[yatesd]

Originally Posted by FrankB2

Hmmmm.....The reel and line are great, but....The FLi is a bit on the stiff
side (hence the GPX line). You will need to watch you backcast, as the
FLi 6wt I tried didn't have much feel to it. Most of the faster rods in this
price range lack "feel" so no big deal. When we lived in Valley Forge, I visited
the Evening Rise a few times. They were an Orvis shop back then. Did you
have the opportunity to cast the FLi and Launch together? Chances are you will do fine with the gear you bought, so enjoy !

It was a very windy day, so I didn't have the chance to cast both rods.

However, I did get a chance to look and feel the Orvis Clearwater II, Sage Launch, and the FLi. The FLi seemed to be substantially less stiff and the build quality appeared superior to the other two models.

Quite frankly, I was really hoping that I would have liked the less expensive choices but the differences were noticable. When I arrived, the person working at the counter just finished showing me the Redington kit, and although I understand the reel isn't as critical for fly fishing, I just didn't like the cheesy feel of the spool. When I picked up the Orvis BBS III it was like night and day.

[yatesd]

Originally Posted by oneistwo

And now, if you haven't already, take a couple lessons:

The Evening Rise Fly Casting Classes

I intend to take a class. As a beginner, is it worth the extra $15 for the Sage cast Analyzer?

Edit: I also see there is a two day class available The Evening Rise Fly Fishing Schools

[hsmith1313]

You'll be happy with what you got. Sage and Orvis are good companies that stand behind their products.

[FlyDog]

I had my first casting lesson this past week. There were only two of us in the class so that was nice. I have been practicing on my own with my Cabelas outfit at a neighbors pond for the past couple of weeks. This was fun but I quickly got myself started with some bad habits that the other guy in the class had no problem with and he had never picked up a fly rod before the class.
WE had 3 Sage outfits to try, A Fli, Launch, and another model I don't recall, all in 9' 5 wt. I casted the Fli and the unknown model along with my Cabelas with similar, mediocre results. I finially tried the Launch as I really didn't care for Sages choice of color so was hoping my results with this rod would at least be no better than the others. As things would have it, my cast came alive with the Launch and the color no longer mattered. Fortunatly my Cabelas outfit at least came in second but will soon have a Launch to keep it company.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

FlyDog, thanks for your post. I hope all of the newer fly fishers reads it.

The only way to learn how to cast correctly is with a good instructor. Learning on your own is just so difficult and you learn bad habits. The very least a beginner should do is get a good DVD. The smart ones get lessons like you are doing.

While I am on my soap box maybe I better state again that the best way to learn to fish is with a guide. Once you can cast you should hire a guide and learn how to fish. If you want to catch a Steelhead get a Steelhead guide for a day. You will learn so much it will cut years off of your learning curve. If you are after trout get a trout guide and so on. It is expensive but well worth the cost.

Frank

[FrankB2]

Wiggling a rod will not always predict its behavior when actually casting.
Having said that, the FLi casts well, and most of the your casting success
comes from you .

A shop not too far from The Evening Rise has one last made in england BBS
left, and the price is LOW. I've been looking at it for months, and have been
amazed it hasn't been bought. Must be meant for me.....