Fly Fishing Rod Reel Combo, Fly Rod Outfits & Combos For A Beginner

Fly Fishing Rod Reel Combo Outfits And Tips For Beginners

Fly rod and reel Welcome to Fly Fishing Rod Reel Combo.com

So nice to have you stop in. My name is Brad.

For those who are new to the great outdoor sport of fly fishing, choosing the right rod reel combo can be a bit overwhelming.

This articles discusses some of the most important considerations, fly fishing combos for a beginner and fly rod outfits that will work extremely well for most fly fisherman just starting out.

Find The Perfect Fly Fishing Rod Reel Combo

Fly fishing, in this humble writers opinion; can best be described as the ultimate outdoor sport. Here in the Rockies, Wyoming specifically, one can literally be surrounded by majestic snow covered mountains, wildlife, lodge pole pine trees and wild flowers that paint the fields all while a crystal clear stream bubbles and flows over your feet. All without a single soul in sight. Absolutely incredible.

Of course the real thrill happens when that trout breaks the water and takes your fly. The excitement of that moment still causes me to lose a few fish for jerking the line a bit to early.

Fly fishing photos Yes. Fly fishing is a wonderful sport and if you’re ready to get started, you will need to buy some fly-fishing gear. Fortunately, it won’t cost a lot just starting out and the main priority will be selecting a fly fishing rod and reel combo type outfit.

With so many choices out there and all the technical mumbo jumbo, the process of selecting fly fishing rod and reel combos can be daunting. Let’s try and keep this simple as possible, so you can set about the business of catching that big fish on a fly with your new gear.

Fly fishermen looking for a discount fly rod and reel combo can definitely find a great outfit for little scratch. Always wanted to write that phrase. With many high priced fly rod outfits on the market, its good to know that there are quite a few fly fishing combos for a beginner or novice alike can come in at under $99.00.

For those who are looking for discounts and maybe a bit higher priced name brands like, Ross, Sage, Redington, Powell and so forth, there are two places I like to take a look at first.

Always like to double check here for closeout fly rods, reels and some combo deals

Then, head into The Cave, just to make sure you’re not missing some juicy fly fishing rods and reels on sale or closeout.

Here are some additional considerations when picking out your new fly rod reel combo.

The Fly Rod Length and Pieces

2 pc fly rod Oddly enough, this one is easy. Length refers to the length of the fly fishing rod. In most situations, you will probably want to select a rod that is either 8′ 6″ or 9′ 0″ in length when selecting your fly fishing rod reel combo. A 9-foot fly rod would be a good “all-around”, safe bet for most new fly fisherman.

Most fly rods come in two-piece sections, which join in the middle. Two-piece fly rod outfits would be great choices as they tend to be a bit stronger as well as provide a nice cast/feel. I’m a fan. Some come in multiple pieces that can be 3 piece, 5 piece and even 7 piece fly rod out fits. These are a good choice if you need a portability factor and are heading up into the mountains, doing a little backpacking or other activity along those lines. Overall, you really can’t go wrong can’t go wrong either way.

The Fly Rod Weight

Choosing the right rod weight will depend mostly upon the fish you will be catching. Other considerations are the average casting length you may utilize while fishing and the type of bug or fly you have tied on. If you are unsure at this point, no worries. Just read below.

Fly fishing line, line weight The rod weight or weight rating of the fly fishing rod is a term used to describe the fly line weight. A 5 or 6 weight fly rod will work very well in most fresh water fishing situations and you would use a 5 – 6 wt. fly line with that rod. If you are fishing for Salmon, Muskie, Large mouth Bass or Northern Pike, you will want to select a rod weight in the area of 8 – 10 weight. For those looking to fly fish in salt water, you will need much heavier equipment. Probably 12 – 14 weight fly rod outfits would work quite well for your fly fishing rod & reel combos.

The Fly Rods Action

When looking to buy a fly rod reel combo, you will likely hear or read the terms Dry fly action fly rod, slow action fast action, medium action and slow action when describing how the fly fishing rod plays or handles. This refers to the bend of the rod while casting and where that bend happens on the pole.

Fast action fly fishing rods will have the upper third of the pole bend. With medium action, the fly rod will bend around the middle section during a cast. Finally, a slow rod has action that will bend the entire length of the rod.

For the sake of simplicity, most beginning anglers will do well with a fly fishing rod reel combo that falls somewhere between, slow to medium or medium to fast action. These would likely be in an action category term best described as: Moderate Action. Yes. There are fly rod outfits that have medium-slow or medium-fast ratings on the action.

The Reel

When fly fishing, you will work the fly line mostly with your hands as opposed to the reel. Many fly fishing reels come with a spool and this spool actually fits inside the reel itself. This is convenient because if you are dry fly fishing, you will be using a floating fly line. When fishing wet, or “nymphing”, you will be using a line that sinks below the surface of the water. Fly fishing combos for a beginner would do well to have a spool on their reel that has front-weighted, tapered and floating fly line. This for dry fly fishing. Wouldn’t hurt to have another, 2nd spool that is set up with sinking fly line. Then it will be convenient to switch out should the need arise. The set up goes like this. Backing, followed by fly line, followed by a tapered leader that attaches to the fly at the tippet.

