Thread: So I'm Learning to Fly Fish

My bachelor party was actually a backpacking/fly fishing trip into the Rocky Mountain National Park with my brother. An extended weekend of fishing, camping, hiking, and sips of Crown Royal while gazing at the stars, and contemplating my future. I can not think of a better send off into married life. When fly fishing gets its hooks into you, there is no going back, and you can't ever imagine wanting to.

I've been flyfishing for about 30 years (fishing by any method for about 35), seriously for more than 10, and I've been teaching it to beginners for about 6 years. That's me (almost 30 pounds heavier than I am today, which was 40 pounds lighter than when I bought those waders!) and my 3-wt Sage SP (Ross Gunnison reel, no longer made ) on the Willowemoc in the Catskills, on a rainy day. I was a tad under-rodded for the water conditions, but I made do. The shave that morning, BTW, was with a Feather AC, a Valobra shave stick, and an Omega boar brush.

It can be a little frustrating to teach yourself. Shouldn't be too much trouble, though, fishing for bass with poppers. You probably want a rod in the 6-8 weight range if you plan to fish the bigger bugs (you need something heavy enough to overcome wind resistance), and that's a little bit too heavy for trout (you can use it, though).

With your bass bugs, cast them out, wait for all the ripples to die, and then start popping the bug. You should also be fishing some streamers, especially the black wooly bugger. Never underestimate the power of a black wooly bugger.

If you can find a local guide who flyfishes down there (fly fishing for redfish has been becoming more and more popular, apparently), hire him out-- just tell him your nearly a complete novice, and it will work out fine.

It doesn't need to be expensive, but flies do add up. If you pick up fly tying, you'll find yourself shelling out big bucks at first, but I do believe you save money in the long run, and it really changes the way you fish.

I'd also suggest taking a targeted fishing vacation, and arrange for a guide. Many folks seem to think that guides don't want to deal with novices, but this just isn't true. Be sure to tell the guide your experience level in advance--nobody likes surprises on the stream. Down south like you, you might want to consider fishing the Smokies.

Originally Posted by ScottS

... That's me (almost 30 pounds heavier than I am today, which was 40 pounds lighter than when I bought those waders!) ....

Scott - congratulations on the weight loss! I'm fighting that battle myself, so I know it's not easy - 70 lbs is truly something to be proud of - now, KEEP IT OFF!.....and go buy some new waders!

Well done, Sir!

...END OF .

-whatever

-Lou

Yep -- thanks for the info Scott --- any beginner outfits you would suggest ? --any brand names you've grown to like?

I know these questions are tough ones because the selection of a rod/reel combo depends a lot on your own likes but just a general steering in the right direction would be fine.

Justin

I'm pretty sure both Cortland and Scientific Angler make beginner sets, rod, reel, line, backing, in 8 weight for about $150. Certainly serviceable, but not top of the line. I've been thinking about picking up a set in 5wt for guests, but before I turned around I had three complete 5-wt rigs (and a 3-wt, and an 8-wt). St. Croix makes some good beginner rods, as does Orvis. In fact, most major rod makers have a no-frills line. Temple Fork seems to be the best no-frills low cost rod right now. Lots of choices. I'd probably look toward the TFO (That's Temple fork) 8-wt 4 piece rod (easier to get around with than a two-piece, and less like a jigsaw puzzle than a six piece), 9 feet long. Runs $150. A basic line will cost 40 bucks or so. You want a weight forward floating line. You might want to be a little careful about the reel, as you'll be doing some saltwater fishing for things stronger than bass. You'll want a good disc drag reel. The Ross Flystart 4 is under $60, with a disk drag== they recommend it for "all freshwater and warmwater fishing environments", and I don't know if that counts warm saltwater.

In fact, a buddy of mine in North Carolina owns ezflyfish.com. The guys name is Walt Winter, aka Waldo. If your looking to gear yourself up, stop by his website, and give him a jingle and tell him that Scott from "Roff" sent you over (not that this will help with prices, but tell him that I have a picture of him with a badly bruised face standing next to Opie drinking from a Mason jar on my office wall.) Tell him how you're planning to start. The man knows a lot about fly fishing in the south.

Avoid the Beginner Kits - they'll just mess you up, ruin your cast and frustrate you so much, you'll give up.

There is some very good equipment at lower prices from quality manufacturers.

