[Every Day]

I will be going to the US at the end of this month for 2 weeks. While down there we will be close to the Cabella wearhouse and they have a bunch of sales and really good prices on their fly rods and reels. I am wondering if anyone has ever bought or used these rods/reels. If so what ones have you found best? I will probably be going to a bunch of other stores down there as well, and we will be in Bend for 5 days so I can do some fly fishing on the Deschutes River and around 7 lakes up there (some are fly-fishing only). I want to get a new fly rod and reel, so other opinions on rod/reels for a resonable price (nothing over $500) would be helpful.

Thanks :cheers:
Dan

 

[stone]

I don't know if they have made more additions or not...but the last time I was at Cabela's in Lacey (a few months ago), their flyfishing section was a pathetic little corner with barely anything in it, tucked behind all the bass stuff.

As you have probably guessed, Cabelas just has their signature product line made for them from other large manufacturers. Even though I haven't tried any of their flyrods, I would hazard a guess that they are most likely comparable to many of the other big name rods out there. The Wayfarer multi-piece rods are especially interesting to me at the price point they are offered. Their reels are the same...and some of them look very similar to other off-shore (but nicely made) reels from Redington, etc.

:2cents:

 

[ivanski]

I had bought a few things from there and was a little disappointed. I had bought their LST rod and SLA reel 5wt. The reel seized up, and the rod did not perform as well as my Launch Sage rod, which was not that much more money. I did end up going to Lacey, to the store, and returning my reel. This was after I had sent it back to them through the mail. I thought I was specific in saying I wanted my money back. To no avail they sent me back another reel. They also sent my package without the fly line that I had ordered. Then a couple months later they charged my credit card for the fly line that I had taken off my order when they told me it was out of stock.

When I went to the store, it was a bit of a let down. If you are into regular fishing it might be cool. The fly shop was a little room in the back with a guy that just started last week, that didn't fish. Thanks for the help.

There was alot of guns, deep fried food, and 300Lb humans.

 

[HOOK]

i still say if your going to buy gear especially fly gear stick to a local shop. I myslef buy everything for fly fishing from M&Y :thumbup: great people, great service and when your a regular sometimes you get discounts if your spending a good chunk :beerchug: which is always nice. Keep the money local ED and go out and try casting a bunch of different rods and find what you are looking for. I mean yes you will save some money buying down south however you might be sacrificing quality because of it which is never good, not to mention you would have to send your stuff across for warranty stuff (which seems annoying)

I can say this though. I bought a pair of boots and waders from Cabelas more or less to try them out and im pleased so far. waders are great and the boots are super light but could use a bit of padding in the sole as they are quite hard especially after a long days fishing.

 

[stone]

While everyone's experience may vary, and I'm certainly NOT a spokesperson for Cabelas, I will say that I have bought a lot of stuff from them for more than ten years...and have yet to be disappointed by their products, price, or customer service.

The one item I had an issue with was a pair of Dry-Plus breathable waders that started to delaminate on the thighs after one trip to Montana. I contacted Cabelas, sent them back, and promptly got my money back, no questions asked.

I also advocate that people make an effort to spend their money locally to support local businesses. I try to do the same unless the price difference is so significant that it is worth it for me to take the time to buy it from across the border. :2cents:

 

[Every Day]

Only reason Im asking is we are going on a 2 week vacation. We are leaving Saturday and we will be stopping here along side many other fishing store on the way (I hope, if my parents allow it). I am willing to spend a bit of cash on a fly rod and reel, but everything is sooo much cheaper down there that I figure that since Im going I may as well take advantage. I am also open to other brands you guys are happy with as I am getting more interested in fly-fishing. I find I am bringing the fly rod more and more, and will definately be taking it with (along with the U-boat) to Bend when we do leave (I will probably be asking some questions in another topic). Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks :cheers:
Dan

 

[stone]

Dan:

One thing you can do is look through Cabela's website and see what they have on sale. You can then order it online, and then have them deliver it to the Lacey store and pick it up on your way through there. That way you get the deal that you are looking for, and there is no shipping charge for them to deliver it to one of their stores.

 

[skagit3]

You guys might want to look at Sportsmans Warehouse. It's a much shorter drive and I think they may have more stuff. They are located in Burlington.

 

[bluesteele]

Hey Dan Your gonna love the Deschutes.!!! I lived in Oregon for a long time and spent alot of time
in central eastern Oregon fishing.

The steelies should be in there in good numbers now. Lower river tends to hold the big fish as far as
steelhead are concerned. The Bonneville dam has a great webpage with fishcam on the Columbia.
As well as daily fish count lets see...Yesterday JUly 20th almost 6000 steelhead went through 2200
wild. 67 000 so far this month.
https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/fishdata/home.asp

Looking at the daily numbers they have steadily increased almost every day this month.

