I know absolutely nothing and will start my first rod very soon. So here goes, does a machined fly rod reel seat sit flush to the handle or is it to be inset into the handle? Which kind of reel seat is better? Machined v. hooded

Mark,

Can go either way....on most lighter weight rods people prefer to use an inletted handle and recess the reelseat into it.....although it is mostly personal preference...On the heavier weight reelseats they are normally bigger and do not normally recess into the handle. Certainly if you are not as concerned with appearnce for a couple bucks you can get a plain aluminum or graphite seat that will do everything you need.

Most of the really expensive seats are due to appearance related features(better plating,knurled designs,nicer wood spacer etc) . I would recommend REC, Struble, Pacific Bay
and American tackle(all sponsors) also consider Batson(less expensive imports but nice)...the list goes on.

Since it is your first rod I recommend getting a kit from one of the sponsors to the left.....that way everything will fit.

Find something that fits your budget and your fishing needs.

Thanks Joe! I haven't really seen any reel seats that were not recessed, so I needed to ask.