New to flyfishing, want to catch 'gills

I found a Cortland combo I really like, the only thing is its a 9' rod as opposed to an 8 or 8'6". It is a 5wt and comes with everything but flies and extra leader and tippet material.

drew the longer rods are better for the starter they are more forgiving than a shorter one and accuracy comes a little bit easier. as long as there is plenty of roomto cast. i myself use a 7ft 4wt but most of the places that i fish are pretty confined. someone mentioned faol and it is an excellent site for the beginer as well as a veteran good luck and good fishin

Drew,
Ya got good info here.
Being as you are looking at "entry level" gear for now (as you should be), it might be advantageous for you to hold out for a shorter rig. Seems the inexpensive rods tend to feel a bit heavy in the hand and the shorter stuff might be a bit more "balanced" feeling.
If and when you progress or advance to the more expensive stuff, even 10' rods are light "in hand".
Just random thought of little importance. Main thing is GET STARTED. It is (can be) a very enjoyable road....the one leading to proficient FF'ing. :)
.....lee s.

I found a Martin 8ft combo at the local Kmart and have no idea what to think about it. It has a 5x leader, 6wt line, and an assortment of flies. It is only $20.00 Don't know what I could expect as far as the quality goes. ..Also, I found a Berkley Cherrywood 8' rod 6/7 for 2299 with no reel or anything...I could get a decent reel by Pflueger for $35 loaded with line, and then a fly box and some flies.

It doesn't sound like your options are that great at the local stores. In that case, I'd suggest getting a Bass Pro or Cabelas starter outfit. Both of them have good combos that are better than what you've mentioned. Bass Pro has a lot of fly gear on sale now, too. Both BP and Cabelas also sell Temple Forks (TFO) fly rods which are a great value.

Another option would be the Global Dorber group:

www.dorber.com

Although I have never purchased anything from them, I hear nothing but good reports.

Yeah. I agree with Kevin. I don't know about the current quality of Martin who used to be pretty good quality. I definately would not get a cherrywood rod. BPS or Cabelas might be your best option if you can't get the Silvertip from Dorber if you can't find one to try out that you like. I still suggest a 5 wt. to begin with. Sounds like you are having difficulty finding a good rod to try out locally. While a graphite is great for distance, I would suggest a fiberglass rod for a beginner since it is slower casting and more accurate so its more forgiving of casting errors for a beginner. But finding an affordable glass rod can be difficult. EagleClaw fiberglass Featherlights among some other lower end companies (Fenwick, etc.) have some good glass rods at an affordable price. What I did was order an EagleClaw fiberglass 8 foot Featherlight from a local (not chain or franchise) hardware store with the option of buying if I liked the feel of the rod (they would send it back if I didn't like it at no charge since their tackle representative visits the store on a regular basis). I liked it and matched it with a Scientific Anglers Model 58 lightweight polymer graphite reel from K-Mart. A really great casting lightweight outfit for me but this might not be great for you. Just another option you might consider. Like Lee said, the main thing is to get started. Best of luck.

Get a 5wt. If there's any wind you'll be glad you did. And if you ever try trout fishing the transition would be easier. Go with some hares ear nymphs, and a few flashy ones like a sinking bee or royal coachman. A few dries isn't a bad idea, fishin' em is just plain fun, but you'll catch more on wets.

I bought a 5wt starter kit from Cabelas, 3 years ago. I use mine with a 5ft leader and use very small jigs to catch panfish. 1/64, 1/80, and 1/100 oz jigs work great for me. I even use bigger jig and plastics when i find the big ones. A 2lb crappie on my rod is awesome. I'd like to find some shellcrackers to really have a blast. Won't go wrong with a 5 wt.

I used to fish the Everglades a lot with a flyrod and used to have a blast catching gills on a popper. The ones with the rubber legs and feathers on the rear. Bass used to tear them up also. Best of luck to you it is great fun.:rolleyes:

Definitely get some dries too. I have a Cortland combo I got a few years ago and was using a royal coachman with very good success last nigt. I have also had very good success with some others. It is neat to catch them on top. On wets, the hares ear and few others do very well for me.