Fly fishing questions

[Astyle954]

Well here on nightshift replacing a 280T chiller but thinking about fishin.

Recently went to Cherokee NC for the first time ever. It was interesting. I have spinning rods and all that suited for the job. However I had a fly rod as a kid. Made flies and all that but never got too deep into it. Any rate. I am looking to set up a rig to trout fish there in the next few months.
I am a Fenwick fan so I will probably obtain a 5 WT???
What is a good reel to pair with a Fenwick? I see they sell some combos and they pair a Pflueger with them. I have never really been a fan of the rest of their stuff, but I am very biased and base that on no real experience with them.
Thoughts?

Thanks

[J D]

Spend more money on the rod then the reel… for small trout rods the reel is only a place to store the line

[Triton 186]

Look at the Orvis Clearwater combo

[Triton 186]

Trane , York , Carrier ?

[basscat21]

Spend more money on the rod then the reel… for small trout rods the reel is only a place to store the line

Good advice, Stream trout the reel is of little importance. I prefer 5w on bigger rivers, and 3w for streams. I grew up on the upper Delaware, Beaverkill, Willoweemock, but my preference was the little tributaries with native brook Trout. Just so much fun with a 3w, in little pools and riffs.

[ECobb91]

For an entry level, I’d check out Reddington. They’re owned by FarBank, aka Sage. Very economical that performs well above its price point.

If you’re wanting something better, an Orvis Clearwater is a great option still in the entry level price point but is a fantastic rod. I have an 8’6” 5wt Clearwater that was my main rod for nearly 16 years.

I’ll also echo what was mentioned above, for smaller trout fishing (5-14”) a reel is just a fancy line holder. If you don’t expect the fish to make hard runs then spend more on the rod than reel. I have a Ross Evolution on my Orvis, only because I was able to get it at a ridiculous price. I built an NFC F904-2 (4 wt) that rivals a Loomis GLX but I have a Cheeky Preload reel on it because that’s all I needed based on the fish I target.

another thing to consider is the line. Don’t cheap out on line. I’d suggest SA Infinity Trout.

Id also consider ordering through Mad River Outfitters and sending them an email and having a conversation with them. They’ll be able to provide any advice or guidance you’d need

[Bueller]

Echo makes a very good rod in the $200 price range. I’ve got a few, all paired with Orvis reels. Really nice setups.

[BP in ME]

Fenwick rods have a rich tradition. I own several but most are old so I can't speak to the new stuff. My workhorse trout rod is a 7 1/2' 5wt from 1980. I call it 1st gen graphite but that might not be accurate. All I know is it was so much faster than the South Bend fiberglass noodle rod I started with. That little Fenwick has caught tens of thousands of trout and even a few SM up to 3#.

I'd recommend going to a fly shop to handle a few rods. The balance point (with a reel attached) and handle shape make all the difference in feel. Personally, I don't care for a tapered handle because I cast with my thumb on top but that's just me. Several good options already listed above if you decide against a Fenwick. The Orvis Clearwater is pretty nice I have one that serves as a back-up to my Fenwick. TFO makes a decent rod. I hate to even write this but Piscifun (Chinese) do feel nice in the hand esp. for the price. Never cast one though and can't speak to durability.

As for reels, there are so many options for a trout outfit. I'd go with a large arbor, low capacity. I wouldn't limit myself to Plueger. Back in the day, a Fenwick paired with a Medalist was extremely popular but now the Medalists seem a little pricey for what you get and the vintage Medalists are clunky, small arbor, and overpriced due to collectors. My little Fenwick has had the same crappy little Ryobi reel since day one and I can't say as I've ever blamed the reel for not catching more fish (it's a little loud though). You should listen to a few and see if you want the drag to have a smooth buzz or an old school screech. You'll have to listen to it every single time you pull line out.

One last thought, you'll want to decide on LH or RH reels. A lot of reels are reversible but not all. Old school set-up has a right-handed caster reeling with their right hand. I do it that way because that's the way I learned. If I was to start over, I'd put a LH reel on all my rods. It doesn't make a lot of sense to have to switch hands so you can reel in line.

Here's a sampling of my fly reel stash but not all of them by any means. Some people would say I have a problem.

