Spring Smallie Gear Guide…What’s in our Boat?

So, I’m a gear-head…

It was the perfect storm. Growing up in a middle-class house, I always had good enough stuff. Whether there was something better was irrelevant. Of course there was better stuff, but we were limited to what we had access to living in a small rural town over an hour from a metro area. We were also thinking pragmatically. “If a $30 rod caught pike, why do I need a $150 rod?” But, there was a part of me that always wondered if there really was a benefit to having “the best.”

Fast forward 25 years, after 2 decades in the specialty sporting goods industry, and all pragmatism has gone out the window. Having been a buyer for a chain of sporting goods stores, I’ve had thousands of dollars in gear given to me to try out. On top of that, industry discounts make it very easy to stomach what may otherwise be an eye-popping upgrade.

That drastic swing in gear accessibility has really led me to appreciate quality, but also helped me snuff out the Bull-sh$!…I’ll walk you through how I prioritize my gear.

Let’s discuss the gear you NEED in order to catch fish…Rod/reel setup. I’ll break that down even further for Fly fishing and Conventional fishing.

FLY RODS/REEL/LINE - I like rods I can hand to someone that has NEVER held a fly rod, say “do this”, and within a few minutes they’re looking all-right. Medium-fast action rods slow things down enough to do just that. Right now, I have the TFO Axiom II in a 9’ 8wt. It throws big streamers, handles wind well, has plenty of backbone, but is also delicate. I also think med-fast rods help you learn how to fight the fish better. Paired with the TFO BVK 7/8 large arbor fly reel, you have an excellent streamer rod for anything from Bass, to steelhead.

For Fly rods, you do get what you pay for to a point. A $100 rod works, but a $200 rod works WAY better. That said, above $350 (throwing out a number) the returns are much less noticeable, possibly even detrimental to the beginner. I have a $1000 Scott Sector 8wt that’s AWESOME! It’s the best rod I own by far, and casts a mile with precision. It is however a fast-action rod and I would NOT say it’s particularly “beginner friendly".” If a beginner asked me if that would be a good rod for them, I’d tell them instead to go buy a $200 4wt, 6wt, 8wt, with a good floating line, an intermediate line, and a sink tip for each. Get really good casting all of them and you’ll have all the tools you need for 99% of Midwest fly fishing adventures. If money is no object, go crazy! Just make sure you cast the rods first. If you can’t control the fly, the rod is useless regardless of the price tag.

Fly reels for me, aren’t an area where you need to spend a ton of money. For Bass/pike, you don’t need sophisticated drag technology, so the reels are basically “line-holders”. If you fish a ton, a machined aluminum reel will last longer, but any large arbor reel will do the trick. There’s no shame in putting a used $30 reel on a $300 rod.

Fly line might be the BEST investment. I use Scientific Anglers lines with the “Titan” tips. They turn giant flies well, and have a very slippery feel. If you Have $150 for a Reel/line budget, spent more of it on the line…IMO. We mostly use FULL INTERMEDIATE lines with articulated streamers for Bass and Pike.

CONVENTIONAL GEAR - I’m not loyal to any one brand here. Most of my time is spent fly fishing, but there are definitely times where it’s just more fun or practical to throw conventional. Again, I like stuff I can hand to ANYONE and they can learn quickly to use it. I personally LOVE Bait-caster setups, but it can be very frustrating to learn. My go-to is a LEWS reel, and SixGill Cypress baitcast rod. Great warranty, great price, sensitive and plenty of backbone. Spinning gear is going to be the most commonly used in the boat. Again, we’re using SixGill
Cypress rods, with Pflueger President reels. $150 buys a TON of performance in conventional gear, but unlike your fly gear, having a reliable, smooth reel makes a big difference.

So, LOTS to consider when filling out your quiver of fishing gear. For me Reliability is #1. I simply can’t be stuck out on the river without functioning gear. #2 is ease of use…Simply put, the less time I spend teaching you to use the gear, the more time you can spend fishing. #3 is COST (not price). Cheap gear can COST you more in the long run if you have to keep replacing it. I look for the best price one can get on RELIABLE, DURABLE gear that performs how we need it to.

This is just my boat…Talk to 10 guides and you’ll probably get a bunch of answers. Fortunately, we’re living in a great time for anyone to get into fishing. There is so much great new product at affordable prices getting launched every day. GO INTO A LOCAL RETAILER like Nomad Anglers in Grand Rapids, MI AND GET YOUR HANDS ON IT!!! Talk to those experts and they’ll point you in the right direction.

-TK