I am brand new to fly fishing.  I have been looking at fly rods and reels at Orvis.  The two that are affordable for me are both made in China.  I would rather buy American if possible.  Yesterday I checked Craig's List and found a local add that stated the seller's father once owned Cripple Creek Outfitters.  A few years ago the shop closed due to health issues. Now the son (Craig's List add poster) is selling some of the fly rods and reels to help offset medical expenses.  It all sounds legitimate and the pictures of the rods and reels look nice.

All that being said I am aware of Craig's List being a gathering place for con artist and shady dealings.  Is there a way to verify what I am looking at is not a counterfeit Chinese knock off?

Is anyone familiar with Cripple Creek Outfitters?  A Bing search did not bring up any information.  It is possible the shop did not have an internet presence.

I have an old bamboo flyrod that was my Granfathers sitting in my closet. I know it is atleast 60 years old. You can have it for the postage. IM me if yer interested.

Frankly, most of the shady dealings are more for the sellers and not the buyers. Writing bad checks, counterfeit money orders, crap like that is what mostly happens to sellers.

Not many fly reels/rods are counterfeited. Not much of a market there, as small as it is.

Do not discount the Orvis reels. I have several and they are just fine along with my English made Or is reels. You would be surprised at the quality reels and rods that come from Korea, Japan and even China. Granted some of it is crap, but look at the price first.

I wouldn’t worry too much about buying off of craigslist. I know of no counterfeit rods on the market. To be honest there are not many American made rods left. A lot of Korean mfg that are pretty good. The beauty of Craigslist is you can put hands on before buying. Good luck in your search.