Fly Fishing Help

[BillNye]

I have been bass fishing since I was a little kid but never got into fly fishing.  I do a lot of hiking and while I'm out I see many cool trout fishing locations on the streams and rivers that run through our state parks.  Pretty sure I have been fatally bitten by the fly fishing bait monkey but am looking for some advice on a beginner set up.  

 

After doing some research it seems like there are a bunch of different recommendations but not nearly as much info as you can find on bass fishing.  Looking to just get a beginner set up to learn on then hopefully upgrade later if I like it.  I was at walmart today and saw they have a Courtland Fairplay combo for 40 bucks.  I looked up reviews and it seems like it is not the worst possible combo to learn on as it has Weighted Forward taper line.  The rod itself is a 8' 5/6 wt rod.  I will be using this for mostly trout and panfish if I can ever figure out how to use it.  Does this seem like a good place to start?

[Scott F]

Not in my opinion. Instead, find a fly fishing shop and get advice from a professional. You will spend considerably more money but anything you buy will be usable for years down the road. While you are there, get a casting lesson. A good fly shop will get you started with basic gear that isn't too expensive and will help you right away. Ultra cheap combos, like the Walmart one will hold you back. Doing it right from the start will make it a much more enjoyable experience. Struggling with poor gear and no instruction will quickly cause you to give up before you know it. 

[TnRiver46]

5/6 wt is ok for bass, maybe a little too heavy for panfish. I have been using cheap fly rods since I was 12 and I still buy the cheapest ones I can find that have decent action. I'm a part time fly fishing guide and get to use the $1000 combos for guiding and they honestly make little to no difference. Unless of course you are in sales 

[gnappi]

I grew up (literally) fly fishing but have not in several years though I can say these things are (IMO) depending on your ability to invest money and or time your main options.

 

A. A Fly shop as mentioned above will definitely be your best source of real usable gear, help and information, and will likely be a lot more expensive than PBS.

 

B. You may be better off with a "Starter rig" at a place like PBS, their stuff is a lot better than entry level used to be. More $ than Wal mart, but exponentially better. Whatever rig you buy at "A" above you may ultimately find that it's not right for you and you need to step up making choice "A" an expensive boo boo. The starter rig from PBS won't be a big investment if it need upgrading or winds up in a foyer closet for good and you go back to bass fishing. 

 

C. If OTOH you find that the starter rig was a great learning experience option "A" may be where you will wind up at.

 

D. The web has LOTS of vids on the art of casting and knots. It's all about practice.

 

Whatever you do, the worst sort is the guy that goes to a pro shop, takes all of that time and energy from the staff, and goes to "think about it" and then buys on line. Brick and mortar stores need clients, not to provide free schools. The fact is they cannot compete with online sellers. Saving a few dollars online guarantees the local resources are gone eventually.

 

Anyway, after you get a rig, line, and flies, some of of the things beginners need to know / learn or do in order are...

 

Find a grassy spot with plenty of room (maybe a disused ball field), pick a fly, remove the barb and practice casting what you see / learn online or from an instructor. Once you can lay the line and fly down on the grass reasonably elegantly, you're part way there.

 

Trout and panfish are rather easily influenced to take a fly once the fly is in the water. Even if you hopelessly splash the water up stream, the fly will come down to where the fish are (yup and spook the ones in the splash vicinity) and as long as the loose line is retrieved, the fish are more influenced by the type of fly and how it sits on the water because the presentation at that point was meaningless.

 

After they take the fly, setting the hook is a tactile thing that nobody can teach you, you just have to do it.

 

I rarely "reeled" in fish, unless they were very large and took all of the slack I had dropped while hand retrieving loose line at my feet. Once they're close, land with a decent net or use a grassy bank, IMO NEVER drag fish on pebble or rock covered banks if you C&R. If you're gonna eat them, then land anywhere you can ?

 

Finally, a hat with sheepskin swath on it to store flies for quick changes, and or decent fly vest, creel, and net are your best investments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BillNye]

Thanks everyone for the great advice.  I have a pretty big yard and I will sometimes throw the baitcaster around out there so I was thinking I could practice at home.  I have been watching some fly fishing videos and it seems deceptively simple when you watch people who have been fishing for decades but I guess thats what makes learning so frustrating.  

@Scott F  I searched for lessons and it seems the price will be about 300 dollars for a 1 of 3 part lesson series does this seem reasonable? 

 

@gnappi  I appreciate all the info you just laid out for me.  I will hold off buying the courtland and wait for black friday to check out Cabela and Bass Pro for any combos.  What would you recommend for rod size and weight?  I see most people recommend a 9 foot rod to beginners but the areas I will be fishing are mostly small streams out in the middle of the woods.  9 feet seems pretty long?  They stock alot of the local rivers with pretty big fish but I don't think there will be any monsters out there.  Is 4 wt a better starting point?  This is a good example of what a lot of the streams look like. 

[Scott F]

19 minutes ago, BillNye said:

Thanks everyone for the great advice.  I have a pretty big yard and I will sometimes throw the baitcaster around out there so I was thinking I could practice at home.  I have been watching some fly fishing videos and it seems deceptively simple when you watch people who have been fishing for decades but I guess thats what makes learning so frustrating.  

@Scott F  I searched for lessons and it seems the price will be about 300 dollars for a 1 of 3 part lesson series does this seem reasonable? 

