Testing the CHEAPEST Fly Rod Combo on AMAZON!

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

If there is another Amazon rod you want to see reviewed let me know in the comments! If I get enough interest I’ll do some more! Thanks for watching!

[@shanewells9067]

Should of got the wild water

[@cameronbreau9226]

U should try the max catch one whit the hat

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

@@cameronbreau9226 I’m actually trying it now!

[@cameronbreau9226]

@@mainetroutwhisperer sweet excited for the video

[@ReelAnglerReviews]

The maxcatch premiere would be awesome. I actually have it but I'm not sure if mine is working correctly cause I hear zero resistance when I pull out line and I also feel zero resistance as well.

[@scottjock]

Best and most consistently succesful fly fisherman I ever met used to say its not what's in your hand that matters, its whats in the water. He used a very reasonably priced rod, line and reel but the best leaders and flies.

[@Adamslowsis]

I feel this. In order of importance: Spot, fly, leader, reel, rod. In a good spot with the right fly, you can catch fish with a piece of line on a stick.

[@daleporter9162]

@@Adamslowsis Agree a 100%

[@BukitMan]

@@Adamslowsis I agree, except switch places with real and rod because half the time we bring them in by hand without reeling.

[@DoctorSess]

@@Adamslowsis shit in the right spot I’ve caught a couple rainbows with my bare hands over the years 😅

[@sallison7]

The friend I backpacked with in the High Sierras taught me how to fish. I claimed it was his equipment that made the difference. Unti,l one day he said "Try my rod!." He still caught a fish before my line was even wet! 😂

[@paulisemonger280]

Great review. I watched it twice and then bought one. Really appreciate all the hard work in producing this video. Some people have no idea how much work goes into a production like this with multiple cameras.

[@ryanfirst9761]

I’m 61 and haven’t fly fished since I was in my teens, but I wanted to get back into it for pond fishing for bream. My kids got me one of those for Father’s Day. I’ll buy a better leader, but I’m going to have to try this thing out next week. Thanks for the video.

[@daltonodom4906]

Because of your video I have bought this as my first combo and I’ve only had it since early march but I haven’t looked back I’ve been having tons of fun fishing for crappie and bluegill with it

[@cowboy6591]

First thing my father taught me when teaching me fly fishing is to : PRACTICE on a fly lure with NO HOOK in it. Or you will snag the back of your skull every time !! Boy was he right. My brother thought he was blowing smoke till he hooked his ear lobe !! Remember, practice without the hook!!

[@simonduersteler8251]

Cool earring he got😂

[@garrymobey912]

My Dad taught me the same and even when i got better he made we wear a hat, yes I hooked my hat 😂

[@natehick1951]

Have only hooked myself twice but it didn't go past the barb lol, awareness of how how the fly line will behave when maneuvered can save ya a bit, but practice would definitely help I imagine

[@simonduersteler8251]

I can’t even fly fish so no hooking yet but a root

[@Trefuckor963]

I saw someone hook their eye ball one time

[@cws4657]

The cheapest fly rod you can find today is probably comparable to the best fly rod made back in the 30’s

[@differentfins]

Very entertaining watch! In 30 years of fishing I can tell anyone that "money doesnt buy fish". Having expensive gear is a luxury but at the same time it's not always better. This seems like an exceptional starter kit for the price!

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Thank you!

[@maytediaz5555]

I used a piece of line to catch bluegill in Texas, and then I used it again and caught bass. I learned you can buy fish with patience.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

@@maytediaz5555 that’s no lie. Just depends how miserable you want to be during the process… lol

[@craigleith100]

My 1st brand new fly rod was a combo Shakespeare Sigma £75 great wee rod but I got into lure fishing with mepps spinners Rapala Salmo etc I would by another since my brother who has the transport turned to fly fishing now he thinks I’m cheating using lures so he won’t take me out with him and public transport is my only option meaning I have to wear my waders and carry my rucksack & Fanny pack fishing bag it’s too much for my ailing body ✌🏼💙👍🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Mosquito3314]

Very well said, Any rod & reel will work , sure the expensive ones, could feel or work slightly better, but casting, and type of fly with a little technique is key to catching the fish.

[@914va]

Great vid. I bought this combo for a new fishing partner (new at it). I used 30lbs test mono as backing. Used all of floatline. It worked out very well. You are correct....throw the leader out. Other than that...it is a great beginner combo.. good choice.

[@scottdearborn4238]

It was really helpful to see how you systematically went through buying, using, and then critiquing the whole setup. I really appreciate that!!

