I’ve gone once, so I know very little on the subject.

Got a buddy who has a bday coming up and his wife has a $800 budget for a gift. My buddy have gone on 12+ trips and he’s interested in getting his own set up.

So, imagine you’ve got $800 and you want to get the best rod and accessories you can get. What are you getting?

Thanks in advance!

Was on vacation a couple weeks back and there was an Orvis retail store near by. All I can say is fly fishing must be a rich man’s hobby because when I walked through it, I couldn’t believe the price tags on their rods. Each one was over $1,000. Maybe they just sell really high end stuff, but dang I was floored.

I suggest getting on the TFF in their fly fishing area and also ask.

I would suggest Cabelas/ Bass Pro fly fishing department.
The 800$ will go a lot farther there than a specialty shop such as Orvis.
You absolutely, positively don’t hafta spend thousands to enjoy the sport!
My

This too ^^

What weight are you looking for?

I would look at TFO (Temple Fork Outfitters) rods and then you can really go a lot of different ways on reels. TFO makes a great rod for the money and you won't be laying down a grand like you would on a Scott, Orvis, Sage, etc... With TFO and a decent reel, you can stay under $800.

The rod is MUCH more important than the reel. I haven't bought a new rod in 10 years. I bought a Sage mid tier rod. My guide buddy had TFOs back then and they were nice.

Make some calls and see if there is a rod builder in your area. Custom fly rods can be not really expensive and many times the rod builder can get very nice blanks to make a rod very similar to the expensive ones and it will be custom for him.
Plenty of nice reels for say $200-300.
Some hand tied flies would be a nice accompaniment for the rod and reel too.
I would also say check on TFF.

I'm a little surprised after 12+ trips, your friend doesn't already have his own equipment. You left out a lot of pertinent information in what he's looking for. Just like you wouldn't use a .300 Win Mag to hunt prairie dogs, you wouldn't use a 10 wt fly rod to catch 12" browns in a creek. That being said, I'll assume your friend is fishing freshwater creeks or smaller rivers. Your first fly rod needs to be something that is versatile and able to be used in different conditions. Again, assuming freshwater, the best all-around fly rod is a 5-weight. It can be used with a variety of flies on streams, creeks, rivers and lakes. The best all-around length is 9'.

I'm not a fan of anything from Cabela's/Bass Pro for fly fishing. Maybe they've improved, but there are way better options for your price point. In 2020, I bought my 13 year old son the Orvis Clearwater Fly Rod Outfit. For a novice fisherman, I was really impressed with the quality for that price point. It was under $400 and came with a 5 wt 9' rod, large arbor reel, the Orvis Dallas shop put backing and line on the reel, case, and they even threw in about 10 flies. My son has used it 2 summers now and has fished tiny streams and beaver ponds for little brooks all the way up to the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River catching 18" browns. It's a really nice setup.

If looking to go closer to the $800 price point, I almost bought the Sage Foundation Outfit for my son. It's around $650 and is the lower end offering from Sage, but still great reviews on that.

Last summer, I also bought a rod from a little outfit called Moonshine in their Vesper series. Really nice quality (with titanium guides, slate blanks, high end cork grip) and accurate caster matching some of my higher end rods like Sage or Winston, but at a $500 price point. I put on a Ross Animas reel and bought backing and line from Amazon. I think the total package was $900. That's a fantastic all-around setup and is what I'd recommend.

Like others have mentioned, TFO makes good rods, too. We have a lot of them across all sizes and their customer service right here in Dallas is awesome. I just had an old broken rod replaced with a new one for a nominal fee.

I'm a big fan of the service, expertise, and professionalism at Tailwaters in Dallas. They can be more expensive than shopping online, but you'll get what you need the first time if you don't really know what you're looking for.

For $800 you can set him up with quality stuff. Now it's not going to be be Sage or Orvis, but it will be equipment nobody would laugh at.

Rod....TFO or Echo.....both USA based companies with some manufacturing overseas. TFO is based in Dallas area. A TFO (Temple Fork Outfitters) Professional II will run you $189ish. This is using a 5weight, 9 foot as an example. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/temple-fork-outfitters-professional-ii-rod
Echo rods run roughly the same price range. Either way, I would go one or two steps above their base/bottom line products. Both brands offer great equipment and WARRANTY.

Some rods come with hard cases. If not, he needs one. $35ish.

Reel.....It's mainly used to hold line....so inexpensive is ok. Piscifun from Amazon will be roughly $50. Name brand will be double.

Line.....$80-$100, pick your poison. A floating 5 weight is the norm for Central Texas fresh water.

Leaders and Tippet.....$15-$50

A chest pack or shoulder sling........$50-$300.....all depends on style and the name stitched on the front.

Not to contradict the above, but I would stay out of Bass Pro, etc. Visit a local fly shop. I am sure there is one near you. If in Round Rock, go to Living Waters near downtown. Most fly shops have gear that is priced for the average fly fisher. It's not all $$$$. Also, if you buy from them, they will spool your line with backing for free. They can also help with matching pieces together and give info for free. Plus many offer classes on casting or fly tying. (Living Waters does them for free). But if they charge, that may be worked in to a package deal.

The above are just rough examples from a set up I recently bought. I bought the rod, line, leader/tippet and case from Living Waters and the reel from Amazon. Living Waters told me once the reel came in to bring it to them and they loaded the line at no charge.

Shop Local.

GB and Amik have provided good advice. SOB, what kind of fishing does your buddy primarily do? Stream fishing? River fishing? Lake/pond fishing? Ocean fishing? I primarily fish 6 wt 9 ft rods but do wish I had gone with a 5 wt for smaller streams or even a 4 wt 7 ft rod. As others have mentioned, the reel is not quite that important and I would suggest focusing on the rod. I don't recall how they rate rods in terms of loading, but there are very different feels to me.

I flyfish for a week once a year or so on streams in Colorado. I use a TFO one-weight on the small streams and a TFO three-weight on larger rivers. Four and five-weights are for larger waters and larger fish. TFO makes tremendous rods. Add an Orvis reel or something of similar value and you have a great rig. A nice rod tube to hold it all is essential, I think, plus a nice fly fishing vest or belt with pouches. A nice set of wading boots and waders with "socks" are a must, too.

I'd look at Redington's Trout Field kit. It's nice reel and good rod but the great thing is it comes with really great floating line ($100 Rio Gold). You can get the whole kit for about $350. Trout I would suggest a 9' 5wt

There is a small shop in Gruene that could help. They have every thing you need and you have the river real close to try it out the same day. First thing to find out what he is fishing for. From that they can point you in the right direction as to rod, reel, and lures. Unless he is going for tarpon it is a good place to start.