I'm extremely impressed that you included Maxcatch to this overall Best Rod Combo review. I cant believe how much value they offer for the price point. Honestly, I feel the Maxcatch brand is the best kept secret amongst YT creators and retail vendors who routinely skip over Maxcatch and dismiss them as a subpar fly fishing gear, which is clearly not the case. They have some less inexpensive options for beginners, but they also carry well designed and robust products like the Premier series line of fly rods and combos, as well as the Avid reels to name a couple. In fact the Avid reels are made with the exact same CNC 6061 machined aluminum as the higher end models that brands like Orvis, Sage, G. Loomis...ect offer for much much more. I purchased my first rod/reel combo years ago to try them out and have since purchased two more rods and reels separately and a variety of lines. Even their their fly line routinely produces surprising results. For what they are asking for floating lines, I could realistically purchased new line every year compared to the mainstream name brands that are often priced three times as much! If you don't need to have name brand, go get some Maxcatch, you will not be disappointed.
Good review. One thing worth noting, regarding the Orvis Encounter combo, all Orvis rods come with their standard 25 year guarantee, except for the Encounter. I think it's only 6 months or something. For that reason I went with the next level up, the Clearwater combo for around $300. It seemed worth it to me, as I'm rough on rods, and it's and upgrade in quality.
Go to a local fly shop and cast several rods. A local fly shop wants you to be happy so that you will buy in the future. Buying from Amazon gives you nothing. The Orvis Encounter is TOO heavy. Casting a broomstick. For most fishing you will want a 5 or 6 weight. This will handle most panfish.
@@backpackerone I agree. When possible it's great to go into a fly shop. Some people (like me) live pretty far from the closest one, so we rejoice in 2 day shipping! With COVID, many fly shops are moving online with big ones like Trident allowing you to test the rod for a full 2 weeks and return it if you don't like it! Some retailers on Amazon do the same.
3 years later I hope it's still spot on. After doing a lot of research, vids, reading, looking at product, tons of fishing vids I decided to try this fly fishing path. Ironically, I just ordered your first pic, the maxcatch combo. Also decided, these will be the only flies I'll ever buy as I plan to tie my own. Lots of fun and aggravation ahead for certain! Looking forward to the adventure.
My two favorites are polar opposites…I’m going to give rod/line reviews because I think that’s more consequential. First is the old model NRX 9’ 3WT with Rio Premier Gold WF4F. This is, by a significant margin, my favorite 3wt setup on the planet. Short range to long range…it’s accurate, lightweight and effortlessly powerful. Second is the Orvis Encounter 5wt with WF5F SA Infinity…that rod swings *well* above its class and SA’s infinity taper is a real jack of all trades. If you’re way into nymphing or deep into streamers, these setups won’t be ideal…but the idea is that you can easily cover a number of bases with each. My favorite streamer rod is the NRX+ 9’ 6wt…that thing is just stupendously powerful/accurate for longer range casting. At short range, it’s a bit clunky and temperamental.
Works great although it ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxLoZpKHn4w7dtzXk1eygBlOhbLxuVe3uD took a while to figure out how to reverse it. Nearly disassembled the entire thing. Looks better than my Redington Rise 5/6 reel too.
Good video! I just wanted to add. I think most of your comments were geared towards trout when talking about weight recommendations. I think a 7 or 8wt is appropriate for plenty of freshwater fish and throwing big flies. Mainly Bass, carp, and gar.
Looking into fly fishing. Don’t know what weight and length of rod i should get? Can you suggest? I’ll be learning on the snake river and Teton river in eastern Idaho. Also will go up till Henry’s lake. So some good sized trout.
Depends on the size of fish and waters of course but you can go in between woth a a versatile 5wt 9ft to be ok for smaller rivers and handle larger trout. 5 wt is always the goldilocks of fly rods and good for a beginner planning on a variety of fishing scenarios.
I went with the Vise as my first combo. Absolutely love it. I actually bought a more expensive Orvis combo, my plan was to use the vice as a back up and the more expensive Orvis as my main rod the vice ended up better all around. I just love it.
