idahosofthackle

Sorry about the money issue. I hit a touchy subject. Because of my love for fly fishing I do not think twice if I want something. This is not always practical for everyone but it works for me. I however ALWAYS test everything on the water before I buy it. That way I know if it works the way I want it to. Too many people purchase with no knowledge of what they are buying. This makes for some unhappy people and some great sell prices for the rest of us. I did not know Sage and Loomis cost you so much when you buy them through a local fly shop. I do believe you could find one online for a lot less. Or you could plan a fishing trip in the USA, and bring one home. I do not know what the vat would cost but why not have one shipped from the USA. If you go to the site below you can buy a Sage XP for between $515.00 & $615.00. http://www.cabelas.com Some people buy rods because they are a status symbol. Others buy the high end rods because they can use the rod for a purpose. I personally like Loomis GL3 which you can buy for between $265.00 & 420.00. This rod can also be bought at http://www.cabelas.com I personally do think you get what you pay for. That is why steak tastes better than ground beef. Same cow just better taste. However if you look hard enough you can find some might good ground beef. It just takes a lot of looking. Personally my favorite rod is one I build. It cost me $65.00. My second favorite is a Winston. It cost much more.

I do not know the area you are fishing but it is always wise to take her out for a test drive before you buy it. Personally I like an undersized rod. It makes the fight more fun. If the fight is over to quickly then you will be doing a lot more casting and less fish fighting. Go light if you can. Also when buying a rod you get what you pay for. If it is on sale great, other wise you are just buying a cheap(er) fly rod.

Try Jim Vincent’s Rio Products fly lines. They have a new line called "Nymph". It is the best line I have used and I have cast lines from most every line company. Mind you I have not cast every line each company makes but I have tried enough to know. It roll casts, shoots, mends, and floats excellent and it might even buy you a beer if you are nice. It really is a great line. I own several in different colors. For information on the Nymph lines go to http://www.rioproducts.com/pages/flylines_...&useMet=0#chart I do not work for Rio I just use the product.

The best way to learn fly casting is to take a casting class, you will get what you pay for. It does no good to learn things the wrong way and then later have to re-learn it correctly.