fivefingers
Active member
I've been using my dad's old Fenwick 6wt fiberglass rod with a pfleuger medalist reel (I only use the most cutting-edge stuff) to fish stripers in the American River (I'm in California). Admittedly, I know that anything beyond schoolies this setup is a bit under-classed. Recently I went into a local fly shop recently for some tackle and, after discussing with one of the employees about my possibilities of upgrading to a steelhead/striper/black bass setup, he offered his used Sage RPL for a steal-of-a-deal at $75. It's a 9' 2 piece model, which I have read on these boards is a great rod and I'm in no way concerned about it being a bad rod by any means. What I'm more concerned about is that I'd be paying $75 (which I think is a great deal) for an older rod, which could do the trick, but I have been budgeting to spend about $500 (too much?) on a rod/reel/line allwater(ish) setup. I'd like to use it on saltwater if given the opportunity, but 90% of its life I'd imagine would be spent on fresh. Browsing the boards showed the TFO BVK and the ROSS CLA have been tried-and-true gear.
I'm still a novice at the sport - I've only been fly fishing for a few months. So with that said, I don't think I need my first purchase to be the Ferrari of rod+reel setups, but I'd still like something that I can use, hopefully, for a lifetime! I have also considered that 9 wt might be a tad bit on the large size for lakes for black bass, where an 8wt might be a better setup. Then again, at the price of $75, at the advice of you guys I wouldn't have an issue of just having the rod to own, if it's built to last, for training purposes with larger weight rods and to have as a backup down the road.
I'm still a novice at the sport - I've only been fly fishing for a few months. So with that said, I don't think I need my first purchase to be the Ferrari of rod+reel setups, but I'd still like something that I can use, hopefully, for a lifetime! I have also considered that 9 wt might be a tad bit on the large size for lakes for black bass, where an 8wt might be a better setup. Then again, at the price of $75, at the advice of you guys I wouldn't have an issue of just having the rod to own, if it's built to last, for training purposes with larger weight rods and to have as a backup down the road.