Got something laying around gathering dust? I'm looking to get back into it with a light weight medium action that will break down so I can ride with it. I don't really know a damn thing about it other than I used a neighbors quite a bit, but that was 39 years ago..., and I loved it. I just don't want to screw it up buy spending a few hundred (which is a fair amount of money to me) and then learning I could have done better. Uses would be primarily smaller creeks for trout 95% of the time, and panfish spawning beds in the spring. Thanks Sanders
I have been fly fishing for over 30 years, and i have spent a ludicrous amount of money of rods and reels.. and I can say definitively that for the type of fishing you want to do this, cabelas rod is all you need. You do not need a bullet proof drag, or a high modulus BS rod.. or anything fancy.. this rod gets great reviews and will get the job done all day long.. I would suggest a 8.5 foot, 3 or 4 wt rod. I have rods that cost literally 10x as much as that combo and all they do is make me worry about tripping over a rock and breaking them in half.. I am tempted to sell all my bamboo, and Winston, and Thomas and Thomas, and Hardy shit and get back to rods that are reasonable and replaceable. Oh yeah.. probably belongs down in "shiny things"
Thank you! Great info, and I'm going to check out the Cabela's rod right n... My apologies to moderator for misposting this in the wrong area
Just saw there was even a cheaper combo at cabelas.. different reel.. a reel for the type of fishing you want to do simply holds the line.. most of the time you will fight the fish by hand.. IMHO No need for that large arbor reel in my first link.
+1 on the Cabelas combos. I was looking at these last night http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Stowaway-6Prestige-Plus-Fly-Combo/711859.uts? I usually carry a 4pc,4 wt St. Croix on the bike.It's longer than these disassembled but not too bad . I made a carry tube out of PVC and bedcoated it. It's out of the way until I need it.
Only problem with a 4 piece rod is that it wont fit in most panniers... and will stick out pretty far left or right on most bikes. I carry a 4 piece rod on my R1200 and a 9' 4 piece sill sticks out a bit over my OEM panniers.. which makes it an issue for theft when I stop. The 6 piece rods break down into 15-18" sections depending on what length you buy.. that will fit in most hard panniers or soft luggage.
http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/rods/finesse.html The rod I use is the 8'9" 3wt. Love that rod, and TFO has an awesome warranty to go with it. My reel is GLoomis, cant remember which one it is, my Dad got it for me for my bday couple of years ago. Love the combo. Light, feels/fishs good and breaks down fairly small. I dont have it handy to measure right now, but the tube I made for it (ABS pipe) is about 32" or so end to end. This is how I mounted mine. Works well with the boxes on, when theyre off it can be a bit trying going thru bushes and such. I dont have any pics, but Ive since started carrying it lengthwise with the bike, ziptied to the back of the pannier racks.
Sanders, go to the link in my sig and call the phone number when you have some time, I'd be happy to talk to you about what type of set up you are looking for, and what may work well for you both new and used. I won't sell you anything or even try for that matter, my stuff is not what you are looking for, but I can probably give you some of the information you are looking for, and some advice that will save you money in the long run.
Why dont you share the advice with everyone? I would be interested in your thoughts on a more practical avenue for a compact, motorcycle friendly rod. A lot of folks ask me for my advice on this and I would be very interested in what you have to offer??? Beautiful looking rods you make at a great price OBTW. If I didnt already have too many bamboo rods I would be getting in line for an order. Really like your graphite rod design too.. your logo has a real cool old school vibe to it... well done.
