Martin Complete Fly Fishing Kit, 8-Foot 5/6-Weight 3-Piece Fly Fishing Pole, Size 5/6 Rim-Control Reel, Pre-spooled with Backing, Line and Leader, Includes Custom Fly Tackle Assortment, Brown/Green

Been wanting to get into fly fishing for a while now. This is a great entry level rod/reel combination. It even comes with a small assortment of flies to get you started. Watched a couple of videos to get the general idea of what to do and then went out and started casting. I would definitely recommend.

For the price you can’t beat what you get. Everything is all set up and ready to go once you receive the rod. The flies work pretty well for the most part, the click and pawl reel is a bit old school but honestly it’s worth buying the kit just for that. The reel is fairly solid quality and the rod does what it’s suppose to do. It’s perfect for the budget conscious consumer and those not wanting to drop $300 for a fly set up. The price point is perfect alone for beginners, kids, or just as an option to keep in your car for those unexpected fishing needs.This kit doesn’t include backing but it’s not much of a problem with how much fly line is included. The phone handle can become a little skippering when constantly soaked with water. The click and pawl system doesn’t really provide much drag but the audible click is satisfying to hear when you hook a fish. Overall it’s a fantastic kit at a wonderful price point.

I have owned a few of these over the years for panfish and small pond/stream fishing so I knew what to expect. And over all a decent basic kit for the price.A few tips for those new to them.When assembling the rod for use put the section together slightly out of alignment and then twist it into alignment. This will reduce the tendency of the sections from coming loose during false casts which is something this rod ( and most low cost fly rods ) suffer from.The line is a level line which is fine for short distances but not for longer casts or slightly heavy flies.I never thought pf a level line as a good beginners line for these reasons. Good for small trout streams not so good for most other situations. Consider getting a weight forward line which has a long heavier section at the front of the line making it easier to load the rod and get more distance with fewer false casts. You can get these for about $20 and up depending on what you want it for.The leader is short and changing flies is going to reduce the usable portion fast so learn to make your own tapered leaders. It's very easy and lets you make them in lengths for any situation. And another good idea is making a loop in the end of the fly line for loop to loop connections for leader to line. This extends the fly line life span to years even under heavy use. It's also easy to do.The reel is simple and plastic which again for the price is expected. No drag, just a switch to turn the click on or off. off means the reel will free spool so best to leave it on as you won't be reeling in most fish anyway. These are whats called rim drag reels the handle side of the reel is larger and designed for using the palm of your hand pressed against it to create drag which is how it's been done for a few hundred years and works just fine for smaller fish. If you target bigger fish you will want a reel with a true internal drag as it's just easier though not required until really big fish. these like most fly reels are nick named knuckle busters as when line goes out the handle spins so if you have a fish peeling line off the reel be aware of where your fingers are when palming the rim to slow it down.All this said I will be ordering a couple more for the kids along with weight forward lines for each.

Rod works great, only 2 problems, the fly line does not have a fused loop making it hard to change liters and the red Fly was only a piece of red string and I would recommend getting different flies (some of the the ones they supplied aren’t the greatest quality) but all in all, a good starter set

But in the end I needed a lighter rod for long hours of fishing and a reel with an actual drag control for large jaws. Drag which has improved my flyfishing confidence and prevents line coming out and tangling..as a noob was rough w this reel. I discovered I loved flyfishing and have great patience using this rod. Got me fishing and works well, but my new to me vintage southbend boron with a anglers dream reel with drag is much easier to fly fish with. Not knocking this kit and it brought me joy and made me learn but the harder way... I could afford it though and still like it... I caught a lot of fish with it as well and will teach others with it or let them borrow it.

2019 - I took this rod out with me fishing this year for the first time, and found another Fly Fisherman on the river that was willing to give me some pointers. Firstly he complimented the rig, and said it was nice for a starter fly fishing rod. I then watched him do the exact same casts that he was doing with his expensive rod. A day later, I had been practicing on rivers, and lakes, and I caught multiple beautiful Rainbow Trout on this rod. I would suggest finding someone to give you some instruction, and make sure to understand which fly's are in season. This is an awesome little fly rod to start with!Update:Spring 2020 - I took this fly rod back out to a cabin that we were staying at that had a pond with bluegill and bass. It did great at catching both, a year later I am still extremely satisfied with this purchase! You honestly get so much for your money, and it catches fish just fine once you learn the mechanics of fly fishing, which I have honestly fallen in love with! I am going to buy another to keep as a backup, and to teach friends on!UpdateFall 2020 - I have taken this amazing little fly fishing combo out 2 more times in June and September of this year and caught beautiful trout on it both times! Still very happy with this amazing purchase!!!