Rod weight advice please

OK, I've done some fishing in the past and would like to take up fly fishing (never done that). I'm gonna take some lessons and buy one of those mid-priced combination packages, maybe $250 to $300... not crap but not what I would spend if I knew I was hooked on it. Anyway, need some advice on weight.

I live in Okotoks, and will be fishing the Bow, Sheep, Highwood, etc. maybe some local lakes like Chain Lakes, Kananaskis Lakes, etc. I'm quite sure I'll never fish in the ocean. Don't own a boat. Assume all my fishing will be Red Deer and south. Will be probably catching mostly trout, etc. I guess I'm looking for a good all-rounder given the environment I'm in. I've been thinking two piece 9' rod in 5 or 6.... but I know nothing really. Suggestions?

I'd say go with a 6 weight if you're only going to use one rod. On the Bow a guy sometimes throws a fairly heavy nymph or streamer set up, and a 6 - 8 is good for that. For smaller streams a 4 - 6 weight is good, so a 6 weight will probably be a good compromise for you.

Most people say go with the 6 wt because it does everything. The problem is it does nothing very well (except nymph). I'd recommend it only if you plan to fish the Bow a lot (lots of nymphing and streamer tossing) and/or plan to go for pike lots. If you're going to be fishing streams Crowsnest/castle/oldman size and smaller and go for trout in lakes most a good 5 wt will lay down dry flies nicely and still give you the power to nymph and toss small streamers. Try picking up a 4 pc if you hike-in fish to lakes.

I wouldn't suggest EVER buying a combo. They always include crap line and reels on those things. A $100 rod with a $70 line will cast better than a $700 rod with a $30 line. I would call this the perfect beginner setup:

Sage Launch rod: $200
TFO Midge reel: $60
Scientific anglers mastery headstart line: $50

The Sage rod is real nice, but if you want to spend a little less the Fenwick HMX, St Croix Imperial and Temple Fork signature rods are all good choices too.

Thanks! I sort of wondered about a four piece, wondered if it might not be as smooth as it's in more pieces and might not bend as fluidly. Am I mistaken?

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Salvelinus

Most people say go with the 6 wt because it does everything. The problem is it does nothing very well (except nymph). I'd recommend it only if you plan to fish the Bow a lot (lots of nymphing and streamer tossing) and/or plan to go for pike lots. If you're going to be fishing streams Crowsnest/castle/oldman size and smaller and go for trout in lakes most a good 5 wt will lay down dry flies nicely and still give you the power to nymph and toss small streamers. Try picking up a 4 pc if you hike-in fish to lakes.

I wouldn't suggest EVER buying a combo. They always include crap line and reels on those things. A $100 rod with a $70 line will cast better than a $700 rod with a $30 line. I would call this the perfect beginner setup:

Sage Launch rod: $200
TFO Midge reel: $60
Scientific anglers mastery headstart line: $50

The Sage rod is real nice, but if you want to spend a little less the Fenwick HMX, St Croix Imperial and Temple Fork signature rods are all good choices too.

ACTUALLY, the combo I was looking at had a Sage Launch as the rod. But you are right, I don't know about the reel or line. Perhaps it was junk. Thanks.

i cant stand 4 pieces, i find they feel funny in my hand to cast. When i Picked up my 5weight Z-Axis, i had the choice of a 4 pc. ,or a 2 pc. The 2 Pc just felt better overall. I guess its more if you need portability of a 4 wt, like to be able to tuck it away in a back pack or something.

[~Octane~]

I would go with a 2 piece aswell. The TFO are great rods, even the signature series 1, for 100 bucks at the fishin hole is a good rod..has a nice feel to it. I would say get a TFO TiCr or Sage Launch, both somewhere around 200, not quite sure on the price of the TiCr tho. I would get a Pfleuger Trion as a reel. They are 130 bucks...if you dont wanna be spending $330+, the Series 1 TFO will be just fine. 6 weight should be good, unless you know you will be focusing on some smaller streams, then I would go with a 5.