[erinkgarvey]

Howdy all, I'm new to colorado (east coast my entire life) and also new to fly fishing so i welcome everybody who is willing/able to guide me on gear for beginners and areas! I'll be taking my first fly fishing beginner course in early May and have a list of gear i'd like to acquire over the next few months, however, the biggest part to this is what rod and reel or even combo would be great for someone just getting into fly fishing? there are so many options here on the level of just starting but would like to hear from the people. I've fished with a spinner and rod combo since i was a kid and know that when you buy the combo setup and generally the lesser expensive of them, you end up graduating from that purchase rather quickly. So i'm looking for something i can learn on but not the cheapest.

thanks in advance and looking forward to hearing from anyone and everyone!!

 

[KevinD62]

Greetings and welcome. If you're just getting in on the fun I'd recommend some mid-range to low-range priced gear. There are lots of decent rods and reels on the market that don't break the bank. My personal preference for rods in this category are TFO rods. They make some decent reels too but for budget minded folks you might want to consider Piscifun reels. They are Chinese made but, for the money they're really good reels. Very tight tolerances and extremely smooth. There used to be an issue with the drag working it's way loose but I think they've corrected that now. And they come in an array of colors. The one thing you don't want to skimp on is fly line. Biting the bullet and getting a good quality line will make all the difference in your learning to cast. My preference is Rio Gold lines. For tippet, I'd recommend fluorocarbon. This will get you a strong line with a smaller diameter than mono making it much easier to thread small flies with a heavier line when needed, and tying size #22 and smaller. Quick tip on tippet. Whenever cutting your tippet NEVER bite it. This flattens the end and makes it difficult to thread the eye of the fly. Always use your nippers and alway cut on an angle. Good luck! Feel free to PM me for more info if needed.

 

[KevinD62]

Also, try this site The North American Fly Fishing Forum - sponsored by Thomas Turner
Lots of more specific fishing subject rooms.