[Creigh]

So I finally got down to the fly fishing shop near Indianapolis, Wildcat Creek Outfitters, and I asked them for a beginners setup. They said my best option was to get a ross essence fs, and then buy the ross flystart #3 for a reel. It appeared to be a good setup as I got home and read about it on the internet. I just wondered what anyone thought. The essence fs rod is $99, and the reel is either $50 or $55 if anyone wanted to know. They also said that they would get me high quality line to put on it at a discounted price, and give me a few complimentary flies to start me off.

Creigh

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Creigh,

The reel will work fine for you. I have never heard of the Ross rod but at that price is probable another rod made in China. Both are probably coming from Ross International and not Ross USA.

Frank

[plland]

Like Frank said, Ross reels are generally a good bet. I'm not familiar with their entry level Flystart reel, but I've got a Ross Cimarron and am very satisfied with it. I think they have just recently launched their line of fly rods (anyone want to double check this?). It could be that the salesman is just pushing the Ross rods because they're brand new to the market, but that's probably just me being cynical. For all I know, they're likely good rods. If you search this site you'll find a wealth of information about fly rods, both entry level, mid level, and premium. I'm a big fan of Temple Fork Outfitters fly rods, though they are a little more expensive than the Ross you're looking at.