new to fly fishing

TrophyHunter3

New member
I'm a total newbie to fly fishing hoping to learn from videos online about technique. I just bought a 9 ft 8wt fly rod...but now I'm second guessing my choice I mainly fish for bass sometimes the occasional crappie/panfish and really I've never caught a trout but would like too. I guess I'm just wondering if this is a good pole to have for all around fishing
 

Joker

New member
CONGRATULATION'S , you are on the road to ruin ..LOL

a 8wt rod should be good for anything you will fish for including trout , fly fishing terminology can get quite confusing , i have been fishing with one for a long time , but i am by far not a fly fishing expert .

fly rods have a different measuring for line weight , you should stick pretty close to that , like 5 , 6 , 7 ,8 , and 9wt , the 5 wt being the lightest line and 9wt the heaviest in terms of weight not breaking strength , heavier lines can be cast farther than lighter lines , lighter lines offer a stealth presentation ,less splash down noise , then you have
double taper and weight forward lines and there are probably more types of specialty lines than those two , but that's just the two i use , weight forward is easier casting for beginners or into a head wind , double taper makes for a better presentation , then you have floating , sinking and intermediate fly lines , and then we have the leaders which are another whole can of worms , lengths , weights , shorter leaders are easier to cast ,for the beginner i would suggest about a 7 or 8wt weight forward floating fly line with no more than a 7 to 9 ft leader , watch everything you can on it learn the different casts and techniques , then go into the back yard without a fly , and practice , then practice some more , cause a hook to the ear or the back of the head { or eye } doesn't feel to good or do anything for your confidence , fly fishing is a state of mind like shooting a primitive longbow , you have to get in the zone .

at the hiwassee fly and tackle in reliance , they have classes on fly casting , you might or might not want to check into that , my dad showed me a couple of casts when i was a kid and i just went commando from there myself , i might take me a class down there to learn some proper technique and terminology's .

once you catch that first fish you will be hooked on fly fishing .
 

cptenn94

New member
Here is the page that talks about the fly casting classes.
http://hiwassee.net/newbieday.htm


The hiwassee river is about a hour drive from chattanooga. It is a great place to go to catch trout, though I have yet to catch a trout on a fly(I as well am a beginner to fly fishing)

Here is a decent site that offers some instruction and information on fly fishing
http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons



Anyways here is some general information to understand.

The parts of a fly line go like this:
Fly reel -> backing->fly line->leader-> tippet->fly

The backing is just some line that attaches the fly line to the reel. You will not likely use it unless fish are making strong runs when hooked.

The fly line is the thicker line and comes in a variety of styles which would affect casting. Some line has more weight in the tip, to help make casting easier(weight forward). Some are tapered, and some are tapered on both ends.

The leader is a tapered piece of line, usually monofiliment, nylon, or flourocarbon, that helps transfer the energy to the fly.

The tipper is a optional piece of line that is attached to the end of the leader. It usually uses just a regular kind of line(like you could use in regular fishing), and is much cheaper than having to replace leaders all the time from loosing line everytime you change a fly.



Now with fly line there is a rating system that begins with 1 wt, and goes up to about 14 wt. The smaller the number fly line the thinner the line. The larger the number the thicker the line.

http://www.orvis.com/s/choosing-a-fly-line-orvis-fly-fishing/2107

This link has a good table which shows in general what line weights are used for what species, and what fly sizes go well with them.

Generally speaking wt 1-5 is best for trout or panfish, wt 6-8 for large trout, or bass, and 9-14 for saltwater fishing.

The fly line MUST match the fly rod. You can adjust leaders and tippets and flys as much as you like. But if you try to put on line that is more that 1 size different from the rod, it will not cast properly at all.(so you could get away with having 7 wt or 9 wt line on your 8 wt rod) It is always best to stick to the fly line that is the proper weight for the rod, unless you know what you are doing.




Next you have leader size. The leader you choose can depend on what species you are targetting. The leader size is based on what the leader tapers down into. So on end A, you have the thickest part of the leader. On end B you have the thinest.

End B is the end that determines the size of the leader. So for example I have a 5x leader.

That means at the end of my leader, the leader diameter is .006 ". This diameter rating system is the same with tippet material. Here is a chart which shows the sizes and what is reccomended for what species. 8x is the smallest tippet size with 03x being the largest.


