[badog65]

I am new to fly fishing and thinking of getting an Lst or stowaway7 5 wt fly rod from cabelas. Their combos seem to be a good value. Any one use either of these rods before??? Any pros or cons woulde be appreciated.!!!!!
I live in central California between the stanislaus and tuolume rivers, I love to stream and river fish, and this last year started using wooly buggers with my spin fishing outfit. Also did a guided trip on the green river ths summer. So it looks like it time to take the jump to fly fishing. Thanks for all the help and opinions!!
Dave

[tie one on]

I have been flyfishing for more than 40 years & my usual
advice to newcomers (not everyone may agree with this)
is to purchase a lower cost outfit, like from Cabelas & try
fly fishing before you go out & spend a lot of $$. Cabelas
has some very nice lower end rod/reel/line, etc. combos
that are great to learn the ropes of flyfishing. If you really
get the bug, then you may want to move up the $$ ladder
to better outfits. I myself own a Cabelas Stowaway 3wt
8'-6" travel rod that I specifically use for bluegill. All the rest
of my rods are further up the ladder & all carry lifetime
warranties, which to me is worth the extra few bucks.

Welcome to the "Quiet Sport" of Flyfishing, it's the best,

Tie One On

[JAN]

I can't cast very well with anything shorter than a 8.5 foot rod. I need a longer rod to keep my line up off the water, especially if I'm wading deep. In my opinion... a 9 ft 5 wt is very versital for river fishing. It's light enough to have a good time and strong enough to throw if you get into some medium to large water.

[scudslug]

I have an LST and love it. Don't worry about the previous poster having trouble with a rod shorter than 9.5'. Thats a user issue rather than an equipment problem.

[randyflycaster]

I've cast both rods. I think they're a great bang for the buck. I guess the question is if you prefer a seven-piece rod or a four. Also, I've had good luck with Cabela's fly lines. I don't know how wide the rivers are that you plan on fishing, but for lakes and wider rivers I prefer a 9-foot rod.

Randy Kadish

[JAN]

Intesting insight scud. Do you have some tips on casting with a short rod????

[scudslug]

I'm a trial and error fisherman with no formal instruction, so I cant give much advice other than practice makes perfect, but I would quess that one of two things are occuring if your line is hitting the water. One is that you are throwing a trailing loop which kills your line speed allowing it to fall on the back cast, or that the casting plane needs to be adjusted a bit. One thing that I have done is set up a video camera on the lawn while I throw some casts and then compare them to some casting videos on youtube by some experts. Adding a haul motion to the back cast also helps with the line speed to prevent it from hitting the water.

I guess the biggest question from the original thread is what type of water the OP will fish. A 7.5' rod is really a small stream backpack special and wouldn't be my choice for a first rod. It is one of those nice to have things once your well into the addiction.

[scudslug]

Originally Posted by randyflycaster

I've cast both rods. I think they're a great bang for the buck. I guess the question is if you prefer a seven-piece rod or a four. Also, I've had good luck with Cabela's fly lines. I don't know how wide the rivers are that you plan on fishing, but for lakes and wider rivers I prefer a 9-foot rod.

Randy Kadish

I was just contemplating taking a cabelas line back to the store because it has cracked a bunch and lost flotation after one season. It cast great and has worked well, but seems to lack durability. I guess you have had a different experience? Does anyone know who manufactures the lines for cabelas?

[Frank Whiton]

Hi scudslug,

I don't know for sure who makes Cabela's lines but I would bet money they come from China. Especially if they cost $30 or less.

Frank

[GeorgeMcFly]

I recommend the cabelas rods! I got a st johns 8 wt combo for 100 and my cousins got the 3 fork 8 wt for 80 or or so. all work great! my only con about mine is its a 2 piece. theres i 4 piece. they learned from me. so the 4 or 5 piece would work great! ours came with free line and backing also, mine with a dvd and a case. get one! you won't regret the cheap price and awesome performance! maybe another con is that they could be from china like frank says and have lots of lead in um!!! haha jk