Fly fishing

[Captainkirk]

My son bought me an inexpensive fly fishing rig for my birthday a few weeks ago. Gonna try it out on our upcoming trip up north.
I've never fly fished before but we've sat on the dock and watched some really big fish snatching up dragonflies and such of the surface of the lake.
Should be interesting.

[Hawg]

Fly fishing is almost an art form. Stay away from trees, bushes and tall grass but it is an awesome feeling and a pretty good battle to catch a 1 lb bluegill with a three pound leader. Especially if you tied the fly yourself. I used to make a black and yellow bumblebee that worked very well on bluegill.

[Mad Dog Stafford]

I have never tried Fly Fishing before.

I'll have try this some time.

[Captainkirk]

We do a lot of fishing up north, but always spincast, baitcast or trolling. Never tried fly fishing and want to give it a whirl.

[G Dog]

Fly fishing is almost an art form.

James Jesus Angleton (The “Fisherman“), chief of CIA counterintelligence for over twenty years, was a hyper-avid fly fisherman.  He won awards for his lure designs and said fly fishing and its associated technique was the perfect and most accurate metaphor for what he did at his day job.  (He was also an internationally recognized breeder of orchids, lost his mind on the job and nearly recked the agency). 

[Miguel Loco]

I used to fly fish a lot when my sales territory included Idaho and Western Montana. It just takes a little practice with a new rod to get the feel. Timing is everything, but it gets easy. Back cast and when you feel the line start to pull back, start the forward cast.....keeping the rod top between 10 and 2 on the clock. After a while you'll even figure out how to get around trees and bushes.

There is no "fishing rush" as great as catching one on a dry fly you tied. I never went for the expensive designer type equipment.....and I always caught just as many fish if not more. You even get to learn a little about the bugs and how to best make a fly that resembles them. All around wonderful hobby.

[Hawg]

There is no "fishing rush" as great as catching one on a dry fly you tied.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[mazo kid]

An old friend gave me a fly rod several years ago, and I also bought one. My wife has her dad's fly rod. We have yet to try this new-to-us sport. Need to do it soon!

[tljack]

Here in Montana we do a lot of fly fishing. We fly fishermen seem to make it seem kind of mystical to those who have not got bitten by the bug.

A couple of suggestions. Take a F/F casting class. Additionally keep in mind that insects spend nearly their entire life living "IN" the water, not on top of it. i.e. start using nymphs not dry flies.

Reels are not really all that important as they primarily just hold line. Yes they have a drag but for average fish not that big of a deal.


Get as good a fly rod as you can afford. Here it is best to at least go to a specialty fly fishing shop for information. Once you understand about them, you can buy elsewhere once you have an idea of what to look for and what to stay away from.

Last of all, do not give up. Once you get the basics of it, you will be "hooked"

[Powder Burn]

Oh my another addicting sport to which there can be quite a deep rabbit hole to burn money in, especially when the good wife loves to fly fish also. I can't begin to tell you how many thousands of dollars I have tied up in fly fish gear. Heck, I'll go as far as to say just one of my rod and reels go for a thousand bucks by itself and I have different weight rods and reels to match the fish I , and my wife, will go after. Then you have waders and boots and all the other garb. I won't even tell you how much I have tied up in fly tying equipment and all the hours I spent tying flies just because I found great enjoyment in the art. However, my wife and I are no longer able to wade our favorite trout streams or smallmouth bass runs so now we just enjoy the excitement of our quarter acre pond in the back yard. Even that is a challenge when 5 pound Largemouth's won't take that beautiful fly that I tied just for them but then, that is when I change up and go for my 1 pound Bluegill. I really hate it though when one of my 3 foot long White Amurs hit it. But the pure enjoyment and the experience of a fish on the end of that tippet is like none other.