Selecting your first fly fishing outfit may seem a bit intimidating.  This may help simplify your first purchase.

​

What rod to buy?  Here's the good news, it's really hard to make a mistake with just a little bit of guidance.

​

Fly rods are a lot like golf clubs.  For example, a 5 iron, a 5wt fly rod have a certain range of utility - it's good for casting small to medium size bugs 20' to 40'.  As long as you have an idea of where you will initially do most of your fishing, picking a rod is fairly easy.  And, for inland fishing for bass and trout, the reel is simply a place to store your line.

​

Big rods are designed to cast big bugs longer distances. Small rods are designed for short, accurate casts.

​

Graphite rods are the most widely used, have more range of utility and the easiest to cast.

​

Fiberglass rods are typically considered to be more short-game, finesse rods.

​

Bamboo rods are classic configurations designed to let one experience the traditional authentic experience.

​

Here is our simple guideline:

​

4wt - 5wt - Smaller rods

Good for trout fishing anytime.  Good for smallmouth bass fishing in the heat of the summer.

​

5wt - 6wt - Mid sized rods

Good for bass fishing in the suburbs. Good for trout fishing in bigger water in Michigan and out West.  These are the two easiest weights to cast.

​

7wt - 8wt - larger rods

Good for bass fishing with large bugs and big rivers. Good for Lake Michigan tributaries for steelhead and salmon.  Good saltwater fishing.

​

From another angle, a 4wt rod is too small to fish for salmon or snook, and an 8wt is too big to fish the small trout streams in the Wisconsin Driftless area.  Selecting a 5wt or 6wt rod is typically the best way to get started.

 

Reels

For rods 6wt and under the reel is simply a thing to hold your line. Pricey reels are nice but not necessary. Reels are designed to accommodate the weight of the line, which matches the weight of the rod. So, if you're getting a 5wt rod, get a five weight line and a reel designed for that line size. 

 

Also, and this is important, when you have a line installed on the reel, the seller will ask if it's for a "left hand" or "right hand" retrieve. The answer is counterintuitive.  If you cast right handed and crank the reel with your left hand, you want a "left hand" retrieve.  Conversely, if you cast left handed, you'll want a "right hand" retrieve.  If you get it wrong, it can always be fixed - a bearing gets flipped and the line is rewound.

​

Price

In our experience, there is a correlation between price and quality and engineering.  But, at about any price, it's hard to get a bad fly rod.  They all work.  The important thing is to spend the amount you are comfortable with.  When I started over 40 years ago I bought what I could afford.  Now I still use those rods along with all the other high-end ones now in my arsenal.  They all have a unique range of utility.