New Fly Rod Owner Needs Advice

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Eagleman

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Joined
Mar 17, 2011
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I purchased a new fly rod and lures at LL Bean in Maine last fall.  Sales guy was very helpful and I think I have a pretty good set up.  I haven't used it yet and am looking forward to trying it out.  I want to start practicing at home where I own a two acre lake which we have stocked with catfish, bluegill and some bass.  Any pointers from experienced fly fisherman to get me started would be appreciated.  My goal is to someday take my father in law fly fishing in Colorado using my Jayco Class C motorhome to get us there and camp by a nice river.  I live in southern Illinois so the trout fishing is not an option in my area.  I was thinking of catching bluegill out of our lake.  Thanks in advance for the words of wisdom.
 
Eagleman said:
I live in southern Illinois so the trout fishing is not an option in my area. 
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Don't be so sure of that.  Montauk State Park in Missouri isn't all that far from you and has some pretty good trout fishing.
 
I would strongly suggest that you go get some lessons.  Fly fishing is a lot of fun, but can be frustrating as heck until you get some knowledge.
 
Let me pass on one hint.  When you are learning to cast, go to a store that sells cheap fishing tackle and buy some really cheap trout flies.  Then cut off the barbed part of the hook so that all is left is dull,  bent wire.    Use those flies like casting plugs to learn with.  They will turn the line over in learing back and roll casts without the nuisance and danger of getting a sharp barbed hook in various parts of the landscape or anatomy.  (Been there, done that.  :(  )

 
I also suggest taking fly fishing lessons.  I also fly fish, as well as, tie some limited flies... ;)  The best thing you can do is get some great basic training right off the bat.  I've had to change some poor techniques because I thought I could teach myself. 

BTW, I've caught lots of trout on a fly line; but have to admit, I've not caught bass, bluegill or catfish on one.  I'd use my spinning rod for that.

Have fun.  Fly fishing is an art and you need to practice...practice...practice.

Marsha~

Marsha~
 
I got an urge one day to get a new fly rod, so I went on Craigs List and offered three trash bags of alum. cans for anything related to FF.
I got a #5 rod and the guy did not want the cans, so I went back to CL and requested swap for flys- got 150 the next day, still had the cans.
About a week later I was garage saleing and found a hard case for $5, Great now I can protect my rod, got home and opened the case and there was a custom made rod from a company in Colorado, I googled it and it was worth major $$$$, so being the guy Mom raised, I took the rod back to the old owners house, he let me keep it and even gave me a new weight forward line.
This sound like a crock but it's just the way it went down.
Anyway-Google fly fishing lessons in southern Ill, and join a club-Fly fisher guys are great company and ready and willing to have someone ask for help.
 
Practice on the lawn.  Put a leader (made for flyfishing) on the end of the fly line.  On the end of the leader, tie a tuft (is that a word) of bright colored yarn (not green) so you can see the "fly".  Then you won't hook anything.  With fly fishing you are casting the line, not the fly.  The fly kind of goes along for the ride and is nearly weightless so the yarn is fine for practice.  Let the rod do the work, and don't flex your wrist much on the casting hand. 

Not sure what you've got for a setup, but the easiest to learn on is about a seven foot, five or six weight rod with either a double tapered or weight forward floating line.

You can catch a lot of bluegill on a fly rod and it's a lot of fun too.  Work the edges of the weeds near sundown with small "poppers".  Just go to a flyfishing store and tell them what you are doing and they will sell you what you need. Nearly any dry fly will work for bluegill, as they are not too picky.

If you get yourself four or five casting lessons from someone who knows how to do it, you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration.  Have fun!
 
On the end of the leader, tie a tuft (is that a word) of bright colored yarn (not green)
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It's a floating strike indicator (made out of colored yarn).  I know..... ;D ;D ;D  I have to use them to see when the fish takes my tiny little fly on the end of the line when I'm nymphing.

Marsha~
 
Suggest you tie a 3 or 4 foot piece of yarn to the end section of your rod, then practice casting to achieve a good loop.  This will help you get the feel of a good cast.  Strongly ditto getting casting lessons. You might want to hire a guide for a combination learning/fishing trip; I recommended this to beginning fly fishers when I worked at a fly shop in central Arkansas.
 
Actually, practice casting with only the end piece of the rod. You can even do this while watching television.
 
Flytyer2 said:
Suggest you tie a 3 or 4 foot piece of yarn to the end section of your rod, then practice casting to achieve a good loop.  This will help you get the feel of a good cast.  Strongly ditto getting casting lessons. You might want to hire a guide for a combination learning/fishing trip; I recommended this to beginning fly fishers when I worked at a fly shop in central Arkansas.
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I did this about 15 years ago, late season when they weren't busy.  It helped me out a lot.
 
[quote author=Flytyer2].... practice casting with only the end piece of the rod. You can even do this while watching television.[/quote]

I was curious when I first read that message, and I'm still scratching my head. How do you get to 'flex' just the tip and with only a short length of line? The dynamics don't seem to allow it  ???
 
a friend of mine got me started on fly fishing by wading in a shallow river.  It was a great place to start.  The river took the line downstream and made it easy to take the slack out of the line.  Caught many bluegills and small mouth that way on little spider floating ties.  great fun!
 
Lowell, next to lawn grass, a shallow river is the best place to practice.

FWIW I never did practice on lawn grass in my early fly fishing days, and got my hard knocks on a small river running past the bottom of our street when I was growing up see here. Lost a lot of flies on the back-cast, and lost others by getting hung up in trees and bushes  :-[

OTOH I've "practiced" on grass at a campground on many occasions. A couple of long-time forum members also practiced on grass at an RV Forum rally. See here and here.
 
Tom, the 3 to 4 feet (or whatever length your tip section is) of yarn is sufficient to "load" the tip section.

If you practice casting on grass or a lawn, you might want to wash and dress the fly line afterward. If you practice casting on pavement, be aware that it will destroy the line in time.
 
If you practice casting on pavement, be aware that it will destroy the line in time.
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Aye, I figured that out a long time ago; Been casting flies for approx 50 years  ;)
 
Practising on lawn and grass is all fine and dandy, but it gets boring very quickly! In the end it is worth the effort to find a little pond or slow stream to practise your cast.

Yikes, can't wait to get to the rivers............

Mariekie
 
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