New fly rod and reel

[Chris123123]

I am new to this forum, and I am a high school fly fisherman. I'm thinking about getting a Redington classic trout 8'6 4 weight fly rod and an orvis access II reel for General Sierra fishing. Anybody have any input on wether I should go shorter/lighter? Also I was wondering if there were any other good moderate action fly rods for around $200? Any feedback helps a lot!

[WanderingBlues]

Welcome to the site! A 4wt is a real nice 'general purpose rod.' I don't have any experience with Redington, but I'm sure they have some good intro level offerings. I can vouch for the TFO fly rods as well as the Echo Fly Rods. Both companies have excellent rods for well under the $200.00 price point. The Echo Carbon stands out and they offer an 8'6" 4wt. Here's their link.

http://www.echoflyfishing.com/html/rod_category_details.php?category_id=2&page_id=14&product_type=1

Feel free to bombard the site with questions. There's a lot of amazing experience here.

[John Harper]

I have a Classic Trout, 7'6" 3wt and I absolutely love it. I think they discontinued them, so if you can get a good deal, go for it. I'm not an expert, but it just feels real good and effortless to cast. I think mine was about $149 with case, but you might find one real cheap now that they are not made. Extremely well made IMO.

I use my dad's old tuna can Martin reel, so the pair is very light.

John

[87TT]

I know that I can say from my experience learning to fly fish that I'm glad I didn't start out with an expensive rod. Number one, I broke the first one several times. The tip broke trying to retrieve fly from tree, jamming it while walking(clod that I am) falling on it, ect. Number two, I could actually tell the difference and appreciate it

[fshflys]

Number one, I broke the first one several times. The tip broke trying to retrieve fly from tree, jamming it while walking(clod that I am) falling on it, ect.

Do your homework, many of the rodmakers that have been around for a while have very good warranties, even in the price range you are looking at. Most charge nominal fee to repair/replace. Remember, automobiles are NOT a fly rods freind.

[briansII]

I am new to this forum, and I am a high school fly fisherman. I'm thinking about getting a Redington classic trout 8'6 4 weight fly rod and an orvis access II reel for General Sierra fishing. Anybody have any input on wether I should go shorter/lighter? Also I was wondering if there were any other good moderate action fly rods for around $200? Any feedback helps a lot!

Welcome!

The above sounds like a very good choice. I have Redington rods, Orvis reels, and I'm happy with every one of them. A 8'6" 4wt should be a great all around trout rod. As you progress, you can go to a smaller rod for small creek fishing, and possibly bigger for larger, westslope streams. Right now though, what you are looking at is about perfect(IMHO).

briansII

[87TT]

Number one, I broke the first one several times. The tip broke trying to retrieve fly from tree, jamming it while walking(clod that I am) falling on it, ect.

Do your homework, many of the rodmakers that have been around for a while have very good warranties, even in the price range you are looking at. Most charge nominal fee to repair/replace. Remember, automobiles are NOT a fly rods freind.

I have used the repair/warranty before but the turnaround really played havoc with the fishing time when you only have one or two rods and are on a budget. A couple of times I repaired them my self even in the field. I still have an Orvis 4wt that is 1 1/2" short

[Chris123123]

Thanks for all the responses guys! I have to start saving up now

[Dry Fly Rie]

I got started 20+ years ago as a 10 or 11 year old in the Sierras using an 8 foot 4 weight Orvis rod. It was a great all-around rod, and still my go-to rod even though I've added a number of other sticks. Good luck on your search.

[Chris123123]

In my search, I also stumbled upon the cortland brook 864 4 wt 4 piece. Anybody have experience with these or heard anything about them? They sell them at a fly shop pretty close to me, so I was just curious.

[briansII]

In my search, I also stumbled upon the cortland brook 864 4 wt 4 piece. Anybody have experience with these or heard anything about them? They sell them at a fly shop pretty close to me, so I was just curious.

The Cortland maybe a fine rod, but if it were me, I'd go with the Redington. Plenty of positive reviews on the Redington CT, and I know from personal experience, Redington's warranty dept is as good as anyone's. The CT is on sale at a cheaper price than the Cortland.

briansII

[WanderingBlues]

And don't rule out a better quality used rod.

[Sasha]

And don't rule out a better quality used rod.

This!

[John Harper]

In my search, I also stumbled upon the cortland brook 864 4 wt 4 piece. Anybody have experience with these or heard anything about them? They sell them at a fly shop pretty close to me, so I was just curious.

The Cortland maybe a fine rod, but if it were me, I'd go with the Redington. Plenty of positive reviews on the Redington CT, and I know from personal experience, Redington's warranty dept is as good as anyone's. The CT is on sale at a cheaper price than the Cortland.

briansII

Yes, I loaned a buddy a 4 piece RS2, and he broke the tip. Redington replaced with a whole new RS4 for something like $25 maybe. And quick turnaround as I recall.

John

[fly addict]

I suggest you go cast several rods in your price range before you buy one. Everybody here has their own favorites, it might work for them, maybe not you. I can’t remember ever casting a bad modern day factory fly rod, and I get to cast way more than most ever will. There are a lot of good fishing rods in the $200 price range. Find a shop near you and start trying them out, you will find one that feels better to you than the rest. That is the one you should buy. The search for a new fly rod is a lot of fun, enjoy it!