Fly Fishing

[Chadku]

Hey guys...I just bought my first fly rod...I have never fly fished in my life, but have always wanted to learn....Does anyone have any suggestions on books or websites out there that I can learn about fly fishing? I mainly wanted it for ponds etc to catch sunfish and crappie and small bass out of and really have no idea on what flies or poppers work the best...Any info would be appreciated.

[BUCKET HEAD]

Go To Your Nearest Bass Pro Shop. They Have Free Classes To Teach You How And Will Tell You What Flies Work Best In Your Area. It's Alot Of Fun. Enjoy And Good Luck.

[dixieangler]

Here you go, Chadku. There is also a Warm Water Forum. Links below.

Menu on the left of the page and at the bottom.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/

You will need to register to post on the board.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/

Basics
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/beginnermenu.html

Enjoy. I would suggest you get someone to show you how to cast. A casting instructor will really help you to cast correctly.

[jhook]

Chad -- I agree with Dixieangler. It's best if someone can instruct you in the basics. The links Dixie provided are excellent. I picked up a flyrod for the first time last July and have never picked up a spinning rod since. I fish for everything with a flyrod now. Good luck and enjoy.

Joe

[jhook]

Oh yes, meant to add. While I think it's best to have someone instruct you on the basics of casting, there are two books I found very helpful. "Fly fishing Equipment & Techniques" by Jeanot Ruel, and "The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide" by Tom Rosenbauer. Also, to help with the casting, someone gave me a video produced by Scientific Angler that went through the basics. I found that helpful.

[deathb4disco]

Larry Dahlberg's panfish and bass DVD is the best I've seen. It teaches you EVERYTHING you need to know: casting, knots, fly tying, etc.

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...=SearchResults

As for books, LL Bean's FF Handbook, 2nd Edition (by Dave Whitlock) has just been released. It's excellent.

[Chadku]

Good deal...Thanks guys...We have a BP opening down the road next week...I will definitely try to get in on one of those classes....

[Flyrod Man]

You will find that you will catch more fish than you ever have b4 when you learn. There is alot to learn, read everything about it you can. I fly fish for everything, having rods of various wgts. Depth also means nothing if you are setup correctly; I fish panfish at 15-25 ft. depths with a fly rod and catch bigger fish off the beds than on, and have more fun. Catching panfish on beds, you will find is boring and without skil once you learn how to fish all depths of water. One thing that is very important, buy a good avg priced rod - $150-200. A reel you can get by with a $50. starter. Casting with a Walmart special will discourage you. Check the flyfishing site (4sale equip't) on ebay and you will learn alot also about the sport and can PU some good used rods - flyfishing is expensive. Good Luck and have fun.

[reelcrappie]

Flyrod man hit it on the head, make sure you have a decent rod and that the line matches up to the rod. Learn the basics and then get on the water. You are going to be surprised at how easy it is.

[dixieangler]

- flyfishing is expensive.

It doesn't have to be unless you make it expensive. Shop around more and you will find some good deals. I like fiberglass rods because they are slow, accurate, and suit my casting style (I don't usually need the extra distance and speed so I rarely use my graphites). Here is one example of a good deal from Global Dorber (an FAOL Sponsor) on a 5wt. graphite combo called a Silvertip fly rod combo toward the bottom of the page:

Global Dorber Fly Rods

The 5/6wt. EagleClaw Black Eagle fiberglass fly rod and Okuma 5/6 Sierra reel outfit you see me using in my photo thread posts that I have caught all kinds of warm water fish on, was right around $120 or so for the whole outfit including backing, extra spool for a sinking line, 5wt. fly lines, and some 6lb. fluorocarbon tippet material.