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Posted
April, 2000
Getting
Started
For
the novice who may be thinking about getting started in saltwater fly
fishing this season, it’s a good time to go shopping.
There
are two ways for a beginner to go, either a packaged outfit or one assembled
by a tackle dealer. The advantage of spending time with one of our local
fly tackle dealers is that the rod, reel, line, and just about everything
you’ll need to get started can be customized to your preferences and to
specifically match the areas you’ll be fishing most. Most will probably
recommend that you spend what you can for a quality fly reel, and I agree.
A good reel that’s cared for properly will last for a long time, but,
if you get hooked, you’ll probably find a desire to own a variety of rods.
Putting together a custom outfit is the best way to get started with the
right tackle, but fly tackle manufacturers also put together outfit packages
whose prices make them very popular with novices.
Look
for a combo package that includes an 8- or 9-weight fly rod. They’re good
weights to develop your casting style, and they’re suited to our early
season style of saltwater fishing. Just about every fly rod manufacturer,
even the big names, puts together combo outfits these days. Some carry
hefty price tags -- Fine systems, but you’re probably better off going
the custom and working with a dealer to put those big bucks to better
use. Other less expensive outfits are often comprised of lower end components
that you may outgrow quickly, but they take the guesswork out of putting
together a balanced outfit.
Cortland’s
444SL+ outfit comes with a 444SL fly line, a Precision II fly rod and
Micron backing, plus leader, fly box, case, rod bag, booklet and introductory
video. Of the seven 444SL+ outfits, the 9-foot, 2-piece, 8/9-weight package
that comes with Cortland’s LTD reel instead of the Crown II model is best
for the salt.
http://www.cortlandline.com/
3M
Scientific Anglers 8-weight System Fly Fishing Outfit is designed for
light saltwater and comes with an 8-weight Ultra 3 weight forward floating
fly line, System 1 Model 678 Reel, 9-foot graphite rod, 100 yards of 20-pound-test
backing, leader, fly box, tackle assembly booklet, and a Fly Fishing Made
Easy video.
http://www.mmm.com/scianglers/
Sage’s
Discovery Series 2 outfit comes with an medium-action IM-6 (Graphite II)
rod, Sage reel, and everything else you need. Quite a few experienced
fly rodders actually prefer the Discovery rod’s action over faster rods.
http://www.sageflyfish.com/home.html
Fly
Logic’s RTG outfit includes an 8/9-weight rod and the largest reel capacity
of the combo kits in the form of a Fly Logic reel, pre-spooled with a
Royal Wulff Triangle Taper line and 30-pound-test backing, plus fluorocarbon
leader.
http://www.flylogic.com/
Redington
has two starter outfits. Red.Start packages come in 8-, 9-, and 10-weight
versions with a Red.Start disc drag reel, knotless leader, weight forward
floating fly line, 100 yards of backing, and case. The more economical
Red.Fly outfits are available only up to an 8-weight, and come with the
same reel and accessories.
http://www.redington.com
All
of these outfits come with a floating fly line, however, our early season
stripers tend to stay low in the water column, and most experienced anglers
will be using a sinking line and/or weighted patterns for the next several
weeks. If you’re fishing the shoreline, a weighted pattern on a floating
line can usually get down deep enough to attract a strike, but, if you’re
serious, it’s not a bad idea to pick up an Intermediate line, too.
All
the packages have a medium action rod that’s suited for novice casters.
Medium action rods may not be able to give you the best distance once
your casting prowess increases, but they are more forgiving of novice
casting errors. Once you develop your casting stroke, you may want to
move up to a faster action rod.
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