Fly Fishing - Advice Needed

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Fly Fishing - Advice Needed
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Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 10:51 am Post subject: Fly Fishing - Advice Needed

Myself and the OH have done lots and lots of coarse fishing and the odd bit of sea fishing, but have only been fly fishing once before and that was with rented tackle. As we have a trout lake that does day tickets about a mile away we've decided that its time to have a proper go.

I need to buy all of the necessary kit and am after a bit of advice on where to start. What sort of rod should I go for? I was thinking a 10ft 7/8 would be about right for general purpose trout fishing. Is that right? I know we'll need reels that have several spools and different line types. Is three spools enough? What other bits can you not do without when you go fly fishing? Anyone got any specific makes / models of equipment to recommend?

All and any advice would be most welcome.

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 11:01 am Post subject:
Cheapo Shakespeare fly rod and Diawa reel are fine. If you're going to spend money, spend it on a good quality line.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 11:03 am Post subject:
Excellent that you've decided to have a go at 'proper' fishing Bebo Have a look at this website which is very useful indeed, then if you've got any other questions feel free to come back... https://www.flyfishingforbeginners.com/

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 11:07 am Post subject:

Brownbear wrote:

Cheapo Shakespeare fly rod and Diawa reel are fine. If you're going to spend money, spend it on a good quality line.

I would disagree here. I'd borrow a couple of 'good' rods and reels and experiment with what suits you before you even consider buying. Having a 'cheapo rod' at the start can put people off fly fishing for good. An excellent lightweight graphite rod and good quality reel are a joy to use.

Stewy

Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 1453
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 1:11 pm Post subject:
I need to get all the gear too, I think my old man has got a priest somewhere although I doubt I will need it!! Someone on another forum is going to send me a reel and some "stuff" for nothing which is mighty kind!! Had a look in this tackle shop last week but about the only thing I can afford from there is the flies!!!

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 9:20 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Excellent that you've decided to have a go at 'proper' fishing Bebo

Don't call it that or you'll put me off. I think the main reason I haven't really done it in the past is that I've always considered it as being for the nobs and that I'd be betraying my working class roots to do it.

Anyway I think I've settled on Orvis Western2 9ft6 5/6 rods and Greys GRXi reels.

The reels come with 3 spools. I was going to go for a floating line and a sinking line (6 weight). Is that sufficient to start with? Any recommendations on brand?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 10:39 pm Post subject:
put some worms in your pocket my fav for trout is a floating line ,5 lb to hook with a bit of cork as a float and worm if you really want to use flies coachman and blackwitch are good

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Apr 08, 09 10:44 pm Post subject:
fly rod/line are ace for getting it there but trout's food is best bait pop the first few and check what they eat use that as bait the ones i know best are canibals

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 6:35 am Post subject:

dpack wrote:

put some worms in your pocket

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 6:40 am Post subject:

Bebo wrote:

Awwwww...I was only joking

Blimey - I've never thought of fly fishing as being for the nobs!

Bebo wrote:

Anyway I think I've settled on Orvis Western2 9ft6 5/6 rods and Greys GRXi reels.

The reels come with 3 spools. I was going to go for a floating line and a sinking line (6 weight). Is that sufficient to start with? Any recommendations on brand?

Orvis Western is a nice rod. I've got an Orvis rod too, plus an Orvis reel. As for lines - well, we tend to use Hardys...but as Gervase is oft heard to say, "It doesn't matter what type of line you get, the most important thing is being able to cast the bugger properly..."

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 7:04 am Post subject:

There's an awfu lot of cobblers taked about tackle (Fnarr). Not surprisingly, I suppose, for a passtime that's associated with blokes. Look at anything that attracts the anoraks, and you see the same sort of advertising, be it cycling, fishing, shooting, climbing or whatever. The idea started in the USA, I think, where agencie worked out the best way to pitch to anoraks was to bombard them with ridiculous pseudo-scientific detail.
As a result the ads are verbose in the extreme, and full of absurd scientific claims. If you see the words 'technical' or 'modulus' or any reference to 'molecular' you'll know what I mean. They make cosmetic ads look like a load of old boswellox.

But at the waterside there's not going to be a vast difference between a �600 Hardy rod and a �60 Daiwa or Shakespeare. Yes, the Hardy rods are pretty (that's my excuse), but there's nothing magical about them that makes them actually worth ten times more than a perfectly serviceable Japanese rod.

And the reel is just a carrier for the line. If you get one with spools that can be swapped around while the reel is still on the rod, so much the better, but don't be bamboozled by the sales pitch that tells you it was hand-forged from a single billet of titanium or whatever. A good reel should cost you about �12.

As for lines, get one with a brand name - the awful ones are the ones that are sold loosely coiled without a brand name for a fiver. Avoid those like the plague. Expect to pay �20 or so for a line, and look after it (get any mud off and dry it out after use, get some line grease and generally cuddle it).

Get hold of a copy of Trout and Salmon. Ignore the reviews (which is where reviewers get given a �600 rod or reel and a day's fishing on some sought-after water and write 200o words of gushing orgasmic prose that just repeats the pseudo-scientific boswellox in the marketing blurb) and look at the full-page ads. You should be able to kit yourself out with a perfectly serviceable fly-fishing outfit for less than �100 all in.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 7:08 am Post subject:
I have been asked by the management to point out that Mary-Jane is far better at fishing than I will ever be, so listen to her. (may I have my testicles back now, please?)

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 7:12 am Post subject:
I'll just repeat that the most important thing is to find a rod (and reel) which suits you. You can only do that by trying different rods. Some are whippy, some are stiff. I prefer semi-stiff with a whippy tip...but that's just me. Other girlies are different. Last edited by Mary-Jane on Thu Apr 09, 09 7:24 am; edited 1 time in total

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 7:13 am Post subject:

Gervase wrote:

(may I have my testicles back now, please?)

I've just signed up for her fly fishing lessons next weekend, and have been told they are being used as bait instead of the fly.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 09 7:13 am Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

Some are whippy, some are stiff. I prefer semi-stiff with a whippy tip...but that's just me. Other girlies are different.

Nick, NIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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