nhagan

it cost under $10 for all of it cant beat it. now if i can break my routine of just putting my tools down and put them in the rack... neil

Well I ended up finding a decent deal on a new Lefty Kreh Professional from TFO rod (http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/rods/professional.html). Medium Fast Rod Then found another decent deal on a new TFO Prism reel as well as a redington crosswater reel (so I can try them both out). I was able to stay under my 200 dollar budget and should be happy for this season anyways! thank you all for your helpful info sounds like tfo is the way to go (on my budget anyways.. then again that bvk series looks sick!) neil

or if you are really pinching pennies grab a printable hobby lobby coupon [40% off]: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/coupon.cfm and snag one of these [should work fine]: http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/craft-storage-box-666735/ should end up costing you $1.20ish out the door.. neil

I stopped off at the hardware store this weekend. grabbed some oak. with the help of my drill-press and some sunset wheat this is what I came up with.. hopefully it can inspire another diy'er. nothing fancy but it works. neil

Awesome! Can not wait for spring so I can get my first on a fly! Neil

My only worry reading some reviews about the tfo combo is they claim the line that comes pre-spooled is garbage (guess thats not a deal breaker but..) would I be better off purchasing a TiCr X series rod and grabbing a different $50 reel?? neil

good stuff firedad! thats what I like to hear. I am leaning more towards the tfo rig. Thamk you all for the great info. Neil

Have a few good ponds/lakes around here that have some great boogie slabs! I can not wait to give them a go this spring. Neil

Thank you all for the suggestions! I am leaning toward that TFO kit. I think bps may stock them. I will have to run down this weekend and check them out in person! Neil

thanks guys these are size 8. I will try a few in size 10 tonight! Neil

^ That is kind of the issue. I do not know of any local fly shops to give them a whirl (plenty of bait shops just not a lot of fly shops around - that I am aware of). We just had a bassproshop open about 15 minutes from me (may be my best option at this point in time). I may run down there and see what combos they have available. I myself am still bouncing between the tfo and the redington. Neil

Thanks for the kind words Bryan! I must say its pretty addicting. Neil

I have just started tying a few of my own flies. I saw some bluegill flies posted around here and figured I would give them a go myself. I used your basic craft foam for the body along with bullfrog dubbing from FTD. Added a bit of sharpie for the finishing touch! I am happy with my first go around. I may sit down tonight and tie a few more in a different color. Again nothing special but I am very happy with how they turned out and look forward to contributing some of my own creations later. Thanks for looking. -Neil

Hey there. I am new to fly fishing. I have been reading all over on the forums trying to figure out what to purchase for my first 'investment' in this hobby! I would be mainly fishing still ponds (the occasional flowing creek) for crappie, gills and bass. I have been reading around most point to a cabelas or bps combo around the $100 mark for a starter. I was looking around a bit myself and have two or three that I have found and like. I was hoping you could throw some input my way. First thought was a Pursuit combo from Redington 6wt (http://www.redington.com/outfits/pursuit). Second throught is an NXT combo from TFO 5/6wt (http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/combo.html). Lastly I saw someone linking to an Albright combo 5/6wt (albrightflyfish.com/items/topwater-outfits/list.htm) - Looks like this one would be backordered. I am not really in much of a hurry as the places I fish are somewhat un-fishable as of now because of the goofy weather here in central Illinois. I am open to any other suggestions as well. Thank yo for your time and any input you can give me! Neil

That is excellent! Love the idea for an x-mas gift! Neil