New Fly Rod suggestions?

[Fishfinder]

Home sick today, staring at my gear, deciding what I need for the upcoming Spring. Will be my first year flyfishing and am looking for all you flyfisherpeople's opinion's on what flyrod/reel to purchase. Pretty sure I'll be hooked on flyfishn as I am already hooked on any other type of fishn for that matter lol. So ya any thoughts on rods and perhaps some successful flys...(hope to make my own flys down the road but for now I'll make sure I like the style of fishn first)
Will mostly be fishing for large trout Bows
I know there are some great threads on here from the past regarding this topic (which I'll review now inbetween trips to the bathroom), but there are also alot of new members too, so I reckon it don't hurt to have a fresh thread on the topic.
Cheers n GL all

[Fishfinder]

Well I see there is another recent good thread on the topic and cant figure out how to delete this one so I guess I'll just ask....favorite Trout flies?? Anybody care to share...
Cheers

[1/2 oz Bucktail]

A great starter rod is the ever dependable TFO Lefty signature series.
Less than $200, casts pretty decent, and the warranty office is out of Calgary so there is an amazingly quick turn around on any warranty issues.

A decent starter reel that I have is the pflueger trion.

The TFO rod that I mentioned and the reel was my starter setup and it has yet to let me down. The TFO has been put through the wringer and taken some major abuse. Great bang for the buck.

[honker_clonker]

Cant really go wrong with the Lefty Kreh TFO rods. I have a 3, 6 and 8 weights of the professional series and they are all really capable and affordable. They run about $150 which is a good price for a good rod. 9' 6 wt is the go to for trout, its 4 piece which is handy for travel and packing around. Put a okuma Integrity on it and whatever line you want and you are set for about 250-280. Its a great combo that will last you a long time and doesnt really break the bank. Plus spools are cheap if you wanted to get a sinking line or something keeping costs down.

[tonyflyfish]

personal preference is Sage but nothing wrong with TFO.
Flies?
Stay tuned lots of talk soon with spring coming.
Favorites? Wolly Buggar, Black Griffith Gnat, Bead Head Prince Nymph,
Bead Head Blood sucking Leech BUT................depending when and where will usually determine the fly. There will be posts about persons heading to the Bow at a certain time and that will call for certain flies, depending on the water, time of year etc.
There will be other posts about what to use on whcih lakes when.

Enjoy!
Tony

[tacklerunner]

Yes the other thread will give you plenty to consider.

As far as flies instead of me listing a bunch click on IckyFlyWorks ad at the top of the page. If you picked up a few of the Grab Packs such as the Bow River Pack, Dry Fly Pack and Nymph Pack you will have them all. Also since this is your first year you are going to learn a lot about "matching the hatch". On the back of each pack from Icky is a chart that show the months that each flies is hatching. As a new flyfisher you will find this invaluable and it's specific to our area. (You get discount as an AO member so it's way less than $1.00 per fly) Not worth your time starting to tie your first year. Spend your time fishing.

Then before heading out you can check the websites like Icky and your local fly shops and they will tell you what's hatching and what's working in the particular water you want to fish; and you'll actually understand what they are talking about.

[Fishfinder]

Good stuff guys. Thanx for the tips. Much appreciated.
One other thing, being a shorter fella 5'6". Should this play a factor in length of rod to purchase? I don't think so, but might as well ask? Might be a dumb question lol. I don't care, I'm sick n groggy, that's my excuse haha.
Cheers!

[FishingFrenzy]

Originally Posted by tacklerunner

Yes the other thread will give you plenty to consider.

As far as flies instead of me listing a bunch click on IckyFlyWorks ad at the top of the page. If you picked up a few of the Grab Packs such as the Bow River Pack, Dry Fly Pack and Nymph Pack you will have them all. Also since this is your first year you are going to learn a lot about "matching the hatch". On the back of each pack from Icky is a chart that show the months that each flies is hatching. As a new flyfisher you will find this invaluable and it's specific to our area. (You get discount as an AO member so it's way less than $1.00 per fly) Not worth your time starting to tie your first year. Spend your time fishing.