You also may want to try the metolius and crooked river. They along with the Deschutes all merge in Lake Billy Chinook.
Metolius has bull trout over 20 lbs. Amazing fishery. Probably best bulltrout fishing anywhere.
Any how have a great time sure it will be cooking hot their.

Also I have ordered from Cabelas for a long time and find they have great prices and awesome customer
service. I never have had any problems with them. Dont know about the store tho?

Good Luck and Stay Cool,

Bluesteele

 

[ivanski]

Check out http://www.reelflyrod.com/main.sc , I saved a few hundred dollars on my Islander reels. Cabelas doesn't have Islander reels, made in Canada. Also if you ask nice, they might give you an extra 10% off. Shipping stuff across the border can get exspensive with handling fees. If you can ship to the states, and then pick up is the way to go.

 

[Mendingline]

G'Day Dan. Getting a new rod and reel is a major investment and requires a great deal of research. We have Cabelas, Sportsman's Warehouse, Joes Sporting and some very good specialized fly shops here in Boise. My recommendation would be to try before you buy. A good fly shop might let you "rent" a rod and reel setup that you might want to purchase and count the rental as a deposit. I do really like Cabelas return policy and we shop there with confidence. Note: each rod manufacturer has different warranties. You need to look into this regardless of where you shop.

If you would like a recommendation, some of the St. Croix rods have lifetime warranties and are of great value. I own 3 Sage rods and my wife has a Sage--they are pricey. I bought a St. Croix for my son for his 30th birthday and it is an awesome rod. I really can't tell the difference.

The Lameson Litespeed (sized to your rod) is an excellent large arbor reel. That is the only reel I have bought in the past 5 years. I have them on all my rods (even my spey) with the exception of my 10wt. They are made here in Idaho with a lifetime warranty. I have compared them to the Islander and either would be a good reel with the Lameson being less expensive.

At any rate, everyone will have an opinion on a rod/reel set up--yes, even the specialized fly shops. So do your research and then shop. Be sure to cast the rods before buying as what works for me might not work for you. For trout/bass a good 5wt would be an all around rod for fresh water. An 8wt for steelies and larger bass and carp. A 10wt for your heavy salt water fish and for chinook, etc. Best of luck and have a good trip down our way and hopefully there won't be too much smoke in the air from our fires. Cheers, Gary

 

[Every Day]

Thanks for the replies guys. I leave on Saturday at 7 am in the morning. I heard the Deschutes is a great Steelhead river but we are going to be in Bend Oregon, so I think it is the upper river and not sure if they travel that far ??? I will moslty be on the fly for trout.... These are the lakes/streams/rivers I will be close enough to fish at (hopefully if parents will drive :thumbup : East Lake, Paulina Resevoir, Paulina Creek, Crescent Lake, Odell Lake, Davis Lake, Wickiup Resevoir, Waldo Lake, Crane Prarie Resevoir, and Tumalo Creek. I heard a few of these lakes have really good fishing, as well, some are fly only so should be quite fun :happy: Hopefully I coulda maybe do a little Steelheading or slamon fishing in the Deschutes Rier but like I said we might be in the upper and salmon may not be up there yet. :wallbash: I may be bringing my laptop and digital camera so I will give reports and pics if I have success. If I'm not able to bring the comp I will post when I get back. Thanks for the help Bluesteele, much appreciated.

 

[ed fisher]

I've been using a Cabelas Stowaway 5pc 3wt rod for a couple of years now. It's cheap, has fast action, and I love it. I only bought it so I can keep it in the trunk of my car for emergency purposes but it has become my primary rod. I am on my second one, as I ran over the first one with my car and that isn't covered under the warranty

It's made a bit cheap. For example, the reel seems to get stuck in the reel seat quite often. The sections will occassionally come loose at the ferrules during heavy casting (my St Croix rods do this as well -- my friend's Loomis and Sage rods do no).

Overall, the Stowaway is good bang for the buck, and I wouln't hesitate to replace mine should something happen to it (knock on wood).

I can't comment on any of their other rods. The Cabelas site does have user feedback for many of the products. I check there before buying anything.

 

[dryflyguy]

Over the years, I've bought several Cabela's fly rods, blanks to make my own rods, and other products. I've switched to buying locally because I invariably need some kind of assistance or warranty work (I'm hard on my stuff). It's so much easier to talk to someone I know than to package something up and pay to mail it away and hope it doesn't get lost, stuck at the border, or whatever. And I guess I've bought the "buy locally" propaganda.

dryflyguy.