Thoughts on budget outfits

[FlySnag]

I am relatively new to fly fishing but have otherwise been a avid fisherman. I have been enjoying my Sage Foundation 9' 5wt rod for trout and panfish. I would like to try fishing for bass out of my canoe and even give Steelhead a try on MN North Shore. I really spent more than I wanted to on the previous set up so wanted to get a budget outfit and then upgrade in the future. Seems the Orvis Clearwater 10' 7wt outfit that Orvis offers the the TFO Pro ll outfit from various sites(same length and weight) are right in my $300-400 price range. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Cautions welcome also. Thanks in advance.

 

[denver1911]

My thoughts: go CHEAP or buy what younreally want. If you buy a mid-price outfit ($300-$500), you won’t get everything you want and will wish you had some cash back later to get it.

 

[ia_trouter]

And now for a dissenting opinion...... It won't be the last one on a thread of this nature.

I can't think of a reason why I can't continue to bass fish another five years with my $500 rod/reel and be very content. That rig might just swing a streamer or float a bobber rig for steehead as well.

That said, whatever you buy, make sure every part of it is not a compromise or you will be remorseful at some point. Even if that means picking up some part of the combo used. There is an endless supply of like new used gear for sale all over the net.

 

[smoke33]

$300 is my limit, anything over to me is expensive. I have only been into fly fishing for about 2 years now. By keeping under that mark I have been able to acquire for my son and I rod’s in just about every weight we need. I would much rather spend less and get an array of rods as opposed to take all of that money and only have one rod no matter how good it is. Jmo and others may disagree. There is no right answer and it is a question you will have to answer.


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[brownbass]

Get what you can afford. It is better staying at home and not fishing. The TFO and the Orvis outfits. will be OK.

Bill

 

[FlySnag]

Thanks for the replies so far. Gives me more to think about.

 

[thirdcoaststeelheader]

The Foundation's blank is very good. The blank is built on older but established graphite IIIe technology and it loads and casts very smoothly. They are a pleasure to fish. The 590 is a sweet spot from what I have heard, I have only fished the 490.

The Sage model up from that is the Pulse, which comes in the 7100 configuration. It is a solid workhorse steelhead rod. It is somewhat north of 400, but worth it. Maybe consider it and pair it with a cheaper reel until and if you feel like upgrading reels, a larger Okuma Sierra is like $30, Ross Rapids or lower-end Redingtons like the Surge (I think that's what they called it) are options too, these were discontinued and can be found new at closeout prices. The reels on the combos will be die-cast and perfectly functional, but are more costly because of the Orvis brand.


Good but on closeout steelhead lines can be found on eBay on the cheap too, probably better than what comes on the combos. I have seen the Rio steelhead line up in a few listings for as low as $30. I am unfamiliar with the mentioned water, and don't know what sort of line system it requires.

Just a thought...

 

[denver1911]

Hope my post didn’t come across as “you need an expensive setup.” That was not my intent. My intent was not to compromise. Human nature being what it is, you’ll regret the compromise. A $300 outfit will fish great! If you buy a $150 outfit, it will fishngreat too! And you’ll have the extra $150 for something else.

 

[gpwhitejr]

For bass fishing in my kayak, I use a CGR that I got on sale for $69 or something like that (I also have a Cabelas Prime; one was $49 and one was $69, I forget which was which). My GGR is 7 feet long - I like a short rod for kayaking, in case I have to fiddle with the tip for some reason, and it is still long enough that I can reach it all the way around the boat. It cast far enough and accurately enough for kayak fishing, and it seems pretty durable. I don't see a need for anything fancier, for my purposes anyway. (I like it so much that when my daughter ran over the first one I bought another.)

 

[dillon]

Id shop on the used rod and reel market or look for closeout priced models. Some real bargains can be found on top of the line equipment on Amazon, eBay and here. My last three rods have been closeouts. Some people think reels are just line holders, but a cheap reel isn't worth the savings if it falls apart in short order. I can afford to pay top dollar for a new rod, but $800-1000 just seems wrong. A good line can make a big difference so not an item to save money on. I'd go for top of the line.

 

[dennyk]

If a used Scott Tidal 9' 7 weight would interest you give my buddies at Nomad Anglers in Grand Rapids Michigan a call. I traded this rod in on a Meridian. Except for a dirty handle the rod is in perfect shape. I believe it's priced at $350. That will fit the bill for what you are looking for. They also have some good deals on used fly reels as well.