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Thank you

[@Cigarhiker]

There is a way to insure that you have the precise amount of backing on the reel without cutting the fly line. Wind the the fly line onto the reel head first. Attach backing and wind onto reel until filled to the desired level. Strip all the backing and line off, attach backing to reel and wind up. Obviously this method is somewhat time consuming and best done where you have lots of room to avoid tangles, but it does take out the guesswork!

[@wm.darrelberry3909]

Rod looks fairly well balanced.

[@markmywords8674]

@@Cigarhiker I like hot dogs with mustard.

[@jdcarl]

A candle would easily solve that issue.

[@Cigarhiker]

I agree with everyone. The rod does look balanced, I also like mustard on my hot dogs and a candle might be helpful if installing backing in the dark.

[@PootyTangGaming]

No one asked for a paragraph

[@tk5067]

My wife gifted me a cheap, $45 Piscifun reel. Machined aluminum, and nearly as smooth as my Lamson reels. Some cheap stuff is junk, but some can surprise you. This was a good video for those fishing on a budget.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Agreed. Only one way to find out so I took one for the team.

[@davidbulanowski1091]

I haven't been much of a fly fisherman. Mostly into saltwater. But I have 4 Piscifun casting reels that I've been using in saltwater for as long as 5 years. They're better than any "name brand" casting reels I've ever used. They make good stuff.

[@doctordrommos6432]

Why you always research before you buy!

[@sigrun2355]

I have both a 5/6 weight fly reel and a baitcaster from Piscifun, and honestly both of the work amazingly well, and honestly the fly reel has held up really well to the assorted abuse that it has endured, including but not limited to a highway speed car crash. I will gladly give them my money for a reel

[@PakyPasquini]

I keep coming back to this video every couple months because it is just pure entertainment

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

@@PakyPasquini posting another one as we speak lol

[@PakyPasquini]

@@mainetroutwhisperer hahah what a coincidence will be on the watch 🤙

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

@@PakyPasquini should be up first of next week.

[@timsmithoutdoors]

I’ve had that wild water kit for three years now. I have beat the ever living snot out of it and it has held up! Awesome beater rod to keep in the truck and for the money it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. This is an awesome video dude, freakin love it.

[@RTWGraphics]

Aha! I do too. Still works great.

[@matthewcolton6936]

Just got this exact rod combo for christmas. I've never fly fished before and questioned whether this would do the job. I was really pleased to see how effective you are with it. It's also nice to see how to get it set up properly and what to buy when I take it out for the first time. thank you!

[@davidbundesen5867]

Speaking as someone who NEVER has done any fly fishing, this looks pretty appealing. I like the fact that it has everything you need to start. I might actually get this

[@yonderway8458]

Have you been consumed by the world of flyfishing yet??

[@KevW-z7z]

How you liking it?

[@luckyx16]

I am the typical KZbin skeptic. I was ready to watch you trash any fly rod that was not top of the line. Starting out honest so you know where I am coming from. This was an impressive honest (IMHO) review. I enjoyed it. I started fly fishing in 96-97, as I wanted a fishing kit small enough for my backpacking to remote locations so I did not have to pack in so much food. I bought a $50.00 fly rod (did not come with leader/backing/or tippets) and spent several weekends "whipping the water" until I figured out what the heck I was doing. Fly rod held up, busted a lot of tippets, and shredded the ends of fly line, until I got the hang of it. That flyrod is still used today, but not as much (moved back to Midwest. Over all thumbs up. Hit the like button, and will watch a few more videos before deciding to subscribe.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Thank you much!

[@Brunnen_Gee]

I've always been a budget guy out of necessity. The thing is, the fish don't care how much your gear costs. As long as it's functional, you'll catch stuff. I'm only just getting into fly fishing. I've done some tenkara the last year or two, but recently got my first modern fly combo. Haven't had a chance to use it yet though, I'm trying to absorb all the info I can first.

[@mikethetaffer]

First time viewer, never fly fished and find the pricing prohibitive, but been thinking about it. This looks like my gateway! Thank you for a thorough review!

[@austinh6332]

Fishing can be expensive for sure, but also only as expensive as you want it to be - if you feel as though you'd enjoy the hobby, I 100% recommend you get out & try - might end up being a lifetime thing!