Then before heading out you can check the websites like Icky and your local fly shops and they will tell you what's hatching and what's working in the particular water you want to fish; and you'll actually understand what they are talking about.

How do AO members get the discount??? I need some flies....

[dwedmon]

Just click the icky link at the top of the page and it will take you to the discount code.

[Dust1n]

TFO lefty serires are a grea rod to have they can cast good laod well and are backed by warrenty. a 5 weight is prime for most streems and river and lakes in alberta.9 foot works well too. they come with a rod sok and very affordable

[Fishfinder]

Originally Posted by Fish Hunter7

TFO lefty serires are a grea rod to have they can cast good laod well and are backed by warrenty. a 5 weight is prime for most streems and river and lakes in alberta.9 foot works well too. they come with a rod sok and very affordable

Seems to be a popular series indeed. And ya, not breaking the bank over it either. I agree with a fellow poster on another thread, wish there was a place to sample a few different types around here but...not so much.
Cheers.

[npauls]

I would say if you want to get set up with a decent combo go with a tfo combo at one of your local fly shops. This usually includes rod, reel, line, and a nice travel case. I think a 5 wt. would be suitable for anything. Also as mentioned before pick up a few different packs from icky fly works and get a nice little vest and a couple small fly boxes to keep everything in. Another good thing to do is either take some lessons from a fly shop or see if anyone from the board will go out and give you some tips. It will help you out a ton and make for a faster learning curve.

[commieboy]

Originally Posted by Fishfinder

Good stuff guys. Thanx for the tips. Much appreciated.
One other thing, being a shorter fella 5'6". Should this play a factor in length of rod to purchase? I don't think so, but might as well ask? Might be a dumb question lol. I don't care, I'm sick n groggy, that's my excuse haha.
Cheers!

I'm vertically challenged myself.. a bit more so than you, actually. I chose my 5 and 6 weights at 9 feet specifically because I'm short. On a river, it gives me a bit more casting distance and makes up for the lack of my physical reach. But since I'm a shrimp, I still tend to avoid hooking up in a lot of the foliage.

On a lake in a belly boat, the long rod length allows me to pick up more line quickly when I set the hook. I think tall guys take these things for granted since they probably haven't experienced this. Every little bit helps.

[borchy]

I love my G Loomis rods.

[grinr]

I'm a SAGE fan myself,and with 25years flyfishing experience have come to appreciate the advantages offered in "high-end" gear.That said,I would not hesitate to reccomend a TFO or a host of other "low to middlin" manufacturers as good entry level rods.Pfleuger,Okuma,Shakespeare,Reddington etc. all offer decent quality rods that will surely suit a begginer and even seasoned fly anglers without breaking the bank.I'd stay away from your typical big box store,ie:Wallyworld Chinese junk though.(Crystal River?)There are plenty of good rods in the $100-$200 range that are far superior to any of the junk you'll get in combo form at K-mart.

It's my opinion that a new flyfisher is wasting his money jumping in both feet and buying high end gear to start with as he hasn't developed the skill to appreciate the difference anyhow between a $200 and a $900 rod.Also it's worth noting that with the rapid advances in gear and rod blank technology,your typical, $150,2011 model rod is likely using the same "obsolete" blank technology as the "high-end",$800,top of the line models were using only a few short years ago.In other words,a "cheap" or lower cost rod is essentially the same rod that was cutting edge,top of the line,and overpriced less than a decade ago.

when it comes to any outdoor gear,you can't go wrong with the old advice of "buy the best you can afford".That said however,when it comes to high-end flyrods as mentioned previously,a newbie won't have the skill to appreciate the potential of of the flagship models anyhow.If you want to step up from "entry level" to "middle of the road" gear from the get go,there are several good makers offering top quality rods at midrange prices that will offer years of enjoyment without breaking the bank.beulah for one makes great rods without taking out a mortgage,and the fledgling Canadian company Pieroway is making big waves in the flyfishing community recently with high quality rods in the $2-400 range also.IMHO,one would be better off and have a better quality rod if one bought from say Beulah or Pieroway's "high-end" models than if one was to spend an equal amount on a "low-end",entry level Sage or Loomis etc.In other,$3-400 get's you a top of the line Beulah or Pieroway,but only a bottom end Sage or Loomis.