PXL_20210921_134253467.jpg

[Luke]

The river there at Cherokee NC has some huge fish. Keep that in mind also.
I would go with a 5wt at the smallest.
As far as reels go I would also look into a disc drag reel. I just picked up a smaller 8' 4wt for our parks here and put a Reddington Rise on it. Really nice reel so far for what little I have used it.
I would go with a large arbor disc drag.
Lamson makes some really good ones also.
As far as Rods go I am an Echo fan. I have 2 now and are the most used rods I have.

[lakefolk]

Spend more money on the rod then the reel… for small trout rods the reel is only a place to store the line

this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[limitlong]

I am following this thread as I just got back from Cherokee last week. My brother goes there once a month year round and uses spinning rods. He has caught trout up to 24 inches there. We caught our limits on spinning equipment with Joe’s Flies and it was a blast. Next time I go, I want to have a fly rod and fish the catch and release sections of the river.

[BP in ME]

The river there at Cherokee NC has some huge fish. Keep that in mind also.
I would go with a 5wt at the smallest.
As far as reels go I would also look into a disc drag reel. I just picked up a smaller 8' 4wt for our parks here and put a Reddington Rise on it. Really nice reel so far for what little I have used it.
I would go with a large arbor disc drag.
Lamson makes some really good ones also.
As far as Rods go I am an Echo fan. I have 2 now and are the most used rods I have.

What's in the river? Brookies? Browns? Rainbow?

I have one Lamson. Nice reel but a little pricey.

I really like my Silver Ghost switch rod and reel from LL Bean but I think it's discontinued. Their Double L and Streamlight lines are pretty decent in the mid range price point. Mine's an 11' 6wt switch rod. It's really nice for fishing large rivers/open water but I fish some heavy whitewater too and the ability to roll cast that rig to the middle of the river is a big help when there's no room for a back cast. I keep saying I'm going to learn to spey cast but never get around to it

[ECobb91]

The Fly Shack has the previous gen Lamson Liquids on sale for like $100 right now. Lately they had the 3 pack (reel + 3 spools) for like $140ish.

another good part about ordering from Mad River is if you buy the reel and line from them, they’ll put backing on and spool up the reel for free.

a 5wt is a good, universal weight. Kind of like a medium action for bass fishing. It’s versatile, maybe too heavy for very delicate dries or euro nymphs and too light for large streamers, but that’s getting into some very technical fishing. A 5wt will handle most stuff well.

[Kingfish3000]

The corollary to that part about the reel being a place to store line is that a reel with a good drag is important when you move up to big fish.

Once you make it to AK, Kamchatka (eastern Russia), Chile, Argentina, etc. and start catching big trout you will be ruined for life.

Then you move into steelhead, salmon, stripers, largemouth bass, redfish, trevally, triggerfish, tarpon, etc. and are hopelessly lost to the dark side.

Be cautious, and don't so that no one warned you.

[Kingfish3000]

BTW, I have purchased several Scientific Angler trout combo kits for young people and even kept one for myself.

They are used in some pretty good casting schools because they are decent for really cheap units.

They are useful in our part of the country for roughing it into small streams or just having a backup.

The Chattooga River on the state line and its tributaries will keep you entertained.

[BOATS]

Personally, I use a 6wt for trout.

[RNKingCx19]

Trane , York , Carrier ?

York since he’s changing it out.
Fly fishing is go to the Orvis web sites and look around. Get a nice rod for sure.

[Screamin_Reel]

For a starter outfit, I would get a TFO Signature II or a Pro III. TFO makes some good rods for the money. I have several. For a reel, I'd get a Lamson Liquid.

[Okie2]

Another option to consider for trout would be BFS gear. Think of it as ultralight but with a baitcasting reel/rod. I can throw a ton of trout baits down to nearly 1/32 ounce pretty easily. Fun tying your own bfs trout baits too. Like all fishing gear...you can spend under $100 on a rig or over $1,000.00. Just an option & tying the baits is an added bonus during down time.

[fr8dog]

I’ve always been happy with TFO rods (pro II) and Allen reels. An old Medalist reel can be had for few $ and they’re plenty good to handle trouts. Probably be best to go to a fly shop and ask around. Go in with a set budget and stick to it. Most guys are straight up and will do you right. The rod/reel balance is important and they can work with you. As mentioned, the line does matter. A POS line will not perform very well. The combos these days are much better than the ones just a few years ago. My fly poles run from size 3 to 12 and a couple spey rods also. It took several years of tweaking them to get what I’m comfortable with. None are high end but handle bream to bonefish well. (I ‘need’ a O or 1 wt for stuff I want to try this year). It’s a rabbit hole I tell ya!