Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

[ngt]

Hey, trying to purchase a cheap fly fishing combo for a beginner. Not looking to spend more than $300 on the rod, reel, line, case....any advice on a setup? My buddy said just get a 5-6 weight rod at either 9ft or 9'6"...didn't say much else. He said don't worry about the name brand, just get one that feels right. Only problem is, I have only been one fly fishing once and I used his $1200 setup. I picked up casting pretty quickly, although I break my wrist and use too much arm, but whatever. It was my first time and he said I did great. So I need my own gear, but don't have his type of money. Suggestions?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

So the Stripers kicked your butt and sent you to the trout stream with your tail tucked between your legs?

 

[ngt]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

So the Stripers kicked your butt and sent you to the trout stream with your tail tucked between your legs?

nah, I just got my tax return and want a fly rod. I haven't been fishing in about 4 weeks because of the baby. Having withdrawals. Thought I could take the edge off by practicing casting in the back yard or at the park if I could get the wife and baby to go on a walk. The striper talk came from my being in conversations about those topics, not me actually getting out and fishing.Oh, and I don't know of any trout streams, I was eventually going to go to the stocked lake and take over the end of the dock swinging a fly rod around aimlessly and scaring people. Either that or pick up a kayak and try for bass on a little lake up in the hills.

Problem is, I feel stupid buying a $200 setup and then wanting a $1000 setup down the road. I just don't know what to buy. People say #7 for bass and stealhead and #4 for trout. I can't get them both. I saw a $180 redington pursuit outfit that was 9' and 5/6wt. Guess I'll just get that and play around with it. I'd rather get something really good that I'd want to use for a long time, but I am trying not to throw that type of cash around right now on things I will hardly be able to get out and use. Because I don't even remember what fishing feels like.

 

[fisherguy123]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

I have fly fished for over 30 years and I am presently using a combo i bought from Cabellas about 10 years ago for about $150. I have caught hundreds of brook trout from pan size to 4 pounds, and several Atlantic salmon the biggest at about 12 pounds. It is a # 7 wt with a weight forward line . You dont need that $1200 rod to have some fly fishing excitement . here is a nice combo in your price range......http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fish..._Cabela%27s|USA&rid=20&WTz_l=PPC;cat105571980.....you said you may fly fish for bass from a kayak.......that is what I love doing on summer evenings in the pond by my house where I can easily catch a couple dozen brookies ......my kayak is a Pungo 12 ft ...very stable and suitable for fishing .......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfMeoO-roBk&feature=related

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

A 7 weight rod is capable of landing big fish. If you get a big enough capacity reel. The first run of a 15 to 38 pound Bluefish Or striper is not stopable with a #7 rod. Let the HUGE capacity of backing line do the work. Most reels come with extra spools. Use or buy a extra one. Backing MUST BE NON stretching type of line. 100 to 150' of stretchy line allows fish to throw hooks.
I gave my 13 weight rod & reel to a relative. HE HE. Took him all summer to learn how to bend that broom stick.
I like floating lines for begineers. Easier to lift the line off of the surface quickly. The second spool can be used as a new DRY LINE setup for after lunch casting.
Are you Northern bay area of California ? Windy a lot ? Load up with a VERY heavy weight foward line. Called Shooting heads, When that can not cast in a wind got to casting side or down wind only. Soon you will have good casting places for any wind directions. Enjoy....
Wear a BEEFY HAT & sunglasses with side covers to protect your ears , nose & eyes when you hook yourself. I now crush ALL barbs down. Hooks slide out with no stiches or severed nerves. Done that with big barbed flies.

 

[npauls]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Check out the costco website for the Amundson set ups. They should have a bunch of different ones on there. If I was fishing for bass and trout I would look at a 5 or 6 weight. I mostly use a 5 weight rod but drop down to a 3 wt for smaller trout streams. I don't fish for bass so I can't say for sure what a good option is for bass fishing but a 7 weight is going to be pretty heavy for most trout situations.

You should be able to find an Amundson combo set up in your price range that should be a solid set up for you for quite awhile. If you do find yourself wanting a more expensive rig down the road maybe look into getting a different weight combo for whatever type of fishing you do.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

A six weight is a good weight for rivers, or flat water (even bass), but my experience is limited to fish no bigger that a couple of pounds. I think longer is better, that is at last 9'. I don't understand what makes reels so expensive, so I skimp there on how much I spend. In truth I skim in general, I have a very inexpensive 6, and Bass Pro Shop 5 weight outfit (I buy as a package so I don't have to figure out what reel fits best) and I have an "outfitter" purchased at a fishing show that is a 4 weight and is 8' 6" I think - so much for my 9' advice The 4 weight is for stream fishing and hasn't seen much use. I haven't purchased any rod/reel in the last 5 years, all were under $200 complete.