Hey Into Fly Fishing Im about to ordre an Maxcatch Premier, but i am wondering if i can use it on both salt water after seatrout and i freshwater? :) Hope for an fast answer, because i really wanna get a fly rod soon ;) Have a nice weekend :) - Mikkel
@@intoflyfishing oh I thought it didn't do anything except people saying let's put this fish on the reel. I thought it just makes the line more straight and pulls the line forward a bit. Cuz I see people reeling fish in by pulling the line forward
@@itchyballidis7967 Oh yeah sometimes if the fish is smaller you can just strip the line in for sure. But generally, with bigger fish, you'll end up having to reel it in with the reel. even when you strip a fish in, you still have to reel the line in afterwards so the reel is always needed.
I thought that throw away comment about local shops throwing combos together based on whatever was lying around a bit harsh to local owner -operated shops
i didn't mean it that way. Sorry if it sounded like that. When I was younger buying fly gear that's what happened. Things are a lot more streamlined now.
thank you for such a clear understanding video. i have never fly fished being a saltwater angler ive caught 200lb plus tarpon land based and feel pretty accomplished catching 6 over 140lbs this year im looking for a new way of fishing for myself , earlier this year I found a saltwater pond that holds hand sized to 5 pound tarpon and would love to start out by catching them. im not sure if fly fishing is for me yet so im looking for a entry level budget set and the Maxcatch Premier seems like my way to go. question for you guys or anyone here who is a fly fishing angler what would be your recommended weight? If I catch a liking to fly fishing I plan on going heigher in weight to catch red fish and other larger game saltwater fish, but would love to micro fish for small tarpon for starters.
I started with a 6wt Fenwick hmx combo. That I've landed 30 lb chum salmon on it. And also good for trout. After 9 years of fly fishing, I've just started to buy other weight rods , because my setup was stolen. For the big tarpons I'd look at Abu Garcia fly line, 10 wt
Sorry but I was not a fan of the TFO combo. I bought the 8wt and found it very difficult to cast very slow to load. I moved to upgrade the line with an 8wt Rio WF line. The line overfilled the stock reel on this outfit. I returned to the fly shop I bought the Rio line with the intent to purchase a real that would accommodate the Rio line. In doing so I brought the entire kit with me. The owner of the store took me out back had me do some casting with the new line once stripped out enough for the TFO reel to allow it to cast. No problem with the rod the weight of the line improved the loading of the rod. We then weighed out the line that came with the NXT outfit and it was actually 7wt line. So essentially the 8wt rod was underlined. I was not happy to find any of this out as what was a reasonably priced package deal has been upgraded with about $100 for correct line weight $300 for a reel to accommodate the line for a grand total of $700 when you throw in the cost of the kit. Seriously I didn't pay that much for my Loomis NRX 5wt with a Galvan reel and appropriate line. Thank God the rod in this kit is decent.
Facts, reel is the last thing I would spend money on in a set-up. I do think old chrome/steel reels look sick though. Sage trout reel is so good looking
@@intoflyfishing Describing an outfit as "for those willing to invest" is a little bit different than saying this combo is going to cost you upwards of $2000.
I wonder which is the science behind this selection. I would rather tittle this Video "Some Fly Rod Combos available in the market". Without a deep analysis of Rod Weight, Action, Swing Weight, Price, Warranty, Casting Distances, etc, it is not possible to affirm that these are the best Combos in the market.
I agree. All “best lists” are subjective by their very nature of course. This is based on our team’s assessment in categories including budget combos for beginners. For deep analysis on each rod, check our actual reviews. If we analyzed each rod in depth this video would be 2 hours long and no longer suitable for the UA-cam platform.
All guides for fly rods and reel combos are totally useless because EACH and one need to test a bunch of rods and reels to find whats best for them since that might be totally different from the 'expert' opinion.....
Dont mather, every individual must still TRY equipment and find what's best for him and her.... What the reviews and comparisons say is what the person doing it thinks is the best OR the person or company that get paid to in any form to say so...@@intoflyfishing
Only the ones that the lists remain the 80% or more the same. We update our lists but it takes time so we prioritize those that have changed the most. Most of these combos are still the best.
I’ve ordered plenty from Amazon and it’s the same packaging as I get when I buy from the shop. All my rods come in a sturdy rod tube. What rod did you order that didn’t come in a tube?
