My friend and i have talked about getting some fly poles to try it out.  We both never have.  We have walked through bass pros fly fishing section looking and came to an agreement that we should grab some beginners gear.  

He was up in Oregon and said he found a pole reel combo. So he offered to go back to the store and pick me up one. When he returned they were out, he ended up getting another brand that was more expensive for himself.

I got a Cedar Canyon 9456 premier fly combo with travel case for $74.95.

He said the salesman told him to get new line. Why?
Who has some pointers, tips and any videos that are good to watch on youtube? I looked at yt and there are a lot.

The closer to the fish you are, the more important the components become. The fly line is so very important and is most often the case, those budget kits come with a very iffy fly line. Being able to cast and accuracy are critical In fly fishing.

What I would suggest is to visit one of your local fly shops and/or find the closest Orvis store and take their fly fishing 101 class, it’s free. You also get some good discount coupons as well.

Bass Pro is notorious for cheap gear and lack of knowledge in their fly fishing department.

He most likely was recommending that you buy a new line because most kits like that come loaded with crappy flat line - no taper, and the thickness is the same the entire way down the line.

What you want is a weight forward line with a nice taper at the end.  Don't break the bank for your first WFT (weight forward, tapered) line because you'll eventually break the line.

The weight forward part means that you can send that line quite a bit further when you cast.  The taper means that at the end of your cast it's much easier for the leader and fly to flip out and gently settle on the water.  You will also want to use tapered leaders for the same reason.

Hope this helps - I knew next to nothing about fly fishing before I took a grandude to Alaska a few years ago, but managed to get good enough practicing in dry retention areas and ponds here in Florida prior to the trip that I caught several nice cutthroats and other trout as well as a few salmon on my low budget fly fishing rig while I was up there.

With the kits the line that comes with them most likely is a WF line, but one of poor or lesser quality. The line coating is critical to line that will last a while and also provided little resistance to the rod eyes thus giving you longer distances. Poor coatings will allow the line coating to crack and thus sink and not float.

What type, size, etc. of fish do you plan on fishing for?

thank you for the replies.

Going for trout.

There are several different ways/types of trout fishing that can/will dictate the right rod weight, line, fly, etc.

For instance, larger dam tailwater rivers generally have larger fish and larger water dictating a heavier rod weight. The type of fly you throw will also dictate this as well. Large streamers and nymphs demand heavier lines to turn them over properly. Lighter, smaller flies such as most dry flies do not need such a heavy line. On the other hand, smaller blueline streams demand sometimes shorter and lighter rods. In other words, it all depends.

Being as descriptive as you can as to the type and size of water and type and size of fish and type and size of your fly will greatly help.


As an example, I fish primarily for trout, but I have rods from a 2 weight to a 7 weight and 7'6" to 10'. All depending on where I go and what conditions and fish size is along with fly used.

What part of California do you live in?
There is a big fly shop in Redding Ca.
https://www.theflyshop.com/
If you are anywhere within a reasonable drive of there, they ought to be able to give you some tips.

Orvis shops can be OK, but some of them are more clothing stores that Glorified fly Fishing shops happen to sell overpriced Chinese made gear.

Also, do a web search for fly fishing shops for the major towns/cities closest to you.  Or in towns that are near the top trout rivers where You want to go fishing.  
You may find some with owners or employees that are willing to go a little beyond, and give you some quick lessons on casting and  election of leader and tippet material.   Those two things will help you catch fish no mater how expensive or cheap your gear is.

I run Rio fly line exclusively now, but I’ve used Rio, Scientific Anglers and Orvis lines, and they all make excellent fly lines.  
When I worked for both Galyan’s Trading Company (before it was bought out by Dick’s Sporting Goods), and then Gander Mountain (two different stores), I was legitimately the only one at any store with any fly fishing experience.  Everyone else just spouted off the basic platitudes and sales spiels.  I was always amazed by the garbage quality components they slapped on rods combos.  The line was always by far the worst.