Fly Fishing Where to Start

[cedahm]

Check out a smaller fly shop to get in good with.

Great advice (if feasible in your area). Whatever premium you pay to get a setup from a small shop is going to have much bigger returns than if you just order a bunch of stuff from Cabelas or Amazon. I'd be honest and just walk in and basically say what you said in your post.

Leave Tying for later - as many have mentioned, it's a really deep hole to dive into.

There are a lot of fly shops out here in Colorado that offer "Learn to Fly Fish" type classes that will teach you about equipment, bugs, how to read water, etc and then take you out on the water for a half day trip.

More good advice... Depending on what time of year and where you come in CO, even if the beginner option doesn't exist, a guided trip will pay for itself quickly in startup inertia. As a newbie with plans to fish warmwater in the midwest, I'd opt for a walk-and-wade trip over a float since the skills are much more universal. When I guided in college, I loved taking beginners with good attitudes and we could focus on water-reading, fish behavior and presentation. You can learn to cast adequately from videos and messing around in the backyard or local pond, but pure casting proficiency (in most instances) is (IMO) overrated. Even beginner-level outfits these days are pretty advanced tools, and casting is just a small part of 'fishing'. Water reading and line control are way more important than whether or not you can snap off a 75' cast. I fish with guys all the time that have magazine quality casting form, but within a millisecond of their fly hitting the water they have slack line all over creation and they might as well not have cast at all.

My next one to catch on a fly is a walleye

I may be able to help with that if you ever find yourself in Littleton

 

[Schaaf]

Did you start by re-watching A River Runs Through It?

 

[Bulldog0156]

I don't believe it has been mentioned yet, but you want to match your line to the rod you buy, both in weight and action. High end line is worth the money.

 

[belly-deep]

Fly thing, contrary to popular belief, is not really about saving money to 99.9% of those who do it. It is about tweaking or inventing patterns to come up with a better fish catching fly. Skip it for now and buy flies.

 

[Jamen]

Thanks for all the information! I will definitely look into a half day or full day trip guided when I am down there. I do not think we have any local fly shops but I will check the local bait shops and see if they have anything.

 

[Rsnk61]

I have a couple of TFO Temple Fork Lefty Kreh Professional Series II Graphite Fly Fishing Rod. They are around 150.00 with a lifetime warranty (35.00 processing fee). I have broke 3 and they have replaced them all. I have 9' 5wt 4piece /7' 3wt 4 piece/9' 8wt 4piece. Reels like said above depends what you are targeting most of the time I don't even use the reel. Big fish you need a good reel. Fly line to me is something I spend a little more money on. Quality line makes things better in casting and presentation. As far as tying I to enjoy the thrill of catching a fish on a fly I tie. It is also a nice hobby when the water outside is hard. Big Y Fly Company and Fly Shack are good places to buy your flies. Once you catch a fish on a fly rod you will never go back and the addiction is on. Then you have to have a rod for floating, sinking, and sinking tip lines, float tube or pontoon boat.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

The essential gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IeSul1qc6k

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I'm going to be a contrarian and suggest a 8' 4 weight. Its heavy enough for smallmouth bass and I can make it work in my mountain brook trout streams. A st croix rio santo can be had for $100. If you can swing a little more money go for a st croix avid. You will need to go to 9' but the medium action is so much easier to cast for a beginner or someone like me that only fly fishes occasionally. Match your line to your rod, and your leader to your fly size. Learn to use a wooly booger and you can catch everything from bluegills to trophy browns. Dry flies are fun but nymphs and minnows make up more of a fishes diet. They are easier to cast and learn than a dry fly in my opinion.

 

[idnative1948]

Orvis, Reddington, TFO, Sage, are all good companies and offer up some ready-to-fish combos for a good price. A 5 weight, 9-foot rod is good for a variety of conditions and fish types. As you get some experience, you will find that some small mountain streams just "fit" better with a 3-weight 7 1/2-foot rod. Most of the bigger streams and lakes will fish well with the 5-weight though. It will also be easier to learn to cast with a 9-foot rod, IMO.

As far as tying your own flies, it is extremely addicting and can rack up some money quickly. I don't think it saves me any money at all. In fact, with the amount of tools and materials I have purchased, I would have to tie for the next 100 years to save money That being said, I feel tons more satisfaction catching a fish on a fly I tied. You can get a fairly decent starter tying kit from Orvis for a couple hundred or less, IIRC, that will get you to tying some basic nymphs and things. Just be forewarned, you WILL get addicted and have fly tying supply companies on speed dial There are lots of youtube tutorials out there for fly tying. Some guys are true artists. Check out tightlines or davie mcphail. Davie is a true master.

Good luck, hope you catch some big ones.

What he said! You can *tie* up $$ for materials and equipment. Just like re-loading.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

I really like Eagle Claw's Trailmaster pack rods. They're great for backpacking. Especially since I'm no fly fishing expert and get sick of snagging myself in trees. You're able to switch it around into a spinning rod and just jig the fish in streams like the bluegills of home.

