Shouldnt have a problem with that price, but 600 would get you a nicer rod. You'd be looking at $90 or so for the line (THE most important part of the setup). A reel like a loop evotec composite for $130 should be fine for that stuff. Sage do a similar priced reels, and somer reddingtons are cheaper. Try and make sure its light though (much easier to cast all day IMO). The reel mostly just holds line for small fish anyways, so you dont need something too fancy.

Which leaves you with a little under $300 for a rod (or $400) which is maneagable. Unforunately fly rods are quite expensive compared to spin rods so at that pricepoint you're looking at the lower end of most ranges. However, you'll still get quite a decent rod, and will have a nice, quality combo for your cash.

Not sure exactly what rod to get, but perhaps look at the wildfish range? I'm not overly familiar with trout specific rods though. Figure out what weight you want too. 5wt is a reasonable starting point for that kind of stuff (but heavier means you can cast in wind better, and lighter means more fun on the trout).

If you speak to Chris at Flyworld or Rohan at Bluewater Melville they will be able to help you get the right combo/

cheers for that, i was thinking of spending a bit more on the reel, when you put it like that it makes more sense, i guess the line and rod are the 2 things in fly that play the biggest part for the casting..ive had people tell me fly isnt worth doing unless you spend a bit because its simply too hard to do on cheap gear, is this true?

In order of importance, its definitely the rod then the line then far behind, the reel. The line and the rod are always working, almost continuously. You only use the reel if you're playing a fish on the reel (which you dont have to for small fish) or winding in the line at the end of the session. Some trout reels dont even have drags (you just palm them) but better getting one with a drag.

And yeah, I would agree on that last comment. I've tried some gear that was just horrible to use. Floppy and no feel. Some lines are really bad too, and frustrate the hell out of you. Always pay a little more for a decent line. However, for the budget you set, you should definitely be able to get a good setup and be happy with using it. The line will be great to cast and the rod will still be crisp, sensitive and light. The reel will be decent and still be able to catch fish that run. From that point you can of course spend more money, but you'll be starting to look at diminishing returns for more finesse stuff (i.e. crisper, lighter blanks, better reels for big fish and so on). So it will still be a very nice little setup that you wont get frustrated with (as long as flyfishing is for you). Basically its a good pricepoint and you'll get quality gear.

I have two rods in about the rod range you are talking of and they are both very light, crisp and nice to cast. But then, TCX's are even better, haha.

In spin terms, its kinda like having a crusty old huge beach type reel, a big floppy glass rod and 30lb mono compared to a nice graphite rod, a nice 2500 reel and some good quality braid. Of course, you can still get a stella/branzino, a $700 rod and $200 line which will be better, but the other graphite combo is still a great combo.

As Hlokk said I wouldn't cheap out on the reel and line, definitely get some good backing as well.

Depending on how you want to do it you can get a decent Temple Fork rod, (i'm not sure where you intend to fish but I would suggest a 6 wt as a good allround rod). Or order a Sage from the states...with the AUD at the moment you can get a good 6 wt Sage Rod for less than $400 if you know where to look. Naturally it might take a little while to get over here, but they are well worth it.

any links to a trusted site from the states that sells Sage rods? i'm all up for supporting local guys but if the difference is that major i wouldn't mind ordering from the states.

every one agree on a 6wt for bream and trout?

fly will be used more so on trout i think, the places i go trout fishing are never really too windy, back of harvey etc..

i was thinking of going into blue water morley and checking them out as they're just around the corner

http://www.bluewater.net.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_104_370&products_id=390

hows that look?

and maybe this reel to go with it

http://www.bluewater.net.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_104_350&products_id=1212

hows that sound? with the rod in the above post

I have fired you a pm buddy i hope it helps.

Hi Dale

Line & Rod are the def. priorities - yep the reel looks good but does very little in essence unless it has a serious drag system an then your gonna pay for it. Given you are fishing for trout its neither here nor there - I use a Scientific Anglers system 3 reel that has a reasonable drag system however if I hooked a serious trout it'd be palming for sure - lots more control.

Your biggest consideration should be line profile - WF or weight forward profiles are made for casting longer distances and into the breeze with less effort - better for more open water fishing.

DT or Double Taper profiles allow for a softer presentation of the flyer at a closer distance - far easier to manage when sight fishing to trout that are wary and spook easily. I also use the DT for fishing streams - they allow alot more control in current tongues and eddy's when you are moving the fly from one location to another using the running water to position the fly where you believe the fish to be - hence more chance of a hook up. Makes sense when you consider how over grown our streams & rivers are that hold trout.

I hope what I ve said make sense  - Ive fly fished the Sou West since 1984 and although thngs have changed with water the one thing that limits casting is vegetation and that hasn't changed. What you need to work out is what type of Trout fishing is your preference. BTW I'd buy a separate spool for the salt water fishing side of things - have a dedicated line and strip and rinse it religiously after use in the salt - that way you can have the same reel serving 2 purposes.

Cheers

Perry

Hey Hlokk

I use an old Kilwell graphite rod  - it started out as an 8067 - that is 8feet and rated for a 6 or 7 weight line - it has now shrunk in size to a 7 foot 6 inch rod - the trials and tribulations of stream fishing.