1-616-805-4393

Nomad Anglers Michigan Fly Fishing Shop | Gear | Classes | Guides

Welcome to the forum!

Denny

 

[thirdcoaststeelheader]

I have had bad experiences with inexpensive outfits. I bought one several years ago for fishing anadromous fish in Michigan. The first take on it was maybe one of the largest fish that I have hooked to date, and in the middle of the fight the reel’s knob broke off, leaving the fish hooked running downstream and me palming the reel trying to stop it. Drove to the nearest fly shop, bought another reel. Next day, the rod failed, sent it back for warranty, and eventually sold it. After warranty service, it did function relatively well for a few outings. Nonetheless, the reel falling apart on fish number one was disappointing, as was going to the fly shop to buy a second reel.

Maybe avoiding situations like this do not warrant buying eight or nine-hundred-dollar fly rods and reels. There may be some solid rods and reels out there that don’t break the bank. But I have never had a Ross or Nautilus reel, for example, fail like this. I have fished some of them for years with a certain amount of abuse and they have held up. I still have an Okuma Sierra that is trucking along with no issues, although in the cold days of winter it freezes up. Solid gear at the end of the day is worth its price in my opinion.

 

[clouserguyky]

Just make sure whatever you buy has a good warranty, which both the TFO and the Orvis do. Fishing for bass from a kayak can be hard on a rod! When wade fishing, I don't seem to scuff rods up or break them much, but on many, many float trips I can damaged rods in the boat or while fishing them from the boat. I wade fish for bass with a 9'6" 6 weight Sage One, but from the yak I use a 9' 7 weight TFO Mangrove, which is both much more durable and much less expensive, while not being a huge loss in performance while throwing bass flies.

If I were you, I'd go Orvis over the Pro. II though. The new Clearwaters are freshly designed, and are excellent rods at any price. I've handled the 6wt, and it's a good bass rod for creeks and smaller rivers. If the rod will primarily be a bass rod with only occasional steelhead application, you might be able to get by with a 9'6" or 10' 6 weight rod, or even a 9-9'6" 7 weight which would be a little more sport for the bass fishing. Most 9'6" and 10' rods can take a wider range of lines than their 9' counterparts, so you could likely fish that one rod with 6-8 weight lines for bass. The backbone/fish fighting abilities of the 6 might be too light for the steelies though, I have no experience with them. The 10' 7 weight might be a bit overkill for most bass, but it'd probably be right on for steelies. Every rod is a compromise, so don't be surprised if you start jonesing for a third rod somewhere down the road...

 

[Unknownflyman]

I think you should buy the nicest rod you can afford with warranty. I`d try the rod if you can. Why 10`? is there a sale on 10 foot rods somewhere? a regular 8`6" or 9`is just fine for the North shore unless you are on the few big rivers and then I would advise you to buy a switch rod in 10`.

 

[FlySnag]

I think you should buy the nicest rod you can afford with warranty. I`d try the rod if you can. Why 10`? is there a sale on 10 foot rods somewhere? a regular 8`6" or 9`is just fine for the North shore unless you are on the few big rivers and then I would advise you to buy a switch rod in 10`.

As I mentioned earlier I am pretty new to fly fishing. Just absorbing everything I can on the forum. Seems like people suggest a 10' for throwing bass lures on lakes or from a boat. All of the suggestions so far are very helpful and send me out for learning more and narrowing in on what I want /need

 

[Unknownflyman]

Hi Flysnag, I fish for bass with a 8`6" 5wt but I use smaller flies otherwise I use a 8wt 8`6" Unless you are wanting to cast really big flies a long distance, a 10` rod to me seems really excessive and with a bass bug taper line and large flies to me it doesn't seem like it would be very fun to cast all day.

7 or 8wt rod in 8`6" for large flies and the correct line to carry a payload is all that's needed. But this is just one persons advice and I really don't find bass spooky enough to have to pound out really long casts all day long.

There is another thread where a guy wants a 10` 7wt steelhead rod, I just posted in. A 7 or 8wt 8`6" rod will translate well to a north shore steelhead rod.

Buy the 10` if it really floats your boat but I wouldn't.