Now that’s how to make a clear and concise product review video. Well done, and very helpful. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!🤙
I'm extremely impressed that you included Maxcatch to this overall Best Rod Combo review. I cant believe how much value they offer for the price point. Honestly, I feel the Maxcatch brand is the best kept secret amongst YT creators and retail vendors who routinely skip over Maxcatch and dismiss them as a subpar fly fishing gear, which is clearly not the case. They have some less inexpensive options for beginners, but they also carry well designed and robust products like the Premier series line of fly rods and combos, as well as the Avid reels to name a couple. In fact the Avid reels are made with the exact same CNC 6061 machined aluminum as the higher end models that brands like Orvis, Sage, G. Loomis...ect offer for much much more. I purchased my first rod/reel combo years ago to try them out and have since purchased two more rods and reels separately and a variety of lines. Even their their fly line routinely produces surprising results. For what they are asking for floating lines, I could realistically purchased new line every year compared to the mainstream name brands that are often priced three times as much! If you don't need to have name brand, go get some Maxcatch, you will not be disappointed.
Good review. One thing worth noting, regarding the Orvis Encounter combo, all Orvis rods come with their standard 25 year guarantee, except for the Encounter. I think it's only 6 months or something. For that reason I went with the next level up, the Clearwater combo for around $300. It seemed worth it to me, as I'm rough on rods, and it's and upgrade in quality.
Super useful. Thanks for adding that in the comments.
Go to a local fly shop and cast several rods. A local fly shop wants you to be happy so that you will buy in the future. Buying from Amazon gives you nothing. The Orvis Encounter is TOO heavy. Casting a broomstick. For most fishing you will want a 5 or 6 weight. This will handle most panfish.
@@backpackerone I agree. When possible it's great to go into a fly shop. Some people (like me) live pretty far from the closest one, so we rejoice in 2 day shipping! With COVID, many fly shops are moving online with big ones like Trident allowing you to test the rod for a full 2 weeks and return it if you don't like it! Some retailers on Amazon do the same.
The encounter has a one time warranty to replace the encounter for 60 bucks
Encounter has a 5 year warranty per Orvis customer service.
3 years later I hope it's still spot on. After doing a lot of research, vids, reading, looking at product, tons of fishing vids I decided to try this fly fishing path. Ironically, I just ordered your first pic, the maxcatch combo.
Also decided, these will be the only flies I'll ever buy as I plan to tie my own. Lots of fun and aggravation ahead for certain! Looking forward to the adventure.
Just got my wife and I our first kits, we went with the Fenwick night hawk combo and we can't wait to get out this summer.
Great pick. We're trying to get more Fenwick Sticks on this channel for review.
Amazing job helped me a lot!!!!!!!!!!
Glad to hear it!
Echo is pretty great for the price and overall
My two favorites are polar opposites…I’m going to give rod/line reviews because I think that’s more consequential. First is the old model NRX 9’ 3WT with Rio Premier Gold WF4F. This is, by a significant margin, my favorite 3wt setup on the planet. Short range to long range…it’s accurate, lightweight and effortlessly powerful. Second is the Orvis Encounter 5wt with WF5F SA Infinity…that rod swings *well* above its class and SA’s infinity taper is a real jack of all trades. If you’re way into nymphing or deep into streamers, these setups won’t be ideal…but the idea is that you can easily cover a number of bases with each. My favorite streamer rod is the NRX+ 9’ 6wt…that thing is just stupendously powerful/accurate for longer range casting. At short range, it’s a bit clunky and temperamental.
Works great although it ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxLoZpKHn4w7dtzXk1eygBlOhbLxuVe3uD took a while to figure out how to reverse it. Nearly disassembled the entire thing. Looks better than my Redington Rise 5/6 reel too.
Good combo for your first combo
Very good video! Clear and concise, well done!
Thanks mate for the information very useful regards Mick 🇭🇲
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching
Best for watching vidoe !!
Thanks!
Well narrated video😁
Thanks!
What pack is that starting around 6:51
That's a SIMMS headwater sling pack.
Good video! I just wanted to add. I think most of your comments were geared towards trout when talking about weight recommendations. I think a 7 or 8wt is appropriate for plenty of freshwater fish and throwing big flies. Mainly Bass, carp, and gar.
Great point! Thanks for the comment
What wt did you go with on the premier
I went with the 5wt.
Is that an automatic reel at 1:23?
Yeah the guide had it on a recent euro nymphing trip I did in Portugal.