 

if 

$300 certainly isn’t cheap. If you lived near me, I could hook you up with certified fly instructors who wouldn’t charge you anything. Often times, fall is probably not the best time of year, local park districts will offer free fly fishing programs. Many towns have fly fishing clubs, where members get together to tie flies during the winter and there are always members who are happy to help out new guys just learning to fly cast. Before you pay for some lessons, do some research online for local clubs or a local chapter of Trout Unlimited. Other benefits of fly fishing clubs is that members will often have used rods and reels they’ll sell cheap and you will learn to tie your own flies. 

[gnappi]

A foot or two plus or minus of length in close quarters with trees around isn't going to keep your fly or rod out of the rough. I leave those areas to bait casters and spinning rigs.

 

 

PS, after you get the hang of casting, you'll likely find it's the length of line you throw (meaning less is better) is more a factor than the length of rod. As a kid in upstate New York I fished some really tight streams with less than 20 ft of line.

 

 

 

[BillNye]

Well the baitmonkey won and I ended up ordering this rod after doing some more research....

 

The 8'6" 5 wt Cabelas TLr was on sale for 30 dollars and I couldn't resist pressing buy!  Hopefully this will be a decent enough starting rod.  I buy 90 percent of my fishing stuff during sales so I will research up on reels and other stuff I need till I can get a good deal.  

[flyfisher]

12 minutes ago, BillNye said:

Well the baitmonkey won and I ended up ordering this rod after doing some more research....

 

The 8'6" 5 wt Cabelas TLr was on sale for 30 dollars and I couldn't resist pressing buy!  Hopefully this will be a decent enough starting rod.  I buy 90 percent of my fishing stuff during sales so I will research up on reels and other stuff I need till I can get a good deal.  

don't waste money on a high dollar reel.  Find one that balances with your rod and that will be real hard to do online.  Keep an eye out instead for a high quality fly line.  A high quality fly line will make your life much easier as a beginner.  I always recommend a decent Weight Forward (WF) line as it will help to turn over the flies better.  

I started fishing with a Cortland combo probably 20+ years ago and it did me well till I broke it.  Caught lots of fish ranging from native brookies up to large carp.  The carp catches are when i realized i did need a reel once in a while.

I like 9' rods in tight quarters because i can roll cast with them with more accuracy and distance which is probably 90% of the casting i would do in the mountain streams.  On the flip side i also like super short rods in the same situations for bushwhacking and keeping myself out of trouble with overhanging  trees...half dozen of one 6 of the other

[B-Dozer]

I agree with flyfisher's comment on rollcasting. Practice it both sides, left and right. 

Also I would avoid the current trend of fast action rods. While they may let you cast a bit farther in perfect condition, they are less forgiving to beginner fly fishing. Accuracy is far more important than a little extra distance. I have an older Orvis Clearwater 6wt., 2pc., moderate action that gets used most, even though I have (too) many others ?

 

[flyfisher]

15 hours ago, B-Dozer said:

I agree with flyfisher's comment on rollcasting. Practice it both sides, left and right. 

Also I would avoid the current trend of fast action rods. While they may let you cast a bit farther in perfect condition, they are less forgiving to beginner fly fishing. Accuracy is far more important than a little extra distance. I have an older Orvis Clearwater 6wt., 2pc., moderate action that gets used most, even though I have (too) many others ?

 

I have heard this before and when i was guiding and teaching fly casting i found the faster action rods were better for beginners.  Of course that may have been my preference and subsequent teaching style coming through too so who knows lol 

[B-Dozer]

IMO since line speed is slower in a mid-flex vs tip-flex, timing is not as critical.  

[BillNye]

I have been doing some reading on leaders and tippets and have a question.  I believe once I get the basic cast down practicing in the back yard with a piece of yarn I will start fishing on bluegills at the local pond.  Would it make sense to just tie a piece of 4 lb mono directly to the fly line and skip the leader?

[TnRiver46]

10 hours ago, BillNye said:

I have been doing some reading on leaders and tippets and have a question.  I believe once I get the basic cast down practicing in the back yard with a piece of yarn I will start fishing on bluegills at the local pond.  Would it make sense to just tie a piece of 4 lb mono directly to the fly line and skip the leader?

It will work but the taper is what makes it unfurl nicely. For pind bluegill use a thick piece of mono (12-17lb) and then some 4-6 lb tied to the end of that 

[BillNye]

I received the rod I ordered and to me it seems 8' 6" is a little big for where I'll be fishing and the length is unwieldy compared to what I'm used to.  Would it be a lot harder to learn on a 7'/7'6" 3wt rod vs an 8'6" 5wt one?  

[Further North]

Good stuff above.

 

One thing I didn't see is that with a few exceptions with fly fishing we're most often matching the rod to the fly, not to the fish.

 

If you're after trout, a 5 wt. is a perfect place to start.  It'll never throw a big bass popper or streamer, but will work for just about any trout fly. 

 

That picture you shared...ain't no one gonna be able to lay out a long overhead cast there.  That's roll cast water at best, water loads flipped upstream, or maybe (if you can find a long enough open spot) a side arm cast.  The problem isn't going to be the length of the rod, it'll be the length of the line you have out.

 

That's short cast water; your leader and tipper are going to be 9 ft. long, the most fly line you'll get past the top will be another 10, maybe 11 feet.

 

Long casts look pretty, but there's not a ton of trout water in the eastern US where you'll be able to use them.

 

I prefer bass over trout on a fly rod, and that's part of the reason.

 

BTW, the best advice I ever got about fly casting: the line follows your rod tip.  If your casts are doing something weird, look at what your rod tip is doing.

 

2nd best advice: keep your line speed up...but let the rod do the work.