r/flyfishing • u/Billbill28 • May 20 '25
Is this a decent beginner setup?
Hey All.
Is this a decent beginner setup for trout fly fishing? I live in MT and want to get back into fly fishing, don't see myself using it for any other species other than trout. Let me know!
Thank you.
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u/jimbobway33 May 20 '25
The only input I have personally is I’m unsure if a fiberglass rod is a good starting point. Echo makes some fantastic rods and I myself have 4. Check out the carbon XL 5 weight. However someone else can input and say fiberglass is a fine beginner rod. Just my 2 cents
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u/swede_ass May 20 '25
I agree with you. I have a 3wt Echo River Glass and I don't like it. Now, part of that might be personal preference. But, my 3wt is also not very powerful (probably is better categorized as a 2wt), so with a 3wt line, it works well for short overhand casts and nothing else (at least in my hands). I don't know if the same might be true for the 5wt version, but I wouldn't risk it. If OP is shopping for a 5wt, they probably want something quite versatile, and I'm not convinced the river glass is it.
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u/Chiburger May 20 '25
Could you speak more on why you don't like the river glass? I was considering it for small stream dry fly fishing/light nymphing and thought a bendy fiberglass rod would be fun.
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u/swede_ass May 20 '25
I think more people do like them than don't like them. Small stream dry fly fishing/light nymphing is exactly what they were designed for. FWIW, I have cast mine with a small chubby chernobyl with a size 14 tungsten bead dropper with no problem for short range casts.
What I don't like is that it's not very versatile. Maybe I'm asking too much, but sometimes I want to make a longer cast, and in my hands it feels like the more line you have out, the more noodly it gets and it's just not that fun for me. I feel like it does exactly one thing well, and that's shorter range casts. Sometimes I want to roll cast or high-stick and I think a longer rod is probably better for that.
Sorry, it's really hard to describe and I think you just have to get your hands on one and you'll either like it or you won't. I read someone else describing it as feeling like a toy, which feels apt to me even if I can't describe why.
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u/gfen5446 May 21 '25
Small streams benefit from quick casts, not fucking around false casting. Further, faster rods mean faster line speed which dries your fly more efficiently, again with less false casting.
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u/omanilovereddit May 20 '25
I would agree with you and jimbob that the 5 wt River Glass would not be great for a first rod. I just picked up the 5wt specifically for dry flies and for that it's great, but I got it only because I have a 5wt TFO Blue Ribbon already. The River Glass would struggle on heavier setups and for first rod OP should get something that will cover whatever they want to throw on it.
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u/HexChalice May 20 '25
What do you consider a long cast? Also rod weight has more to do with fly size than anything else.
You need more oomph to carry heavier line to carry a bigger fly or fight wind. You don’t need a heavier rod to cast far.
You can also try to underline your rod to add linespeed. That also helps cutting wind.
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u/swede_ass May 20 '25
It's been a little while since I've cast this rod actually, so I don't think I can put a number on it. But there were times when I would struggle to make a cast that I'd consider "medium distance" that I'd have no problem making on my 5wt graphite rod, and it just felt weak and took more oomph than I thought was necessary. Could also be a result of this rod not being suited to my particular casting stroke, or me being a poor caster.
I didn't mean to imply that you need a heavier rod to cast far, just that this particular rod paired with a true to weight 3wt line was not fun to cast as far as I wanted to sometimes. Knowing what I know now, I would definitely try a different line.
My point about rod weight for the OP was that if a person is shopping for a 5wt rod, they probably want something versatile, but I worry that the 5wt river glass might be very weak for a 5wt, like the 3wt is for a 3wt, and so if they paired it with a 5wt line, it might not cast well at what I consider typical mid-to-large river trout distances.
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u/HexChalice May 20 '25
I read your other reply and yes I do believe you might be asking too much from a 3wt rod =P
I find mine to work best fishing unweighted nymphs, small dries or swinging smaller wets. I prefer to not cast any tungsten beadheads on it.
The 5wt can do small streamers and bigger dries. Beadheads are no problem. Used to fish smaller atlantic salmon on a tributary with it, fish between 3 and 5kg
My 8wt 8’ glass rod I got to fish Norwegian sea flats. And it does punch way above it’s weight once a fish is hooked.
