Equipment Help

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nnflyfishing

Just Hatched
Hello! I want to get into fly fishing and i have done quite a bit of research in the last two days.

Here is some background info… I fish in SoFlo and I want to primarily target bass and peacock bass (maybe carp and snake heads too). With my bait casting set ups i typically like to fish with rather small presentations (worms & flukes)

So now into the equipment… i saw a lot of ppl recommending lamson liquid and i saw on Sierra that they had it but doing further research and what not I decided on the remix -5+

So I plan on doing the remix -5+, 6wt rod, and as for line i’m not sure what brand yet, BUT Sierra does have some SA 6WF… and i believe i wanna fish dry flies, small poppers and small streamers.

Does everything sound right? Is there any advice or questions? And last and maybe most important am I on the right track?

The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is maybe doing a 7wt rod to be a bit more versatile, but i think I would have to get a -7+ reel which cost a bit more and it doesn’t come in gold on sierra (i rather save money IF i can, yes no cheaping out on line).

Thank you in advance if you made it this far.

Edit: any rod recommendations? preferrably in the $150 range, i saw some temple forks for ~$110 on sportsman warehouse, if they suffice
 
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nnflyfishing said:
Hello! I want to get into fly fishing and i have done quite a bit of research in the last two days.

Here is some background info… I fish in SoFlo and I want to primarily target bass and peacock bass (maybe carp and snake heads too). With my bait casting set ups i typically like to fish with rather small presentations (worms & flukes)

So now into the equipment… i saw a lot of ppl recommending lamson liquid and i saw on Sierra that they had it but doing further research and what not I decided on the remix -5+

So I plan on doing the remix -5+, 6wt rod, and as for line i’m not sure what brand yet, BUT Sierra does have some SA 6WF… and i believe i wanna fish dry flies, small poppers and small streamers.

Does everything sound right? Is there any advice or questions? And last and maybe most important am I on the right track?

The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is maybe doing a 7wt rod to be a bit more versatile, but i think I would have to get a -7+ reel which cost a bit more and it doesn’t come in gold on sierra (i rather save money IF i can, yes no cheaping out on line).

Thank you in advance if you made it this far.

Edit: any rod recommendations? preferrably in the $150 range, i saw some temple forks for ~$110 on sportsman warehouse, if they suffice
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I have a a quiver of rods and none of them are a 7wt. I have not fished down your way or for those species, but I think a 6wt would be a very versatile rod for you and if it feels under gunned, maybe get an 8wt next. It sounds like you are on the right track to me!

TFO makes decent rods. I like the Redington Classic Trout in the $150 range. It has a soft, moderate action that I like. Maybe not the best for punching casts into the wind off the beach, though.

My recommendation? Get a casting lesson from a fly shop instructor!
 
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Zak said:
TFO makes decent rods. I like the Redington Classic Trout in the $150 range. It has a soft, moderate action that I like. Maybe not the best for punching casts into the wind off the beach, though.
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i just found a TFO signature II rod (9ft, 6wt, mf) for $110 shipped, i’m assuming that’s a good deal considering it’s $160 retail, but it’s a 2 piece rod
 
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nnflyfishing said:
View attachment 119231also for fly line these are the only two options, which one would be better? (if any at all)
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Overall I think you are on the right track. I have a TFO Pro II and consider it a fine performing value rod. I think either line will work fine on it, but the SA GPX will be more versatile for you. The 40+ is sort of a specialty line, and I think what you need is to get a setup and get fishing. You don’t yet know enough to know your preferences and needs. You gotta start somewhere and what you’ve described sounds like a perfect way to get started for not too much dough.

You will have more questions once you get to casting and fishing.

I once broke a section of my 4-piece 6 weight TFO Pro II and TFO was able to sell me a replacement section for ~$25, which is just swell.
 
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I’d recommend the 7 over the 6, for FL. Especially for the species you will be targeting. 6 weights are very versatile rods. I own a bunch I use for trout, salmon and sometimes bass. I also own four 7 weights that get used the majority of time for salmon, big river streamer fishing, and bass. I think a lot of guys here would recommend 8 weight+ for bass for various reasons. The types of flies you’ll be fishing, the cover you’ll be fishing, wind, species, etc. A big snakehead or peacock on a 6 weight is certainly doable but probably not the best option. That said, I’d ask a local fly shop or local fly fishers and get their thoughts. I agree with @Matt B on the line reco and rod. TFO makes great rods for the price and the customers service is solid.
 
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If my primary targets were what you're after, I would be looking at an 8wt for the versatility and backbone. Ymmv
 
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I'm not sure where you are in South Florida but I'd highly recommend going to your local fly shop in person and getting some first hand knowledge and gear from them. I'm on the opposite side of the country from https://olefloridaflyshop.com/ but I've learned a lot from their fly tying videos and if I'm ever in the neighborhood I'll be stopping in to buy something.

You can put together a bunch of gear from the internet and maybe save some $$$ at first but if it's the wrong setup it'll turn out to be money wasted. Go to the shop, talk to the staff about what you're interested in, state your budget, cast a bunch of rods and lines, and "buy once cry once".

My purchasing history has worked the best when I know what I want and I find it on sale vs. buying it on sale and hoping it's what I want.
 
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adamcu280 said:
I'm not sure where you are in South Florida but I'd highly recommend going to your local fly shop in person and getting some first hand knowledge and gear from them. I'm on the opposite side of the country from https://olefloridaflyshop.com/ but I've learned a lot from their fly tying videos and if I'm ever in the neighborhood I'll be stopping in to buy something.

You can put together a bunch of gear from the internet and maybe save some $$$ at first but if it's the wrong setup it'll turn out to be money wasted. Go to the shop, talk to the staff about what you're interested in, state your budget, cast a bunch of rods and lines, and "buy once cry once".