 

[FlySnag]

Hi Flysnag, I fish for bass with a 8`6" 5wt but I use smaller flies otherwise I use a 8wt 8`6" Unless you are wanting to cast really big flies a long distance, a 10` rod to me seems really excessive and with a bass bug taper line and large flies to me it doesn't seem like it would be very fun to cast all day.

7 or 8wt rod in 8`6" for large flies and the correct line to carry a payload is all that's needed. But this is just one persons advice and I really don't find bass spooky enough to have to pound out really long casts all day long.

There is another thread where a guy wants a 10` 7wt steelhead rod, I just posted in. A 7 or 8wt 8`6" rod will translate well to a north shore steelhead rod.

Buy the 10` if it really floats your boat but I wouldn't.

This is exactly the type of advice I am looking for. And from a fellow fisherman in MN.

 

[AzTrouter]

I like to try different rods and buy and sell on eBay quite a bit. I have found the mid price rods hold their value pretty well, better than the top of the line rods.

A new Orvis Recon is $425 to $475, they routinely sell on eBay $300 to $350, I see the same with the mid price Loomis rods as well, but prefer the Recon at that price point. I’ve bought a three Sage X’s on eBay and a Loomis NRX for not much more than a new Recon.

Personally I think the mid range rods are the best value, after trying plenty of rods, I’m quite happy with rods in the mid price range and don’t think the 1k rods are twice the rod.

No doubt in my mind though that the mid price rods are mucho better rods all the way around than the entry rods though. There are some sweet rods mixed in there if you want to spend the money to sort them out.

At the end of the day I know some very cagey, solid fly fishermen that aren’t fishing $1500 rigs haha....it’s always going to more about the Indian than the arrow.

 

[Unknownflyman]

This is exactly the type of advice I am looking for. And from a fellow fisherman in MN.

You are very welcome, but in regards to the Low-Mid-High price rods I think the guys gave you really solid advice, I wouldn't spend a lot of coin until you know what you really like, the mid rods are nicer and perform better than entry level, My thing is if you love to fly fish like me is that there always is another rod, and I still fish my entry level rods a lot because I like them.

Nothing is worse than a impulse buy on a rod that is the wrong fit, all these rods fit somebody, all these rods are loved by somebody quality lasts but warranty fixes.

The guys can point you in the right direction but you should try the rods if you can. I don't try cheap rods, like a redington CT. the reviews are extensive and its a good cheap trout rod that fights above its weight. Mid range rods, you've got a little more coin in the game, it pays to be choosy.

I am picky as hell, its just how I am, one annoying thing can be a deal breaker for me regardless of cost.

 

[bigjim5589]

All outfits are budget outfits because everyone has a budget. Not everyone's budget is the same. Most budgets boil down to what you're willing to spend as compared to what you want to spend.

I own several rods in various prices ranges, including customs and have never broken a rod fishing with it, although it can happen. I agree with buy what you can afford, and buy what you think you'll be happy with for the fishing that you intend to do with the outfit. I also don't have a rod that was more than $300 at the time that it was purchased, and I tend to keep what I buy. Some of mine are 20 years old or older.

I have come to favor TFO rods, and they've served me well, but there certainly are other excellent rod makers.

I also agree that used rods can be worth looking into. Some I have were purchased used.

I fish for bass, Striped Bass and panfish most, with occasional fishing on the SC coast and the rods I use may do double duty. I don't fish from a yak, but do fish from a Gheenoe & jon boat, often sitting. All the rods I use are 9' or less in length, and that works fine. IMO, a long rod in a boat is not necessarily a benefit.

Reels are another topic that everyone has an opinion on, and they too can have a wide range of "quality" and price. Okuma Integrity reels were mentioned, I have several, and for bass, no problems with them, other than they are on the heavy side, which has not been an issue for me. It may be for other folks. I also have an Allen Kraken #4, and would gladly get another Allen reel. The oldest reel I own, is still an excellent reel, a Lamson LP-2 that I use on my 6 wt, so older reels can be worth purchasing too, although I bought it new in 1989.

For buying reels, I make sure that extra spools are available, and reasonable in price. I would rather have extra spools & lines, than have to buy extra reels.

I can't tell you what to get, only you can determine what fits you. I wish you well with your search for your ideal outfit!