Equipment for a guy starting up again

[James25]

Hi guys, my first post is probably very similar to a lot of other new guys but if you could stand to answer it again i'd be greatful. So here goes, I will be fishing for bass and trout and other native species (primarily bass) so i was thinking a 9' rod with 6-8 weight line is what i wanted to target and if possible stick to an allotted budget of about $225 max.
Now i havent fly fished in years and never knew anything about good equipment to begin with so all recommendations are appreciatted. right now I'm thinking a rod like this:
http://tinyurl.com/lrgyw paired with a cheap reel and good line, am i on the right path? If you recommend a brand that i could not buy from bass pro could you please provide a link to a reasonably priced e-store where i might pick it up (dont mean to be a pain) or are their good deals to be had locally, i guess Newtown Bait and tackle would be my 'local' place.

thanks for any help, kind regards
James

[flygirl]

I use my 5/6 wt for trout & bass....my lil 3wt for smaller streams. They hold up just fine. You could pick up a combo for less money till you are sure you're going to stick to it.

[James25]

I use my 5/6 wt for trout & bass....my lil 3wt for smaller streams. They hold up just fine. You could pick up a combo for less money till you are sure you're going to stick to it.

thanks for the reply flygirl, it's not something I'm worried about sticking with, while i had my old cheap combo i enjoyed it but when it broke i guess i got lazy and just stick with my spinning stuff, until now....

so i got itchy and just drove down to my nearest shop and was pleasantly surprised by the selection and the people there. Their prices mirror those i've seen online so when i do make the purchase i think i'll go the local route to support the smaller business. basically it seemed they thought favorably of the temple fork i initially was interested in and for the type of flies they showed me and i agreed was what id like to throw, it seemed 7 weight line would be good. Besides the temple fork they also had a Scott V-2 908 for 8 weight at $185, same rod with 6 weight would run $165 (both 9' feet long). They seemed to hold the Scott's in higher regard to the Temple to some degree. One final note is that they had a used Harrison rod, 10' long 8 weight and said i could take that for $75... should i consider going used? can anyone tell me if this brand is a good one? to my untrianed eye it appearred in good shape.

[Todd K]

Im with Flygirl. I use a 5wt for trout and smallmouth bass. I myself wouldn't go higher than a 6wt for bass. I can still move a decent size popper with my 5wt. If you plan on fishing bass down south than that is another ball game.

I fish an 8wt for King salmon. You are talking fish that can hit 20+ pounds.

[The Patriot]

I don't fish for bass myself much, except for summer on the Hous, but I have always read and heard that for bass fishing anything between 5 and 9 can be appropriate. It's not only the size of the fish, but the size and type of flies and the overall conditions, which dictate which size rod is appropriate. A 7, 8, or 9 wt would not be outsized for bass, generally speaking.

However, with that said, I also agree with Flyaddict and Flygirl; for what you are trying to do, I wouldn't go heavier than 6 wt. Not cuz of the bass, but rather cuz of the trout fishing. A 7 or 8 wt is too much rod for most trout fishing done in CT. I have a 10 ft 7wt rod that I bought primarily for steelheading the Great Lakes region, and I have used it for trout twice. It is way too much rod for anything under 15 or 16 inches, and even then it's like catching 8 and 9 inch fish on a 5wt. My brother in law started out with an 8ft 8wt, and it made a poor trout rod. Go 6 or less, and later if you get more into bass fishing, get a second rod, 7 or 8 wt.

I have a Temple Forks entry level rod that I like very much, 9ft 5 wt. Scott is a better brand, but don't get too hung up on names. Cast both rods and see what you like.

Good luck, welcome back!

[Housy Dave]

I guess I have somewhat of a different experience. My opinion is that for freshwater bass a 7 weight is an ideal rod. This year I'm doing all my smallmouth fishing with a 7 weight. I used to use a 5 weight (same rod I used for trout), but decided that it's just too much trouble. It's not that you NEED a 7 weight to fight and land the fish...you can probably handle the fish on as light a rod as a 4 weight. When fishing for smallmouth for example, in order to catch the biggest bass you need to throw sinking lines, fish heavily weighted flies at least 3" long, and be able to cast at least 60 feet. THAT is what you need the 7 weight for. Ever try throwing a long cast with a big clouser with your 5 weight? It just doesn't work. It aint pretty, and can even be a little dangerous. When you finally do hook that 18" smallie, I think you'll be happy to have the 7 weight...you'll have your hands full.

Your just getting re-started so the last thing you want to do is frustrate yourself because you don't have the right equipment to do what you need to do. It is true that the really good casters out there can make just about any rod do just about anything. I don't consider myself one of those people. Yes, it can be done with a lighter rod, but you'll have trouble with long casts, and you won't be able to fish the big flies needed to catch the bigger fish. It sounds like you are primarily going for bass, so I think you should gear more torwards that and don't worry so much about the trout.

[Todd K]

I can see that view also. Wether you have a mid-flex or a tip-flex can make a difference in throwing big flies or sinking line.

[James25]

thanks for all the replies guys, i decided on the 7 weight to help with the larger flies, cant wait for it to get here and get going with it.

Regards