[Keith]

I have been given 2 rods today by my wifes auntie, they belonged to her uncle who passed away recently. He was a keen fisher 10 years ago prior to suffering from a stroke.

Shakespeare Radial Glider 10' 8/9 fly rod and 2 reels.
Shakespeare Sigma Graphite 40-80 9'. I assume this is a spinning rod.

I am new to fishing and was hoping someone could give me any info on these rods and if they would be ok for me to learn with.

I have also been given all his other gear which includes everything i need other than a net. There is a collection of approx 300 flys which he bought from somewhere in skye. Are there any websites to help me identify these flys.

cheers - keith

[Hamish Young]

Nothing wrong with the Radial Glider - bit behind the times but a good single handed sea trout/grilse rod even today. Bit heavy for the troots tho  To be honest not the best rod to learn on..... but then again why not:? It does the job and the principals are the same so yes, it'd be OK to learn with.
The Sigma is indeed a spinning rod  I canhear ardent spinners getting ready to shoot me but one spinning rod is much like another so it'll be fine to learn on 
Flies - loads of places online you could look but might be more fun to just try a few and see how you get on......
Unless they're in mint condition you'll probably end up replacing them anyway

Good luck 

[Rob Brownfield]

The Sigma is indeed a spinning rod  I canhear ardent spinners getting ready to shoot me but one spinning rod is much like another so it'll be fine to learn on 

Take aim,,,firrrrre!.. I have more spinning (well lure rods) than I do fly..and every one is built for a specific style of fishing.

But in this case, Hamish is right.. ..the 40-80 refers to the casting weight in grammes, so I would say that was a rod suitable for big fish such as Pike and salmon as its rating is high..ie..around an ounce and a quarter to about 2 and a bit ounces. The big rapalas only weigh in about 21 grammes so it would be a bit of a brut for normal fishing around these parts. (equivalent to fishing for trout with a salt water 10 weight fly rod )

[Keith]

Cheers for the info, all of the flies are brand new and really good condition. Looking forward to getting out and having a wee play.