The Davidson River. Caught this one the next day. And about twenty Brookies all about the same size of the one below on the North Mills the next day. My best trip up there yet. Bad thing is, I lost two fish that were much larger than that.
I’ve got a somewhat new…used only a few times…TFO 8 wt with G Loomis venture reel. I’m selling the combo for $125. Already w/ new line/backing. Great starter setup. Email me if you’re interested.
quote:
Originally posted by shallowskiffWhat should you spend on a new fly rod and reel for Redfish?
I do not want to go with basement bargains that will be trashed at the end of the year and I do not want to overspend.What are some good brand rods and what are some good reels.
Anything to stay away from?
This is all good advice, however I don’t think that you need to spend that much money on a reel. Spend the majority of your money on a decent rod, many have been mentioned in this thread.
Do yourself a favor and go with the Okuma Cascade 7/9 flyreel. You can get the reel, an extra spool, good flyline, leader, and a bunch of flies for the price of some of the reels mentioned here.
http://allwatersfishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=15433
I know 4 others who use this reel and are completely satisfied. But hey, it’s your money.
I PETA the fool…
quote:
Originally posted by jermsquote:
Originally posted by shallowskiffWhat should you spend on a new fly rod and reel for Redfish?
I do not want to go with basement bargains that will be trashed at the end of the year and I do not want to overspend.What are some good brand rods and what are some good reels.
Anything to stay away from?
This is all good advice, however I don’t think that you need to spend that much money on a reel. Spend the majority of your money on a decent rod, many have been mentioned in this thread.
Do yourself a favor and go with the Okuma Cascade 7/9 flyreel. You can get the reel, an extra spool, good flyline, leader, and a bunch of flies for the price of some of the reels mentioned here.
http://allwatersfishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=15433
I know 4 others who use this reel and are completely satisfied. But hey, it’s your money.
I PETA the fool…
jerms,
I have a friend that has Okuma spinning reels and is happy.
Thanks for the tip.
SS
Jerms is right, you dont need to go out and spend 400.00 - 500.00 dollars on a good reel. I would be carful buying a reel like the Okuma, or any graphite frame reel for that matter. No doubt they would work fine, for a while. But being in the buisness that I am I get to see alot of reels come to me and from experience the graphite frame reels, and the cast aluminum reels dont tend to last as long as a good machined aluminum reel. It has little to do with the frame, but when you buy graphite or cast reels you will usually be dealing with a one way clutch bearing system. these work fine, but are not sealed and are exposed to the elements. They tend to rust out, lock up, or just malfunction quite easily without regular maintenence. And even with the best of care they have a shelf life.
Once again i will say spend the majority of your budget on the rod. that is the most important part of the setup. But dealing with saltwater I would not skimp on the reel. $35.00 looks good until you have to spend it 2 or 3 times.
I dont know how often you fish, nor how much use this combo will see, but if you intend on heavy usage, splurge a little on a reel that you will have for a long time.
Mad Mike
quote:
Originally posted by Mad_MikeJerms is right, you dont need to go out and spend 400.00 - 500.00 dollars on a good reel. I would be carful buying a reel like the Okuma, or any graphite frame reel for that matter. No doubt they would work fine, for a while. But being in the buisness that I am I get to see alot of reels come to me and from experience the graphite frame reels, and the cast aluminum reels dont tend to last as long as a good machined aluminum reel. It has little to do with the frame, but when you buy graphite or cast reels you will usually be dealing with a one way clutch bearing system. these work fine, but are not sealed and are exposed to the elements. They tend to rust out, lock up, or just malfunction quite easily without regular maintenence. And even with the best of care they have a shelf life.
Once again i will say spend the majority of your budget on the rod. that is the most important part of the setup. But dealing with saltwater I would not skimp on the reel. $35.00 looks good until you have to spend it 2 or 3 times.
I dont know how often you fish, nor how much use this combo will see, but if you intend on heavy usage, splurge a little on a reel that you will have for a long time.
Mad Mike
Well said, dont cheap out on the reel.
Jeremy
quote:
Originally posted by Mad_MikeJerms is right, you dont need to go out and spend 400.00 - 500.00 dollars on a good reel. I would be carful buying a reel like the Okuma, or any graphite frame reel for that matter. No doubt they would work fine, for a while. But being in the buisness that I am I get to see alot of reels come to me and from experience the graphite frame reels, and the cast aluminum reels dont tend to last as long as a good machined aluminum reel. It has little to do with the frame, but when you buy graphite or cast reels you will usually be dealing with a one way clutch bearing system. these work fine, but are not sealed and are exposed to the elements. They tend to rust out, lock up, or just malfunction quite easily without regular maintenence. And even with the best of care they have a shelf life.