[@kalikasurf]

The Amazon rods are great!!! You’re inevitably going to make some mistakes with getting stuck in bushes and stabbing the tip of the rod in a tree trunk and break a rod tip or two……..and with a 100 dollar line and a 500 pole……it would be a disaster!!! The line is kinda junky and the pole isn’t smooth……but once you learn the mechanics of casting and fall in love with it…..the upgraded rod you buy will feel like a Ferrari after driving a civic!!! Get the cheap rod and reel, but don’t go cheap on tippet and flies! (They aren’t especially expensive, but that’s the weak link between catching fish / falling in love with fly fishing or spooking fish and getting frustrated with no catches)

[@mygrassisblue1234]

This is such a common misconception. Cabella's, FIeld and Stream and apparently Amazon have awesome entry level gear for under $100 that will get you slinging bugs and catching fish

[@austinh6332]

@@mygrassisblue1234 Absolutely! Just took my old amazon 5wt out this weekend - $100 for a setup that is ready to fish!

[@fluxcapacitor05]

Yeah, I was the same way. First rod was an Okuma 9ft 5wt because I worked at a sporting goods store and could get it for less than $50 with my discount. Found a garcia mitchell fly reel to go with it. Everything else was loaned to me. Now, I could sell all of my equipment and buy a new car, and even then I still find the "exclusivity" and pricing of fly gear to be somewhat predatory and intentionally prohibitive. Still, I own a lot of the expensive stuff now and find it to be actually good to use, but the idea that you have to be on the water looking like you just jumped out of an Orvis catalog simply to just sort of 'join the club' is complete BS. I'll remind you that fly fishing is like any other business, and marketing to a specific class is always a known strategy. Just remember that most people on the water aren't like that.

[@j.mcq.8418]

That starter guide probably has some humorous phrasing. Worth a read for that alone.

[@garrymobey912]

I haven’t fly fished for 40 years and you have made me realise how much I miss it, thank you buddy subscribed with a bell 🛎❤️

[@KevW-z7z]

How are you liking it now that you started back?

[@ventureofalifetime8989]

I bought that brand for a spare baitcasting reel and was super happy. They actually are really good and don’t cut corners where it matters

[@uni_shadow164]

I planned a Fly fishing trip to the West Branch "Catskills" area last Halloween weekend with a Buddy and my Brother. I bought a 10 ft 5 weight 4 piece "drifter" rod From "Moonshine" rod Co. The rod had copper guides so I wanted a cheaper reel to go with the rod! I bought the Sougayilang reel in you video and it worked perfectly and looked made or each other. 20 inch brownies were not a problem with my set up! Nice video, I recommend that reel to anybody. Nice choice!

[@amberwright3552]

When teaching our Boy Scouts to fly fish, we recommend using a Weight Forward - Floating fly line... the extra wings out front makes it easier to cast. You said yours was a "floating" line. Was your line tapered, level or WF? We also teach the kids to stay away from level line. LOL. Aloha. Interesting and very informative video, thank you.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

It was tapered

[@COSBROWN151]

My wife bought me a collapsible spinning combo on Amazon for travelling, same manufacturer. Works just fine for a vacation and if it gets damaged I’m not out a huge investment.

[@jimholmes4224]

Good video - I have bought a number of beginner outfits for young people in our church and this one seems a bit better than some I have bought. Will give this one a closer look.

[@manifestgtr]

I have a version of this same reel. It’s not the same “brand” but it’s undoubtedly made in the same factory. I like having a nicer rod, personally…I have a couple custom rods that are just lightweight, balanced nicely and colored to camo against the foliage in my area. That being said, my brother catches trout using an old Martin 6 wt from the 90s that was actually my first fly rod as a kid. Nice gear is for YOU, it’s not for the fish. Nice gear is lighter and more ergonomic so it doesn’t tire you out as quickly, it’s pleasant to use and easier to cast with. But it doesn’t necessarily give you a big advantage. Knowing what to use and how to present it…that’s 90% of the equation once you’ve found where the fish are.

[@shad3128]

as my pops used to say, just put the fly where the fish are... theyll never care about what kind of rod or reel ya got

[@darrelbaillie7829]

To add to my previous comment- wrt the reel; I recently bought 4 of these type of reel; I assume besides personal branding and colour, most of these cheaper reels probably come from the same factory. Having said that, I am actually quite happy with the reel: I don't fish professionally so I am okay with a cheaper quality. Definitely better than the plastic/ graphite models sold by Walmart and some other outfitters. Once again, thank you for the honest review.