Match your rod with a HIGH QUALITY line,this is one area you definately don't want to cheap out!If you need to make budget cuts,cut from the reel,it's the least important component for the majority of flyfishing scenarios.unless you are fishing for searun steelhead,Atlantic Salmon etc....almost any old reel will handle your needs,and truth be known,truckloads of andromynous fish are landed successfully on "cheapo" reels as well every year.A Pfleuger Medalist(sub $50) is more than enough reel to handle any trout that swims in Alberta.If you want to upgrade to something prettier and more technologically advanced,I'd suggest and reccomend from extensive personal experience a Lamson Konic 2.0,which is lightweight and balances nicely on 4-6wt and retails for well under $150,but agin,it's not really neccesary to spend that much on a reel.....they're only trout for chrisakes!

[Fishfinder]

Hmm lotsa food for thought. Ya, won't be going too crazy first year, no sense spending a ton of cash if I end up deciding it's not really my thing. I can always upgrade down the road and like stated above, it's not like I'll be going for bigarse Salmon or anything (not yet anyway haha).
Thanx for all the input. I'll let y'all know which route I choose when the time comes
Cheers.

[JEP]

Originally Posted by tacklerunner

As far as flies instead of me listing a bunch click on IckyFlyWorks ad at the top of the page. If you picked up a few of the Grab Packs such as the Bow River Pack, Dry Fly Pack and Nymph Pack you will have them all. Also since this is your first year you are going to learn a lot about "matching the hatch". On the back of each pack from Icky is a chart that show the months that each flies is hatching. As a new flyfisher you will find this invaluable and it's specific to our area. (You get discount as an AO member so it's way less than $1.00 per fly) Not worth your time starting to tie your first year. Spend your time fishing.

That's awesome! I've needed something like this for the past 2 years. Unfortunately their all out of stock...hope they're available soon to buy online!

[WayneChristie]

They have a complete set on, and if you decide you would rather drown minnows you can always return it
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Productg...&Mo=25&topnav=

[Erik]

I like my Sage and Redington rods. I also own two TFO BVKs and find them good. TFOs are usually good for the money, but I find the feedback sometimes a bit much. I also like some of the St Croix lineup.

I always hear people touting TFO combos. Not that they are bad, but the greatest reason to avoid a combo is the line provided. You can create your own combo with a superior line for usually less than $30 more than the pre-assembled combos. Worth every penny of that investment IMO. Get a Rio Gold line!

[sdimedru]

Last year was my first fly fishing... I'll plug Pieroway, I bought a rod/reel/line combo for a decent price, and have had no issues at all....

[jr.fish]

take a look at the bass pro shop flyer. theres a tone of good buys at affordabule prices.
dont run out and buy a sage or something over priced like that at first thing. i bought a dogwood canyon outfit from bps and i love it compaired to anything els iv tryed so far.
the most inportant part of your set up is the line...thats where you wont to spend the money. most of the stuff that comes with combos is like trying to cast spaghetti.

if i was you id consider the wrigh & mcgill plunge outfit or one of the white river outfits...iv been realy impressed with mine so far only down fall is its a 2 piece.

look at the bass pro or wholesale websight's for reviews from other people

also if your looking for fly's go to wholesale...best prices and some very helpfull people that fish the bow alot and can send you in the right direction.

[4D7]

I own a Pieroway fly rod and i love it, espeically the fact that its a 4 piece. They got different lines of rods for different levels of fly fishers, i find there rods generate power very easily.

[Daceminnow]

support local. give geoff a call at pieroway in calgary. you won't be disappointed.

[Dust1n]

x2 dont support other countrys support your own.

[ArtVandelay]

What models do you own? I'm pretty sure my next rod will be a 3 or 4wt Streamdance.

Originally Posted by borchy

I love my G Loomis rods.

[lannie]

Thomas & Thomas makes nice rods too.