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JHorton · #1 03-16-2000, 08:48 AM

<TABLE border=0 cellPadding=1 cellSpacing=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right noWrap width="1%">posted to:</TD><TD width="99%"><A href="http://relaunch.reel-time.com/forum/user/frames/list.asp?forumid=17" target=dataframe>Getting Started</A></TD></TR><TR><TD align=right noWrap width="1%">poster:</TD><TD width="99%"><A href="javascript:openProfileWindow('JHorton');">JH orton</A></TD></TR><TR><TD align=right noWrap width="1%">date:</TD><TD width="99%">3/16/00 6:45:04 AM</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR align=left color=#ccccff SIZE=2 width="100%"></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>I just posted a story on my website, aimed at those of you who are thinking about getting started in inshore fly fishing.I know that some folks may not agree with my recommendations, but my goal was to provide a direction for newbies to go in, when shopping for their first SW fly fishing gear.I hope you find it useful.Here is the address:<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm</A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>J.Horton<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">Mass Salt</A>

sRobbins · #2 03-16-2000, 04:11 PM

Good advice. Personally, if I was advising a friend, I would tell them to familiarize themselves with top-drawer equipment and then scour the want-ads. The market is saturated with lightly used equipment and closeouts. I've bought some pretty slick set-ups as closeouts in recent years (recently an RPLX 890-3, and a Pate Bonefish) for less than some of your outfits. Don't need the Pate for stripers, but the resale value (more than I paid) is nice.

JHorton · #3 03-16-2000, 05:23 PM

The reason I don't agree with your want ad theory is, who is going to support you when you need help with that gear? Who is going to, " Familiarize," you with top shelf gear?
Chances are, it is your local fly shop.
I think your idea is a sound one, for someone who is familiar with gear, rigging and casting, but the story is really directed at total greenhorns, without the support of friends who can help them.

J.Horton
<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">Mass Salt</A>

ssully · #4 03-16-2000, 11:58 PM

Jay,

Great information. I could have used it last season. Not that I'm complaining. I love my setup.

I would like to try out a T&T 3/4 wt. for trout. They are in Turners Falls correct? I drove through there last weekend.
Maybe the wife would like a trip out to Yankee Candle hmmm..
;-)

JHorton · #5 03-17-2000, 08:40 AM

I think you hit the nail on the head, no matter what you buy, you'll love it as long as it's reasonable quality.
T&T is in Turners Falls. They used to have a big showroom, but I heard they took that space over for something else.
If you wnat to go to the factory, I think you should call Trevor Bross at 413-863-9727. He's the sales manager, and a very nice guy.
It is show season for them, through the end of April.
The have a massive selection of light trout rods. I like all of them.

J.Horton
<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">Mass Salt</A>

sRobbins · #6 03-17-2000, 09:32 AM

As I said, I think your article was full of good advice.

Personally, I've never found flyshops to be a particularly great resource for certain information. Books, magazines, videos, seminars, other anglers, guides, listserves, and sites like this are much more useful IMO. If I want an opinion on tackle I would ask here before asking someone who is trying to sell me something. Nobody can familiarize you with what tackle is best for you -- you have to find out for yourself. How many times have we given new anglers the advice to test-cast rods and lines before buying? All a shop does is give you a range of products to test under one roof. Consumers can buy the same merchandise, as-new or barely used, for less than half price with little difficulty by looking elsewhere. The market is getting saturated with used tackle, and prices for new stuff are too high.

As for support after the purchase, I've never brought tackle back to a dealer -- always sent it back to the manufacturer.

JHorton · #7 03-17-2000, 06:23 PM

It's a shame you never found a good fly shop, but I assure you they do exist.
I agree with you that the tackle is too expensive. I though that would have come across pretty good in the story.
Some people are willing to pay for service. Some are not.
Just so you know; Manufacturers warranties are valid ONLY to the original purchaser of the equipment. That is true for every rod manufacturer I know of. This is one of the reasons used equipment is cheaper than new. I also don't agree that you can find whatever you want at half off or more. Take a look at e-bay lately? Good quality name brand stuff is selling very high. Marginal quality is cheaper.

