not just static bulk used to increase the retrieve ratio. I understand he's on a really tight budget, but I think we're also trying to get him started on the right track. If we're going to tell him do to something unorthodox we should at least explain why.


Seems that you are being to critical here. How about - " Yes you can use mono for now but be warned that you should eventually replace it with the proper backing when you can afford it. Unless its wound on loose, mono can torque the arbor and if its wound on tight enough can actually damage the spool. Granted its not a huge thing if you don't wind it on tight initially and don't battle big enough fish to get deep into the backing, but there is a reason for using dacron or low/no stretch materials for backing on fly reels. Its not just static bulk used to increase the retrieve ratio".

Sorry for the misinformation, I was trying to answer the guys specific question on how he could get *started* for as *cheap* as possible.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

sorry, I usually do try to be careful how I words things, but there's a point where no matter what I type(say) it will be construed differently. I only have so much time to participate here. No ill will intended. - eric


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## wiggles6983 (May 5, 2007)

I read an article on Shallow Water Angler, they suggested using 4 feet of 20 lbs florocarbon leader instead of the usual tipet and leader. They said it made it easier to cast some the bigger/heavier saltwater flies. If you are catching some fish with teeth, they make tieable steel leader, it actually ties like normal mono.

I'll also prefer scientific angler fly line.

There are a good bit of fly fishing gear on ebay.

www.troutlet.com have rods from $15 to $100. Not Sage or TFO rods, but will be enough to get you into the sport.


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## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

Here's the deal...If you are young and single then get a graphite rod and an Orvis Clearwater reel.  Both should cost you under $70.  Use it for a season to get a feel for fly fishing.  If you like it then upgrade immediately to a nice outfit (top of the line Temple Fork Outfitter, G-Loomis, Sage)  They will cost you some bucks, but you will have them fooooorrrrreeevvveeeerrrrrr, and you will be using them now.  In other words, you will get your money out of them before life sets in (women, bills, kids, debt, etc....)

If you are older and single, then get a great rod because it is the next best thing to waking up next to the love of your life every morning.  Except it is better...you get to play with it (the rod-for you perverts out there  : ) as often, as long, and as hard as you want.  Heck, if you become obsessed with fly fishing, then you may wake up next to your fly rod every morning (like I do   ). Don't get cheap....pair it with a nice reel.  You wouldn't buy a Lamborghini and go to Wal-Mart to put "General" brand tires on it.  

If you are older or younger and married, then take whatever you can get.  Get away every second you can.  Make the most out of what is there.  Your fishing career is bleak.  The only way to get back to euphoria is to trade your wife in for a fly rod.  Sorry about your dilemma.... ;D



Just offering you my personal experiences along with what I have observed in my life.


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## JIMMYZ750 (Feb 20, 2007)

Here ya go, just can's get any cheaper than this unless someone pays ya to take their rod/reel.......

It is just a cheap rod/reel from wal-mart i think it was about $50 or $60 bucks and I don't use it. I'm in IHB. I don't feel like taking pictures of it right now, if you feel you reallllllllllllllly need pictures let me know. 
Joey 
321-693-1281 ------------------------

IHB =Indian Harbor Beach

Not my ad or equipment just for your info


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