Want To Start Fly Fishing.

[Buch 145]

Hi i was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for info on starting up with fly fishing. Im a total fishing beginner (well in the past year ive had a days fly fishing and a days sea fishing but other than that im new). Id likw to have a few days out this year can any one recommend any guides/instructors? Id like a day on Rutland or something like that, then a couple of days on a river for trout then towards the end of the year id like to try some salmon or something. Any pointers would be more than apreciated! Ta in advance.

[tommy9 13]

Talk to your local angling shop they will point you in the right direction

[bluetroutchaser1 0]

Hi Buch, get yourself the latest Trout Fisherman magazine and check out the advertisements inside the back cover,

you should find some information on instructors that may be near to you.

 

I have been fly fishing for over 45 years and still learning, it gets compulsive! All the best, Dave.

[Buch 145]

Cheers Ill do both of them. Hopefully a long career of fly fishing awaits!!

[Nik_B 3,791]

http://www.rutlandflyfishing.com/tuition-a-guiding

 

 

He charges 40 quid an hour though

 

Good luck mate and remember most tackle is designed to catch fishermen and not fish

[Buch 145]

Yer ive a feeling im going to be a dab hand at hooking myself!

[Nik_B 3,791]

There's some decent places to try in the North West depending on where you live.

 

Pennine Fishery has great fish but isn't very big although that can be a good thing since you don't need to be able to cast far.

 

Arnfield Near Tintwhistle is ok and very good for boat fishing but can be quite expensive. Westlow in Congleton is another one good for boat fishing.

 

There's a place in Winkle Macclesfield which is pretty good as well.

 

I suggest watching some videos on casting and also go and practice on some big fields. Tie a bit of fluff to the end of the line so you can see it (no need for a fly with a hook or you might catch a dog walker). Then practice your casting, stick to 2 or 3 casts and make sure your line doesn't drop behind you...its all about timing really, you don't need to use brute force just use the same force on your back cast as you use on your forward cast.

 

No need to get a super expensive rod but it really helps if you get a line that is well balanced and suites the rod you have.

 

I buy second hand Hardy Sovereigns 9' and use a 6/7 weight line. Don't spend lots of money on a reel they only hold your line and get bashed about.

 

Tight lines mate

[Buch 145]

There's some decent places to try in the North West depending on where you live.

 

Pennine Fishery has great fish but isn't very big although that can be a good thing since you don't need to be able to cast far.

 

Arnfield Near Tintwhistle is ok and very good for boat fishing but can be quite expensive. Westlow in Congleton is another one good for boat fishing.

 

There's a place in Winkle Macclesfield which is pretty good as well.

 

I suggest watching some videos on casting and also go and practice on some big fields. Tie a bit of fluff to the end of the line so you can see it (no need for a fly with a hook or you might catch a dog walker). Then practice your casting, stick to 2 or 3 casts and make sure your line doesn't drop behind you...its all about timing really, you don't need to use brute force just use the same force on your back cast as you use on your forward cast.

 

No need to get a super expensive rod but it really helps if you get a line that is well balanced and suites the rod you have.

 

I buy second hand Hardy Sovereigns 9' and use a 6/7 weight line. Don't spend lots of money on a reel they only hold your line and get bashed about.

 

Tight lines mate

Ok thanks mate.

 

Is there much difference between the technique you use fishing from a boat on a resevour or fishing a river for trout or fishing a river for salmon? Should i be starting on a lake really then trying to work upwards? I guess i dont really know where i need to start haha. Also I understand you try to use flies that are representative of the insects/lavea that are about at the moment, is it just as simple as that or is there some dark magic involved in getting it right? Cheers in advance!

[Nik_B 3,791]

Yes mate

 

Fishing from a boat you have to be sitting down so you tend to use a longer rod like 9'6" or 10'. You only have to cast once though as the fish are pretty much under you and there's no need to flog the water trying to get your line out. You tend to lift you rod up and as the line forms a belly and stops moving you can do a sort of roll cast. In many ways it's easy but I find sitting still difficult.