[@0074craig]

I Bought the same rod back in 2021 and out of 5 fly rods I own today it is still my go to ,,,,been a Great Rod and reel ,,,dont forget to grease it every year ,,,cheers

[@scombridae1969]

Thank you for the review! With loop connectors I like to rub in a little ca glue and then use fly tying thread to putt a little nail knot that coverse the junctions. If I feel like where the loop end meets the fly line that is fed into (right at the junction) is soft enough to cause unwatned hinging, I willl work in some gel CA glue and lay it flat to stiffen it up a bit.

[@thecatchtherelease8982]

Much love from Australia, always wanted to travel to the states and Canada for a epic fly fishing trip, fly fishing here in Australia is insane but there is a few species I wanna tick off that we simply don’t have

[@cutley2b]

I watched your video about a couple months ago since my GF and I are trying fly fishing. I did it yearrrrs ago and still have my Cortland equipment. But for her just getting started, we wanted to go inexpensive. I saw that exact setup on Amazon for $90 and put it in my wish list. A week ago, I got VERY lucky and the price dropped to $62! Needless to say I ordered it. It’s the 1st week in February and too cold here in the North to fish, but she will soon be practice casting with this kit maybe this weekend. Seems like a very good beginners kit. CNC machined reel is nice.

[@Vechking]

Wow man, one thing that struck me immediately was when you start testing the rod out. You picked a beautiful spot and awesome camera angles to show the action of the rod. 👌

[@edMerican]

I bought this as my first rod. Its a fair rod, albeit ridiculously heavy. The 5wt is nearly 6 oz. The "cork" is worthless. Its actually a foam grip wrapped in a thin veneer of cork. It works and is grippy enough. Mine wore through and started peeling in the first year. Ive also nearly worn through the line guides, but I probably fish more than the average beginner. All that said, it casts nicely, its reasonably sensitive and is a fair value. The reel is pretty good but has a little startup inertia on the drag. Probably wont need to utilize the drag at any point with this setup and the fish you'll likely target in the beginning.

[@KevW-z7z]

You just made me change my mind about this kit and about trying fly fishing....😢

[@edMerican]

@@KevW-z7z Just because this rod sucks, doesn't mean you shouldn't try! There are other fair cheap rods out there. Aventik seems to make an alright rod. Maxcatch definitely punches above their price point. Try one of those and get out on the water!

[@michaelkissane6138]

Good vid, but a quick tip; you seem to be right-handed caster, and your crank is on the right, which means after your cast, you have to shift the rod to your left hand to crank or strip in line, the time that takes can cost some missed or lost fish over a lifetime of fishing. I learned to crank lefty at 13 and though I've lost plenty of fish at nearly 70, none have been during the shift between hands. But I lost a few between 11 and 13 y.o. that really made me mad.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Oh I know. I get crap for it all the time.

[@randyaquatoad8975]

I've never seen my backing ever in 30 years of fishing for trout. I almost never cast more than 35 feet or use my reel for anything more than a line holder. Which is to say, i'm not very good and the rig doesn't matter that much (i tend to fish mountain creeks and lakes in the sierra nevadas)

[@michaelscottalloway8915]

I have 2 older fly rods ,one has a old hand crank reel and one has an even older mechanical crank . Both are more or less fiberglass and are 2 piece . I have fished the one with the hand crank before and when I did once I caught a very small largemouth bass . And when I say he was small ,the fly I was using was as big as he was , and it was just a popper fly .

[@knothead5]

Interesting evaluation. Been flinging fur and feathers for 61 years. Built rods for seven years. The best rod in the rack is the 6 ft., 2 piece, 2 wt. that I built for about $50; short for mountain streams. My most expensive rod is $150. None guarantee that they will catch fish. I have tried high end rods but can't justify the high price of hundreds of dollars. Heard of a guy who was fishing the Clinch River, Tennessee. He was using a Walmart combo with a butt section the size of a broom handle. Caught fish right and left. My friend was fishing near him with what would be high end tackle. Blanked!

[@chrismcguirk6552]

I bought the same deal off Temu, just a different rod, everything else the same. For my first fly outfit I am extremely happy. Reel quality is excellent. I was so impressed with the reel I purchased a couple of spinning reels from the same manufacturer for salt water fishing and they are also excellent for a fraction of the price of big brand name reels.

