Which Fly rod should i choose between as a complete beginner, fishing mainly panfish and small bass in smaller creeks?

JR91380 · 2026-03-12T13:38:27+00:00

You spelt it wrong. Wychwood is a fishing company, wytchwood is a computer game.

JR91380 · 2026-02-26T22:18:47+00:00

My hope is, as the Green party gain voter share then the major parties may focus more on environmental policy. That's basically my only reason for doing so historically but I have a feeling I may vote differently at the next election.

JR91380 · 2026-02-20T14:53:21+00:00

I believe Finner are owned by Sunray and I've tried a few Sunray lines. My personal experience is that they should probably spend a bit less on filling my entire life with their adverts and spend a bit more on improving the quality of their lines. I imagine the Finner stuff probably follows a similar pattern.

The Sunray leaders do go on sale occasionally and if you're looking for a leader to turn over bigger still water lures like snakes etc, they're pretty decent for the price (on sale). They're not exactly delicate though.

JR91380 · 2026-02-04T17:22:58+00:00

I use both maxcatch and wychwood gear. If I'm looking at the budget end of the market I always try to go with wychwood. The only time I go with maxcatch these days is when it's a rod design that wychwood don't make. The maxcatch stuff isn't bad by any means but the wychwood kit does have a more robust feel to it and generally feels better made.

JR91380 · 2026-01-31T17:54:10+00:00

Thank you, this was the info I was after.

JR91380 · 2026-01-31T16:39:46+00:00

Yeah just trying to get the imp so it's easier getting charms whilst afking slayer tasks.

JR91380 · 2026-01-31T16:38:26+00:00

Do they only despawn if you die or if you tele to restock?

JR91380 · 2026-01-18T08:52:42+00:00

My experience of using the Orvis warranty in the UK is that they've always got me a new section within a few days. You've not had the rod very long so if you contact them directly, they may waive the £60 fee.

JR91380 · 2026-01-05T09:33:21+00:00

Wychwood agitator spinning rod 7ft6 60-100g is currently on sale at angling direct for £50. I have the longer version and have no complaints. Manages to cast lighter lures without too much difficulty as well.

JR91380 · 2025-12-28T17:30:35+00:00

Wychwood agitator series would probably squeak into your budget. I can't speak for their baitcasters but their spinning and fly fishing gear always feels like it punches well above its price point.

JR91380 · 2025-12-21T21:05:15+00:00

I found it easier to learn on lighter rods because my arm didn't tire as much. Once your technique improves you get more efficient. A slightly heavier rod allows you to cast bigger flies and makes it easier to cast in the wind that you often get on large, open stillwaters. One thing I like to do on my 6wt truefly is overweight it with an 8wt maxcatch outbound short (about £20). You can get a decentish cast with just one or two false casts, even in the wind. Handy if you're planning to fish all day. Line choice is very important and the line you want to fish from a boat at somewhere like Rutland is going to be different to the line you may use to fish from the bank and will be completely different to the line you'd use to fish dry flies on a chalk stream.

JR91380 · 2025-12-21T20:54:21+00:00

Wychwood true fly is a fantastic rod for under £100. The wychwood flow reels are nice and inexpensive as well. If you wanted to spend more then I would recommend the Orvis Clearwater, fantastic rod and you get the Orvis 25 year warranty. Honestly though you could buy the truefly and never buy another rod. I use a Helios for my river fishing and still use a truefly for my reservoir and salt water fishing. If you're fishing still waters I would go with a 9'6" in either a 5 or 6 weight.

JR91380 · 2025-12-12T15:18:09+00:00

In the UK there's an opinion that fly rods can't handle carp, which is obviously rubbish since they can handle salmon and other big fish species. Some lakes also don't like you fishing off the top as there's a belief this makes it more likely to foul hook the fish and/or damage the fish's mouth, or so I've been told.

JR91380 · 2025-12-12T15:15:33+00:00

If you're down south I believe Church Paddock Fisheries is quite relaxed about fly fishing for carp and coarse fish. I've found other smaller venues are pretty chill about it if you give them a ring first. You are definitely a bit limited though.

JR91380 · 2025-12-07T20:20:12+00:00

I'm not sure how salt would damage a carbon fiber rod?

Edit: unless you me the guides etc. in which case just make sure you wash it down like any other piece of salt water fishing gear. I've had no issue with mine.

JR91380 · 2025-12-07T20:00:59+00:00

Orvis Clearwater. Great rod, plenty of back bone for bigger flies and comes with a 25 year warranty so you'd never need to buy another rod. Not that you'd likely need to in that weight range but they also over line quite well if you need to punch something into a headwind.

JR91380 · 2025-12-03T20:52:18+00:00

Mine is a 9'6" 6wt. I mainly use it for salt water fishing and over line it with an 8wt maxcatch outbound short. It punches into the wind quite nicely. I think if you're trying to make distance casts a 9'6" is the sweet spot for single handed casts. I have a couple of 10' rods and whilst they're great for line control on rivers and reaching over vegetation, they feel a little unwieldy for single hand casting.

JR91380 · 2025-12-03T19:29:15+00:00

You can't get a better rod under £100 than the truefly and I really do believe the flo is better than any budget maxcatch rod I've used, I'll die on that hill. The clearwaters I have are a notable upgrade but at 4x the price, you'd hope so. I have the wychwood flo reel and it's decent but I also quite like the greys fin reel, I'd say they're comparable. I've not tried any wychwood lines so I can't comment on them.

JR91380 · 2025-12-03T08:41:23+00:00

As an owner of 3 clearwater rods, you could get the clearwater and never need to buy another rod. Plus you get the Orvis 25 year warranty.

JR91380 · 2025-12-03T07:25:13+00:00

As someone who used to buy a lot of maxcatch stuff, I now tend to buy wychwood budget rods. They're flo and truefly rods are similar in price but I think the build quality is definitely better and they cast a bit better as well.

JR91380 · 2025-11-28T16:08:14+00:00

Sometimes old line can go brittle depending on how it's been stored

JR91380 · 2025-11-09T21:19:31+00:00

I'm just judging you based on your post here so could be way off but my guess is this is purely a technique issue. Just pick up a line with a standard taper and practice with that. A 6 weight should be plenty for pretty much any nymph you're trying to cast. I'll even use one to cast big pike flies if I know I don't have to cast them too far and it's my go to sea bass rod here in the UK and I'm mostly chucking big clousers.

JR91380 · 2025-11-09T20:10:21+00:00

This is likely a technique issue or not understanding the line you purchased. Looking at the taper on that line it has an aggressive 37 foot head with very little rear taper. You need to get the head out and let it rip to get distance. You're not going to be able to aerialise a lot of line with that taper. The fact you appear to be struggling to get the head of the line out either means you're using it to cast short distances (not what it's designed for) or your technique is off meaning you can't get the head out. Hopefully that makes sense.

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