I had a fishing buddy who I'd call expert (his hand never touches a spinning real or any bait) said my outfits handle well. I have never used an expensive outfit, maybe best I don't that way I'll be ignorant and happy, and fordable.

The hardest thing for me to learn on fly casting is the timing, waiting long enough for the back cast to reach its full extent before I hit the forward re-cast.

Anybody here fish from a kayak? How about usng a pontoon on a kayak. There are some small lakes in my area I'd like to put my kayak on but I don't think I can fish and keep the boat right-side-up without adding a pontoon.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

I don't fish as much any more, but I fish rivers much more than lakes. I've been fly fishing for over 25 years (learned from my dad - and still fish with him when we can), and my most expensive 9' rod cost me $75 (It's an "AuSable" brand that I bought in Michigan years ago). Been using it for probably close to 10 years.

If you're just getting going, find an inexpensive combo with a 9' rod (though I wouldn't be so hooked on a 9' that I spent $200 when a 7 1/2' combo was sitting there for $50). Learn to cast on the cheap rod, and see if you like fishing with the combo. My first set was a Diawa combo purchased from Meijers for $30 back in the 80's. You won't be casting miles of line out right away no matter what rod you get, so start kinda' easy.

I've fished with Sage, Orvis, Shakespear, junk, graphite, bamboo ... Sure, one rod is nicer than the other. Sure, you can get more line moving with better quality gear. But, for the novice ... it ain't the rod, it's the technique. Over time fly casting is like a golf swing; you develop your own "groove" and cast specifically. Only when you've started breaking into that personal "groove" do you really know what kind of rod suits you best.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Lots of good advice here. Welcome to the world of fly fishers!

I bought my first fly from Walmart or Sports Authority...I think maybe the later. I still have it. I still use it. I catch bass to trout and it was cheap. It's a blast to play with and my son learned how to fish using it. You don't need to spend a bunch of money on a good setup. The most important advice is from cyclops2 ...."Wear a BEEFY HAT & sunglasses with side covers to protect your ears , nose & eyes when you hook yourself."

I also have a $$$$ set up. There are differences, but until you are ready go cheap for the small slow fish. Now...if you're going for bonefish...that's a different story.

 

[fisherguy123]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Anybody here fish from a kayak? How about using a pontoon on a kayak. There are some small lakes in my area I'd like to put my kayak on but I don't think I can fish and keep the boat right-side-up without adding a pontoon.

I flyfish all summer from a pungo 12 kayak for brook trout in ponds when it is not too windy and have even fished for mackeral in the saltwater bay on calm evenings.......had a real rush one time when several inquistive pilot whales came by to check me out .....but they were a joy to watch after my heart settled down ! The pungo is quite stable and I prefer to fish from it over a canoe as your center of balance is so low . You can also skim over shallows and sandbars and go up narrow creeks as well.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Thanks, I suspect the water is generally cold up north...how do you keep dry? I have a 17' Gruman Aluminum Canoe and have never turned it over, I can't say the same for my Pelican kayak..which is about 8' I think. I will look into some ideas on making a (or pair) pontoon out of 2" plastic pipe .. I'll also stop my hijack of this thread. I came here looking for a forum that discuss kayaks/canoes, I thinkg there is not one in the iboat collection.

 

[fisherguy123]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Thanks, I suspect the water is generally cold up north...how do you keep dry?
.

you betcha the water is cold here but I`ve never came close to tipping in the Pungo but I have a 10` pelican for my grandson which I tried a few times but does not have near the stability of the Pungo or near the pricetag either $300 as opposed to $900. It is all in the extra length and hull design. I used a paddle skirt when in choppy water to keep dry but i find that even without it I dont get very wet. you could easily make an outrigger of PVC pipe and a pool noodle for more stabilty but leave it out far enough so it doesn`t interfere with your paddling or fix it behind you out of the way.check out this link for a very nice set of homemade outriggers...http://www.jaxkayakfishing.com/phpBB/topic24105.html

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Hey, trying to purchase a cheap fly fishing combo for a beginner. Not looking to spend more than $300 on the rod, reel, line, case....

The "black eagle" Eagle Claw 5wt at Walmart with a better reel that walmart might not even have- plus all your backer and stuff and flies will only run you $125- $150. A better rod could push you to $250. If you are talking saltwater then I don't have any knowledge of that.

There is something about a fine rod but I have always found it better to go catch a bunch of fish than ruin my budget with big-bucks tackle.

The $1200 outfit is probably wicked nice but at this point you are probably not experienced enough with fly tackle to even take advice on a $1200 set up and still purchase one YOU will be happy with.

Hope this makes sense!

 

[NMShooter]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

What do you want to fish for with your fly rod?