My personal recommendation:

I just bought an entry-level Ross Flystart reel for my son. It's at the bottom of their offering and it's only $39, but I'd put it up against many other more expensive reels from other manufacturers. Any of their Ross Worldwide reels are great starter reels. for my own rods, I use their CLA, and it's only $165. www.rossreels.com

Next, go with an entry-level rod from a well-known manufacturer. Sage Rods seems to have the biggest bang for the buck. The Launch Series rods are great starter rods, and are priced under $200. www.sageflyfish.com

To start out, I suggest a 5-weight rig. It's the right mix between light enough to cast easily, but strong enough to punch through a wind.

Finally, find a good flyshop to buy your rig. You should get a break when buying a complete rig. My flyshop, Angler's Covey in Colorado Springs, gives you the backing and flyline for free when you buy the rod and reel together; plus they load the reel for free, too. They will ship your purchase to you anywhere. If you decide to talk to them, ask from Jack Duerson (Sundays - Wednesdays) tell him I sent you. www.anglerscovey.com

Tom Buesing

Jaegerdude:

This is some really good advice...


...write it down.

-whatever

-Lou

i grew up in upstate ny, fishing constantly. always rod and reel till i was about 15. all the hype and cool'ness of it caught my attention and got a beginner fly set up for xmas and havn't looked back since.

the environment up there is fantastic for learning. plenty of time spent in the fingerlake region fishing the banks from a canoe learning and practicing the technique. lots of trout and even some salmon eatting plenty morning and night hatches. i didn't have to fight currents, didn't have to worry about placement behind rocks/logs/breaks/pools..etc etc.. so it allowed me to work on form and distance.

i've been fortunate enough to have spent time on the ausable up in the adirondacks, to catching browns,cohos and steelhead on the salmon/black rivers. southward adventuring to beaverkill at the bottom of the state and every little brook and 3foot wide country stream inbetween. its a fantastic experience. well worth your time and money to enjoy. good luck and keep at it. you'll have many great memories from your times on the water. oh, and get some chestwaders

~Jared

ps. any of you other folks cast with a bit more of a sidearm motion? i drop my wrist down much lower then other folks i fish with. almost gives a wisking motion. guess i started doing this when i first was learning so i didn't slap the fly on the water. benefits now a days are that curve casting has become 2nd nature and there's no hiding behind rocks or debris for those trout.

Originally Posted by tombuesing

Avoid the Beginner Kits - they'll just mess you up, ruin your cast and frustrate you so much, you'll give up.

This just isn't true anymore. You might not get the best reel with the kits, but these days most of the kits come with very nice graphite rods. To make my point, when I teach beginners to cast, its usually in a class of about 20 students. I gather up as many rods in the 5-wt area that I can, which is about 6 or 7 out of my own closet, and borrow the rest. One of my friends is good for about 15 rods-- she teaches casting for Casting for Recovery and some other things. She won the Cabela's/Fly Rod and Reel "Trout Bum" contest a few years back http://www.democratandchronicle.com/...ent_1439.shtml
She shows up in the painted Van she won, filled with donated Orvis rods, and helps loads with the casting instruction. She's a fantastic teacher.

Well, one of the rods I bring is a $40 Shakespeare job-- foam grip, plastic reel seat, just cheap. Dort is always amazed by how well that rod casts. I've casted the Cortland 333 kit, and its just fine.

To top it off, an 8-wt ain't no three weight. The quality of the rod just isn't as important when your tossing a heavy line (especially if you're "chucking and ducking" for migratory salmon and steelies, but that's a different story). There are some useless broomsticks out there in 8wt, but they really are few and far between.

What you do miss out on with the kits is the lifetime warranties. Believe me, the difference in what that warranty cost more than makes up for the difference in price between the kit and the Sage intro line.

Originally Posted by tombuesing

To start out, I suggest a 5-weight rig. It's the right mix between light enough to cast easily, but strong enough to punch through a wind.

I missed this before, obviously. 5-wt is the standard choice for trout beginners. If the original poster said he was going to be fishing for bass and trout, I'll still point to the 5-wt. With the salt water in the equation, and the wonderful possibility of redfishing, I'd go for an 8-wt or 7-wt, but neither is exactly right. Heavier lines are easier to cast, but harder to cast for a long time.

Try THIS SEARCH of the usenet group rec.outdoors.fishing.fly. I tried to filter out the nonsense for you, but some might come through.

Edit: It might pay to drop roff participant "rdean" a note. He's from Louisiana.