Great video !! I have subscribed to your channel😀 👍
Thanks so much! Appreciate it!
What kind of combo would you recommend for panfish on a lake im also a beginner.
You might want to check the Redington Vice for a good entry level setup actually. We have a review on it on the channel too
@@intoflyfishing ok thank you
Good info brother thanks for the help
Cheers. Thanks for watching
Thank you for a great informative video, seems hard to come by these days.
Hi, what’s your take on the Redington Field Kit combos? Would love a review on them! Cheers🤙🏼
We just ordered them in actually. Working on getting the reviews up and they'll be in the updated combos list.
im new to fly fishing i am targeting alaskan salmon what do you recommend
Looking into fly fishing. Don’t know what weight and length of rod i should get? Can you suggest? I’ll be learning on the snake river and Teton river in eastern Idaho. Also will go up till Henry’s lake. So some good sized trout.
Depends on the size of fish and waters of course but you can go in between woth a a versatile 5wt 9ft to be ok for smaller rivers and handle larger trout. 5 wt is always the goldilocks of fly rods and good for a beginner planning on a variety of fishing scenarios.
@@intoflyfishing thank you for the reply and your time!
Whats the reel in the thumbnail?
I have a budget of $500 and I’ve never fly fished before but i still want a good one witch one should I get
Probably a Redington Vise!
I went with the Vise as my first combo. Absolutely love it. I actually bought a more expensive Orvis combo, my plan was to use the vice as a back up and the more expensive Orvis as my main rod the vice ended up better all around. I just love it.
No Cabelas prestige kit?
Can’t fit them all! We do have a Cabelas review coming out though.
Hey Into Fly Fishing
Im about to ordre an Maxcatch Premier, but i am wondering if i can use it on both salt water after seatrout and i freshwater? :) Hope for an fast answer, because i really wanna get a fly rod soon ;) Have a nice weekend :)
- Mikkel
I’ve used mine in salt but you really have to rinse it. Not an expensive kit so gotta take extra care.
Wut does the reel on the fly rod actually do?
It does the same as a reel on a normal rod. It reels in the line and spools it out.
@@intoflyfishing oh I thought it didn't do anything except people saying let's put this fish on the reel. I thought it just makes the line more straight and pulls the line forward a bit. Cuz I see people reeling fish in by pulling the line forward
@@itchyballidis7967 Oh yeah sometimes if the fish is smaller you can just strip the line in for sure. But generally, with bigger fish, you'll end up having to reel it in with the reel. even when you strip a fish in, you still have to reel the line in afterwards so the reel is always needed.
@@intoflyfishing oh ok the reel was the most confusing part
,Line storage.
No stuff from Hardy?
Centre axis was done by sage years ago it was a flop
I think you forgot one, the orvis clearwater combo kit.
It's made a few of our other lists. I love the clearwater for sure
I thought that throw away comment about local shops throwing combos together based on whatever was lying around a bit harsh to local owner -operated shops
i didn't mean it that way. Sorry if it sounded like that. When I was younger buying fly gear that's what happened. Things are a lot more streamlined now.
thank you for such a clear understanding video. i have never fly fished being a saltwater angler ive caught 200lb plus tarpon land based and feel pretty accomplished catching 6 over 140lbs this year im looking for a new way of fishing for myself , earlier this year I found a saltwater pond that holds hand sized to 5 pound tarpon and would love to start out by catching them. im not sure if fly fishing is for me yet so im looking for a entry level budget set and the Maxcatch Premier seems like my way to go. question for you guys or anyone here who is a fly fishing angler what would be your recommended weight? If I catch a liking to fly fishing I plan on going heigher in weight to catch red fish and other larger game saltwater fish, but would love to micro fish for small tarpon for starters.
