Cheap Cheap Cheap

Most things in life are not free. And it seems true that the better things in life cost a lot. Fly fishing is by far the best form of angling I’ve ever experienced. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll plop a Carolina/Texas/Drop-shot with the best of them. I have thrown a heavy shrimp laden rig into the surf…but I cannot get enough of fly fishing. Being so new to the art and so low on time, how does one go about getting started correctly? From my experience in previous hobbies I can tell you that the cheapest and best way is to just jump in. I went out and bought a $40 ReadyToFish setup. Thing is you have to have the right expectations.

Now I’m not saying that this is a guide on how to get into the sport. Heck, I’m only in up to my shins, I’ve yet to wade in all the way myself. But I know that to have a destination you have to have a starting point. From that junk rod (that I still use BTW) I knew that I wanted a slower action and a smaller packing setup. So, armed with my new knowledge I purchased a 6 pc 5WT. Sure it is the $50 Cabella’s special but it looks good and I can’t use it to its full potential anyway. I’ve also not fully decided on what type of fishing I’ll be focused on. I’m not doing too great at the local river and I love Bass and cutthroat. So do I go up or do I go down in size? Also, I live on a huge Trout lake, so I might need to get some sinking line…or do I even want to fish that way for trout? I’ve not decided. And until then I’ll have to hold off on expensive gear. But I have an alternative for the time being. Cheap gear.

I have 5 rods. Here is the rundown…
-9’ 5WT 6pc Three Forks from Cabelas
- 8.6’ 5WT 2pc WW Griggs I won in a raffle.
-8’ 6WT 2pc RTF Wal-Mart special
-8.5’ 5WT 2pc Eagle Claw
-6.5’ 4WT 2pc Eagle Claw

Total I’ve spent $160 on all the rods. Remember that one was free and is worth $70.

I use a Prestige II reel on the Three Forks rod and the Shakespeare single action on the Eagle Claw rods. I pick up Olympic fly line from the local store at $10 and backing is another $5. I furl my own leaders so that is $.30 in Uni thread. I have a cool looking setup for $36.30…yerp the rod cost $20. I know that looks aren’t everything and that I’ll eventually get to the point where the rod is not sensitive enough or accurate enough. Question is…when is that? There are guys out there with decades of experience that still use the fiberglass pole their dad gave them. Heck, bamboo rods are about as old as the act itself, and there is a huge following. (I’ll be going to a class when I get back, believe you me!- Mr. Oyster, save me a seat please!) So what is so wrong with my cheap rod? Anyone else out there using a less than stellar setup that would bring shame at the club meeting???

On another note, I had the opportunity to get down to some real trout waters the other day. I do have a creek that resembles a Legoland version of a British chalk stream, but the grass is to overgrown at this moment to fish it effectively. Thing about this river is that it is fast. I’m not saying that there are no fish in it, because I’ve seen one pulled out on a fly rod. Deal is I’ve never been in such a large and powerful river. I’ve floated some pheasant tail nymphs through there, but I doubt my presentation is as good as it should be. But since it is all I have I’ve resorted to going to a private pond for bigger fish on the flyrod. So the next question is: “What is the perfect beginner stream for fly fishing?”