Thread: New fly fisher - reel advice

Originally Posted by HOO

Went for a fish this morning and couldn’t find my leader so used standard nylon hoping that would work but it stood out like dogs balls on the water so I guess that’s a no go
Got the spinner out instead and while I was setting it up a young stag came trotting past! Had some interest from some fish and half hooked one on a small black and gold toby.
Saw some big fish in the side creeks. Definitely an interesting morning out there

Sounds great. Trout fishing is pretty crap up here. It's too warm, we need some largemouth bass.

half way there you know where they sleep - you know you could speed up the process if you invested going out for the day with a really good guide - play dumb and really pick his brains - you may be able to find a friendly fly fisherman on here and petrol and beers and a day of learning ( bacon and egg pie for lunch ) - but your river not their favourite spots most likely - one day with a good guide equal to likely a year of thrashing a river for little gain - just choice of rod line leaders and flys you are well ahead

I just talked a bit to my sister about this thread. She is big time into her fishing and is sponsored fly rods through G Loomis (Shimano) so runs some pretty top end rods, NRX+, Asquith, etc and she seemed to agree with the general consensus here that your rod and your line are where your money should go. Flylab Exo was her reccomendation for a good no nonsense reel that is still good quality and won't cost you the earth.

Originally Posted by HOO

What is a fast/medium action? And the rod numbers I am guessing higher number for heavier fish?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The action refers to the stiffness of a rod. A med-slow action will load slower. Typically not many options now in modern rods are anything less than med-stiff. Your casting style will determine your action need. Typically a faster action will give faster line speed so you can cast into the wind easier or push out longer casts. Some guys with very smooth casting can work with anything but it's from lots of experience. The weight of a rod refers to the line it will be designed to cast. The lighter the line the shorter it is typically designed to be cast. A small creek with still water needs a lighter rod to give good presentation typically. The Tongariro or large rivers have a lot of noise and action so a bigger rod (heavier) will assist with getting a line further out into fishable water. The line should be matched to the rod.
An alaround NZ setup would be something like a 9'0" four piece rod with a WF6 floating line. Good setups come around family easy at decent prices. I think the Primal gear rates as good bang for buck.