Fly Fishing Stick

[Raider Nation Fisher]

My buddy at work has finally convinced me to try fly fishing. Here's the info I have, with a few questions included. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Target(s): bass, bream, and anything else that I can catch in Alabama.

Line: I have no clue what to get. All the boxes had strange numbers on them.

Other line: appearently I need to put four different kinds on. I think I'm more confused about the line then probably anything else.

Stick: Some kind of Okuma, I believe it is a Crisium. (it wasnt the cheapest stick I saw or the most expensive)

Strange Disc like Device: Also Okuma (I've been really impressed with their reels, so figured I'd try their Disc looking thing).

Putting it all together: I've got the disc and stick connected, as for the rest of it I'm completely lost as to what to get.

Again any and all advice is much appreciated.

[Alpster]

It's really pretty simple. About a 5 or 6 weight rod for your type fishing. Reel is to hold line when you are not fishing. Rest of the time it will dangle between your legs. If you are new to flycasting get a "weight forward" tapered floating line. The package will say something like "DTWF6F" Stands for "Double Tapered, Weight Forward, 6 weight Floating. Tie on a 3 or 4 lb tapered leader and a popping bug/wooly boogar/or other favorite bass or panfish bug and you are all set. A little practice goes a long way. I love fly fishing. It's addictive and will sometimes catch fish when nothing else works.

Ronnie

[Raider Nation Fisher]

It's really pretty simple. About a 5 or 6 weight rod for your type fishing. Reel is to hold line when you are not fishing. Rest of the time it will dangle between your legs. If you are new to flycasting get a "weight forward" tapered floating line. The package will say something like "DTWF6F" Stands for "Double Tapered, Weight Forward, 6 weight Floating. Tie on a 3 or 4 lb tapered leader and a popping bug/wooly boogar/or other favorite bass or panfish bug and you are all set. A little practice goes a long way. I love fly fishing. It's addictive and will sometimes catch fish when nothing else works.

Ronnie

Thanks homie that helps a lot. 2 questions. Do I just spool it up with fly line like a regular reel? Also around how much leader should I use, or is it just kind of a personal preference?

[Alpster]

Thanks homie that helps a lot. 2 questions. Do I just spool it up with fly line like a regular reel? Also around how much leader should I use, or is it just kind of a personal preference?

If you have a large capacity spool, you can put some heavy braided dacron/nylon line on as a backing to keep coiling down. You want the spool to be full when reeled up. You can get the ready made tapered leaders from Cabelas, BPS, Dick's, Academy, etc. They are not expensive and they perform much better than just plain leader material. They are 6 to 8' long. Also, if you get some line dressing and clean & dress your line regularly, it will last a very long time. Hope this is helpful.

Ronnie

[flyguy83245]

Okay, you got some good advice, but we need to expand on it.

For the bass you probably want at least a 6-weight, and buy a good one. Not necessarily the most expensive, but definitely not the cheapest stick you can find. Better equals more performance and you'll need it.

As far as the lines go, the answer you received was a little confusing. WF = weight forward, while DT = double-taper. Two different kinds of line tapers with two different pluses and minuses. The WF will cast further, handle wind and bigger bugs. The DT will work better close-in and has the economy factor o being able to be reversed when it wears out to effectively double the life of the line. All things being equal, I'd recommend the WF as you're a beginner, you'll be casting larger, wind-resistant bugs, and more.

As far as needing four lines, maybe your mentors were meaning some sinking (S) or sinking-tip (F/S) lines. The lines do just that. Sinking lines designated the the trailing "S" in WF6S Type III, sink at different rates according the the type number in the designation (Type III), which basically tells you that it sinks at about 3 inches per second.

Sink-tip fly lines are a marriage of floating and sinking lines where only the tip is designed to sink. The line code would be WF6F/S Type III, or something similar. Again, the Type # indicates how fast and how deep the tip will sink.

Don't get blown away by all the technical jargon. Put your money into the rod and the line as they are the two primary tools necessary to get the fly in front of the fish. If we can't do that, the reel and the technical stuff don't matter too much.

We all have more reel than we need. Most of the time it's a line storage unit, but when you need it, you want an effective tool. Get one with a reasonable drag, that's fairly lightweight, and has interchangeable spools.

And, one last thing, try your best to buy American. We all need jobs and income so we can play (fish) and support our families.

Sorry for TMI (too much info), but I own and run a fly shop in Idaho. It's my daily job, but my passion on the days off. And "no" I don't get to fish all the time, I just talk about it a lot!

Best fishes,

Roger

[Raider Nation Fisher]

If you have a large capacity spool, you can put some heavy braided dacron/nylon line on as a backing to keep coiling down. You want the spool to be full when reeled up. You can get the ready made tapered leaders from Cabelas, BPS, Dick's, Academy, etc. They are not expensive and they perform much better than just plain leader material. They are 6 to 8' long. Also, if you get some line dressing and clean & dress your line regularly, it will last a very long time. Hope this is helpful.

Ronnie

Thank you sir. That answered them for me.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Okay, you got some good advice, but we need to expand on it.

For the bass you probably want at least a 6-weight, and buy a good one. Not necessarily the most expensive, but definitely not the cheapest stick you can find. Better equals more performance and you'll need it.

As far as the lines go, the answer you received was a little confusing. WF = weight forward, while DT = double-taper. Two different kinds of line tapers with two different pluses and minuses. The WF will cast further, handle wind and bigger bugs. The DT will work better close-in and has the economy factor o being able to be reversed when it wears out to effectively double the life of the line. All things being equal, I'd recommend the WF as you're a beginner, you'll be casting larger, wind-resistant bugs, and more.

