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Jesse's Hunting > Fishing Articles > Articles > Take the Guesswork out of Flyfishing
Take the Guesswork out of Flyfishing
Dave Blake - JHO ProStaff
- La-La Land, CA
May 22, 2007
I've heard a lot of people say “I tried fly fishing, but just couldn't get the hang of it.”
Although there are a lot of subtleties to the method, the basics are surprisingly easy to learn and use to catch a lot of fish. The aspect of fly fishing that can be most confusing is the equipment.
It doesn't have to be intimidating
A few basic points on flyfishing can take away the mystery and get you out there, catching fish! |
For a person new to fly fishing a trip to the local fly shop can be more bewildering than enlightening. The rows of fly rods on the wall, with all of their weights, lengths and materials, pales only in comparison with the shelves full of reels and racks full of fly line in floating, or sinking double, rocket, weight forward ,or level taper. The question I hear most often is; “How do I know what I need?”
Let's start with what you don't need. $600 rods and $400 reels are beautiful and meticulously crafted tools that are amazing to cast and catch fish with. An experienced fly fisherman can tell the difference between them and their less expensive counterparts. These high dollar items are not necessary for a beginner who doesn't know a double haul from a double scoop of ice cream.
So forget all that, and let’s look at a couple of inexpensive rods which work really well and don't hurt the wallet. TFO(Temple Fork Outfitters) and Penn make a couple of really affordable, well made rods that cast as well as more expensive brands and have a great warranty. Either of these brands can be had for under $200. The beginning fly-caster will want one of these in an 8 ˝ to 9 foot, 5 weight model, with a medium to fast action.
The action of a rod refers to how stiff it is and at what point within its length it flexes. The closer the flex is to the tip the faster the action.
With today's machining technology there are some beautiful fly reels being made from solid, bar-stock aluminum. These reels can cost as little as $80, to as much as $1000. Again, the beginning fly-caster doesn't need to break the bank to get a reel that will last a lifetime.
Okuma and Teton make bar-stock, fly reels that will perform in any conditions. Teton reels are even American made. I have all of my rods set up with Teton reels and have not been disappointed yet. Teton reels can be found for $100 to $150 and the Okuma reels go for under $100. Make sure to match the reel size to the line weight of the rod.
The finishing touch is the fly line. I mentioned taper earlier which refers to the general shape of the line. Imagine a pipe that is thicker at one end than the other. This would be a weight forward pipe. Weight forward fly line has a thick end that tapers down to a thinner end. The thick end is the one that is cast. The extra weight on that end of the line helps “load” the rod for a strong, forward cast.
Fly line that is the same thickness from end to end would be a “level” taper line. This taper isn't recommended for most applications. Double taper line is thickest in the center and tapers off to both ends. This allows for the line to be reversed when one end wears out. I suggest a weight forward, floating line from Scientific Anglers or Rio. Add on a 9 foot, 4x, tapered leader and 3 feet of 5x tippet, and you are ready to go.
We'll hit the stream in a future article, and discuss basic casting and fly selection.
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