Hi everyone. I am new to the list and, actually, relatively new to the Pacific Northwaest. I began spoon fishing for steelhead on the Deschutes river in Oregon this past spring and summer. Although I haven't actually caught a steelhead yet, the thrill and excitement of trying has hooked me into thsi sport (lifestyle). I guess you could say that I caught the bug. There was something about river fishing for me that was truly exciting. I am looking to expand myself, put away soem of teh spoons and try fly fishing. MY question to all of you is; what should I look for in fly fishing rods and reels? Any good brand names that you would recommend? I know that this is a very open-ended question but I appreciate any comments that you might have.

Appreciatively,

Dave Callies

Boy, you're a glutton for punishment!

:p

welcome to the board

Rainshadow makes an excellent well priced rod. St. Croix, Orvis, Loomis are all good names. Of coarse dont forget Sage, but you pretty much have to take out a morgage for one of those.

First off what is the budget for your new outfit?
Maybe you can narrow it down that way.

Ther are some very nice rods and reels without betting the farm. Ross makes some nice reels that are very affordable and their customer service is one of the best.

It would be wise for you to visit your local fly shop and test out some of the rods your intrested in , that way you get the feel of the rod. You can even take a casting class from Kaufmans or Patricks in Seattle.

What ever you do don't skimp on the line, buy a high quality line.

There are some guys on here who are much more knowledgeable and work in fly shops that can help you out.

Dave.

For steelhead fishing in general you'll typicaly want to look at rods in the 7, 8 and 9 weight range. 7 will be fore summer while the 8 or 9 being good winter rods. Most guys select an 8weight for the best of both worlds. Rod length should be a minimum of 9ft 9'6: or 10 ft being better if you have the arm for it.
There are lots of good brands depending on your price range. Minimum will be around 100 bucks and maximum will be around 700.
As a beginner there is no need to buy a very expensive rod but if you know you are going to love it and have the money to spend expensive rods are worth it after you learn to perform at that level. Because i work in an american manufacturing company I would encourage you to buy a rod built in America, I think it's important.

Reels here there are also a lot of great ones. If anyone were to ask about a rood fly reel the first words out of my mouth would be Ross Cimmeron. You absolutely cannot go wrong with a Ross reel they are as bulletproof as any piece of fishing gear has ever been bar none. There are other great manufacturers but you can get the ross for 150 bucks and never have to think about it again the rest of your life. I recommend also getting a spare spool.

Lines. I would recommend buying two fly lines One a floating line and the other a sink tip. the floating line should be either a double taper or a long bellied weight forward such as the scientific anglers " stelhead taper".
The sink tip line should be a 13 ft type IV. Not perfect for every situation but by far the best all around sink tip line available. There are lines that come set up so that you can change between divfferent sink tips but i have found them to be very poor casting lines compared to a regular sink tip. But thats just my opinion.

Anyway that would be enough info to confuse you for now. I am sure you'll get input from others as well. If you have further questions don't hesitate to e-mail me
roba26@hotmail.com

What is stated above is good info to get you started. I would suggest going to a local fly shop to get more information. Since you live in Lacey, there are two near you. Streamside Anglers in Tumwater on Capitol Blvd. and the Fly Fisher in Lacey on Pacific Ave. I would suggest going to Streamside Anglers, as the shop is overall a better place. The owner is Greg Edwards. Inform him of your questions and he can helpyou in the right direction. My self I have a 8wt. 10' Sage and a Ross reel. Would not trade either for anything else. As far as lines go, to start out a floating line is all you need, as you can add weight to it.

David,

You don't live far from me. email me with your phone number if you like, and I'll give you my opinion(s) on steelhead fly fishing until you tell me to shut up. I've tossing flies at steelhead for 30 years or so and picked up a thing or two along the way.

BTW, there are two fly shops in the area, as mentioned, and the South Sound Fly Fishers offer fly tying and other classes in the spring.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Dave,

I am fairly new to fly fishing, only three years. A great place to go is Orvis. They have a store in Bellevue or you can get the same prices online. All of the rods and reels come with a 25 year guarantee. They have a series call the Clearwater Classics , which are very nice rods at competitive prices. ( I have the 9ft , 6 wt myself) They often have a package price including a rod, reel and line. My suggestion is to buy the clearwater rod and reel but upgrade to their better line. It will last longer and work much better.

For trout fishing on rivers and lakes a 5 or 6 weight would be right . In order to Steelhead you would need to get an 8- 10 weight rod/reel and line set up.

A great place to go once you get set up is the Yakima river near Ellensburg. It is a year round catch and release river for trout on either flys or lures and has become a great fishery. Good luck and keep posting.

Paul

I just bought a 9'6" 8# St. Croix and it is great. I'd get a 9'6" rod of any brand because that extra 6" gives you 10-25 for feet per cast depenbing on how good you are. It also helps with mending.

I wanted to thank everyone for all of their helpful suggestions and opinions about fly reels and rods. I think the best route to take here as I begin my new quest into fly fishing is to have a few brand names in mind, go to some fly fishing stores in my area and try out a few rods and see how they feel. I know for sure that I am looking fro a rod that's at least 9' 6" in length.

I have two G Loomis rods and simply love them. They are light, sensitive and strong. The problem witheth G Loomis is that they are very expensive. As I start searching, I will think about the G Loomis rods as the ultimate and try to find another type of Rod that has a simmilar feel and sensitivity with a a lower price (if one exists).

In terms of reels, I will look seriously at the Ross Cimmeron brand. I don't have any problem parting with $150.00 providning that the reel will last a lifetime and will provide me with excellent perfromance.

I really appreciate all of your help and guidance here. I'll post again and let you know how things fall together.

Thanks again. Hope you all have a peaceful, happy Thanksgiving.

Dave Callies

Dave, one more piece of advice. If you want a good book for reading and reference on fly fishing I recommend L.L. Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing. The authors are MaCauley Lord, Dick Talleur, and Dave Whitlock. I bought this book after it was recommended in the PSA News Letter. I got it on Amazon.com for a lot less then you would pay at a book store.

Great book, you might want to check it out.
Good luck. MIke

David.. you are heading down the right track..

Someone above mentioned buying good quality fly lines and i think that is good advice.

Also something for you to think about is that sencitivity isn't so much of an issue with fly rods as you are not expecting the rod to transmit a light bite so that you can set the hook. It's more like fishing a spoon all of a sudden you'll have a strike and either the fish will be there or he won't. it won't be like drift fishing that requires a sencetive rod to feel the softest bite.
If you want high end quality without breaking the bank you can often find used rods for sale online at various fly fishing websites. Sometimes even here in the classifides section.
Tight lines and never be afraid to ask questions