Rod/Reel Setup for Stripers

[GlennG]

My wife and I flyfish for trout, but are just beginning to try saltwater flyfishing for stripers on the Chesapeake. We need some advice on an inexpensive set-up to get started (around $200 each). I am considering a 9' 9W St Croix Pro Graphite, and a Fly Logic Premium Fly Reel (#890). The combo is in the budget range. Both have lifetime warranty. Any opinions? Other combos to consider? Just for reference, my trout rods are LL Bean Guide Series which we're both very happy with. Thanks.

[striper33]

I don't own a Pro Graphite but I did cast one for a day in Louisiana while redfishing. For a budget rod it seemed to me to cast just fine. If you upgrade down the road, this would be a good backup too.
Good luck.

[AlderBrookFarm]

I just got Bean's 6 pc travel series rod in the 9 wt and am happy with it. It seems a bit stiff in the butt at times but then I remind myself that it's a 9 wt not a 6. My 6 is a 4pc Double L rod so there is some correlation there I imagine. You can get that rod in an outfit for $299, complete with backing and line. I saw the reel when we were in Beans 2 weeks ago and it looked good. I bought just the rod because one of my kids had given me a Pfleuger 1890 reel for Mothers day. I don't know how the reel is going to hold up but it seems nice and rugged and the price was right at $59.99. Looks and acts like a more expensive reel.

[fraserj1]

If you know what you want, Ebay is a good place to find inexpensive rods and reels. I've purchased a few things on Ebay and am very happy with what I bought, BUT I've been saltwater flyfishing for almost 10 years and know what type of caster I am, etc. - so I knew what I wanted. You'll find something in the $200 range here.

Obviously, the downside to Ebay is that you can't test cast the rod, so you could get stuck with something that you might not be happy with.

Also, I'm not saying don't go down to you local flyshop to get some advice, because if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, shops can let you test some rods and give you some great advice. (Obviously, if you're going to get advice from the shop, it really would be pretty bad to not buy something from them.)

So....may I suggest you take a look at the Teton Tioga and possibly a Redington rod. Both are excellent overall quality. Including line, you're probably looking at something more like $300.
:D

[fraserj1]

As an addendum to my previous post, I just purchased a Tioga #10 (non- "Large Arbor" - Tioga Large Arbors aren't really true large arbor reels) on Ebay. The guy I bought it from has a number of "blemished" reels for sale on Ebay. There's a #10 large arbor on there starting @ $99 with a Buy it Now price of $110. Seems to be a pretty good deal on a reel that is already a pretty good deal @ full price.

[PhilDKreal]

I think St. Croix is probably your best choice if $$ is the top priority. You can't beat the value they give you.

My personal choice would be the Loomis GL3 (9'9W), but that is a bit more expensive, thouch not as much as the GLX!!