[@davidbulanowski1091]

I'm not much of a fly fisherman. Checked out this video because it's something I've always been interested in since reading Homer Circle's articles in Sports Afield about 50 years ago. My primary fishing is saltwater bay, surf and party boat fishing in NJ. I bought a bait feeder style spinning reel by Sougayilang a few years ago, and I was so impressed with it out of the box that I ordered a few more of their spinning reels and a bait casting reel and rod before I ever actually fished with the first one. Huge mistake. I finally got a chance to use that reel when the weather warmed up a little to try the bay for some early spring stripers. It turned out to be pretty windy and about 45 minutes into my trip that impressive new reel started locking up and had to be retired. The other stuff, I've only used in freshwater, and so far so good except for the casting rod which was several sections and needed to be sanded down in order to fit together. I really don't use the stuff. It's just around for my grandkids to use & ok for that. I'm just curious about the fly rod and reel and how well they hold up over a few trips. I've actually been very happy with the Piscifun casting reels I've been using for the past 5 years in saltwater & would be interested in their fly rods and reels.

[@MrOlinswims]

Around Black Friday Amazon had the Redington Path II for under 100 bucks. Ended up getting thr 6wt combo. Came with rod, reel, line/backing, and attached leader. For the money it is a sweet combo. Especially on Black Friday

[@stephenmorgan8510]

I wish there was a place like that near me loaded with bookies, browns and smallmouth. Nice spot.oh, yeah, nice review.

[@jaystrock613]

I go to our National Forest walking the dogs around the picnic area and camp ground. A lot of trout fishing at the river that they stock with trout. There were a couple guys practicing their fly casting in the parking lot. I told them I could not resist saying this, but they might have better luck fishing in the river. We all laughed.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Lol! Best practice is always in the water

[@TheTravelingFort8541]

Just fell on your channel. So glad I did. Both my husband and myself are super novice to fly fishing, so much so we were too scared to invest in 2 rod$$$ we opted for the walmart brand, good thing too, we broke one the first week! Love the descriptions !

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Thank you and welcome!

[@loydtruss]

Just found your channel and was so impressed with this video!! Just goes to show you don't have to spend a ton of money to get into this sport. I like to fish fly rods that are light with a weight less than 3.2 oz. I would assume this fly rod is over that weight. Redington and Streamflex fly rods are extremely light which are the brands I fish with. I have subscribed to your channel and hope to view many more of the videos----thanks for sharing

[@4reelfishing149]

Me and my friend went down there the other day and smashed the brook trout on Everett lures

[@happycat0411]

Lot of the stuff coming out of Amazon is directly from China and I have to say that the quality is getting very very good, considering the extremely low prices! Lot of the fishing gear is designed in Taiwan or Korea and then manufactured in China where manufacturing costs are much much cheaper. Great job on the video!

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Thank you.

[@mattholden5521]

Really good video, wish I had seen something like this when I first got started a few years back. I started with the Wal-Mart special Courtland that you looked and it it worked fine. The drag system on that reel was pretty awful though as it had almost no middle ground. This setup looks a bit better for not too much more money.

[@placitas52]

Getting a reel with a descent drag helps especially in fighting a larger fish. But you don't need a$1k rod to have fun. It's a lot like buying tools that you don't know how to use. Most advertising is to catch fisherman, not fish. Magnifying glasses help at any age with #6 tippet.

[@repairdrive]

Best review I've seen on this set up. Going to order it tonight!

[@bonnitaclaus2286]

My first flyrod was at Cortland Walmart flyrod. It was all right. I looked at it as a starter, I didn’t want to spend anything if I couldn’t handle it. I have a reverse shoulder that was put in on my right side, and I have a muscle that had to be rerouted to replace 3 that have atrophied. As a turned out, I can handle this, a fly rod better did my open face spinning reels and rods, which I have to modify my cast. I’m still learning, and I’m enjoying it.

[@morgangaming6039]

My first fly rod was a sonic sk8 9ft 6 7 wt

[@sleigh4019]

Just remember spending like 1000$ in the 90s when I started years ago ..seeing some of these 250-350$ combos that you can use for years is amazing ..spent a ton of time at Baxter as young guy Sith my fly rod

[@jorge195501]

Thank you for the introduction to casting , not much to know , to start it, appreciate your good video, good luck on your projects.

[@johnnywhite1681]

Best review I've seen on YT! Thanks for posting! First vid of yours, that I've watched and such a great review of the rod, from purchase to fishing that I subscribed to your channel.

[@Spinonemaster]

Nice review ... and a nice entry level rod, glad you were thorough (and fair) .... like many, I have a collection of higher end rod/real combo's that I like ... but also still have 2 beginner Martin combo's that are 40 years old and still look great ...... .and more importantly, still catch a lot of fish ; ) ... I often lend them to new fly "fisherpersons" to help them get started, they can go broke later buying their own fancy stuff

[@bartybollocks]

Lucky bastard, i really miss Trout, moving from the UK to living on Kangaroo Island with no 365 rivers.

