My nephew is ready for is first fly fishing rod after 2 years of borrowing one of mine. I'm going in with his parents to combine funds for a good rod. I'm thinking medium-flex graphite rod 8 1/2' 5 wt with floating line, good enough to have a lifetime-ish guarantee in case it brakes, but not so expensive that it would be a hardship if it were lost. He's very capable, learning fast and catching natives on dries and nymphs. A typical trip is the Truckee, any fork of the Stan, either fork of the Carson, and similar Sierra destinations.
Any insights or recommendations on a good value for a first fly rod? As for the reel the emphasis is on durability and good balance for the rod, drag is not that important at this stage. I see Redington and other mfr's have some reasonable combo kits. Total cost would be no higher than 250-300 for rod reel and line. I'm thinking the line alone would be @ $50, a reel with no plastic parts @ $75 and the rod from $100 to $150. He's turning 13 and has always been absolutely nuts about fishing.  I'm especially interested if you've fished any rods in this category and what your opinions are.
I can say without a doubt my Echo is great. I got one of the ones they make for "The Fly Shop" in Redding for $140. Great rod and casts really well and has a lifetime guarantee. ( Dropped it broke the tip and they are taking care of it as we speak) I see on their website, www.rajeffsports.com, they have a new model for $100. Possibly worth a try as I have never heard anyone say bad things about Echo.
Although I don't know first hand I have heard good things about Reddington now that Sage is involved there.
Anyway hop you com right with somrthing good.
Cheers
Alastair
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"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn." - Anon.
I wouldn't skimp on the line. He doesn't need a top of the line $70 Rio or SA line, but I would spend a lot of time matching the line to the rod. When I was a kid, I found a double taper really great to learn on; once enough of it was out of the top guide I could really feel it load the rod.
I have a Ross flystart reel on my 4wt Scott. I've played big Yuba trout on it, and it works well!
I second Alastair's recommendation of the Echo. Their 9ft 5wt is a great rod for the price. Much better than the TFOs, but then again I prefer medium action rods. Lifetime warranty too. I broke my rod and they shipped me their newest model within a week. I liked them so much that I bought a 7.6ft 3wt and a 10ft 6wt. Give it a cast and see if you agree.
I'm glad I asked, I hadn't heard of Echo before but it sounds like a great value and it looks like now is a good time to get some deals as well. The Echo Carbon 4 pc looks appealing, smaller rod cases will be easier to manage for travel and storing. I'll see if there are any places on the peninsula that carry them.
I was thinking a weight forward line which is what he has been casting on my reels but based on Vince's response I'm reconsidering. Any other thoughts on double taper vs weight forward? I expect most of his casting will be mid to short range, doubtful he would need to push big flies into the wind or cast into his backing so from an economy stand point a double taper might work better for him. Some line conditioner would probably be in order to get him started with good line maintenance habits. maybe a Rio Classic DT (@$45)
The Pfleuger Trion looks nice but a bit out of price range, has anyone tried the Ross Flystart reels? How about Redington Crosswater? Okuma Expedition? With limited $ I'll put more to the rod and line but keep the reel basic.Â
Based on what I'm seeing I'd be more than happy to fish this outfit myself...
I second the recommendation on the DT line. They will last a long time, because when the one side wears out you can turn the line around on the reel--it's as if you had a new line. They're good for short- to mid-range fishing. You'll want to make sure you get a regular arbor reel, though. DT lines take up a lot space on the reel. My friend recommended a DT line to me a couple of years ago, and now I have them on two of my rods.   Â
-- Edited by JT on Wednesday 25th of November 2009 04:16:13 PM
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
Thanks for all the help, I finally pulled the trigger on an 8.5' 5 wt 2 piece Sage Launch, Ross Flystart reel, and Rio Classic Double Taper, for a total of $200. His parents picked up that part, I provided a C&F fly box with some copper johns, stimulators, and parachute adams, leaders, floatant, and line conditioner. I have some backing to load the reel plus some tippet.
The prices were so good I decided to fill a hole in my rod selection with the same rod plus a Sage 2550 reel and Sage performance WF line for all for less than the retail price of the reel.
Can't wait to get back out there and wet a line...
