Hi, everyone! This is for the fly guys. Please help a newbie out. I am really interested in getting a good starter fly combo fro

[maynardtl8]

Hi, everyone! This is for the fly guys. Please help a newbie out. I am really interested in getting a good starter fly combo from bass pro. I live in north western illinois and will be going after bass, panfish, and maybe the occassional carp, upwards around 4 lbs. Bass pro has a decent looking #6 8'6" 4pc White river combo. Does that seem like a good setup to cover all of the above?

[LostLure]

The short and sweet answer: Yes

[Sourdough Dave]

My first serious fly rod combo was a 9' Reddington #6 and it is still my big water rod. Your 8'6" #6 sounds like a good choice. Any shorter or much lighter line and you may find some frustration perfecting your cast.

[Greenhead]

Sounds about right to me. If it wasn't for the carp, I would suggest you go to a 5wt, but I think you will be happy with that set up. I use a 9' 5wt for everything, but would prefer something a little heavier for carp.

[DakotaMan]

Sounds fine to me too. You have a lot of flexibility in that part of the country. Most of your casting will be wide open and you will get best use of floating flies. The bass and pan fish will attack a floating spider fly. I have caught big carp on wooly worms but suspect there might be something better.