 

River fishing for salmon is often done with a double handed rod (Spey fishing in Scotland) which is a very different technique than a single handed one. But the rod you use for a lake would probably work in some places...or it would be interesting at least

 

River fishing for trout is often done with a small single handed rod with a lighter line depending on the river size. The downside to river fishing is you might find there's a lot of over growth which gives you a shitty back cast and trees to get snagged in.

 

Lakes tend to be quite well cultivated so the overgrowth is cut back and casting is easier. Many lakes have coaches you can hire but they tend to be around the same price per hour as a BASC coach for clay shooting...not cheep. Having said that starting off in the right direction and avoiding the bad habits (of which there are many) would be well worth it.

 

In short it's more about the different rods you need that whether the different types are easier/harder and how much you get to use them when you are learning. If you have a good lake nearby you can be out fishing as many times as you want, if you buy a salmon rod you might only get to use it a few times a year.

 

To learn you want a place where the casting is easy...there is nothing more frustrating that spending half your time pulling your line out of a tree and having to tie new line and fly on. And the park idea is brilliant if you don't mind the dumb remarks about "have you caught anything yet?"

 

If you are going to fish lakes I'd start off with a 9' rod and a 6/7 weight line, that will cover a lot of different fishing and is heavy enough to deal with the big double figure fish you get in stocked lakes. Ideally you want 3 spools for your reel with a dry line, an intermediate and a sinking line because more often that not it's the depth as much as the fly that will get you fish. No point fishing 3 ft down if they're all at 12 ft. With this setup you can fish lakes and big rivers. Not sure if it would survive against a Salmon but it would be pretty good fun if you did hook one

 

There's a handful of knots you need to know but they're not hard to remember. It's common to have what is called 'droppers' this is a way of having multiple flies on one line and is often used with fishing buzzers.

 

On the flies you can often buy them when you arrive at a lake, they might tell you what is doing well on that particular day, but it is also good to have a selection. Generally I have in my pathetic little box a few buzzers, lures and nymphs some with gold heads (to make them sink faster) and some with out and then I have the dry flies like parachute/shipmans/hares ear etc. Not all flies are 'naturals' i.e. mimicking real insects...you can get blobs which don't imitate anything but often work very well. My favorite fly fishing is using dry flies but its very dependent on a hatch and the time of day etc. You can't beat the excitement of that though.

 

There is a big fashion of using site bobs nowadays...personally I'd avoid that because it looks horrible and takes away the skill of finding the depth. You normally will cast you line and count down as the flies sink. You start off retrieving after a shot count, cover all of your swim and then let the fly sink a bit longer on the next one. When you cover all the area and all the depths it's time to change flies. So you've got different depths to cover and different speeds of retrieve.

 

I like to start off with a lure on an intermediate line depending on if I can see any movement or not.Think cat chasing a bit of string...if you get the depth right they can't resist them unless they are gorging themselves on something else. If you get takes you will know the depth of them at least.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[Buch 145]

Thanks mate thats great. I asked about the river fishing for trout because i can get really cheep access to the River Avon through work, but my mate who i would probably be learning with has his heart set on catching the worlds biggest salmon haha. So i think ill try to get myself a 9 foot rod like you said and try to pin my technique down. I really like the idea of spending a warm summers afternoon pottering around on a river but ive a feeling ill be spending a freezing, summers day soaking thrashing the water with my newly acquired fishing tackle, catching my ear and every tree possible.

[Nik_B 3,791]

if it's river fishing you will be doing mostly then maybe a lighter line and shorter rod would be best. Not sure how big the Avon is but bare this in mind.

 

try not to part with any money without talking to someone who fishes that stretch because a rod reel and spools aren't cheap.

 

Totally agree about the romanticism of river fishing...brown trout on a dry line...can't think of much else better

[hawki 1,447]

Yes mate

 

Fishing from a boat you have to be sitting down so you tend to use a longer rod like 9'6" or 10'. You only have to cast once though as the fish are pretty much under you and there's no need to flog the water trying to get your line out. You tend to lift you rod up and as the line forms a belly and stops moving you can do a sort of roll cast. In many ways it's easy but I find sitting still difficult.

 

River fishing for salmon is often done with a double handed rod (Spey fishing in Scotland) which is a very different technique than a single handed one. But the rod you use for a lake would probably work in some places...or it would be interesting at least

 

River fishing for trout is often done with a small single handed rod with a lighter line depending on the river size. The downside to river fishing is you might find there's a lot of over growth which gives you a shitty back cast and trees to get snagged in.