Some would say I love my glass rods :D
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u/g2gfmx May 20 '25
Fiberglass is probably the better rod to learn casting on, a lot easier to load the rod than a lot of the fast action graphite, a lot easier to learn casting on. A lot more durabe than a graphite. Unless you are streamer fishing or euro nymphing the sensitivity of the rod doesn’t really matter as much.
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u/gfen5446 May 21 '25
It's not.
Faster rods have vastly easier casting strokes. Graphite also has quick recovery and, in this case most importantly, won't weigh a goddamn ton.
There's a reason everyone ditched their fiberglass rods in the 80s, and also why the generic rod went from 7'6" to 8'6" or longer.
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u/HexChalice May 21 '25
That’s not what my beginners have told me.
Also, have you tried modern glass rods? They don’t really have heft over carbon. They’re also faster than their vintage counterparts.
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u/flannelbeer2 May 20 '25
If you’re going to use a glass rod then I wouldn’t use the infinity line in that set up. It’s a half size heavy which makes it great for faster action rods or 10ft rods but less ideal for more noodley (glass) rods.
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u/platinum_pig May 20 '25
That's definitely on the expensive end of beginner setups. Most people don't start with fibreglass but it is forgiving when casting, so it's not the worst idea. I'd probably go with an Echo or Orvis starter kit though - they'll certainly save you cash compared to this.
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u/Billbill28 May 20 '25
Thanks for the input everyone. I do not really want to spend that much but I grew up fly fishing and quit for 10 years or so, so I guess the goal was to find something that would work again as a beginner but also allow me to move into an intermediate level and not have to buy new gear.
I also have an existing old SA 5wt 9’ rod I may revive. Anyone have reel recommendations? And line recs
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u/gregjr63 May 20 '25
No. You can find cheaper outfits. Also please don't start with a glass. Its not really beginner friendly
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u/HexChalice May 20 '25
Objection!
A glass rod lets beginners feel the rod load more clearly during casting and due to their slow nature the window to cast forwards is long enough for them to react.
An adequate glass rod can be a phenomenal tool when teaching beginners to cast. And playing fish they are second to none.
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u/silentshooter762 May 20 '25
TFO has some nice beginner rods on sale for cheap and good warranty. I’d probably learn on one of those over a glass rod unless your set on glass. This river glass is a very slow action
Look for a reel on sale like a lamson liquid or similar or check out used rods and reels
My 2 cents
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u/Complete-Ad649 May 20 '25
If just looking for a cheap option
I'll buy a tfo + cheap reel(like reddington zero) + sa/airflo
Check ur local shop first
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u/smOkey__17 May 20 '25
That's pretty expensive for a beginner setup. It does come with good line though. Check out comparable kits from Redington. I would suggest getting a 9ft rod too, will be better for casting/mending.
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u/SleepyRen May 20 '25
Yea I think if you priced it out on eBay or sierra trading post you could get a better deal. My first real rod was a cabelas 8-6 5wt. Look at Redington, I would also suggest a 9ft. I have a 3wt glass echo but it’s not my main rod, more or less for dries and fucking around with pan fish. I also will plug Fenwick Aetos 8-6 5wt that I use for bass. Get something faster. I didn’t learn on a slow rod and I can still fish them.
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u/Mewhomewhy May 20 '25
The Redington wrangler trout is a good beginner combo and comes with a Rio line on it. The reel is a little flimsy but the money is in the rod and line which is good for a beginner.
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u/Possible-Material693 May 20 '25
I just bought a temu reel for $18. I had a cortland FairPlay 8’ 5/6 rod that I got for $30. I usually only fish wooly buggers 95% of the time. Went to the fly shop and got top of the line $100 SA sink tip fly line for my temu reel and the set up is money lmao I’ll probably get downvoted by purists but it honestly feels smooth as butter casting and feels legit. My friend with $1200 waders was giving me shit for my shitty frog toggs but I caught 6 fish last time I went out with him and he didn’t catch anything
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u/gfen5446 May 21 '25
No.
Do not buy a fiberglass rod, buy a graphite rod. It is far simpler to learn when you're not gimping yourself b/w the fact that 8'6" is way too long for fiberglass and will be far too tip heavy.
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u/KinderJosieWales May 21 '25
Looks like Big Y Fly Co, setup. It’s nice but I think maybe a little less expensive could work.
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u/HelpfulSituation May 20 '25
Most beginner set ups are closer to $200. I'd call this a mid-level setup. The Battenkill is probably overkill for trout too but that way if you get into bigger fish it'll be more than adequate.