Where are you located at in ND? I could possibly teach you a couple of things. I'm not expert, but wouldn't mind a trip out this spring to chase spawning bluegills on the fly.

 

[sethkuhl]

I recently took it to the next step and started building rods. I now have a 5 weight scott (Rod that I bought once I got hooked) A 6 weight 8 weight and 14' 10 weight spey rod all that I built. Lots of fun catching fish on those! Also over $1000 dollars worth of flies. You get hooked fast. Check EBAY often as there are fly shops that go out, I sold half of a mess of flies that I bought that payed for all of them on one purchase.

 

[JohnCushman]

I recently took it to the next step and started building rods. I now have a 5 weight scott (Rod that I bought once I got hooked) A 6 weight 8 weight and 14' 10 weight spey rod all that I built. Lots of fun catching fish on those! Also over $1000 dollars worth of flies. You get hooked fast. Check EBAY often as there are fly shops that go out, I sold half of a mess of flies that I bought that payed for all of them on one purchase.

Do you sell them too?

 

[JLS]

For all around use it’s pretty hard to beat a nine foot 5 weight. Don’t get a super fast action rod, as it will not be as forgiving to learn with.

Ive tied flies for many years, and it’s a great hobby but you can buy them so cheap nowadays relative to 25 years ago I wouldn’t bother for now. Building rods is a pretty fun hobby too. For a while when I was right out of college I tied for a local shop in trade for rod building supplies. I ended up with a couple of Sage rods out of the deal.

 

[asteel]

There are a lot of fly shops out here in Colorado that offer "Learn to Fly Fish" type classes that will teach you about equipment, bugs, how to read water, etc and then take you out on the water for a half day trip. This also usually costs less than a normal half day trip. This is a good way to get into things if you aren't going out with an experienced fly fisherman as you can learn what you are getting into while shortening your learning curve. I would HIGHLY recommend this as I have seen it cost as little as $100-$150 bucks and would include rental rod, reel and waders.

I agree. I bought a lesson for my husband for Christmas. It's a great way to experience fly fishing and then decide if you want to keep pumping money into it.

 

[belly-deep]

For all around use it’s pretty hard to beat a nine foot 5 weight. Don’t get a super fast action rod, as it will not be as forgiving to learn with.

I agree on the 9’ 5wt part, but disagree on the action. I was a guide for 6 years and had lots of beginners in my boat. Because I was a gear junky and got killer guide prices, I also had plenty of rods. Beginners were able to pick up casting much better with a fast rod, usually a Sage or G Loomis. They’d struggle with a Winston though. I think most people have a hard time waiting for the line to get back behind them, so the faster rods are easier to cast.

 

[ssssnake529]

I've taught a lot of people to fly fish. These days, I start out every beginner on a Tenkara rod. Tenkara rods have no reel, so they are significantly easier than a traditional western rod. The biggest challenge for beginning fly fishers is line and reel management. Tenkara dispenses with that, so you can just focus on casting and fishing.

https://lineandsight.com/tenkara-fly-fishing-japanese-style/

 

[LuketheDog]

I am wanting to start getting into the world of fly fishing. I will be going to Colorado this spring for about 10 days and I plan on doing a little fishing in there. I will also be fly fishing up here in North Dakota as well. I know fishing lakes could be a lot different than small streams in the mountains but I am open for all help.

Is there any good rods for beginners, Any good fly companies that will not break the bank. Is it worth tying my own flies? Like I said any and all information is welcomed. For now it is fishing on the frozen lakes for me!!

Thanks!

Jamen

I used to work in a fly shop and I've done some guiding. If you're going to learn cold-turkey on the water, the best way is to hire a guide for a day and tell them you want to learn the mechanics, not just catch fish! Youtube and all that will teach you stuff, but having someone actually on the water with you showing you how to cast (and fixing your cast) and how to read the stream will put you light years ahead.

Pick up a 9' 4- or 5-weight rod in a medium/fast action. If you do think you'll do more trout fishing with nymphs and dries, a 4WT is fine, if you do more warm water fishing and/or want to throw streamers or other larger flies I'd lean toward a 5WT or even a 6WT. For a decent setup that will serve you well for 5 years or more, without hindering your casting once you get good at it, plan on spending about $300 for rod/reel/line. I'd suggest looking at a TFO Finesse or Pro II rod and Lamson Liquid or Remix reels.

Don't bother tying flies until you think you're going to really get into it, it takes a LOT of practice for most people to get any good at it, and the buy-in is fairly significant. It can be a lot of fun and very satisfying, I still tie flies for the shop and for my buddies.

 

[sethkuhl]

Do you sell them too?

No but it is a fun winter project and fairly cheap to make a great custom rod

 

[Jamen]

I work in valley city and I live in Jamestown. Thanks again for all the replies everyone!!

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

I work in valley city and I live in Jamestown. Thanks again for all the replies everyone!!

You're not too far from Fargo. If you have any bluegillholes over on one of those perch sloughs in your area I'd love to come over there and teach you a thing or two. Again, I'm not at all an expert, but could probably get you started. Shoot me a PM if you decide to take me up on the offer!