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Old 01-02-2013, 05:48 PM
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BPman BPman is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 379
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Based on more than 60 years of fly fishing I will offer the newby my 2 cents worth of advice.
Before you spend a cent, do some research on the 'net, in some shops, ask friends and check some fishing forums regarding the tackle recommended for the kind of fishing you expect to do most often.
Buy a new, rather than used rod because it is hard to spot some flaws and damage. You can't really go wrong with the TFO's although the various models aren't created equal. I have 6 and use them in preference to several others that cost a lot more. My current favs are the TiCrX for saltwater and BVK for trout.
No need to spend more than $100 for a trout reel and here you can get a good used one with spare spool off the Buy-Sell forum, Kijiji or the grapevine as it is easy to tell if a reel is damaged. Try to get one with relatively large diameter spool ( 6, 7 or 8 wt size) even if you have to bulk up the line with extra backing or other filler. Small diameter reels may look neat but are a pain when a big trout runs off 50 yd of line and you have to wind it back.
Buy a new floating line in weight fwd configuration.
Learn to tie good knots and make your own leaders: paying several dollars for a leader is crazy when you can make your own with good mono for pennies. Buy flies with the money you saved.
...guess that is more than 2 cents worth but wth.... good luck.
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