[@straubdavid9]

I got that reel about 6months back. I've not fished it yet, but my initial thoughts were that it is a handsome reel with a pretty solid build. It has minimal play in the spool to frame connection. A very good deal for a machined reel. Hope to test it out shortly .... the proof is in the pudding. I got the 5/6 and the 7/8 .... startup inertia is really not an issue for the 7/8 reel, but could be for a 5/6 fishing small flies and light leaders. I'll return here with an update if I run into any glaring issues. Beautiful trout btw .... take care.🐟🐟

[@Vypren]

Shakespeare Sigma Combo is under 100€ and feels great on the 6wt. Fast Action too.

[@tonyjenkins2554]

Thanks for the video. Put the combo on my Amazon wish list, and Wife bought it for my Christmas. We recently moved to WNC, and I am really looking forward to getting out here on these beautiful streams and rivers. We live just off the Tuckasegee and its feeders and tributaries.

[@frogsnacks]

I like the cheap maxcatch setups, I own a few and have had no issues at all.

[@MegaRyanskie]

I grew up around that bridge. Nice fish. Makes me want to buy that combo.

[@davids11131113]

Actually looks pretty cool! Brand name fly fishing gear is wildly high priced, way cheaper rods and reels work just fine I’ve used an old 5 piece Pfleuger fly rod and reel designed for backpacking new it was about $75 I think, it’s worked fine for years.

[@outdoordummy2405]

do u know if they still sell that cambo?

[@davids11131113]

@@outdoordummy2405 I wouldn’t know it had to have been 1970’s era and I think the rod and reel were just put together.

[@outdoordummy2405]

@@davids11131113 ok thanks

[@JA-hn3to]

Great rod to always have with you in the car and not worry about it.

[@darrelbaillie7829]

Thank you for your honest review. I personally have looked at these kits, and when considering the Rand/ Dollar exchange rate, seemed reasonable for me. So considering your expertise in this review has answered a lot of questions for me. Thank you 😊

[@zekesundown2397]

I got it the dots lined up perfectly. Haven’t rigged it yet I wish I knew if they corrected the line length issue.

[@randykish8242]

Terrific information for us starters. I was wondering if my beginner rod and reel and line were no good because my casts don't sail out like yours...but it is obvious technique is everything! You make it look so easy just flicking it out there so far..I am still trying to get past 20 feet with casts! This has inspired me !

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Keep practicing! I will tell you it’s much easier on a better quality rod/line, but this rod functioned just fine.

[@Sirskibumsalot]

Great review 👍....I started out fly fishing 20 years ago with a $30 starter kit - rod, line, reel etc. But I gotta say I like your set up way better . Ok thanks for the entertainment ....cheers 🍺

[@kenwebster5053]

Dude, Fluro yellow is a common dye colour for GSP backing, If it is GSP, it can't absorb a chemical dye. So they use a kind of paste to add the colour. The paste dye tends to come off on everything over time, can be a messy pain & it adds bulk to the backing. The dye paste can be dissolved out of the GSP backing with acetone, which does not damage or weaken the GSP in any way whatsoever. Doing this significantly reduce the amount of space that the GSP takes up on the spool, increasing the length of backing that can be loaded on it. Alternatively, check the capacity of the spool before trimming. wind all the fly line onto the spool, then the backing, until you are satisfied the spool is full with working room to spare. Then cut your backing at that point. Now you can take everything off the spool and load it in the normal way. Sure, most people won't cast a whole fly line down to the backing any time soon. However they may get pretty close on their WF 1st flyline if they fish it enough. For that reason, I am reluctant to trim the tail off a WF line. I'm guessing it's a WF and not a DT as the latter is not popular these days, but if it were a DT you would be cutting it's service life in half by trimming it. It surprises me that as a right handed caster, you haven't switched to left hand winding. I did that for all rod fishing. It's so much easier to fish that way, I'd never go back to switching hands. It's particularly good for float fishing because you can click the bail over just before the tackle hits the water, that straightens out the rig before it land so you never ever get any more tangles. I highly recommend giving it a serious enough try to get used to it. It will soon enough become a much more natural & pleasurable way to fish. Good review, surprising pack that one!

[@FTATF]

I'm a big fan of the free spool no clicker when reeling forward. You can swat that thing and suck all the slack line up quick and get the fish on the reel.

