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.