I am planning on getting into fly fishing and was hoping I could get some suggestions. I went to a fly shop and they suggested the Sage Xi2. From everything I've read it's a very nice rod, but seems like overkill for someone who has not casted a fly in 20 years. I'm planning on fishing primarily for salmon locally and bonefish when I travel, which is very often. Does anyone have thoughts regarding a reasonably priced set up for a beginner that I could use for at least a couple of years? Also, once I have some equipment, any suggestions on places and methods of learning would be appreciated.

I would write down the names and prices of a couple of rods you are interested in and find a couple of shops where they are sold and cast them. See what you like best and buy a back up set up. Don't let anyone tell you xyz is the rod to get. There are a lot of very nice rods available they just need to be lined correctly. If you feel a particular rod is "close" cast it over or underlined. Nothing is over kill if you buy quality and use it.

Make sure to cast it some before buying. Some setups will just feel better. The speed of the action, balance, and all that will help sort out which one fits you.

Get reasonably good quality.

take a look at the Redington CPX rods. Great rod for the money.

+1 on the Redington CPX. They have rod/reel/line packages as well. All for far less than you will spend on a sage rod.

Existentialist,

If money's not an issue, buy whatever appeals to you on a whim. If that's not your case, I never suggest high end fly gear to a first timer or someone getting back into it after an extended layoff.

I'm not sure if one rod is going to satisfy both your salmon and bonefishing needs. Depends mainly on what species of salmon and where. For bonefishing you'll most likely want a 7 or 8 weight. I used a 5 wt for small bones, but the wind made me wish I'd taken a 7 with me, for example. An 8 wt is a good all around salmon rod except for kings and some chum salmon. Also, humpies can be fun on a 6 wt.

The good news: there are almost no "bad" fly rods in today's marketplace. Find one in your price range that you like the feel of and go with it. I've seen good ones as low as $60, altho Reddington offers some nice choices for more than that. As you get more into the sport, you're gonna' buy a closet full of 'em anyway.

Most any reel will do if you're fishing for trout or panfish. For salmon and bonefish, you need a little bit of quality. That's gonna' run $100 or more, depending on what appeals to you and how much you're influenced by hype.

Good flylines can be had for $30, but most stores push lines that cost twice that. I have some of the more expensive lines, but I'm also still fishing lines I bought for $27 with no complaints or feelings that I need to upgrade.

In the Seattle area, most fly shops offer fly casting, fly tying, and fishing classes that will really steepen your learning curve. Visit a few and pick one you like.

Welcome to the fraternity. We're insane and hope to keep it that way.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Do not buy a rod that is CHEAP. Buying a rod is like buying a car... you just know it's right. The feel, look, sight all matter's when buying a rod. Go with a rod that feels like you will catch fish the first time you use it. Confedence is in my opinion is a key to catching fish whether the rod or bug go at it with confedence. Just think, you get what you pay for, these rods are priced different because there is a difference. Go Orvis !!!

I dissagree with your comment about an 8 being to light for chum or kings.... I was halling in 20lbs chums today with my orvis 9 foot 8 weight all day.... No problems at all.

I agree with the advice not to just buy something cheap. You might want to take a casting lesson or two, and demo a couple different rods to get a feel for what is comfortable for you. My first fly rod was a Sage, and I don't ever regret it. I knew I was in the sport for the long haul, and that rod is still my go to rod when I fish. It goes with me on about every trip I take.

On the other hand, don't rule out other rods like Reddington, St Croix, or even other so called low end rods. Many of the blanks made these days use the same technology as the top of the line rods of a few years back. One guide told me that every fly rod is a good rod. Just some are better.

oh [censored]... an orvis chum fisherman... does it get any worse than that?

If you plan on going out to target Kings, I'd say a 9 mininmum and preferable a 10. But a lot of that depends on the river size and fish size.

