8 weight is the ticket. To me if all you’re doing is fishing the tribs then I’d spend more on a better reel with a good drag versus a nicer rod. I have the cabelas rls+ and for $100 it works great and has an awesome drag, it’ll tighten down well and is pretty smooth when those fish take off. I don’t have any experience with the higher end big names so I can’t compare it to those. I had a 7 weight years ago in high school that broke on a big salmon. Got an 8 weight st croix after that lol.
I was asking the same question last year because I had never fly fish before. I ended up buying Cabela's bighorn combo 8wt on sale for $79.99. I didn't know if I would like fly fishing or not.
I ended up loving it and caught a couple of salmon this past fall. I did way better then when I tried the year before drifting spawn under bobbers.
Well, there are so many options. I agree that an 8 wt rod is the all a rounder here. The reel should be large enough to hold 100 yards of 20# backing plus the fly line. Most 7-8 weight reels will fit this bill. Brands Effect price. High end rods that I have experience with are Sage, Orvis, Loomis, and Winston. New, there rods will cost you about $700 to 900. High end reels include Abel (my preference), Galvan, Orvis, Ross, Hardy, Loop, Islander, Bauer, and Hatch to name just a few. You need a reel that can not only handle the required line, but preferably has a strong drag system. (Versus a click and pawl drag common to many trout reels). These kinds of reels cost more and new can be had from about $300 on up.
Moderate price 8 wt fly rods would include St. Croix, (I have a few of these), Echo, Redington, and Orvis recon (on sale for about $280).
Hope this provides some perspective. I think the Orvis recon is right now about the best deal on the market, followed by St. Croix. You can also pick up very good used reels on eBay at much more reasonable than new costs. Good luck and tight lines. SR
