Flyfishing?

[socalturkeyman]

Any flyfishing men or women out there willing to give some advise to a noob? I'll be needing every bit of help from the being of a cast all the way to landing a fish.

[gotcha]

Its going to be tough to get enough info here to be of much help.A good suggestion is finding a buddy that is willing to help,maybe even a local flyshop if there is one.Keep the gear list to a minimium to start with.A guided fishing trip is money well spent to use as a learning tool.

I am sure there are great flyfisherman on here,what I meant was sometimes the info is hard to translate into the real thing.

Orvis has some helpful instructional videos available.

[OLE RASPY]

I have no clue bout fly fishing but maybe this will help ya.
http://www.streamsideflyfishing.com/begcor.html

[WV Gobble Gobble]

It is not as hard as many make it out to be.  It takes a lot of patience and persistence just like laying out big toms.  I will tell you that gotcha is right that a guided trip is worth every penny and pay attention to knots and fly presentations.  As with any outdoor activity do not skimp on the equipment.  The nicer the rod and reel the easier it will be to cast and set the hook.  Wish you all the luck it is a very rewarding and addicting sport.

[anthonyjhallen]

Been doing it all my life.  And for the life of me I still cant "tell" someone how to do it.  I have tried to teach several different people with no success.  And I dont seem to recall how I learned either so thats no help.  One thing you will learn quickly.  Clear the area behind you before you start your cast.  If you dont have room you will spend more time tangled up rather than fishing.

As for equipment you can spend a bunch of money or get yourself an $80 7-8ft eagle claw flyrod.  The longer the rod the farther you can cast.  So depending on where you are going to be fishing will tell you how long a rod you will need.  I have a couple high dollar rods that dont get alot usage because I like a fast action and the eagle claws just feel right.  Also make sure you match your line weight to the rod.  If you dont it will make casting more difficult.

I am sure you can you tube some "experts" showing you how the book tells you to do it.  Then tie a piece of yarn on the end of your leader, get out in the back yard, and go for precision.  When you know you are good you can hit a coke can from 10-15 yards. 

I will warn you that you probally are not going to catch as many fish as you would with a spinning/bait rig, but the ones you do catch will have you dreaming about flyfishing.....

[socalturkeyman]

Thanks guys, I tryed and failed the last time I was out fishing. I had one following the bh hare but turned the last minute. I kept at it for a while and nothing.

The rod I got was a white river 7' rod and I dont know what the reel is...but Its one of the combos that bass pro has. I'll be going out this weekend and trying again.Flyfishing is the reason I got into fishing in the first place,so I hope I take to the sport.

[Turkey Trot]

You'll never learn to flyfish off of the intermess.  It has to be learned by doing it.  Once you get a basic understanding, you can read forums and pick up sage advice (and a lot of BS) like turkey hunting and anything else.  

3M makes a fairly straightforward and cheap set of tapes with good advice.  Lefty Kreh is a good instructor, and his materials would be good.

The best thing to do is to do is to go to an onstream flyfishing school, and then practice casting on your own.  It's not all about casting, no matter what impression A River Runs Through It gives you.  You don't have to go crazy with casting to catch fish on a fly or to enjoy it.  A lot of simple methods of getting the fly into the water and managing drift will catch fish.  In fact, the flyfishing I like to do in AK to catch really big trout, salmon, and dollies is a lot of chuck and duck with heavy gear, not a pageant of sexy casting.

The Fly Shop up in Redding is a shop of some gravity, and has a lot of stuff going on.  Check it out on the web.  There is a ton of stuff on youtube now as well.

I visit the forums Fly Anglers Online and Westfly more than other.  There are archives of useful materials there.

[Turkey Trot]

You can buy a pretty good setup from Scientific Anglers that will handle small trout, panfish, etc.  The rods in those things cast surprisingly well.  I bought mine for less than $100 to use with a couple of utes that are learning the sport and I'll fish it on a small GA mountain stream or for bedding bream without reluctance.  But every task has its tool, and it's not cut out for 8-10 rainbow hunting in AK.

