Fly Fishing Equipement for Beginner

[noobsauce]

Hi guys,

I've always envied fly fishermen and their skills. I've done some other fishing and I'm looking to get in on fly fishing. I've done some research on my own and was overwhelmed by how expensive the fly fishing gear are.

I was wondering if anyone can give me some tips or hints on where to get a set of inexpensive gear to start. Also if anyone has stuff they dont want or need I would love to get in touch and see if I can take them off your hands. I live in Calgary and I've been looking at Fishin Hole (as far as I know the only fishing supply store?). I don't know if the deals at Fishin Hole are good or not, but after some research I THINK I'm looking for a 8' to 9' rod #5/6 medium action and all the stuff I need to get started. I'm a university student, so all my money is going to school. However I would like to learn and try out fly fishing.

Sorry for the long rant, any help or tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys,

noobsauce

[Guitarplayingfish]

Hi guys,

I've always envied fly fishermen and their skills. I've done some other fishing and I'm looking to get in on fly fishing. I've done some research on my own and was overwhelmed by how expensive the fly fishing gear are.

I was wondering if anyone can give me some tips or hints on where to get a set of inexpensive gear to start. Also if anyone has stuff they dont want or need I would love to get in touch and see if I can take them off your hands. I live in Calgary and I've been looking at Fishin Hole (as far as I know the only fishing supply store?). I don't know if the deals at Fishin Hole are good or not, but after some research I THINK I'm looking for a 8' to 9' rod #5/6 medium action and all the stuff I need to get started. I'm a university student, so all my money is going to school. However I would like to learn and try out fly fishing.

Sorry for the long rant, any help or tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys,

noobsauce


Kijiji is always a good option... I bought my first fly rod years and years ago as a complete kit from WWS - was around 220$ for an Amundson 5 weight, reel, floating line, gear bag, tippet, etc... Worked out to be an excellent choice.
Believe it or not I still fish that rod... I have been flyfishing for over 10 years now, and I have proven that you don't need top of the line gear to catch fish... Sure, it would be nice.. but who has 300-500$ to spend on a rod alone?!!? Not me!

As for fishing supply store.. You got lots of options if your in calgary. A few come to mind..
WWS, Bass Pro, Fishin' Hole.... lots of places to go.

My suggestion would be a 5/6 weight rod like you planned on getting - Very versatile.

[Sedativ3]

How much are you looking to spend? There are some great rod/reel combos you can get for around 150 that come with line (which is $60 dollars alone) and after that you just need some flies to get ya goin. Thats about all you would need to start hitting up the stocked ponds and learning to cast. From there you will most likely fall in love with it and will be spending all you can scrape up to accesorize yourself with all the other goodies haha. But to get started thats all I would suggest! I picked up a redington 5wt combo for 150 to start and it has proved itself quite well.

[FishlessFool]

My advice is to not buy one of every fly that looks good or you will end up with hundreds of random flies you never use, like I have, haha.

[noobsauce]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Sorry this might sound like a stupid question, but what is WWS? I've been to Bass Pro and Fishin Hole. I've been trolling Kijiji for a while looking for stuff, but it seems like even second hand stuff can be extremely expensive.

[ericlin0122]

you should drop by wholesales sports today, they are having sale. rod, reel, line are 15% off, can't beat that deal.

[Guitarplayingfish]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Sorry this might sound like a stupid question, but what is WWS? I've been to Bass Pro and Fishin Hole. I've been trolling Kijiji for a while looking for stuff, but it seems like even second hand stuff can be extremely expensive.

Sorry, that was my bad.

WSS - Wholesale Sports.

[scel]

What is your budget?

[Shawnlh]

If interested, here is a starter outfit that is the same price as the store bought combos, but of MUCH better quality, specially the real.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=140536

[noobsauce]

I'm thinking for everything not including the flies around $100 give or take. I was just on the Whole Sale Sport site and saw a couple of combos for around that price. Can anyone comment or give a suggestion? I don't really know the difference between them. Are there any brands I should stay away from?

[ÜberFly]

Orvis has a decent kit, as does Scientific Angler look at a 9' 6 wt! Costco online has a decent beginner Admunson kit that has more then you'll need!! You will probably get better advice & service from a dedicated fly shop but that's just my opinion/exp.

Don't spend more then $150

[Doc]

You might want to look at Cabelas and their brand name rods. They have some combos in your price range. During the grand opening of the Edmonton store, I was giving casting lessons outside and I was actually impressed with how well the rods reacted. Not crazy about the reels but they'll definitely do the job.

Cheers,
Doc

[chubbdarter]

The Fishin Hole has a few starter kits around 1 hundy
IF you can wait till Aug 22-25 for the BIG WALL to WALL SALE, you will save alot of cash

Always happy to hear that a young person stays in school, sadly im out of giveaway flyrods for the time being but let me know when youve purchased one and i will give you a assprtment of flies

good luck

[billie]

You may want to consider Hanson's Boot Camp. Lessons and keep the gear.

http://www.hansons-outfitters.com/fly-fishing-boot-camp/

[ÜberFly]

Yeah their boot camp is Pretty good and the fact that you get to keep the gear is well worth it!!

[wildcat111]

years ago i bought a rod. reel and line from canadian tire,also walmart carries them, it was around 40 bucks, i fished with that rod for three years and caught hundreds of trout on the bow river with it, its just been the last couple of years that i upgraded, i still use that 40 buck combo for a back up, i know they still sell them, its cheap and not all that bad. then you could buy a pair of waders with boots attached for 60 bucks, theres your 100.00. then you just need a cheap net and some flies. red wire worms and haresear flashbacks work great all year . easy peasy, good luck

[ksmitty]

Check the orvis website. They have a clearance room with top end gear for cheap. You might pay a couple bucks more than Canadian tire but you will have gear that will last forever

[falroy]

When I was 13 my dad took me to Walmart to get my first fly rod, it was $20 for the combo. 17 years later I still use it as my back up rod, I've caught everything from perch to pike with that thing. If you can spend the $100-150 you can get a decent combo, but don't feel like you need to especially if you want to leave room in your budget for things like a net or forceps or waders like one of the earlier posters mentioned.

[noobsauce]

Thanks for all the input guys. This is great for a noobie like me. Is Fishin Hole's wall to wall good for fishing starter kits? I know they discount like the high end stuff, but do they discount on the entry level stuff?

ps. Thanks Chubbdarter for the offer. I will get in touch once I get a set ready, quite excited about it actually. =)

[noobsauce]

The Fishin Hole has a few starter kits around 1 hundy
IF you can wait till Aug 22-25 for the BIG WALL to WALL SALE, you will save alot of cash

Always happy to hear that a young person stays in school, sadly im out of giveaway flyrods for the time being but let me know when youve purchased one and i will give you a assprtment of flies

good luck



Hey chubbdarter,

I took your advice and waited for the Wall to Wall Sale. Finally got myself a combo (probably over spent...), however I got everything ready except the flies and skills. Maybe you can show me how it's done (probaby next year, gotta go back to UofA very soon...)

Cheers,

noobsauce