It may seem like overkill in most situations however in earlier days it was the difference between landing or losing two really significant trout for me - both browns, one a hooked jaw golden buck of 5 and 1/2 pound caught on a ridicuously poor imitation of a Red & Black Matuka that I tied myself with a little silver tobacco foil streaking off the flies shoulder the length of its body to give a little flash in the daylight. This fish took the fly in the middle of a heavy rapid and dragged me all over the shop, its such a great spot that 25 years later I'm always apprehensive of what it may produce when I fish it on the rare occasion.

The other also a brown, a 7 and 1/4 pound dark monster hen-fish taken on a purple wool and black feather Fuzzy Wuzzy tied to a hand forged double Sue Burgess English Salmon hook(s) that dragged me around an overgrown river pool for 20 imns until I landed it - A WA trout of a lifetime (at least for me) - it has resided in my study after being cast by Jamie Stewart from the WA Museum - a decision I've never regretted having the fish cast in fibreglass by Jamie - his workmanship and air blown spray painting is something to behold and I ve never grown tired of having it there to look at each day, his individual casting of the fishes fins and cast mounting is exquisite.

Well there's two stories in one - when fishing our rivers at least - never go in under-gunned as there are some locations that potentially hold double figure trout and you re not gonna see them attached to a three weight for long it just doesn't have the firepower to cope with trout of this calibre. Yes the normal fish, no to the fish you dream about - at least in the stream environment we have here.

I also have a couple of nice Fenwicks that I like to use in more open waters altough this isn't too often as I don't do much impoundment fishing.

BTW I was the flyfishing coach for WATFAA for 5 or 6 years - they are a great bunch of people and I'd recommend anyone in WA wanting to learn more and do more trout fishing to join them. The new Rose cottage in Pemberton is there fishing lodge that they can be truly proud of.

Perry

cheers for the read, thats some great info!

yes im after those trout of dreams, ive done a fair bit of trout fishing on lures, but on my days where ive had nothing i still seem to see them hitting the surface.

i think to start with as i need practice, ill be focusing on some open areas in the swan to learn, and most my trout fishing will be done in the dams etc, so more pretty open area..

stream fishing looks to die for, but im not all that close to streams, if i enjoy fly fishing with a larger setup i may go for something smaller and treck down to permberton and have a go.

ive got a few options out there now so i may have a good think today before getting something later on.

Perry, that reel i listed, would that be not so good for a 5-6lb brown? thats something ive always wanted to hook up

Hi Dale

The reel looks good for your needs - Sage is a quality brand. If you go into Bluewater have a chat with the resident guru who shows greatest interest in what you are doing - like minded souls tend to share dreams of BIG fish no matter what species!

Yep fish the open water but don't be put off by the streams - once you master the know how the worlds your oyster to stream trout. As the water carries food past them and they expend energy living in that moving water they can be highly aggressive to an imitation food item, and make wonderful sport when hooked - fish beyond 2 lb are always spectacular and the highly oxygenated water can see them explode  up to and over a metre out of the water - can be jaw dropping, especially big rainbows.

Large browns are harder to come by and are a true trophy fish- they are wary and not usually fooled easily. You will need to target waters seeded with Browns to get one!

Get a hold of some books to learn where to fish and when. For example on a dam a corner of 90 degrees will allow you to cast to cruising/rising fish as they enter the corner and exit it giving you more chance of hooking up. All of that  you can learn from a book and put into practice when you go to your chosen location. Get a hold of DVDs by Gary Borger & Lefty Kreh, very well explained, commonsense fishing with fantasic camera work  - it'll get you salivating just watching, esp. the environs they fish in.

Good luck - don't be shy asking questions - lots of answers will promote your learning and understanding of trout & flyfishing.

Perry

ended up getting a combo yesterday, went a little over budget but after giving it a lil go at the park im glad i did.

i went into bluewater morley and spoke to peter there, he was extremely helpful and a great guy..

cheers every one.

dont know the exact model numbers off the top of my head, but i ended up going a 7wt rod (wildfish) and line with a 6wt reel (sage), i could cast all day with it i think, not heavy by any means..

got the sage freshwater line, 7wt gives me more options i think, and im not finding it heavy at all, ill probably be doing a bit in the river so heavier line should help me there on the windy days..

Dale

Next thing to consider as you develop casting technique(if you don't have one yet) is where to fish/cast and why. If your right handed for example fishing the southern side of the swan with a south wester will help keep the line away from your body. This is where you need to watch lefty kreh flycasting demos on youtube - gotta luv technology. Have a look at this and other Lefty Kreh links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqnt0J1jNg

and Gary Borger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvSDjHgo0UY

- fishing & casting skills here - don't be fooled these guys are to flyfishing what Tiger Woods is to golf (& other things) - anyway enjoy these.

The most important point of general overhead casting is to form an elliptical loop in your casting motion. Outside of the ellipse on the back cast, let the line fully extend and push forward with the forward cast with the inside of the ellipse being closet to your body. This will help you gain greater control with delivering accurate soft casts to feeding fish. The elliptical shape will also stop your cast from tangling in itself during mid cast.

Enough with the visualisation - have a look at the casting skills and use the links to explore the flycasting skills of others too.

Perry