Throughout my years on the stream, I have seen numerous ‘big-money’ fishermen, completely outfitted with the latest and most advanced gear, looking as though they have stepped out of a catalog. I have been to conventions where men are bragging about expensive rods, coupled with very highend reels. Although such rigs are beautiful pieces of art, there are always horror stories that follow soon after. I have heard countless stories of shattered rods due to car doors, and curious children, and with every story, I become surer of the fact that nothing beats good, graphite rods.

Since I was a young boy, I have collected many rods of different weights, material, and lengths. Currently, I have a number of split bamboo rods, ranging from only 6 feet, all the way up to 10 ½ feet. Even though I have had the opportunity to cast expensive glass, cane, and bamboo rods, and own a few of my own, they tend to remain in their cases, and very rarely see a rivers edge. Although the above rods may be seen as ‘more advanced,’ I still always choose to use my first rod over all the others.

When I began fly-casting, by father bought me a rod, reel, and lines, for only about $70. The rod was an 8 ½ foot, 7 weight, Pflueger Purist, the reel was a simple, yet very effective, 1492 ½ Pflueger Medalist, loaded with 80ft of 6 weight, Scientific Angler line. Regardless of the age of the set-up, I still pack it for every fishing trip. While the more flashy rods are fun to cast, and catch the eyes of other fishermen, I am able to more effectively cast my Pflueger, proving that “it isn’t the gear that makes the fisherman; it’s the fisherman that makes the gear,” A common misunderstanding among many anglers.

During the summertime, I have the opportunity to work at a campground where I spend a lot of time working with teens, teaching them to learn to cast a fly-rod effectively.

On countless occasions I have face situations where a parent, with great intensions, buys their child a ‘fly-fishing package deal,’ from their local ‘big-box’ stores, and sporting goods store. Although they may think they have gotten a great deal, what they have really done is purchased a ticket to disappointment.

When teaching a new fisherman to cast a fly-rod, it can be very disheartening for the pupil to see their teacher casting extraordinary distances using a lightweight balanced rod, while the student is struggling to cast because their ‘package rod’ has more resemblance to a broomstick than to a fishing pole; a rod that many weathered fisherman would find challenging to cast. Because of this, beginning casters get frustrating thinking that they are doing something wrong, when in reality, it is the gear that they were provided with that is causing them to not be completely successful.

I said all this to say, when introducing a new angler to fly-fishing, or when simply treating yourself to a new rod or reel, it is important to remember that just because a rod is expensive, it does not mean that that rod is a good rod for anybody. In fact, some of the most comfortable rods are not extraordinarily expensive. There are many companies, such as Shakespeare, and Pfueger, that have entire lines of rods that are geared to the average consumer. Furthermore, remember that the only purpose that a reel serves is to hold line, and therefore, there is no need to spend excessive amounts of money on a reel. There have been times on the stream where I have had reel malfunctions, and have continued fishing by simply placing the line in my pocket. The most important thing to remember is that it is worth spending the extra money to invest in a good starter rod when introducing someone to fly-fishing. It is that investment that will determine whether a person grows to love the sport, or becomes frustrated and quits before they can discover the beauty in the art.

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