As far as needing four lines, maybe your mentors were meaning some sinking (S) or sinking-tip (F/S) lines. The lines do just that. Sinking lines designated the the trailing "S" in WF6S Type III, sink at different rates according the the type number in the designation (Type III), which basically tells you that it sinks at about 3 inches per second.

Sink-tip fly lines are a marriage of floating and sinking lines where only the tip is designed to sink. The line code would be WF6F/S Type III, or something similar. Again, the Type # indicates how fast and how deep the tip will sink.

Don't get blown away by all the technical jargon. Put your money into the rod and the line as they are the two primary tools necessary to get the fly in front of the fish. If we can't do that, the reel and the technical stuff don't matter too much.

We all have more reel than we need. Most of the time it's a line storage unit, but when you need it, you want an effective tool. Get one with a reasonable drag, that's fairly lightweight, and has interchangeable spools.

And, one last thing, try your best to buy American. We all need jobs and income so we can play (fish) and support our families.

Sorry for TMI (too much info), but I own and run a fly shop in Idaho. It's my daily job, but my passion on the days off. And "no" I don't get to fish all the time, I just talk about it a lot!

Best fishes,

Roger

Homie that was perfect. Just the right amount of information. Thank ya. Also welcome to the site!

[J Francho]

For bass in cover, I would not go less than 7 wt. For panfish, 4 wt. is fine. A fly rod is a great tool for vast stretches of pads. Being able stick a surface mouse or frog fly in pockets of pads without reeling in is a great tool.

I recommend a slower, more forgiving action. This is a company to look at. The owner and I grew up together, adn he is committed to putting useful gear in the hands of anglers without ripping their wallet: http://www.wildwaterflyfishing.com/

The fish in my avatar was caught on a day we fished together.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

For bass in cover, I would not go less than 7 wt. For panfish, 4 wt. is fine. A fly rod is a great tool for vast stretches of pads. Being able stick a surface mouse or frog fly in pockets of pads without reeling in is a great tool.

I recommend a slower, more forgiving action. This is a company to look at. The owner and I grew up together, adn he is committed to putting useful gear in the hands of anglers without ripping their wallet: http://www.wildwaterflyfishing.com/

The fish in my avatar was caught on a day we fished together.

I checked the site out a few minutes ago. And wow! Those prices are phenomenal! Heck offering a lifetime warranty as well @ those prices, next paycheck I'm placing an order.

[J Francho]

Tell them John Franchot sent you.

[new2BC4bass]

You appear to be a lot like me. If it swims, and will bite, then I'll fish for it! 5-wts are considered a good all-around size for trout. Around here many like a 4 wt. I don't fish for trout, but did get a 3 wt. for panfish. Being a neophyte, I may have gone a bit too light given my flyrodding experience. 6-wt seems to be the all-around choice for bigger rivers.

It is my personal opinion, you will wind up with more than one rod. Flyfishing is fun. To a certain extent the largest fly you intend throwing will determine the rod wt to buy. We all know some pretty big fish can be caught on some pretty light line with some pretty small baits. However, turning over a big bass fly on a light weight rod is going to be tough. Turning over a small fly on a heavier wt rod is easy.

Of course horsing in a panfish on something like a 10 wt rod isn't really what I would call fun or sporting.

My bass rod is an 8 wt. I'd own a few more if money were no objective. A 5 wt and 7 wt for sure.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

You appear to be a lot like me. If it swims, and will bite, then I'll fish for it! 5-wts are considered a good all-around size for trout. Around here many like a 4 wt. I don't fish for trout, but did get a 3 wt. for panfish. Being a neophyte, I may have gone a bit too light given my flyrodding experience. 6-wt seems to be the all-around choice for bigger rivers.

It is my personal opinion, you will wind up with more than one rod. Flyfishing is fun. To a certain extent the largest fly you intend throwing will determine the rod wt to buy. We all know some pretty big fish can be caught on some pretty light line with some pretty small baits. However, turning over a big bass fly on a light weight rod is going to be tough. Turning over a small fly on a heavier wt rod is easy.

Of course horsing in a panfish on something like a 10 wt rod isn't really what I would call fun or sporting.

My bass rod is an 8 wt. I'd own a few more if money were no objective. A 5 wt and 7 wt for sure.

The rod I got last night is a 5wt. As I have now just discovered. I have no clue what the one at home that I was using as a spinning rod is. I'll get that info up after I get back home.

Also you hit it dead on the head, if it swims I'll fish for it. Be it freshwater or Salt. I can't wait to try this rod out on the water. Playing in the backyard with it has just made me that much more excited.

[trevor]

I can really recommend the Echo Ion rod. It's a great rod at under $200, and really strong for horsing big fish. As far as a reel, for freshwater fishing most over $100 seem to be good. I am an Orvis guy, so that's what I use, but there are plenty of great reels. Go to a local fly shop, they will set you up.

[new2BC4bass]

My first choice was a 5 wt, but I had the opportunity to go steelhead fishing in Pulaski, NY so I went with the 8 wt. Unfortunately it was pay the rod off and stay home, or go fishing with one of my old rods. I went fishing... ...so the 8 wt never did make it steelhead fishing.

What rod did you buy? I learned to cast on the 8 wt. The 3 wt is so much slower that I have to learn to cast all over again. I have a WF on the 8 wt and a DT on the 3 wt. I am use to powering the 8 wt. The 3 wt is going to require me to learn finesse. I don't think I would have the trouble casting with the 3 wt I'm having now had I learned with a 5 wt.

I think you will love it. Heck, I don't even need water. I enjoy practicing in my backyard.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

The Crisium is a 8'6" 4/5 weight. I used the Okuma website to learn this.

I'm gonna check with my brother in law tomorrow to see what weight the one he has is. He also uses it as a spinning rod.