Flashmo, Those are works of art, Beautiful! You have done well. Ironically, Idaho and a late summer motorcycle ride is the flashpoint that got me started. 2 years ago I camped along a few rivers in Idaho that really got me wishing. The Salmon and Little Salmon, wow! Wife bought me an Eagle Claw spin rod Trailmaster and I've used it a few times, so now I'm excited to try and take this to the next level. I want to thank you for the kind offer, but I really don't even know what questions to ask a Master, so I won't bore you with all the noob stuff. Sanders "Idahoan for a month"
I'll see if I can give a good summary of some information that may help a lot of people out, but there is so much information that I will try and condense much of it. Some may seem pretty basic to people who are more experienced, but is a good starting point. It is written more to help the OP. All fishing rods are (spinning and fly) just a spring. We have to use some amount of weight to load that spring in order to cast the rod. Spin rods use a weight at the end of the line, but in fly fishing, we use the line itself. The weight that a fly line is rated is based on the weight in grains of the first 30 feet of line. A fly rod's "action" (i.e. medium, moderate, mod/fast, fast, extra fast) is a term that a designer will use to convey how far the fly rod actually flexes from the tip in relation to it's overall length when loaded with a specific fly line. A fly rods listed line weight is based on how much weight is takes to flex that fly rod in order to achieve the designer's goal of what the action should be. This is very subjective, and fits what the designer is trying to achieve in his minds eye. This is also the reason that a 9', 5wt, mod/fast fly rod from one manufacturer will feel differently than the same spec from another. Any fly rod, therefore, can be cast with any weight of fly line. What we will be doing by changing line weights is changing how much the fly rod flexes, and thus changing the action. Example, if I take a 5wt rod and use a 6wt line, I will have made the action softer in relation to what may be listed on the rod. The OP's goal of finding a Medium Action fly rod, today, will be hindered by the marketing of the fly fishing industry. The average fly rod will last over 20 years, but the industry needs to make sales every year and because of this fact the industry has pushed faster and faster action fly rods for the last 15 years. Now that we have really reached a peak in performance where the average person cannot pick up a very fast fly rod (i.e. Sage TCX) and cast it well, the industry has started to move back toward softer action fly rods for "delicate presentation" in the last year. These new softer action rods will of course be sold at a premium due to being the "new technology" (even though that is what we all used 20 years ago). The solution, is to find a fly rod with a Moderate/Fast action (one of the most common and available action types) and put a heavier line on to achieve the casting feel that he would like. Additionally, as we move to smaller and smaller waters our casts must be shorter. A 20 foot cast, using a 9' leader, only requires 11' of fly line to be outside the tip in order to hit our mark. Since fly lines are rated based on the weight of the first 30' of line we have significantly reduced the amount of weight which we are using to load the fly rod and it begins to feel like we are casting using a broomstick...the thing just wont bend, which makes it hard to turn a loop in the fly line and complete a decent cast. In this case, the solution is again to increase the line weight we are using, so that we have additional weight outside the tip of the rod in order to achieve the needed flex. Conversely, if we are trying to consistently cast 50+ feet, we should reduce the line weight in order to preserve the rods action, because greatly increasing the length of line adds more weight and will slow the perceived action of the rod. As an example, I have a wonderful 6', 2wt rod that I like on small streams (like 10-15' across), but it gets fished with a 4 wt line, anything less and it wont flex well. There is never a situation where that rod will be used with 30' of line plus leader in the air, so it has never seen a 2wt line. As far as "bang for the buck" in factory fly rods right now, I would recommend the Greys Streamflex series (from Hardy & Greys of England) as one of the most undervalued rods on the market. It has a nice mod/fast action, comes in line weights from 2-6wt, lengths from 6-10', all 4 piece rods, and retails for about $245. I know a lot of guides down on the Provo in Utah that have made this series their "go-to" rod in the last couple years. As far as reels, remember that for trout, they are nothing more than a device to hold extra line from being tangled around your feet. The Phleuger Medalist is probably the most used, most sold fly reel of the 20th century (though they recently quit production) for good reason. It is cheap, reliable, effective, has a decent little drag, and it's CHEAP. These were made in the USA, Japan, and China over the years, but all parts are interchangeable between models. Go on e-bay and pick up a used one and an extra spool or two for as little as $20. The older USA models, which are in higher demand with collectors and fishermen alike sell typically for around $75.00, but the Japanese or Chinese versions are perfect for this situation. With a couple extra spools, you can change line weights as needed with very little effort and you will enjoy your experience much more when the line weight is matched to the rod, and casting distance. For the OP, I would recommend staying away from many of the fancy fly lines that are more oriented to a specific use, and go with the the Courtland 333, or 444SL in a weight forward profile. They are well proven lines (unchanged in 20 years) very effective, stiff enough for most anglers to turn over well, and come at a decent price point. Spend your money in this order: Fly rod, fly line, reel. So for the OP, on waters up to 20' across, I would probably recommend a 4 piece, 7-8', 3wt, mod/fast action fly rod, get a Phleuger 1494 with an extra spool and two lines: Courtland 333 or 444 in 4wt and 5wt. Of course, there are variables to every situation, but hopefully this gives you some helpful information without making it a more confusing choice in the beginning. NOTE: I have no affiliation with any of the companies that I have listed.