They are available on ebay, I think that I bought mine at a Wally mart when WM still carried them.

[socalturkeyman]

It would be strickly trout out in my neck of the woods. I've never had interest in bass fishing.

[Kylongspur88]

Practice your cast on grass trying to hit a paper plate. Concrete will scuff your line. You can take lessons on how to cast but it's one of those things you just have to get a feel for and figure out by doing it. Don't worry about perfect form. Good casting form is important, don't worry about perfection.

[Muskie03]

Well Juan, I would recommend getting into fly casting classes at your local fly shop. From there you have hands on help and a wealth of information.

I stress the use of quality equipment. You dont need a 600$ Sage and a 300$ Lomis reel but something of quality. BassPro and Cabela's combos are ok if you just want to play around. But a good rod with line to match will help you gain success and confidence. Your rod and fly line are as important as per say your choke and shot shell in turkey hunting. Match the right line with your rod and your headed in the right direction.

I have guided in British Columbia and Minnesota and had clients show up with cheap combos, when I offer them a throw with one of my rods the look on there face says it all. It's like finding that glove that fits your hand just right. The rod becomes an extension of your arm and the line lays out for you just like it should.

It doesn't matter if I'm fishing for 30"+ Bull Trout or 10" Brookies, having the right "quality" tools for the job makes it more enjoyable. The more enjoyable it is the more you'll want to do it and the better you will become. So hit up the flyshop ask to try out a few rods(I've yet to find one that won't take you outside and let you throw a few casts)maybe sign up for a class and ask them what they can tell you about the section of water you fish. They will point you in the right direction.

[Solid Snake]

I got into fly fishing a few years ago b/c we went down to Tennessee and saw fly fishermen in the creeks around Gatlinburg. I thought it looked really fun so we stopped at the Bass Pro Shop on the way back to Indiana and talked to the guy working in the fly shop. He took us out and gave us a 15 min lesson which was really cool. I ended up buying a white river classic rod/reel combo 9' 7 weight and have caught a TON of smallies with it. I'm sure the better the equipment the easier it is but that combo (probably the same you have) works fine for me, probably b/c that's all I have ever used lol

I practiced in the yard a couple times but I did most of my practice in the creek - I figured if I'm going to be casting at least I will be out in nature and have a chance to catch a fish! I thought about taking casting classes but honestly I just did a lot of research and went out a lot. I'm sure my cast isn't perfect but I have ran into some fly anglers on the creek and they were surprised at my cast when I told them I taught myself and had only been doing it a few months. It's not hard to learn, you just have to spend some time doing it and figuring out the timing had a LOT to do with it for me. Recently I have went back to a spinning rod/reel because it's cheaper, I seem to catch more smallies, and it's less hassle, but fly fishing is a lot of fun and definitely more rewarding for catching fish. Keep at it, you will master it in no time.

EDIT: Get a decent pair of polarized sunglasses - they will cut they glare off the water and protect your eyes from a very sharp hook flying at your face on the back cast

[flintlock]

Search out a local shop for some instruction on casting/drifting/etc, or find someone local that can take you out to learn their style.

Then, search out those that CATCH the fish.   I have found it isn't always the same folks.

[mossy835]

Search out a local shop for some instruction on casting/drifting/etc, or find someone local that can take you out to learn their style.

Then, search out those that CATCH the fish.   I have found it isn't always the same folks.

Ditto on any local Fly Tying shop and many parks and recreation places have some good instructors willing to donate time to those willing to learn. Also when I started I did the guide trips for a while and you can not believe how much you can learn that way. Good luck it is right up there with turkey hunting.

[Gobble Nole]

I have information on saltwater flyfishing and will share if interested.  I am a part time guide in the FL Panhandle and we do a lot of flyfishing for redfish and tarpon.