What's the Best Beginner Fly Rod? These Top Five Are A Great Bargain
I bought my first quality fly rod from Mountain View sports in Anchorage, Alaska around 1990.
It was a Sage DS, or Discovery Series kit, and I hoped it could replace my first fly rod, which I bought after saving up my lawn-mowing money all summer. That first rod was fiberglass and had a reel on it that was loaded with level floating line. It was crap, and I learned that a tail-hooked sockeye and cheap $40 drug-store reel don’t mix well. That rod folded over just above the foam handle with level line peeling down the Russian River like greased lightening. Tears came about fast.
Fortunately, my fly-fishing mentor was my biology teacher, Chuck Ash. He caught wind of my sob story and told me that the Sage DS was the kit to get. My dad went to Mountain View with me and soon I was holding my new Sage kit. It came with a Sage click-pawl reel and a weight-forward floating line and a lifetime warranty. I fished the heck out of that rod for many years, along with the click-pawl reel it came with. Recently I’ve seen those reels on sale on fly-fishing forums and they are collectors items—buying one now costs more than buying the whole kit back in the day.
Things have come a long way in the last 20 years. Rods are made differently now, but one thing remains the same—buying a beginner fly rod combo kit is a good deal, especially if it comes with a lifetime warranty. Here are some of the best fly-fishing kits we carry at North 40. Whether you are just getting into the sport or you need a second, third or fourth rod, all of these provide quality and value.
Echo Base Kit
Let’s start off with the Echo Base kit. I would classify this as a beginner/backup rod. It’s our best seller at North 40 Coeur d’Alene and I think what really makes it stand out is a lifetime warranty . . . all for $149. The kit comes with Echo’s Base graphite rod, a 9-foot 4-piece 5-weight, which is perfect for north Idaho streams. The rod is a dark navy blue color and has a black aluminum reel seat. I’d classify it as a medium-to fast action rod—perfect for beginners and it has enough power to throw big nymph rigs or medium streamers. It’s delicate enough to throw dry flies with ease. The rod is packaged in a black Cordura rod and reel carry-case. Echo’s base reel comes with the rod and is spooled with a weight-forward floating fly line. A tapered leader is knotted to the end of the fly line so all you need to do is walk out of the store, hit the water and tie on a fly. The reel is made with composite construction and has a nice adjustable disc drag. It can be switched from left to right-hand retrieve if needed. It comes set up for left-hand retrieve, which the majority of fly anglers use. This is a fantastic kit, and a setup that you could grow with as a beginner, or use as a backup rod to stash in the trunk for emergency purposes.
Echo Traverse Kit
New for this year is Echo’s Traverse kit. This is a step up from the Base kit and I’d consider it a mid-grade kit. This setup comes in at $249 and like the Base kit it carries a lifetime warranty. This is a killer kit guys—the rod included in this kit is the Echo Traverse, which is made with premium carbon fiber and has a great, smooth feel to it. The action isn’t as fast as the Base, but more refined and a touch lighter in the hand as well. This rod shines as a dry-fly rod, but it doesn’t hinder you when fishing nymph rigs or small-to medium-size streamers. It sports a beautiful, dark maroon color and comes as a 9-foot 4-piece 5-weight. The guides are single foot, which I think helps smooth the action out a bit and lightens up the rod as well. The guide wraps have a nice silver accent, which stands out. The reel seat is upgraded as well and is a dark rose colored wood with silver aluminum hardware. Again, that is a perfect rod for the northern Rockies and trout fishing on every stream in north Idaho and western Montana.
Echo went with their Ion reel with this kit. The Ion is a killer reel with a large arbor for fast line pickup. Its alloy construction is more robust than the composite base reel. Awesome design, which they call the “Skeletor” design, means it has a clean startup with the drag, and no skipping. Very smooth. The reel has fine drag settings, which allows you to tune the drag to those light tippet situations and reduce breakoffs with the big boys. The reel also is backlash-free, which keeps that fly line and backing from getting all bound up.
The line is high-quality, too, and better than what comes with the other kits. This line is called the “Forge” and has less memory than other kit lines. Its dual-colored so you can see it in tough light situations; it has a slicker coating to it as well, which means it will shoot faster and reduce pickup friction off the water. It also has a front end welded factory loop for quick loop-to-loop leader connections. Its low profile and slides through the guides nicely. The Cordura case this kit comes with is even a touch better than the Base case. Seems to be a more durable cloth and has a plastic plate on the bottom to prevent fraying. It also has a clear nameplate for putting a name and address card in. All in all, this is a great package and I think well worth the $100 step up from the Base kit. If you have a little extra ka-ching burning a hole in your pocket this one’s a no-brainer—spend the extra bucks and you’ll thank me.
