I want to try my hand at fly fishing...

LL Bean has some very nice outfits for reasonable prices (comparatively speaking). They also have a very good book on flyfishing as a learning resource. One thing you will need to decide is whether you want a 2 or 4 piece depending on where you fish-it has a lot more implications for flyrods than spinning rods.

Pick up the following which you may or may not have for spinning: lots of tippet material, a good set of line trimmers, a set of magnifier glasses to tie the tiny flies on with.

- And yes, it is worth it. You will work harder and have to think more about just about everything but it is very gratifying, especially if you get a
large fish in. You should not limit your flyfishing to trout. My buddy catches more bluegill on his flyrod than I do on a spin outfit everytime we go. He occasionally gets a bass or catfish in the process, which is pure fun on a flyrod.Just remember to set the hook by quick tug of the line with your off hand (not with the rod)
 
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You wont regret getting into fly fishing , it is a great hobby.
I started with a wally world set but quickly graduated to something better.
But , it is better to start off with something better though , costs you less in the long run .

If it swims , it's fair game. From big to small I've caught Large mouth , Small mouth , Bluegill , Brown trout , Rainbow trout , Catfish , Suckers , and Creek chubs. My favorite of all of those is probaly fishing for big bluegill on a farm pond. A 9" plus blugill fights great . The best fight you will ever have in freshwater is a big carp.

For just under 100$ dollars you can get a good setup on troutlet.com

here's a suggestion - http://www.troutlet.com/Basket.aspx

honestly I greatly urge you to put a couple of bucks away for a few weeks to get a little better setup , cheap kits can be frustrating.

If you buy a kit , send me a pm and I'll send a few flies your way- no cost

Also warmfly.com has a lot of good info and alot of good guys.

Good luck!
 
fishiker said:
Things that I believe will help:
- the quality of the line is as important as the rod and reel
- keeping the line clean and "dressed" is important
- practice, practice, and practice( no water needed just some open space)
- when casting, don't be concerned if others are watching
- in addition to the line a proper size leader is important
- seek out others and you will find most will be helpful
- read as much as you can on the sport
- keep your fly selection simple at first
- most importantly have fun!
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"Keep your fly selection simple". What a great tip. I tie flies and started both at the same time. I probably should cut back on the flies I use now. I always have trouble deciding what to throw! :eek: I'm going to pick a selection of my favorites and start only carrying that with me for a while. Thanks for that! Great advice for anyone.
 
For smaller streams or panfishing in warm water, the Cabelas Three Forks rods are good bang for the buck at $50. Their 7'6" 3wt is well reviewed here in PA and considered a good small stream rod. Put a decent reel and good weight forward floating line on it and your good to go. I've used one for years and still do despite having Sage and Orvis rods.

Dry fly fishing is fun, but also learn to fish nymphs, streamers, and buggers for all seasons. Plenty of good youtube casting videos.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true

Oh yeah, and although learning false casting is important, don't forget to learn a good roll-cast as more often than not, you'll be on streams where you won't be able to back or false cast and will only have room in front for a roll-cast. i.e. Very effective in tight spots. Youtube it. This guy's got some decent vids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4XY30HVPGk
 
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You can get a 9ft dragonfly rod and reel combo for around 150$ with a rod tube. Good middle of the road graphite with cork and the reels are pretty good with a decent disc drag and spare spool.

90 % of big trout are caught deep or on shallows bordering dropoffs so get down man!
Get a medium to fast sinking flyline and start by trolling from behind the canoe. I fish a floating line with a long leader and weighted wetfly and fast sink line from my little rowboat and slay them. The erratic rowing/canoeing puts good action on the flies.

In the summer when the water temp is high I use leadcore flyline and can get down 25 to 35 feet deep without a downrigger or weights. Been catching at least twice as many fish now. It is a little fickle to use with kinking and making sure you reel it on with no slack or it will jam but so effective.

If the flies are not hitting, put a barrel swivel 7 ft from the end and troll whatever hardware works in the area.
All the advantage of tackle with the fun of fighting on a flyrod

In the spring a big black and red spratley tipped with a worm trolled is deadly, My little brothers have been outfished on the first spring trip a few times with that trick.

You don't need to be a purist to enjoy a flyrod.

It is at least as addictive as knives.

Practice casting and if they are rising getting 30 ft from the boat is enough.
I am a proficient flycaster but still troll most of the time, just more effective IMOP.

Deerhair bugs and poppers for bass/bluegill is very effective along with big honking streamers etc. they are just about the same as a jig.
 
well I just took the jump. I bought the cheapo kit at Canadian Tire, made by "Total Tackle". I think the rod is really good but the reel not so much, I can live with that. Oddly enough, the line seems to run out as if there is little tension in the reel, I would sort of have to put my thumb on the reel to prevent a big fish from running away with all the line, I don't know if that's clear or not... in any case, I will most likely be doing my first tries on saturday morning. I can't wait to try!!! I'll go look for some pan fish or maybe bass around my house.

I will post pics of my setup soon.

I've been watching a lot of videos on youtube too so hopefully my technique will be not so far from what it's supposed to be. Anyways, I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks!! :)
 
If there is not a way to adjust the drag my guess is that the reel is designed to be "palmed".
 
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