Cool, a fly fishing thread. I moved from the PNW 20 years ago and haven't done much trout fishing since. Couple of trips years ago to mammoth area, june loop, etc. I'm planning a BC trip this summer and all of the lakes and streams are full of trout so I thought bringing a fly rod would be fun evening entertainment when stopped to camp. I have a Sage 2-piece 5wt I bought about 25 years ago, nice rod, but the tube is about 4' long. Not gonna work very well for hauling on the bike. Another rod to consider is the 7-piece ones from Orvis. I have not used one but they look like a nice piece you can get for a couple of hundred. Started searching on fleabay and found this Redington. Nothing fancy, but a nice used rod with a tube that's about 22" long, will go on the bike easy. Gave $100 for it, the new ones run about $250. I've had the Scientific Anglers reel since my days in WA. Just another idea for you. EDIT: Flashmo - great write up. You must have been typing while I was. Tell me, should I replace the flyline I have on my spools? They've been in storage for at least 15 years. Or is there a way to inspect them to tell if they are usable or not? BTW, I have one of these old things too. I really don't use it anymore, but would look good on a vintage bamboo I have. Thanks!!
I am SO glad you wrote this up. Thank you! If I'd called and gotten this info verbally, my head would have spun up and popped right off. Now I have something I can refer back to. Interesting about the "old wisdom" being the "new technology". I just remember My Grandpa teaching me that the medium action was what I wanted as a young Whipper Snapper, which btw was very apt at that point in my fly fishing attempt. So I felt this is how I should re-start flyfishing, with my long departed GrandFathers advice firmly planted in my head. It has been difficult to find a "Medium action" now I know why, but now I know how to circumvent that. Thank you. All you guys are what makes this site so GREAT! Sanders Driftless in Mn.
I have a spare Cabelas combo kit. I will have to look a the particulars, I know that a bunch of folks said it was a great starter kit. It has never touched the water. I bought two one for me and SO with the thought that we were going to CO for fly fishing, the trip never happened so they are taking up space in my garage. If this half way interests you $25 to your door. I need to go verify which Cabelas kit is is, I know that it is a 4 piece rod with a reel.
I completely agree with everything Flashmo wrote. I have have many super fast action rods, Sage, T&T and a couple of years ago switched everything back to the slower action Winston rods that I now fish with. I had been over lining my fast action rods for a couple of years before I made the switch anyway. I will, however, still argue the rod, reel, line combo I pointed you to in my original post is the way to go. I have fished with the Cabelas rod and the Orvis 7 piece rod, and a T&T 7 piece they no longer make. The Cabelas lines are made by Cortland and are probably the very same 333 that is recommended. I suppose you could save a few bucks if you buy the travel rod, you can get a China made Pflueger at Walmart and cortland lines at Walmart as well... I still think the whole package, along with the purpose made case of the Cabelas rod is the way to go for motorcycle riding. I searched for years for a short 6' 2wt bamboo rod for small, tree chocked streams.. I had a couple built for me, and finally the guys up at Sweegrass rods finally made me a hex that will actually "cast" a two weight line the 10-15' that I need... every rod up to that point needed to be overlined with at least a 4 wt to load at all for that type of fishing.. even the Sweetgrass rod would probably feel better throwing a 3wt. edit: well crap.. hard to turn down $25 to your door for just about anything :)
Hey MrT10x Good info there! I'll checking Cabela's as there are two stores within 50 miles of me. Armed with knowledge presented here, I think I'll do fine. Never would have thought a $10 reel would be the way to go. Heck there's still snow on the ground and now I'm excited to get back trout fishing