My purchasing history has worked the best when I know what I want and I find it on sale vs. buying it on sale and hoping it's what I want.
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i’m not exactly sure if there any are fly shops around me, i’m assuming there should be but when i looked it up on maps, i don’t see any unless they have some weird name without the word “fly” in it
 
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adamcu280 said:
You can put together a bunch of gear from the internet and maybe save some $$$ at first but if it's the wrong setup it'll turn out to be money wasted. Go to the shop, talk to the staff about what you're interested in, state your budget, cast a bunch of rods and lines, and "buy once cry once".
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I do 100% agree about this, but I’m 100% new to fly fishing so I highly doubt I will be able to tell the difference between this $150 dollar rod vs that $150 dollar rod (if there is any difference at all)

And I’m going based off high req from ppl as my baseline (if i get hooked i don’t mind spending more down the road, but i want a “cheap” setup to get going, but one done the right way)

Especially since a lot of ppl like the lamson line and TFO performance/ warranty for the price… I think it really comes down to the line, wt rod, and size reel.

BUT again I am looking around for fly shops because I would like to feel everything like you said and at the very least i can get casting lessons + know where to buy future equipment especially line


edit: found 2 fly shops “close” both 50 mins away lol
 
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nnflyfishing said:
I do 100% agree about this, but I’m 100% new to fly fishing so I highly doubt I will be able to tell the difference between this $150 dollar rod vs that $150 dollar rod (if there is any difference at all)

And I’m going based off high req from ppl as my baseline (if i get hooked i don’t mind spending more down the road, but i want a “cheap” setup to get going, but one done the right way)

Especially since a lot of ppl like the lamson line and TFO performance/ warranty for the price… I think it really comes down to the line, wt rod, and size reel.

BUT again I am looking around for fly shops because I would like to feel everything like you said and at the very least i can get casting lessons + know where to buy future equipment especially line


edit: found 2 fly shops “close” both 50 mins away lol
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My .02 is that even for real novices, possibly even more so for novices, there is are significant differences in 150$ rods. It's not so much that you'll be able to appreciate the slow stroke of fiberglass or the snappiness of saltwater rods, but you may find one that just flat works for you for reasons to be determined later in your journey, or ones that just have no life in your hands at your current skillset. Tfos are fine rods, and reel is unlikely to be in play when bass fishing. Just a line holder.
 
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nnflyfishing said:
I do 100% agree about this, but I’m 100% new to fly fishing so I highly doubt I will be able to tell the difference between this $150 dollar rod vs that $150 dollar rod (if there is any difference at all)

And I’m going based off high req from ppl as my baseline (if i get hooked i don’t mind spending more down the road, but i want a “cheap” setup to get going, but one done the right way)

Especially since a lot of ppl like the lamson line and TFO performance/ warranty for the price… I think it really comes down to the line, wt rod, and size reel.

BUT again I am looking around for fly shops because I would like to feel everything like you said and at the very least i can get casting lessons + know where to buy future equipment especially line


edit: found 2 fly shops “close” both 50 mins away lol
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I bet you will be able to tell the difference. You may not know what it is that you like about a certain rod but some will jive with you and others won't. I still remember going to the fly shop and trying out a bunch of different rods in my price/weight class before buying my first one. That was over three decades ago and I fished with it yesterday.

Same philosophy applies with anything, really. Skis, surfboards, snowboards, bikes, cars, guitars....
 
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adamcu280 said:
I bet you will be able to tell the difference. You may not know what it is that you like about a certain rod but some will jive with you and others won't. I still remember going to the fly shop and trying out a bunch of different rods in my price/weight class before buying my first one. That was over three decades ago and I fished with it yesterday.

Same philosophy applies with anything, really. Skis, surfboards, snowboards, bikes, cars, guitars....
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hm i guess that makes sense, i was going about it all technical vs just the feel of the rods themselves, the more “spiritual” side if you will lol


edit: would feeling fly rods at bass pro be similar? i know there’s no expert guide but bass pro is only 20 mins away so it’s at least a starting point to touch some gear
 
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If you haven’t bought a rod or reel yet I’d strongly recommend checking out the Echo Lift combos (used to be called the Echo Base). You get a rod and a matched reel, and the reel for the 6 wt rods is a 6/8 which means you could get an 8wt rod later and a spare spool and then have a full 6 and 8 wt set up.

The line that comes with the combo is not great, I’d upgrade the line to an SA GPX from Sierra. If you do end up getting an 8 later maybe try an integrated shooting head specialty line for punching into the wind and long casts. But that’s later.

You can find the Echo Lift combos on Amazon. I think they are an amazing rod for the $$. Good Luck!

 
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Merle said:
If you haven’t bought a rod or reel yet I’d strongly recommend checking out the Echo Lift combos (used to be called the Echo Base). You get a rod and a matched reel, and the reel for the 6 wt rods is a 6/8 which means you could get an 8wt rod later and a spare spool and then have a full 6 and 8 wt set up.

The line that comes with the combo is not great, I’d upgrade the line to an SA GPX from Sierra. If you do end up getting an 8 later maybe try an integrated shooting head specialty line for punching into the wind and long casts. But that’s later.

You can find the Echo Lift combos on Amazon. I think they are an amazing rod for the $$. Good Luck!

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looking now
 
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Merle said:
You can find the Echo Lift combos on Amazon. I think they are an amazing rod for the $$. Good Luck!
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quick question if the combo is about $190 and the line needs to be replaced anyway

would it make sense to get a remix for $120 + the echo lift rod for $100?

i like how the echo rods come with a tube and there 4 piece, not sure which reel is better tho, even tho 80-90% of the time they will probably just be line holders
 
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