 

Lakes tend to be quite well cultivated so the overgrowth is cut back and casting is easier. Many lakes have coaches you can hire but they tend to be around the same price per hour as a BASC coach for clay shooting...not cheep. Having said that starting off in the right direction and avoiding the bad habits (of which there are many) would be well worth it.

 

In short it's more about the different rods you need that whether the different types are easier/harder and how much you get to use them when you are learning. If you have a good lake nearby you can be out fishing as many times as you want, if you buy a salmon rod you might only get to use it a few times a year.

 

To learn you want a place where the casting is easy...there is nothing more frustrating that spending half your time pulling your line out of a tree and having to tie new line and fly on. And the park idea is brilliant if you don't mind the dumb remarks about "have you caught anything yet?"

 

If you are going to fish lakes I'd start off with a 9' rod and a 6/7 weight line, that will cover a lot of different fishing and is heavy enough to deal with the big double figure fish you get in stocked lakes. Ideally you want 3 spools for your reel with a dry line, an intermediate and a sinking line because more often that not it's the depth as much as the fly that will get you fish. No point fishing 3 ft down if they're all at 12 ft. With this setup you can fish lakes and big rivers. Not sure if it would survive against a Salmon but it would be pretty good fun if you did hook one

 

There's a handful of knots you need to know but they're not hard to remember. It's common to have what is called 'droppers' this is a way of having multiple flies on one line and is often used with fishing buzzers.

 

On the flies you can often buy them when you arrive at a lake, they might tell you what is doing well on that particular day, but it is also good to have a selection. Generally I have in my pathetic little box a few buzzers, lures and nymphs some with gold heads (to make them sink faster) and some with out and then I have the dry flies like parachute/shipmans/hares ear etc. Not all flies are 'naturals' i.e. mimicking real insects...you can get blobs which don't imitate anything but often work very well. My favorite fly fishing is using dry flies but its very dependent on a hatch and the time of day etc. You can't beat the excitement of that though.

 

There is a big fashion of using site bobs nowadays...personally I'd avoid that because it looks horrible and takes away the skill of finding the depth. You normally will cast you line and count down as the flies sink. You start off retrieving after a shot count, cover all of your swim and then let the fly sink a bit longer on the next one. When you cover all the area and all the depths it's time to change flies. So you've got different depths to cover and different speeds of retrieve.

 

I like to start off with a lure on an intermediate line depending on if I can see any movement or not.Think cat chasing a bit of string...if you get the depth right they can't resist them unless they are gorging themselves on something else. If you get takes you will know the depth of them at least.

 

Cheers

 

Nick

Good post with great information

[Acuspell 329]

9' #6 will cover both river, lake and boat fishing - as in I use mine across all th elot and only use the lighter, shorter rod on small streams.If you are in a tight spot, just take the top two sections, tuck the rest of the rod under your arm and fish with a 4'6" rod! Then put it back together to play a fish, or if only a small fish just use the two top sections. You can soon learn to cast 20 yards with just the two top sections, it is exactly the same technique. On the boat a 9' rod will be fine, don't try too hard, just use the amount of line you can pick up and put down again happily YOU WILL STILL CATCH FISH. It is as important to be quiet in the boat as it is to be able to cast - the boat is a drum immersed in the water. Bump about, knocking your flask over or rattling the rowlocks will scare the fish away more than any type of fishing mistake. If you stay quiet the fish will be within 2rod lengths very often.

[Buch 145]

Thanks for all this info everyone. Im hoping to get myself all sorted by next weekend.

[northern lad 2,292]

Cracking post Nick Has anybody else tried the fly on canals etc for coarse fish?had a dabble with a 4wt and some nymphs/buzzers etc,didnt catch anything massive,but hac plenty of fun.....mostly roach/perch but also odd skimmers and a chub (never seen one before in the Bridgewater Canal)if I get a chance this year will have a go for the pike with the fly(not the 4wt )evenings or early morning by far the best biggest problems by far barges/cyclists cant beat it to kill a few hours if like me the nearest trout water is a good drive,esecially if you only have a couple of hours.