M MAXIMUMCATCH Maxcatch Extreme Fly Fishing Combo Kit 3/5/6/8 Weight, Starter Fly Rod and Reel Outfit, with a Protective Travel Case (8wt 9‘0“ 4pc Rod,7/8 Reel)

Fantastic value for the money, i have been beating on my maxcatch 8 weight for 3 years fishing for salmon, steelhead, lake trout, and trees and it's held up to the abuse. I bent the reel a bit on a salmon in heavy current but was able to bend it back and its good to go. Perfect beginner or "beater" fly rod setup. The hat is nice too!

UPDATE:Manufacturer saw my review and volunteered to send a new rod section. New section arrived about 6 weeks after purchase. Now I have a complete rod with functioning guides. I'm upping the rating to 4 stars as this is a good starter combo and certainly worth the money spent.The rod is a nice configuration, 4 piece travel rod is ideal for taking on a plane. The reel is adequate and comes pre-spooked with floating line and a tapered leader. The problem for me is the first guide. The ceramic ring (or whatever material it is) is gone and the guide has a sharp inner surface so if I use it as is, the fly line will be ruined in no time. I’m not sure I have time to return it before my fishing trip… so I may be stuck. I’d give this rod high marks if not fir thy e defective guide. Nice weight, casts well. But… broken guide.

I ordered 2 of the 8 weights for a fishing trip on the Kenai River to catch sockeye. One of the reels needed some lube but other than that they performed good while we were fishing for salmon. The ability to break down the rods into the case made things very easy for the airport and traveling. This isn’t a high end item but it’s perfect for someone who doesn’t want to break the bank for a fishing trip. Definitely a great value for the price.

After a couple months of use I recommend this package at the price point I bought it for; $90. It is almost impossible to put a setup together for that price, and it comes with some flies and a case. I am fairly new to fly fishing and here are my thoughts:The rod has a rather fast action and will feel hard to load up without much line out or a decent sized fly. Should not be a problem as an 8wt is often throwing heavy flies, just be aware. I weighed the line and it is within 8wt specs, pretty standard floating, welded loops on both ends, and some backing. The reel is ok, don't expect smooth drag or reeling, but it is all metal and better than many package deals. It is a good beater reel or extra. I upgraded after about a month to the Pisifun Sword and am glad I did, the Maxcatch reel now is an extra with sinking line on it. The box is a good extra, and I found the flies were fine as well, not the most exciting patterns, but some I did use and liked.To me this is a good beginning, beater, or extra rod. If the price stays the same it is hard to beat. You would probably have to spend upwards of a hundred more to get a similar package from a name brand.

I can’t compare it to much but I have a martin fly rod combo for 30$. I thought that was a decent setup. I pulled the trigger on this combo 8wt because I want to up my game. Oh man what a huge difference..The handle is a soft touch cork.The rod feels really light.The rod case is nice and solid for protecting it.It came with some flies that seem decent to start with and a fly case.The reel is awesome compared to the martin combo I have, adjustable drag/doesn’t click while reeling, much bigger size, and the quality look/feel is great.The casting is super easy for me. Barely had to try and it wanted to throw the line like it wasn’t even there..I received it today and immediately took it to the lake around the corner and I messed around with it. Caught a bunch of bluegill on it, 8wt is pretty over kill for panfish but I wasn’t catching any bass at that area so I switched to small flies.I will update this post if any issues arise from more usage!I highly recommend this combo! As an upgrade from some thing like the martin combos that are cheap.. or even skip the cheaper combos all together and go for one of these!