[veryama1975]

Has anybody seen the fly fishing combos at Wal-mart for around $80? They have different packages like: one for pan fish, one for bass, etc. They include an instructional dvd and the flies or lures that (supposedly) will work best for that particular kind of fish. I've never fly fished before & I wondered if this would be a good deal for a beginner rod & reel. I'm interested in the pan fish setup.

Is there a better (& cheaper!) setup than this for a beginner that wants to target blue gills? If so, where can I get it?

I don't want to spend too much right away until I know if I'm going to like it.

 

[223reload]

Matt,The flyfishing combo I got from Wally World was a Shakesphere brand an I gave around 40 bucks for it . It is a 4-5 wt and came with a fly assortment . I am just beginning to get the hang of it ,but I havent been able to practice much ,cause we have been getting hammered by strong winds often since last mid summer. I hope this year is better.

 

[veryama1975]

I guess I just need to check different walmarts then. I can't remember the brand but the combos at my walmart cost $80.

 

[Mark J]

I would probally just buy a plain ol Martin fly reel. None of the automatic stuff.
Some floating fly line and tippet.
I would put my money in the rod. Nothing stiff.

The rod is going to make or break you. A cheap rod is going to frustrate you and teach you all kinds of bad habits to try overcome its deficiencies.

Fly fishing is some great stuff on a bream bed.
Learning to roll that fly up under a bush or tree limb and make it plop naturally on the water. The presentation is key.

Top water poppers are fun but when you go after the lap bream (so big you cant wrap your hand around them, you put them on your leg to get the hook out) You often find those big blue gills and shell crackers in deeper water away from prying eyes. You smell them out with your nose and look for fanning bubbles. They may be bedding in 4 or 5 feet of water on a strip of sand.
Thats when I go to the wet fly like a tiny gnat.

They sink ever so slowly. You watch the tip of your floating line for a twitch. Thats your fish. You use the floating line as your visual indicator like a cork.

My theory is this. Buy something you can grow into. Not top of the line but not bottom of the barrel either. If you've got room to grow you've got room to do more then make do. You've got room for technique adjustments and some room for the more advanced casting techniques.
Cheap reel as the only thing you use the reel for in bream fishing is winding in your line when you get through fishing. Good rod.
As a beginner I would be shopping in the 80-100 dollar range minimum for just a rod.
I would also look into well known flyrod builders like Orvis or Loomis. May cost a little more but you've got a flyrod to learn on and stick with for a long while. You wont regret it.

I'm no expert on flyfishing. I'm self taught pretty much. My dad always fly fished for bream and so did my brother and I picked it up real young. I know enough though that the rod makes a huge difference as to what you can make it do. With a good rod you can cast live crickets. Lay em right up in there.

I prefer a rod thats real light. Anything with much weight to it will wear you down pretty quick. Thats why I say stay away from the auto winds. They are too bulky and heavy.

 

[alpal16]

I am not familiar with the setup that you are talking about at WalMart, but you could check out Cabelas, Dick's Sporting Goods, or Bass Pro Shops. They have some decent combo set-ups that are cheaper (around $50-$60) that are all set up to go and would be good for panfish. I got my first combo from Dick's. It was a Cortland combo, 5wt, 8 ft and I have caught lots of gills and such on it. It was also a good setup because the rod was pretty forgiving for a beginner. Plus, if you get into it you could definitely use it for trout and bass. Be careful, though, fly fishing can get real addictive real fast:wink:

Hope this helps

 

[riverdawg-1]

i got the lightest combo wallyworld had, trout? i think for 30.00 bucks on clearence a few years ago. i have 2 of my grandfathers flyrods that are really nice, but for catching gills for bait and getting knocked around in the boat the cheap one orks great

 

[mmarcum6]

I can't tell you anything about the fly rod I use as it was passed down to me from my dad. I cant tell you weight or action, but I can tell you it has caught thousands of fish. I learned to fly rod with this rod and have tried others over the years, but have always came back to this simple, and knowing my dad reasonably priced combo. I have fished with it for over 35 years and can't tell you how long my dad had it before he passed it down. There are a lot of folks who will tell you one thing and then another will tell you something else. I can not agree or disagree as I'm an amature at best, but will gladly stand shoulder to shoulder with them and throw a fly with the old rig I have. It is like anything you have used for a long time. The more comfortable you are with it and the more you have used it the better it will perform in your hands. This simple combo has caught everything from panfish like bluegill and crappie to bass both large and small mouth.