I have a Temple Fork 4 weight 4 pc with a Loomes Venture series reel that serves me very well. Total combined cost was $250. I fish small streams up to larger rivers for trout. I am fairly close to the San Juan in NM, and I fish a lot of streams in southern Colorado and northern NM.

You don't need an expensive rod to make a good cast. Nor do you need to cast a long ways to catch most fish. I find that I catch 90% of the fish within 25' of where I am standing. Work on good technique, figure out how to get a good drag free presentation, and be stealthy.

So... what sort of fishing are you interested in?

 

[giericd]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

i flyfish for 100+ lb tarpon, 20+lb snook,redfish.... in salt water and have been doing it for almost 30 years now. i know this is the fresh water section but some things are universal fresh/salt. i have fished the Brenta river in the Alps for huge Marble trout and got started flyfishing on golfcourse largemouth bass. damn security had a way of cutting a trip short! one thing i am a huge fan of is the large arbor reel design. My reels are Penn International 4G/AR, Penn International 2.5G, Orvis Vortex large arbor and several smaller outfits i got to teach people how to fly fish with. The Penn 2.5 is 100 times better quality than those combos i got to teach people with, you can drop around $300 for the Pen 2.5 those other combos were $89.00 for one and $40.00 for the other at bass pro and even though the Penn 2.5 reel alone is almost 10x more than the other entire combo i would rather use that $40 combo. the reason is that the $40 combo was actually very well made and is large arbor. it casts very well, drag is pretty good, reeling is easy. the penn on the other hand is bullett proof and awesome drag, but it is not large arbor. by the time you reel in a few times with that reel the day is half over! takes the fun out of it. so if you are new and picking out gear, regardless of price range get large arbor. the reel is mostly a line holder on fly combos, you will reel your line in 20+ times or more for every 1 time you hook a fish that will pull line off the reel to you reach your backing so you can get by with a so/so drag you can all ways use your hand and palm the reel to slow down the fish, but there is no helping you if you have 90' of line out and are reeling up with out a large arbor

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Interesting, but very different than my brief experience. I'm an old guy but have fished with artificial lures and spinning and bait casting reels for 50+ years. I have never fished for bass with a flyrod. I have a very inexpensive 6 weight that could be used for that I suppose. My 5 Weight outfit (purchased form BPS about 10 years ago) has seen the most use on trout streams. I also have an "outfitter" 3 weight outfit purchased from a flyfishing show about 6 years ago. It seems to be a nice handling outfit too. Bottom line, I suppose I have no more than $250 invested in equipment.

What do you use for fishing such large fish, streamers?

 

[giericd]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

my rods are all 8wt Penn International silver serieswith the exception of my fav combo which is a sage 8wt with an orvis vortex reel (7-8wt is the norm in salt around here) and i have a 12wt Penn Int rod/w a Penn 4G-AR on it for the big boys. most of the flies i tie myself. I use streemers- white bunny strip tail w/4 strands of christal flash along each side and a palmered bunny strip body and the head is chartruse,red,or orange chenille. that works great for most fish you will find on the flats or around the shore line. but some times the big tarpon will only hit a small fly about 2" long in purple and balck, strange. I found a spot in the Alps that was strange, from 1 spot you could catch a rainbow trout on one cast, a brown trout on the next, and a marble trout on the third with out ever taking a step. i'm not a big freshwater guy and have even less experience in freshwater trout but i was told that different trout will prefer different locations of a river, some like it shallow, some like it deep, some prefer some water movement like in little ponds in the river and some like rapids- not common to find them mixed in like that. I got a few on some small ones on small dry flies like 2-3 in a 4hr trip but saw dozens foffow it only to turn away or short strike and then lose intrest in the fly. I would rather catch them on fly but could catch 10+ in the same time with Meps spinners so thats what i did most of the time.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

ngt, are you still looking for a fly rod. I've got a 10-7 Fenwick and a Diawa reel I'll give you. It's nothing special but it'll give you a chance to decide what you want to do. It's been sitting doing nothing since I bought my 9-6 Z-Axis Sage. You're welcome to it. I'm in Santa Rosa. Let me know on this thread and we'll get in touch. P.S. read my thread about Lake Sonoma... It's pretty interesting.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Fly Fishing?? Anyone???

Eric, it was great to meet you last evening. Hope you get out there soon and try that setup. It's nothing to write home about and a little heavy but it'll get you started. I do have to warn you, flyfishing can get expensive quick so when you're ready for a new rig keep your head and just get what you need to take it to the next level.

I'm trying to justify not having the yard in perfect shape when the family arrives on Sunday. The weather forecast is for rain on Sunday and nobody will be outside so I just might have my excuse.

Once I finish my shop out behind the garage I'll be able to get more time off. I don't plan on building another house this summer so I should have plenty of free weekends. I'll try to let you know in advance when I'm going to the lake so you can join me if it works out.