best fly fishing rods for beginners

7 Best Fly Fishing Rods For Beginners

You’re not ready to go fly fishing if you do not have your fishing rod. Hence, this best fly fishing rods for beginners review article will guide you into selecting the best fly fishing rod for you as a beginner. Sit back, read through, get informed and go get yourself a qualitative fly fishing rod.

Fishing as an expedition is not a one-off activity. In fact, it needs one to do a lot of practice. Where one has to go deep-sea fishing, it is recommended that you become an expert first. Fishing is a process, beginning from the tools to be used to the type of water to expedite in. Someone who is a beginner in fishing may have to learn how to fish first. There are tools too best suited for this person. In this article, we are going to highlight what is best for a beginner. What to look for in fishing too and how it is used. Follow through.

5 Best Fly Fishing Rods Comparison

7 Best Fly Fishing Rods For Beginners Reviews 2020


1. Wild Water Fly Fishing Rod and Reel Combo

Wild Water Fly Fishing Rod and Reel Combo

This is the ideal starter kit and even works well for those with a bit of experience in fly fishing. A man said ‘I have made use of a number of starter kits prior to getting this, but this one trumps them all. After two solid years of heavy use, the rod still serves me well without any fuss’.

Although the reel easily loss it tension and also there is always a slight cut in the spool after a while, the rod is still good because you will always get the quality you paid for.

Meanwhile, the manufacturers have the best customer service. Any complaint you have, just send to them and you’ll get a prompt response. This was confirmed a while ago by a customer who bought the product, finds it comfortable to use but had a complaint about the fly line being the only disappointment.

According to him, even his instructor tried getting the fly line to role properly but it wasn’t budging, and as it turned out the line wasn’t weighted well enough to ensure its smooth rolling. A little replacement with a weight forward line solved the problem, but overall, this fly fishing rod is great.

2. Redington Fly Fishing Combo Kit

Redington Fly Fishing Combo

Redington is a brand amongst brands. Even if you like a particular brand more than others, you’ll be sure you got yourself this rod and case from Redington.  The case itself is a beauty to behold and functions as it should, complementing the sleek design of the Redington fly rod. For its price, it is indeed worth it in function and in beauty, how much more, adding the case.

All the pieces are properly matched and serves as the perfect rod for a novice angler. You know what they say about learning with good equipment, it makes the difference between frustration and fun while learning. Irrespective of your level of skill, this is ideal for different ranges of fishes and comes with a spare that you won’t be needing until you’ve used the rod to a considerable extent. There is little to worry about in replacement as the price guarantees that your pocket will not get choked.

This rod comes with everything you need except the fly, its reel is made of composite material which is ideal for fishing in salty waters, has a decent drag that is easily adjustable, the perfect casing of high quality that ensures the rod is well stored.

3. Temple Fork NXT Fly Fishing Outfit

Temple Fork NXT Fly Fishing Outfit

Take a moment to think about a rod that looks simple and easy to use. The TFO is ideal for beginners due to its simplistic design and functionality. For its price, it is safe to say that you get what you bargained for.

Although it may not be among the top guns like the Redington, Moonshine, Wild Water and the likes, it is still a good start for anyone venturing into fly fishing. It is fast (stops around the middle in terms of speed) but would suffice for fishing in a calm river. It’s reel is one of the good news about it as it gives you enough backing and control such that you don’t end up losing your rod to as desperate fish.

For what its worth, It is recommended that novice anglers get started with this rod and advance to much bigger and “better” rods. It’s not as if its not a good rod, Just that there are other better suited for advancing your fly fishing career. It is cheap enough without having to break into a bank, so it’s worthy.

4. Fenwick AETOS Fly Rod

Fenwick AETOS Fly Rods

If a Rio Bonefish taper is thrown a good loop perfectly to about 60ft., it will send a fly out to 80ft. with decent accuracy. A 9’6″ 8wt will be gotten.

It is a saltwater rod in order to look for fishes, and it always serves well. Though it is not exactly a high-speed action fly rod (it is somewhere around the middle).

On calm waters, it succeeds in trapping heavy fishes and is durable enough to withstand the desperate tugs made by the fishes, but in surf fishing, it finds a bit of difficulty in keeping up with the wind.

If the rod is been through heavy use, and it has been carefully enough washed after every outing and there is no fear of rust, and It would be good to have it in mind to get another one (or perhaps an upgraded version of it)

Overall, it is a decent rod with good casting, nice handling and can withstand a lot of pressure. The only thing missing is it picking up speed. It’s a pretty good rod.