Echo Gecko Kit
This is a kids kit and Echo knocked it out of the park on this one. It’s been around for a few years and we’ve sold a lot of them—the feedback has been great with lots of excited and successful young anglers telling us their experiences. Again, this kit comes with the all-important lifetime warranty, all for $149. The rod is Echo’s Gecko, which is 7’9” long and very manageable for kids. It is yellow, which I think is smart—it’s cool looking and stands out when set down on a beach or on the rocks. That’s good because it could easily be stepped on or misplaced if it were a traditional black, brown or green rod color. The grip on the rod is cool, too. It is made of soft foam with different colored printed Geckos on it. It’s slender so it fits smaller hands. It also has a small fighting butt, so the kids can have a little extra leverage when they are fighting fish. And you probably know the deal—if anyone is going to hook the big fish, it’s the kid. The reel seat is a simple plastic. The reel that fits on it is the Echo Solo. The Solo has a large arbor, which is a great feature and allows for quicker pickup of the fly line.
The fly line is a weight-forward 5-weight floating and its dual color makes it easy for kids to see. It has a front welded loop for ease of switching out leaders. Like all the other kits, Echo adds a 9-foot tapered leader to the end of the fly line. The kit comes in a black Cordura rod-and-reel carry-case. It has a carrying handle and a clear name plate as well. This will be an exceptional setup for the kids, and gives them quality to learn on and enjoy for many years.
Loop Incite Kit
The Loop Incite is the next kit on the list. Loop has done a great job with this one. I consider this kit a mid-grade kit. This kit comes in at $199 and like all the Echo kits has a lifetime warranty to go with it as well. We carry two different weights in this kit here at North 40. One is a 5-6 weight and the other is a 7-8 weight and both are 9 foot in length and both are 3-piece rods versus 4-piece rods that are in all the other kits. The Incite rod is a fantastic casting rod and I’d classify it as a fast-action rod. It is a great rod for our western rivers and handles most anything you throw at it. The 7-8 can for sure be a pike, steelhead, bass or large trout stick and the 5-6 will be your all around trout rod. The rod is good looking, too. It has a simple matte black finish, a really nice premium full wells cork handle that Loop is known for doing right. It has a black anodized aluminum reel seat, and the 7-8 model has a fighting butt. Loop balanced out the kit with their XACT reel, the 2/6 model for the 5-6 kit and the 5/8 model for the 7-8 kit. The reel is large arbor, which I prefer, and is made with composite lightweight construction. It has a green anodized aluminum drag knob and reel handle, which sets it apart from the black reel. The reel has a great smooth disc-drag and preforms like you’d expect from a Loop product. They have included a basic weight-forward floating line, which is white in color and has a 9’ tapered leader attached to it. Loop paired the kit with a nice rod and reel carrying case. The Cordura cloth seems to be a bit nicer than most and, like the Echo Traverse case, has a plastic base plate that controls damage to the fabric, and the rod. Doesn’t seem like a big feature, but I’ve had many rod and reel cases over the years and the ones with the plastic base plate last a bit longer. All in all this is an awesome setup and will suffice for an entry-level angler getting into the sport, or an accomplished angler looking to add to the quiver.
Redington Crosswater Kit
I classify the Redington Crosswater as a beginner/entry-level rod. Unfortunately, this is the only kit we sell that does not come with a warranty, but the price reflects that at $109. The Crosswater rod is a good caster, and will suffice for any beginner. It is a faster action graphite rod and is forgiving for the entry-level angler. It casts with ease. The Crosswater we stock comes in a 9-foot 4-piece 5-weight model. The rod is a deep blue color and has a nice look to it. It has a half wells cork grip, and an anodized aluminum and wood reel seat. A nice feature is alignment dots on each connection of the sections of the rod. This is a simple but convenient feature that I wish most manufacturers would do. It allows anglers to quickly align all the guides on their rods for excellent casting.
The reel is Redington’s Crosswater 4/5/6. It is a lightweight composite construction, has a reliable disc drag, and is a large arbor as well, which is a great attribute for an entry-level reel. The fly line is a weight-forward 5 weight and is a high vis lime green. It has a 9-foot tapered leader attached, and is ready to catch fish. The kit comes with a blue Cordura rod and reel case, with a carry handle and has a see-through panel where the reel is. This is a nice kit and you won’t break the bank while deciding how deep you want to get into the sport.
All in all, we have a large variety of different kits available here at North 40. From cost-saving entry-level kits to more advanced and refined kits even an accomplished angler would be proud to fish. Come see what we have to offer. We are happy to string one up and let you cast at the store so you can make the right purchase.