Thinking about getting into fly fishing but you think it’s too complicated and expensive? Well it can be expensive and complicated but only if you let things get away from you.
Expensive. Yes and no. Years ago when I first started, fly fishing the rods were made of cane or Fiberglass. Most of the glass rods were like a buggy whip with a few exceptions. I owned a brown line Garcia that was manageable but still was a horror to cast. I purchased it at the old Arlans department store real cheap; I though I had a real bargain.
As I look back it was a horrible rod but I did learn how to cast. There were also cane rods available that were custom crafted as they are today and brought a premium price. Premium price means that average working stiff can’t afford one.
Then graphite rods hit and things began to happen. At first like everything else, the prices were through the roof but the products were great. Then the prices, because of competition, began to fall.
In the last five years I’ve seen rods that cost around a $100 that cast as good as the old graphite rods that used to cost 400 to 500 bucks 20 years ago. Today that $100 beginner’s rod can cast a line short, long and anything in between and cast well. Is it as good as a present day $700 rod? No but its close enough especially for a beginner.Reels used to be very expensive and you still get what you pay for.
Today you can buy a bargain fresh water reel for 29 bucks and it will last a long time. The reel is only used to hold the line and most times you don’t fight the fishing using the reel but like everything else there are exceptions. If you do use the reel, the drags aren’t that strong but for fresh water, it still really doesn’t mater.
For saltwater you need something with a bit more strength and that will set you back from 90 bucks and up for a basic no name reel made somewhere is Southeastern Asia. The saltwater fly reel is used to fight the fish using a large cork drag to control the line going out. They are made of stronger materials and you pay for that. Once again there are many options at all price points, so shop carefully and ask questions from guys that use the kind of gear you are thinking of purchasing.
The top fly lines cost near $80 these days but a good standby, the Cortland 333 is still a bargain and at around 28 bucks will cast very well. While I do own some expensive fly lines, I still use Cortland 333 for most of my fresh and saltwater fly fishing.
If price is keeping you back then these options may change your mind.
Does fly fishing seem too complicated? Yes it looks that way but if you begin breaking down what you need and how to use it, it’s no more complicated then choosing the right rod, reel and plug when you are bass fishing.
You need a rod, reel, line, backing, a tapered leader, some tippets and flies. From there you can buy hundreds of accessories that are fun to own but not really necessary.
You chose the rod, reel and all the other items for the kind of fishing you plan to do. There are four basic rig sizes for four different type fishing.
Basic trout rods are usually 5 or 6 weight. The weight is a reference to the size line used with the rod you chose. A 5 weight is the best all-round trout rig with sizes 2, 3 and 4 for more experience casters. A 6 weight is better for large streamers.
For large and smallmouth bass, you need a 6 or 8 weight fly rod. The 6 weight will handle most situations except for Florida bass that are street fighters. If you plan to fish Florida or are going to cast large wind resistant bass bugs, then you need the 8 weight rig. This rig is better with the big flies, especially in the wind and will pull a big Florida bass out of heavy cover.
For saltwater if you are going to use just one rod, the minimum rod you need is a 9 weight. This rod will handle just about any fish that swims Narragansett Bay, around the Vineyard or summers off the Merrimack River. If you end up in Florida and want to chase bonefish, snook, small to medium cobia, permit and tarpon to 40 pounds or so, then the 9 weight is the best rod in windy conditions for the new angler. Some of the more seasoned guys prefer the 8 weight for bonefish but you need experience casting in the ever present wind.
For really big stripers a 10 weight, which can be a little tougher to cast, is the preferred weapon, especially in the fall when the fish that pass from north to south are bigger.
For saltwater big game the minimum is a 12 weight. This is the rod you use for tarpon, small sharks, cobia, sailfish and other offshore brawlers. You can use these rods for small tuna but a 14 weight is the stick you need to defeat these rockets.
The bait that is used is called a fly. There are tiny flies for trout, bigger flies for bass and even bigger for saltwater. Just to keep it simple for the time being, my advice to a new fly angler is ask the guy in the fly shop what flies you need for the fish you hunt.
For trout mayflies, caddisflies nymphs and attractor patterns are available in a variety of sizes and colors. The guy at the fly shop will know what works at any time of year on rivers, streams or lakes in their area. Same goes for flies for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Freshwater bass are not as fussy but there are specific flies that you will need to own. Streamers of all colors and top water poppers are the flies used for freshwater bass.
For saltwater there are flies for stripers, bonito, false albacore and offshore species. Just about 90 percent of the flies used in saltwater are streamers that look like baitfish. The other flies are specialty items that look like crustaceans and other invertebrates that stripers and other local fish love to eat.
Bluefish are the gluttons of the ocean and will hit and usually destroy any fly that is stripped by their nose or slowly sinks to the bottom. Once you have beat up flies, use them for bluefish. Better yet, if you are going to be tying your own flies, here’s a quick pattern.
Tie a bunch of white bucktail the thickness of a wooden match on a size 1 or 1/0 hook. This will give the impression of a baitfish. That’s it. It’s all you need to get a bluefish’s attention and when it gets destroyed, who cares?
Learning how to cast has never been easier. For starters don’t go fishing with your fly rod until you do some casting in your backyard or an open field. You need to learn some basics that are learned best away from the water. Go on the internet and look up fly casting on You Tube. Type in fly casting and you won’t believe the amount of videos listed. Anything with Lefty Kreh is the best, but there are many other fine instructors.
So these are the relatively easy steps to get into fly fishing. Once you know the basics it’s a hobby you can enjoy year round between fishing and building you own flies.
Staff photographer Dave Souza is a
contributor to the Outdoors Page.
He may be reached at dsouza@heraldnews.com.
Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x1234547621/SOUZA-COLUMN-Some-of-the-basics-for-fly-fishing#ixzz1IFTIuiHD
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