Simple, cheap fly rod

Q. Hey Gear Guy, I’ve been bass fishing for a couple years now but I really wanna get into fly fishing too. My friends say it’s really expensive—so can you recommend a simple, cheap fly rod and reel to get me started?
— Fishy Frankie, Atlanta, Ga.

A. Thanks for the question, Frankie. Fly fishing is a great sport, though as you mentioned, it can indeed be expensive. One quick and easy way to get geared up is to buy an all-in-one starter outfit that comes with rod, reel and line. I looked around for an affordable, yet full featured and quality combo and here’s what I found: The Redington Minnow Kid’s Outfit ($100; www.redington.com) comes with a eight foot long medium-action two-piece graphite fly rod with a Crosswater reel, fly line and pre-spooled leader. This setup is geared to anglers up to 12 years old, but don’t let this thing fool you: a couple of my fishiest fly fishing buddies spent an afternoon playing with the Minnow and were fired up on it. The same company also makes the similar Crosswater Youth Outfit ($139) which has a 9-foot rod and is marketed to teenagers. Both are ready-to-fish straight out of the box and though they retail for $100 plus, look around online and you’ll likely find the Minnow for as low as $70. Happy fishing!