Fishing - Fly Fishing Rods

Charles Turner wrote:
Hi Guys,

I go fly fishing here in the UK a few times a year, but I might now go a
bit more frequently, mainly reservoir / river. I'm thinking of getting
some new tackle and am just looking for a bit of advice.

I have a really old glass fibre rod (20 years??). It's a Shakespeare
Sigma Supra 1725 - 285. 9.5 ft AFTMA No. 8-9. I also have a multi turn
fly reel.

Am I right in thinking that virtually no-one uses the drag on a reel to
play the fish? I've certainly never seen anyone doing it, so is there
any point in paying £200+ for a reel?

It depends. For larger fish you might. Some people consider the reel as
just a place to store flyline, but I like a reel I can play fish with.
It probably boils down to personal preference, but I like a disk drag
reel. You could probably get one for a more reasonable price than what
you quoted.

So I'm guessing that the real value lies in the rod / line combination.
Now from experience of other sports (tennis / squash etc) that use
carbon fibre equipment I've always found that there is quite a big
difference between the lowest price and around the 60% of top price, but
very little difference in the top 30-40% of the upper price range. Is
this the case for rods? I.e I can imagine a big difference between a £59
rod and a £250 rod, but what about between the £250 rod and a £500 rod?

Regards,

Charles

A good line is important. Probably best to not scrimp on the line. As
far as the rod, your casting ability is what is most important. Where I
live, there is a big difference between a low priced rod and a medium
priced rod. Most people will notice a big difference in their ability to
cast the two. Paying the extra for high end rod may not be as
worthwhile. Get the rod you can cast well with, and don't feel shy about
asking to try it out first.

Tim Lysyk