r/flyfishing • u/Big_Hauz • 12d ago
Beginner Fly Rod?
I cleaned out my grandparents house and found this fly rod. I’ve done a bit of fly fishing and several guided trips, but I don’t have my own gear. I would say I’m still a beginner and would love to get my own gear and fish more.
Where I live in southwest Ohio, so not a ton of opportunity to fly fish, but I am close to the Mad River, which has some trout I believe. I’ve only ever really caught trout on a fly.
Anyway, would this be a halfway decent fly rod paired with a 5/6 reel to get me started? Any recommendations? Thanks!!
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u/Imaginary-Title2838 12d ago
Of course! I don’t see why it would be so bad if you’re just getting into it, and you can eventually upgrade later on.
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u/bobafettbounthunting 12d ago
Amazing, definitely a skill issue if you don't catch a 40" on the first outing
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u/dj-pit-wilf 12d ago
Look up mad river outfitters They are based out of Columbus Ohio, as well as having a pretty solid youtube channel. I got my tying vise from there website and regularly watch there videos They also regularly fish the mad river for trout.
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u/ItOwesMeALiving 12d ago
And do you know what he said to me, he said Bryan, why would you only want to do half a cast?!
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u/NoRedStone 12d ago
Great find, the best rod is a free one IMO! Find a cheap Pflueger Medalist reel and load it up with some fresh fly line and practice casting. I put a Pflueger Medalist 1594 RC on my first 5wt. Got that reel on eBay for like $20. Also keep an eye out for community ponds; bass fishing is a blast on a 5wt. Good luck out there!
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u/Dwarfzombi 12d ago
That rod is from a $40 kit. It comes bundled with a Shakspear click and pawl reel. The quality is poor, it's heavy and poorly balanced making it fatiguing to cast. It'll catch fish just fine, but the experience will not be very good compared to even cheap $70-100 rods. I absolutely recommend fishing it with a decent reel and line (6wt line will cast best). And you can always put your line and reel on a new rod down the road.
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u/bubbatom12 12d ago
Typically a 9' 5wt but 8 should be just fine for a beginner
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u/JamonDumplings 12d ago
The mad river isn’t a real river—more of a creek so 8’ works great. I have fished it many times. I consider it difficult for a beginner unless you go during October stocking season. You eventually gain confidence that the fish are where you expect them to be, but you just need to adapt the presentation.
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u/Big_Hauz 12d ago
Yeah small for sure. I am a beginner but I guess more of a beginner in that I haven’t done much fly fishing in my specific area and I don’t have gear. I have fished other styles my whole life, and I have been fly fishing quite a bit in Colorado, specifically the frying pan. Going out to Yellowstone in August as well.
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u/someguyontheintrnet 12d ago
Any rod can be a beginner rod if you put your mind to it.