[@WoodsP51]

Ironically enough, that was actually my very first fly rod when I was trying to figure out if I wanted to get into the sport after exclusively using conventional spins and bait-casters… That rod was literally a Pandora’s Box that my wife would grow to loath 🤣. After days of failed attempts while teaching myself everything with KZbin and a couple other websites, I decided just to drop a few bucks on some better flies, and I hooked my first bass the next day. I too was instantly hooked. From there I just upgraded the lines and stuck with that rod for about six months, and only really first upgraded because I wanted a 3wt for smaller streams. The rest was history as they say. I still have that rod and it’s my favorite one to grab if I’m going some place with a high probability of me somehow getting filthy or accidentally damaging the rod - places where I’ve got climb a bunch of rocks, or sludge through marshes, etc.

[@travishaskell6897]

I was thinking the same thing...be a good rod to keep up to camp or behind the seat of the truck

[@MrRyu1er]

I learned to fly fish on that 5/6wt pfleuger outfit 10 years ago 😬 I tried it out again recently. It was so heavy and unwieldy in comparison to the rods I fish now.

[@farmerbobbygrows3338]

I learned on the Walmart Martin 😂😂😂 I have 2 Cahill II 4w and a bass pro shop special steel head fly rod

[@MrRyu1er]

@@farmerbobbygrows3338 you don’t realize how bad some of those budget rods are once you’ve learned to use something decent. I moved on to a redington and or is and was like, yup. That pflueger sucked.

[@Bertoldichris]

Just a couple thoughts: the reel is set up for a left hand fisherman, maybe you mentioned that but not sure. The reel spins that fast so you don’t have to use the handle, you spin/hit the reel to reel it up fast with stripping. You don’t need to hold the handle on the reel. Good vid

[@sugriv3405]

Can you do more these kinda vidoes on this brand available rod? Would love to watch those videos because wher i live its easy to acess also they r so called budget rod. I've always wanted to know more about these rods before buying. Thankyou so much for the video sir 🙏

[@Thatsaltygrunt]

Super stoked to get into fly fishing. Bought this rod and 5 min later this video came up looks like a good starter investment!

[@michaeljanes7086]

I'm curious. You were showing how the reel/drag jumped. Did you take it apart and check it out to see if you could cure it?

[@levisworld8249]

Could you do a video on teaching beginners the basics? I am also 12 and have loved fishing my whole life and have recently gotten into the sport of fly fishing.

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

10 months later and i have 7 rods. 4 maxcatch rods, a redington, and 2 echos. The echos are by far much better rods. The redington is a bit stiff, and the maxcatch rods are junk. I've broken 7 tips on 4 rods. They will fall right off if you touch them. Literally touch them. I got one for free and did a review on it. As an ultralight starter rod, its just ok. the reel is junk, and your line will pull of the reel spool guides, the rod is really nice feeling (just dont feel it too much the tip will fall off!) its really light weight, and after returning 3 tips I just settled that i'll have to fix the tips myself. Which I did with the UL one, and the euro rod as well. Interestingly the tip sections are widely different from each other for the exact same rod!

[@bluethunder1951]

I bought this exact same combo a few days ago, as you said the backing and fly line is to long, I cut off enough to leave about 1/4” of line gap on the reel when full, as for casting it’s not to bad just a it lite on the handle for me, the reel is a bit touchy to set up on stripping out, to little drag and it’s all bunged up, it was okay to cast, my first fish was a 8” trout, overall good rod and reel for the price.

[@BeyerOutdoors]

Thank you for reviewing this. I've been looking at that brand to possibly buy for my wife.

[@santiagoramos66]

The standard today is pretty high. In my opinion the only component that can't suck is the fly line.

[@jonl1419]

Is it possible to clean and grease the reel to potential improve drag/ smoothness? Just an idea, great video.

[@draven3838]

I have tdd hat combo ,I bought it for a rod to carry in my truck ,and was surprised. Works good for crappie and panfish

[@mizzensl]

While I have a more expensive rod I have gotten some MaxCatch kits and other equipment including leaders. So far I have found them to be excellent quality.

[@bobjimenez4464]

Thanks for the video 😀 Considering the price of the combo I would guess that a whole lot of time isn't spent on the reel. Take it apart and polish all of the bearing's surfaces and the drag will be silky smooth.