I think a 8wt is a good over all rod for salmon and bonefish. 8wt may be light for bigger kings but anything over a 8 is overkill (and not much fun) for bonefish. To add another wrinkle to your decision making process if your serious about salmon/SH fishing in rivers consider learning the spey rod. You can reach way more water and cast all day or week long and not feel like your casting arm is going to fall off. Either way a few $ spent on casting lessons will elevate much frustration river side, an instructor can also help you see the difference in rods.

I agree with the everyone's input on trying out a number of rods. While you dont need to spend $1k for a rod/reel you should buy something you can fish for a few years without tossing it in the river cause it sucks. I bought a cheap rod/reel combo when I started flyfishing and 6 months later needed to buy something that could perform 1/2 way better than a wet noodle. The original $250 I spent on the cheap set up was money down the drain.

I like Sage rods but lots of manufacturers make nice rods. For a beginner or intermediate caster I recommend a medium action rod. Fast action rods require tight timing, slower action rods let you slow your stroke down. It can be very frustrating to have a fast action rod and not be able to properly load/cast it because the acceleration and stopping of the rod is off by 1/2 a second.

I have to agree w/ D3 an 8wt is light for kings, sure you can land one on an 8wt. A nice king will tear you a new one.

Don't forget you are going to need a good reel to handle the kings and bones. For what its worth, the average kings is stronger than the average bone IMO, not pound for pound. The average king will be much larger than the average bone.

Backchannelbob,

If you knew as much as you appear to think you do, you'd know that buying a fly rod is nothing like buying a car. Let me reiterate that there are almost no bad fly rods in today's marketplace.

For example, a friend of mine bought a 9' 5 wt trout rod for 39.95 a few years back at some big box sporting goods store. While I'd not recommend that sort of shopping strategy, my point is that the rod was pretty darn decent. It was light, had a good medium fast action, had enough guides for a rod of its length, and handily cast a line however a competent caster wanted.

What matters in a fly rod is pretty much whatever the buyer decides matters to him or her. All the parameters of a fly rod are subjective. The most objective standard is that any decent caster can cast the line intended to be used on the rod. Beyond that it's all personal preference.

Orvis makes nice rods, but your Orvis cheer is more suggestive of your enthusiasm and rationalization for that particular brand than it is of any expertise you might have across the range of brands and styles of rods offered in the marketplace. If you're familiar with the fly rod market, you'd know that pricing is partly about quality of the build and very much about marketplace image. Sometimes people who just dropped $600 on a fly rod aren't receptive to that information. That doesn't make it untrue however. At the same time, I'm not saying that a $100 rod is every bit as good as a $600 rod, but the $600 rod isn't even close to being six times better than the $100 rod. Maybe two or two-and-a-half times better, at most. Welcome to the fickle world of fly rod manufacturing and marketing.

BTW, of course you can land chum salmon on an 8 wt. Never said a person couldn't. I've landed chum salmon on a six wt, but that isn't the rod I'd choose for chum fishing. If you're fishing where the chums run large, like the Skagit, day in and day out, a 9 wt will feel a little more up to the task. That doesn't make 8 wts unsuitable, just not as well suited as 9 wts. And that is especially so for kings, simply because of the weight of the fish. They pull hard, and 9 and 10 wts have more dead lift strength than 8 wts.

Back to the original poster: Regarding fly fishing investments, a $100 rod and $500 worth of fly casting lessons is a far better value than a $600 rod and no lessons. Hands down.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Being from washington we have the great fortune to have some great manufacturers right here in the state. I would look at both Sage and G.Loomis. They both offer great rods and very good warrenty programs. It's nice knowing that your rod can be repaired and returned to you in a farly short amount of time. Both companies offer rods in all the price ranges. Echo is right there in my opinion when it comes to really good low to mid priced rods that come with a lifetime warrenty and some of the rods come with both an accuracy and distance tip which allows you to fine tune the rod to your casting stroke and gives you that extra insurance when your on that trip and you break a tip. Tim Rajeff designed the Echo rods and he is no doubt one of the best casters and fisherman in the world. Recently sent in an Echo rod for repair and recieved the repaired rod 2 days later. There customer service is second to none.