In many cases, a reel with a cork type drag and not much line capacity will do just fine fishing for small trout or smaller fish species. If you are looking to catch bigger fish, get a fly fishing rod reel combo with a reel that has a disc drag. This is a great choice. Many reels come with a disc drag and by turning a small knob on this reel; you will increase or decrease the pressure on the disc i.e. the drag. Of course there are other types of materials, drags and so on but not really needed in this article if you’re just starting out.

Check the retrieve too. Some reels are right hand retrieve only and if you’re left handed, that won’t do! Many nicer reels offer either left or right hand retrieve so you can’t miss with that arrangement.

Good news! You can now snag very nice, fly fishing rod reel combo outfits like a multi-purpose 8′ 6″ or 9 foot rod using 5 or 6 weight fly line with a reel for less than $100 bones. These are fly fishing combos for a beginner, too. This set up would be good for catching small bass, crappie, trout, panfish, and bluegill. I have a an 8′ 7″ and a 9′ rod that I use for dry fly fishing and catching Yellowstone Cutthroat, Rainbow, Brown, Lake, Splake and Brook Trout. I also have a 4-wt 7-foot 6-inch Penn rod that gets used on smaller streams and creeks in tight situations.
Bradley Marlow and a nice Yellowstone Cutthroat Point is, when selecting your first fly fishing rod reel combo, try to cover what you would be fishing for most often. No one fly rod will do the job in every situation, however, I hope that this article and website will help you choose the right fly rod outfit so you can stop reading, get out there and have a great time fly fishing. Be sure to tell me your fish stories when you can. Would love to see your pictures too. Enjoy!

Best wishes to you and yours,
Bradley L. Marlow
Author of the Book Wyoming Winking – Nature Speaks

Here’s a good video with some fly casting tips. It was made by a gentleman who runs a fly fishing school back east. Great little tip about how to hold your forearm during the cast. I’ll be adding fly fishing videos with tips all throughout this site. Enjoy!

Fly casting tips for fly fishing beginners, video

Last Years Fly Fishing Models Are New To Me

Start shopping now for great fly fishing gear[...]

Fly Fishing Rod & Reel Combo Fishing: Tips for Fly Casting

Is this a good fly rod reel combo for a beginner? Does anyone here do custom machining work making fly fishing equipment at a reasonable price?

Fly Rod Outfit: Fly Fishing To The Test

Over that time, a variety of things have changed, from fly rod design to lines and even the way I cast. These developments finally compelled me to select an updated outfit.

Best Route Go Get Into Fly Fishing? Fly Fishing For A Beginner

Well let me say its great you want to start fly fishing, there are lots of OK fly rods and reels combos for the price you listed, its a great method of catching trout and your lucky to have the white river to fish, … If you really don’t mind spending allot and want the best combo for a beginner then the sage launch is the way to go

Fly Fishing Tips A Basic Guide to Small Stream Fly Fishing

Various rods, reels, lines, leaders, and other equipment are used for fishing small streams. As for rods, a 7’6” 4 wt. seems to be the perfect mix between delicacy, power, and length.

Fly Fishing Rod Reel Combos

Some people refer to fly fishing as an art. It is graceful to watch and quite amazing to see.

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29 comments

Money Magazine Hoss on June 1, 2009 at 2:23 pm

When fishing at Watch lake in B.C. this A.M.with a new fly rod and reel wich was purchased for less than $110.
Friend I did great caught 7 in just over two hours.
admin on June 2, 2009 at 10:44 am

Hi JCHoss,

Thanks for the comment. I’m glad to hear that the fly fishing trip was a success. Fantastic!
Best wishes to you and yours and may you catch many fish on that new fly rod and reel.
BM
free customized weight loss plans on June 10, 2009 at 2:59 am

I wish I could write as well as you do. Really a fan of your work. Keep up the good work!
admin on June 11, 2009 at 5:43 pm

Thank you very much Lewis,

My best wishes to you and yours and feel free to stop by anytime BM
American heart association 3 day plan on June 13, 2009 at 5:42 am

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Michelle from Hunter Joe on July 1, 2009 at 2:33 pm

Thanks for being a unique article! I’ll need to pass this one on!
Benjamin from Hunter Joe on July 21, 2009 at 6:59 am

Thanks for pointing out the different kinds of Rod and Reels, they can make all the difference.
admin on July 25, 2009 at 9:46 am

My pleasure. Thank you kindly for the comment and happy fly fishing!
Best wishes BM
admin on July 25, 2009 at 9:48 am

So glad you found us! Appreciate the comments and am happy you found it helpful.
Best wishes and happy fly-fishing BM
admin on July 25, 2009 at 9:52 am