[@tm8747]

i bought the same unit but from TEMU, the reel is yougzhi 3.35" in the diameter and 1.12 in width, the same rod and my lineup dot are right on to line up the guides on the rod, the drag on that reel uses a white felt material, to correct the smoother drag install a graphite black drag washer instead, the white has a tendency to heat up and stick cause it to make the poor drag from grab to stick feel? as far as the handle i dont like the cork , so on all my rod i use a heat shrink material different colors to id the weight of the rods match to the reel, fly, or spinning, and casting rod in freshwater or saltwater. rod was 30.00 and the reel with the line and tippit 26.00 . the backing i had for the reel i installed 30# braid at 75 yds.

[@raymondtapatu6869]

Awesome information thank you very much never fly fished thought it was always so expensive and difficult but you make it look so easy and simple to understand cheers

[@danielostman5805]

Biggest fish i have cought in a 5/6 weight is a 12 lbs baltic Salmon 😅 that was very interesting 😂 good thing i used a bigger reel with way more backing on it 😅

[@swamprat9018]

7-30-2024 sale for 69 bucks now. 7/8wt 72. I"m waiting for my reel to come in. wanted to see what you thought of it. Great review. Almost better to buy the outfit for the reel and give the rest away to someone starting.

[@puristonthefly3308]

The irony that these are made in the same factory as your Moonshines.

[@bladefinger651]

Great video man. I might have to try one of these. After years of fishing, I'm about to get into fly fishing since moving to Maine. I'm about to start tying flies too!

[@blaisemonteforte5446]

Can I just point out that 2 years 6/8/24 from the release of the video, this setup is still available on Amazon and still $88. I like seeing that when our economy is in the tank. Thanks for the video!

[@LoopyAnh]

I bought a similar setup to get into fly fishing. It works well imo. Wish I knew more fly fisherman. However its pretty wild the cost of most nonchinese made gear.

[@pascalgermanfpv238]

I got two of those reels in use, mostly for seatrout xD so i need to keep the bearings well lubricated. I lost a really good fish cuz the break bearing got rusty and failed 😭 but otherwise i am pretty satisfied with the reels.

[@joyfuljenny9936]

Thank you!! I watched some other vids reviewing the Martin fly rod combo at $40 and you convinced me this is the much better values. I just ordered one and am excited to give Fly Fishing a go. 👏🎣. Ps. New subscriber from central MA.

[@Birdshowofficial]

It’s my fly combo!!!!

[@joyfuljenny9936]

PPS... I caught two bluegill and a crappy on it this fall. Looking forward to the return of wet water, I will surely be practicing my fly fishing in 2022!

[@bigron8346]

Next time you should try Maxcatch they make very good inexpensive rods and reels.

[@Lureandfish]

My grandpa and dad taught me with a bobber and a red solo cup for fly fishing. They would make me try to land the bobber in the cup

[@hooks4nooks]

Dude, you're psyched. Good to see your excitement. I was that way in 1980 with my Wright& McGill blue diamond 8' fly rod. Then I thought I had the shit when I bought a Sage kit. Lol. Was pretty nice. Nice job on the video for people starting out. Well done. 👍

[@alleghenyadventures8561]

I miss wright and McGill . Great rods

[@bowdyinman6132]

Happend to see that tk2 design sticker love that have multiple hats.

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

I sell them on my website!

[@davescheer5038]

It’s hard to find good deals on a cheap but good complete combo set up’s , I fish saltwater and bought a 10-11 wt rod and reel to go after bigger fish by the the time you buy backing the proper fly line leaders you’ll drop some money on the table , I’d been searching for something the next size down as a back up but I didn’t want to spend big money ,I finally found a 9-10 wt Cortland combo at Walmart ,rod reel backing, leader, and case for $69.99 😳. When I saw this I to questioned myself on quality but I figured Cortland has been around for a long time , next day I was out flogging the water and was really surprised, it casted great , the action on the rod was really good , quality was good , drag on the reel was fantastic, now hears the big draw back ! Walmart only gets like one shipment a year ,it’s the first time I’ve seen so much fly equipment there ever , they had a5-6 set up to , hear again you don’t have to pay big money if you just shop around , I to looked at that make rod and reel and that reel looked well made ,but I’ve been waiting to see a review on the drag and how good it was, it looked like you were having a great day ! You catching those brookies reminded me when I lived up north , great review thanks for posting 👍. One question can that reel be switched for left hand retrieve ? 🤔

[@mainetroutwhisperer]

Yes it can

[@JohnDrach]

I was inspecting all of Orvis rods at a store the other day from the Helios down and all the handles had cork that looked like this