J.Horton
<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">Mass Salt</A>

Adam-Albino · #8 03-18-2000, 11:54 PM

I'm gonna definately agree with Jay here.
Take it from me, as someone who has done many deals on E-bay over the last year+ I don't believe its the best place for a beginner. I've gotten some awsome deals on rods and reels, but only because I KNEW what I was buying. Its also getting much harder to get good deals as of late - the auction process is now pushing the market so that prices can near new. It takes a real effort to get a good deal now.
There is nothing like a good (great) relashionship with your local shop. As an example, I have become such a good customer of one such shop, that I regularly get HUGE discounts (near cost), and get awesome service. I think this can be as important as the gear - especially to the beginner. 
<IMG align=baseline alt="" border=0 hspace=0 src="http://photos.netclubs.com/live/photos/v/9/t/2/t2c710a3839h31nr004cfcdhuo/flyman2.gif">

JHorton · #9 03-19-2000, 07:57 AM

Thanks Adam.
The reason I feel so strongly about this, is I know a guy, let's call him, " Joe." Everyone thinks Joe has only been fly fishing for a few years, but the truth is, Joe actually bough his first fly rod in 1972. Joe bought his rod from a discount store named Benny's.
No one at Benny's knew how to use a fly rod, so Joe was pretty much on his own. For the whole first summer, Joe never caught a fish, although he used his fly rod at least twice a week.
In the second year, Joe ran into another fly fisherman on the water. The older, more experienced angler, asked if he could look at Joe's fly. Upon inspecting the fly, the angler announced that he thought Joe would have a better chance of catching fish if he attached his fly to the fly line by means of a, " Leader!"
Joe had been tying his flies directly to the fly line. Even dumb hatchery trout were not stupid enough to bite a fly attached to a nylon cord.
Joe begged his parents, until they finally relented, and drove him to a store where he could get a leader. Joe started to catch some fish that year, although he was limited to fish you could sneak up to and drop the fly right on top of them, because Joe still could not cast.
Eventually, Joe moved to Alaska, where he gave up the fly rod, because the water was big up there, and sneaking up on the fish was not really an option.
Twenty-odd years later, Joe found a real fly shop and took up fly fishing again.
The moral to the story is that if Joe had found a good fly shop in 1972, he wouldn't have missed out on twenty-five years of fly fishing, including two years in fly rod heaven, Alaska.
But, I'll bet he saved a couple of bucks on that first fly rod.

J.Horton
<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">Mass Salt</A>

BillySalmonhole · #10 03-19-2000, 10:53 AM

DITTO ON ADAMS POST!
BILLY

Sargeantj · #11 03-20-2000, 10:26 PM

Since we're speaking hypothetically here, what's the opinion from the group if, say, one day "Joe" saunters into the fly shop that has treated him so well for years (taught him everything he knows, basically) and Joe picks up a nice reel. Then for months he looks at it everytime he comes in. The guy at the fly shop tells joe all about it and offers to spool it up and everything for him. He lets joe take it apart and inspect it piece by piece.

Then one day Joe goes into the shop and tells the shop employee he's ready to buy the reel. But... He then tells the guy right to his face he can get a much better deal elsewhere and isn't going to buy it from the fly shop that's taught him everything and has given him all this service he claims is so important and meaningful to him.

Hypothetically speaking, what's this make Joe?

sRobbins · #12 03-21-2000, 09:15 AM

That's quite a story. Joe never wondered why he never caught any fish? Anyway. Bought an RPLXi 1090-3, new in tube with warrantee card, last Friday for $385 from a guy who bought it for a trip but didn't go. I agree, EBay is not the place to bargain hunt for big name stuff.

You've got me all wrong. I buy a lot of stuff at flyshops, including rods and reels. My point was that it pays to shop around because there is a glut of tackle on the market. Was at a flyshop on the Cape this weekend and they had new Sage rods in the rack for $70. off -- maybe they're catching on...

JHorton · #13 03-22-2000, 04:35 PM

In the first place, " Joe," wouldn't do that. That would be, " Dick," who would do that.
That's kind of what I was alluding to above regarding, " Familiarizing," yourself at the local fly shop, then going on-line looking for a better deal.
I have no idea what the future of retail is, but I do know that retailers can not exist as, " Local showrooms," to help people select what to buy on-line or mail-order.
RE: " Joe never wondered why he never caught any fish? " Joe was only ten-years old! His gray matter was not yet fully formed.

J.Horton
<A href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/aromafusion/masssalt.htm">Mass Salt</A>