I started with a 6wt Fenwick hmx combo. That I've landed 30 lb chum salmon on it. And also good for trout. After 9 years of fly fishing, I've just started to buy other weight rods , because my setup was stolen. For the big tarpons I'd look at Abu Garcia fly line, 10 wt
Sorry but I was not a fan of the TFO combo. I bought the 8wt and found it very difficult to cast very slow to load. I moved to upgrade the line with an 8wt Rio WF line. The line overfilled the stock reel on this outfit. I returned to the fly shop I bought the Rio line with the intent to purchase a real that would accommodate the Rio line. In doing so I brought the entire kit with me. The owner of the store took me out back had me do some casting with the new line once stripped out enough for the TFO reel to allow it to cast. No problem with the rod the weight of the line improved the loading of the rod. We then weighed out the line that came with the NXT outfit and it was actually 7wt line. So essentially the 8wt rod was underlined. I was not happy to find any of this out as what was a reasonably priced package deal has been upgraded with about $100 for correct line weight $300 for a reel to accommodate the line for a grand total of $700 when you throw in the cost of the kit. Seriously I didn't pay that much for my Loomis NRX 5wt with a Galvan reel and appropriate line. Thank God the rod in this kit is decent.
I own expensive and cheap fly rods. The one I fish with I bought at a pawnshop for 50 bucks!😊
Nice
Thanks
Spending big money on reels is crazy unless you fish salt water or maybe pike/musky. Spend your money on the best fly line and lessons
Facts, reel is the last thing I would spend money on in a set-up. I do think old chrome/steel reels look sick though. Sage trout reel is so good looking
unfortunately, most on the list are currently unavailable.
Maxcatch is made to budget. Invencible
Try finding a center axis. Not easy.
I noticed that Rajeff has a Shilton strapped to his Echo. Pity it’s not included😢.
We've got some shilton reviews coming.
Already broke my encounter twice 😑 second time was definitely my fault tho
You fail to say if they are two piece 3/ 4 / pieces
Great point. Most rods are 4 these days but for sure I’ll do my best to remember that for future lists.
Thanks great review
Why was the commentator afraid to mention the last two combos were well over $1000 ?
Hey Richard. Not afraid at all. We ensured we had a good mix of budgets.
@@intoflyfishing Describing an outfit as "for those willing to invest" is a little bit different than saying this combo is going to cost you upwards of $2000.
@@RCSTILE Thanks for your input. We'll take it into consideration for our future videos.
I mean, all of the clues were there. Cmon.
How is this 2 years old and a 2023 buyers guide
working on updating these. We only have 1 new combo in the 2023 list as many of these still stand.
How is this a 2023 buyer guide from 2yrs ago
I wonder which is the science behind this selection. I would rather tittle this Video "Some Fly Rod Combos available in the market". Without a deep analysis of Rod Weight, Action, Swing Weight, Price, Warranty, Casting Distances, etc, it is not possible to affirm that these are the best Combos in the market.
I agree. All “best lists” are subjective by their very nature of course. This is based on our team’s assessment in categories including budget combos for beginners. For deep analysis on each rod, check our actual reviews. If we analyzed each rod in depth this video would be 2 hours long and no longer suitable for the UA-cam platform.
This video is sponsored by sage
This video is not sponsored by any company. We put it together after over a year of testing.
If you're going to buy a fly rod buy Fenwick.
yeah they are great rods. We gotta try and get some more Fenwicks in for testing
In the beginning you keep saying the same thing
All guides for fly rods and reel combos are totally useless because EACH and one need to test a bunch of rods and reels to find whats best for them since that might be totally different from the 'expert' opinion.....
So let's just take down any video that reviews or compares rods and any post that tries to help a shopper make their decision 😂
Dont mather, every individual must still TRY equipment and find what's best for him and her.... What the reviews and comparisons say is what the person doing it thinks is the best OR the person or company that get paid to in any form to say so...@@intoflyfishing
How did you post a 2023 buyer's guide 2 years ago? I hope you're not just renaming videos for views and hoping to retain credibility.
Only the ones that the lists remain the 80% or more the same. We update our lists but it takes time so we prioritize those that have changed the most. Most of these combos are still the best.
3 minutes in... get on with it
And that's why there are chapters in our videos 😉 easy navigation
The first 25% of the video was as interesting as watching paint dry. I gave up on the rest.
No reason to be a douche Peter.
We try our best. I hope we can improve as we grow.
Yeah Peter...you douche!
Do not buy a rod from Amazon their packaging is horrible
I’ve ordered plenty from Amazon and it’s the same packaging as I get when I buy from the shop. All my rods come in a sturdy rod tube. What rod did you order that didn’t come in a tube?
You lost me when you wouldn't get on with it.😴
Akademi binaan malaysia @menara @mitsubish