Tippet Size Tippet Diameter Pound Test Fish Size
03X .015? 25 lb. Big Game Species
02X .013? 20 lb. Large Salmon
01X .012? 18.5 lb. Striped Bass
0X .011? 15.5 lb. Salmon, Steelhead
1X .010? 13.5 lb. Bonefish, Redfish, Permit
2X .009? 11.5 lb. Large & Smallmouth Bass
3X .008? 8.5 lb. Bass & Large Trout
4X .007? 6 lb. Trout
5X .006? 4.75 lb. Trout & Panfish
6X .005? 3.5 lb. Trout – Easily Spooked Fish
7X .004? 2.5 lb. Trout & Panfish / Delicate Presentations
8X .003? 1.75 lb. Trout & Panfish / Small Flies






Now anyways it turns out you are trying to learn fly fishing at a good time. Please PM me, and then I should be able to remember to send you details of the fly fishing class they have at the hiwassee river. It usually takes place on the 2nd saturday of the month(it occurs monthly from april-october). If I am available to go, there is a chance you could carpool with me, or tail me to it. I certainly could give you driving directions and details of this regardless.

They do have rods available so you would be able to try the difference between your rod and the rods they have available(probably 5 or 6 wt rods).





Finally to answer your question about whether your pole is a all around good pole.

If you are mainly fishing for bass then the rod you have should be just fine for fishing for bass. I think it should be fine for fishing for pretty much any fish around here. However I am not sure it would be very good for catching trout. The reasoning is that your line is a heavier line. This should make it a little easier for casting, but it probably will make more noise and make a larger splash when it hits the water.

This is not a problem really for bass and other fish around here. However trout are much more likely to become spooked by the line. Thus it would just be more difficult to catch them. However with the line you have, you will mostly be throwing around streamers and larger flys that will resemble baitfish, mice, frogs, etc. Just larger baits that fish eat. And you should probably be able to cast them just fine with your rod.

(my 5 wt rod does not handle flys like that very well with my inexperience.)

So your 8 wt should work on pretty much any local fish, and also work on large trout I would think. It would not work well when trying to delicately present dry flies or small insects that most trout fishermen try to imitate, but it would be great for larger flies imitating bigger insects and larger animals that fish eat.


I appologize if I am incoherent but I am tired as I am making this post. I would be more than happy to answer any question you may have to the best of my knowledge. Take my advice however with a grain of salt, as I am speaking more from research and hours and hours of time learning things, than actual experience.

If you do have questions the best way for me to answer them would be for you to send me PMs(personal messages)
 

HunterDuck25

New member
Good info on the Hiawassee.net newbie day. I would definitely check that out. Don is a nice,humble guy, will share a wealth of knowledge And won't cost a thing. Folks like him are a rare thing these days.
 

hoop235

New member
X2 on the Hiwassee newbie day. That's how I started 5yrs ago and it was a great class and helped the learning curve.

BTW: When starting out trying to catch trout, try a "hopper/dropper" combination. It will speed up your time in catching trout and make fly fishing a lot more fun.(Trying to catch trout strictly on a dry fly can be frustrating at times)
I generally use a big brushy hopper of some type (aka: size 8 or 10 Dave's hopper or a stimulator pattern in yellow & red) with a size 14 or 16 copper john or prince nymph as the dropper.
Dropper is a 12"-18" piece of line tied directly to the hopper hook. The slightly heavier fly combination will help with your cast and yes it does tangle some but its worth it to catch fish. If you see the fish start hitting the top water hopper most of the time, just cut to dropper off and have good time with top water dry fly fishing!!
Hope this helps.
 

Troutbum

New member
The 8 weight is well-suited for bass fishing and will easily throw the big flies that go along with that (poppers, streamers, etc.). It's a bit much for trout and panfish. At some point you'll probably want to get a lighter rod for that sort of thing. A 5 weight would be a good bet.

Keep the whole tackle/gear thing simple at first. Get a weight forward, floating 8 weight line for that rod. Get leaders in a couple of different sizes, say 1X for large flies like woolly buggers and poppers and 5X for small flies like nymphs and dry flies. You can expand on that as you gain experience and develop preferences. Don't drive yourself crazy, or spend unnecessary money, by purchasing every size leader out there. Keep it simple at first and you'll figure out the rest as you go along. That's actually part of the fun.

Definitely take advantage of the newbie days up on the Hiwassee. Don Denney and the rest of the gents up there will be more than happy to spend time with you. You'll learn more in a few hours with those experienced anglers than by reading a hundred books on fly fishing. The biggest hurdle will be learning to cast well.
 

troutfly

New member
GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN! Money can get slim for a man who forgets to work. Lol. It's a great thing man. Don't over think it and just keep it simple. If you want an all purpose, a 6 wt is my favorite. Just don't get too deep too quick and have fun!
 

TrophyHunter3

New member
Thanks for all the info fellas I wil Def go check out the hawisee thing
 
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