Once again i will say spend the majority of your budget on the rod. that is the most important part of the setup. But dealing with saltwater I would not skimp on the reel. $35.00 looks good until you have to spend it 2 or 3 times.
I dont know how often you fish, nor how much use this combo will see, but if you intend on heavy usage, splurge a little on a reel that you will have for a long time.
Mad Mike
Mad Mike,
Tell me what you would get if you spent $400.00 or less.
Not counting the line and backing.
Reel Make and the Rod make.
The wgt. and length of rod also.
I really appreciate the help
SS
Rod: St. Croix Reign 9’ 8wt. - this is a good med fast rod that will be easy to load and still have enough backbone to handle any fish you ever want to persue. $160.00
Reel: Lamson Radius #3 or #3.5 - This reel is machined aircraft grade aluminum with a 100% sealed drag system… In short… Bomb Proof! $180 - $200
That would be my setup.
Mad Mike
quote:
Originally posted by Mad_MikeRod: St. Croix Reign 9’ 8wt. - this is a good med fast rod that will be easy to load and still have enough backbone to handle any fish you ever want to persue. $160.00
Reel: Lamson Radius #3 or #3.5 - This reel is machined aircraft grade aluminum with a 100% sealed drag system… In short… Bomb Proof! $180 - $200
That would be my setup.
Mad Mike
Thanks Mad Mike
SS
Mad Mike
I went and looked up the reel and rod you suggested.
They look like good choices.
Thank you,
SS
No sweat man… If you wanna test drive that rod swing by Mt. Pleasant and we’ll see if you like it.
Mad Mike
Mike’s right on the money with his advise, Fly tackle is no different than conventional tackle. While you can get some cheaper combos and packages they won’t last or hold up f you fish them very much or very hard. The other problem with the lower end stuff and you don’t clean or maintain your gear very well as well as go for quite some time before you use it again, well let’s just say a the lower end of the scale…it’s not going to be a pretty picture. With that said, I trend toward spending a bit more oppose spedning less, while it’s nice to brag about how cheap you got into your gear, it much much better to brag about how much you enjoy your outfit and how well it’s severed you through the years. Just throw it before you blow it $$$$$$
sierra trading post has the velocity and radius reels ~1/3 off retail.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?allWords=lamson&searchDescriptions=True
quote:
Originally posted by Mad_MikeNo sweat man… If you wanna test drive that rod swing by Mt. Pleasant and we’ll see if you like it.
Mad Mike
If I get to SC I will do that Mad Mike.
SS
quote:
Originally posted by TRSsierra trading post has the velocity and radius reels ~1/3 off retail.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?allWords=lamson&searchDescriptions=True
That does look like a great deal.
Thanks
SS
Since this site is to generate revenue for certain establishments I doubt this will go far but, I guess I’m different, I’ve never bought into the “you need expensive tackle” arguement usually perpetrated by the tackle dealers and elitists of the sport. I don’t understand! A 35-$40 reel will not last, is that so! I have had an Okuma Airframe (now Cascade) reel (about$40) for three or four years and it still works like new. I have several others, a penn, several scientific anglers, loop large arbor and so on, all expensive reels. The expensive reels are all aluminum and all have corroded to a degree. The Okuma is graphite and I’ll be damned if I can see anything but a few scratches on it! Well I don’t look as good as the guys in the orvis catalog when they take my picture but I haven’t lost a red due to reel failure in the last three or four years. Of coarse I only fish about four or five days a week so I guess I really don’t have the experience of some on this subject. Spend your money where the merchant tells you to spend it and at least you’ll look good when they take your picture. After all fly fishing is not about fun or enjoyment it’s about impressing people with what you can afford! Since I fish so often I don’t usually take great pains to rinse my equipment each trip. The arguement that you need high $$$ equipment to fly fish was started by the fly fishing enthusiasts that wanted to keep it to themselves. If it makes you feel better buy an Able reel and tell the world, if you just want to have fun and don’t care who knows get a cheap reel! Is it just me or has anyone ever noticed the stores that sell fly fishing equipment don’t usually carry anything cheap (be it good or bad). This post won’t last long!
Hey winston makes a good starter rod as well for around $200.00 that will have a good feel and unconditional warranty which is very important when it comes to fishing tackle