5. Moonshine Rod Co. The Drifter Series Fly Fishing Rod

Moonshine Rod Co. The Drifter Series Fly Fishing Rod

Take a moment to think about a rod that is aesthetically different from the rest of the rods on the rack of your local fly shop. Imagine the feel of the rod in your hand, having the right amount of action and sensitivity you’ve ever felt in a rod. Now stop the imagination and look at the price. Sounds like a great deal right?

This fishing rod is very good for bass fishing. Pairing it with the spare line without necessarily being an expert, you would see the rod making things pretty easy. You will easily shot out 85-90′ of the 100′ line in a cast and found it pretty easier to load compared to some other rods. It’s really worth every penny spent on it.

Another thing about Moonshine Rods is this; besides making great products, their customer service is out of this world. I mean, how many manufacturers spend time in ensuring that their customers are satisfied with their product? Their customer service alone deserves a solid five-star rating, and I assure you will check back when you need another rod.

6. M MAXIMUMCATCH Maxcatch Extreme Graphite Fly Fishing Rod

M MAXIMUMCATCH Maxcatch Extreme Graphite Fly Fishing Rod

With a one year warranty that offers a lifetime of repairing maxcatch rods, this is the ideal brand for fly fishing rods. Their services are decent and considerate which makes them stand out amongst other brands. It is a fast action rod which is very functional in terms of distance and presentation, serves well in saltwater and can be easily used by someone with little or no experience.

A man that have been fishing for close to four decades decided to delve into fly fishing. As it turned out, he got a shocker when a local fly shop told him about rods beginning from $350. Well, a different local fishing store showed him a different beginner package that was cost-efficient, and he resolved to get the Maxcatch 9ft 5wt and Maxcatch 5/6 Weight reel, line and backing for something lesser than $100.

Although this rod came cheap, it gives quality over and above what the price might say. It has a nice feel to it, serves well in casting and made practice quite interesting. Needless to say, It makes quite a catch when it hit the waters.

7. Tailwater Outfitters Toccoa Fly Rod

Tailwater Outfitters Toccoa Fly Rod

This 5 wt. rod can be gotten for a little child who is a beginner in fly fishing. If the child is having difficulty in learning how to roll cast with 6 wt. rod. Having gotten this rod, an old reel already packed with a 6 wt. line on it, it will be easy to go about 30ft. in roll casting.

Monitoring the child, and telling the child to keep the line out and continue roll casting so as to know how good the child could get with it. As time goes by, the child will be able to roll cast beyond 45 ft. with a pretty decent straight line up to the fly.

Summarily, children will find this rod highly fascinating as they will make a lot of progress using this rod as it would enable them to catch a number of fishes.

The workmanship of this rod is nice and neat, the performance is also very good. Oh and the customer service is just decent, got a message from the seller inquiring if we had any concerns with the rod, turns out we didn’t. I’ll say their customer service is intact.


Things To Consider Before Buying The Best Fly Fishing Rods

Quite a number of persons are interested in getting into the sport of fly fishing, but very few are informed as to the right equipment, techniques and ideal locations for fishing. As helpful as getting a fly fishing mentor sounds, it is not an option available for quite a lot of fly fishing enthusiast.

Hence, in order to bridge the gap, this guide will briefly expatiate on factors to be considered in getting a fly fishing rod for beginners who are eager of getting into the fly fishing action. Read through, get informed, buy the right fly rod and get started on your fly fishing adventure.

Casting

The fly fishing rod is essentially to allow your fly line to be cast accurately and with the right amount of power. This will ensure your line reaches far into the water and does not frighten the fish. Although it takes a bit of skill to make a successful casting, an angler is only as good as his equipment.

As compared with the depth, casting concentrates more on the width. Whatever you go for should allow you to cast the line far and wide. It should present some form of accuracy and precision too. What is, even more, is that it should not scare away the fish. It may be hard to capture a fish should it be scared.

Fish are quite fast in the water, and it may be a real challenge to the beginner to capture any should he keep on scaring them away with a fishing rod. As a beginner, you may need some training on this before gaining enough experience to cast the rod far and wide in the sea

Length

Depending on where you plan on fishing and what depths you intend to reach, you have to look for a fly rod with the appropriate length. An 8.5 ft. is for all around fly fishing (multipurpose).

Where do you intend to fish? Is the water around you deep or shallow? The place of fishing determines the length of the rod that you will go for. If you plan to go to more depth in the water, then you must definitely go for one that is quite long. The opposite is true. However, since the depth of the water changes with places and probably with seasons, you may need one that is moderate. A recommended length is between 8 to 9 inches. This is a multipurpose one.

Striking and Landing a Fish

Your fly rod is essential to catching your prey. It is used to set up the hook and enjoy the battle with the hooked fish. Seeing as you will be battling with desperate fishes, you will need a fly rod that is flexible and strong enough to survive great pressure without snapping.