Fantastic! Sounds as though you had a wonderful time. Love to hear that.
Yes. You can indeed find some good fly-fishing equipment for reasonable prices and it’s a good way to get started without spending too much.
Happy fly fishing and best wishes~ BM
Mark Slater from healthy living on August 6, 2009 at 11:17 am

Yet, many very high-quality fly rods from Sage, G. Loomis, and others are also available in fly rod combo packages. For this reason, if you are lookiing for a high-end (and expensive) fly rod, it is not a bad idea to check out what combination outfits are available. Quite frequently, an angler can get a high-end combination package for not much more than just buying the fly rod all by itself.
admin on August 6, 2009 at 3:14 pm

Hi Mark,

Excellent point and thank you for your comment. You are right. There are several higher end fly fishing rod reel combo outfits that come very close to purchasing the rod alone.
Happy fly fishing and best wishes~ BM
Tom from How To Catch Fish on August 15, 2009 at 8:20 am

Way to go Brad I think this article will be of great help for people that are just starting out fly fishing. Good job keep up the good work I look forward to reading more articles by you.
Peter from Carp Fishing Tackle on August 15, 2009 at 10:34 am

I’m looking to use fly fishing techniques to fish for Carp. I read you can do this successfully, so I found this post really good. Thanks for posting this, hopefully I can be success full at flyfishing.
admin on September 3, 2009 at 5:33 pm

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your post. Much appreciated and I’m so glad you found the article interesting. I would love to hear how your Carp Fishing adventures went.
Happy Fly Fishing B
admin on September 3, 2009 at 5:35 pm

Hi Tom,
Thank you very much. Am sorry for the late reply. I just got engaged and live has been a wonderful and crazy adventure.
I’ll be sure to visit you on the subject of How To Catch Fish. One can never learn too much.
Happy fly fishing
B
elisabeth x. foxwell on October 30, 2009 at 6:48 pm

Good Morning just thought i would let you know that i had a problem with your blog appearing frozen as well. Must be chimpanzees in the page.
admin on November 1, 2009 at 12:46 pm

Hi Elisabeth,

My apologies that the blog looked frozen when you stopped by. I think that happens on occasion. I checked out everything and believe it was only temporary.
Good looking Salmon recipe you have on your blog by the way.
Best wishes and happy fly fishing BM
Aaron from Fishing Tips and Gear on November 27, 2009 at 9:21 pm

You’re description of fly fishing in Wyoming makes me jealous. Pristine and remote streams are rare in the midwest.
admin on November 28, 2009 at 5:22 pm

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for stopping by. Yes, we are most fortunate here in Wyoming. To have access to such absolutely incredible rivers, streams, creeks (or “cricks” as they are pronounced here) and lakes is a blessing indeed.
Best wishes and happy fly fishing Aaron BM
Jessica on November 30, 2009 at 10:47 pm

Very outstanding site…The info here is truly helpful…I will invite my friends.
admin on December 1, 2009 at 8:32 am

Hi Jessica,

Thank you for the kind words. Fly fishing is such a passion
I see you know Brian J. Excellent! Nice little site you are working on too. (I know it takes a lot of work)
John Jeracevich on January 2, 2010 at 8:49 am

The obvious starting point when shopping for a fly rod combo is to figure out how much you can realistically spend for the whole thing. For beginner anglers, I would consider a combo package between $250 – $400. You can spend more and get an awesome outfit, but for beginners it’s not fully needed. You can also spend less and, most likely, come away disappointed that you did.
Jason from Merchant Account on January 9, 2010 at 5:23 am

In bass fishing, you should use high IM and Modulus rods when you are using lures like worms and jigs. When using faster lures, like spinnerbaits, and crankbaits, you don’t need to have the sensitivity you would need when using the slow lures. The reason for a more sensitive rod when using a slower lure is because many of the bites that you get will be light and harder to feel if lower end rating rods.
admin on March 16, 2010 at 5:29 pm

Hi Jason,

Sounds like great advice for the bass fishing folks out there. I appreciate your post
Happy fishing
BM
admin on March 16, 2010 at 5:53 pm

Hi John,

I think you offer some great advice. Buying a fly fishing rod reel set up can cost major dollars, especially if one dives into the higher end models. I don’t think beginners, for the most part need to spend the tall dollars to get started. There are several great combo outfits that will offer the beginner a wonderful experience and aren’t that expensive. These should have have everything one needs to get started.

Here are 2 excellent beginner fly rod/reel combinations that are even less than $199.

$89.00 White River Fly Shop Dogwood Canyon® Fly Outfits
$129.95 Redington® Crosswater Fly Rod and Reel Outfit

Thanks again for your post John and Happy Fly Fishing!
BM:)
drbob on May 26, 2010 at 6:31 pm

Great tips – especially for someone interested in getting into fly fishing for the first time.
admin on May 27, 2010 at 1:22 pm

Thank you Dr Bob,

I’ll stop by your site soon

Best wishes
John from tent brochures on July 22, 2010 at 1:54 pm

Hi really enjoyed reading your article and was wondering Will an ocean fishing rod with a maximum limit of 14 pounds be able to support a 25 pound line?