Construction

Following the preceding factor to consider, you have to know what your fly rod is made to be sure it is indeed durable and flexible. A fly rod made of graphite is common in the market and ideal for fresh anglers.

Striking and landing adaptability

When a fish is hooked up, it fights back a lot. If the hook is not strong enough, the possibilities that it breaks or snaps are very high. A fly rod is a multipurpose tool, both for hooking the fish and fighting the battle with the struggling fish. Sometimes, the war is intense. The rod should, therefore, be flexible (malleable) and have the strength to bend, even when faced with great pressure.

This will, therefore, prevent it from breaking. Big fishes fight back a lot for quite some time before they become subdued. You fly rod should, therefore, have the ability to withstand this pressure for the longest time possible.

The composition (construction)

Fly rods can be made from a range of materials. Most of them are either made of graphite, fiberglass or the mixture of both fiberglass and graphite. Generally, those made of fiberglass may not be destroyed easily as compared to those made of graphite and the hybrid one. However, the most common ones in the market are the ones made of graphite.

These are quite durable too as well, though not as the one made of fiberglass. It is strong and flexible. It is therefore ideal and recommended for beginners. Preferences, however, may differ from person to person, hence you should check for what best suits you as a beginner. Do not forget the recommended one, the graphite made.

Durability

No one would love to throw their money to the non-durable fly rod. The fishing rod should be able to give you many years of service, and in some cases, service to infinity. This may not be the case in most cases due to things such as accidents, stress from extremely large fish and defects during manufacturing.

Therefore you must insist on getting a tough, genuine fly rod that can last long. As earlier indicated, a fly rod made of fiberglass has the longest life. You may, therefore, decide to invest in this if other factors are taken into consideration. These factors include the cost, the level of experience in fishing and so on.

Another factor that may cause the fishing rod to wear out easily is when using it in salty waters. It is not advisable to use a fly rod in salty waters unless it has been specifically designed for salty water. Salt corrodes the surface, especially when exposed for quite some time. Eventually, the rod will not be able to withstand the pressure and the force from a fighting fish. The end result is that the rod will snap off at any available instance.

The cost

As a beginner, you have got to be critical about the cost of the fly rod. Experienced people use a somewhat advanced type of fly rods. These too come at a higher cost. When trying out fishing in the initial days, you are advised to go for the basic fishing tool which may not be so costly. As you gain experience, you will also upgrade the fishing tools to suit you. The cost of the fly rod differs from the level of experience. The cost, however, should not override the durability and effectiveness of the fly rod.


Frequently Asked Questions - (FAQ)

The Tailwater Outfitters Toccoa Fly Rod tube, does it have single slots for each rod section, or is it just an open tube without protective slots?

Thanks for the question, the tube has four slots – one for each rod section. Each section is held separately from the other.

I got the 3 wt., it is a pretty good stick, but I need the 8 wt. now, how many lbs. does it weight? Something around 18lbs should suffice.

King Salmon fishing during the fall is great where I stay. An 8wt. rod from around 9 – 10ft. are pretty common here and it’s my own choice, especially with these fishes weighing around 320 – 30lbs on average.

Can someone recommend a reel for this Moonshine rod?

Just compare the weight of the rod with that of a reel, they must match. If you’re willing to spend on your fly fishing rod, then, by all means, spend the same if not more on your fly reel. Check out these brands; SAGE, REDDINGTON, ECHO, ORVIS, LAMSON.

What’s the Fenwick AETOS rod packaged in?

The Fenwick AETOS rod is packaged in a rod tube with built-in divider for shipping.

Do manufacturers provide warranty for fly rods?

This depends on the manufacturer, but in most cases, they are not provided. You need to confirm with your service provider in your region if they do provide or not.

Why is it not advisable to use the fishing gear in salty water?

In most cases, the material used in the manufacture of the fishing rod corrodes when it comes in to contact with salty water. It, therefore, leads to quick weakening and fast degeneration.

Many more fish species are found in freshwater bodies as compared to salty water bodies. That is another reason as to why manufacturers concentrate more on manufacturing rods that can be used majorly in freshwater bodies.

However, we cannot rule out the use of the rod in salty water bodies as there are rods specifically designed for such king of water.

Conclusion

Fishing rods are of many varieties. Beginners need to use beginner tools when trying out fishing in the initial stages. It may be quite costly to spend the money on the wrong product, so let this guide lead you in procuring the best-suited fishing tool. Won’t you!


Going through the information provided in the product reviews and buyers guide, you should be ready to get yourself a fly fishing rod to start your career. All you need is to save a bit of cash and make your choice out of the best of options provided.

Related Resource

Scroll to Top