Thread: Educate me on fly rods

yes that was what I was trying to find out about. Still trying to understand things like tippet vs. plane mono or the tapered leaders vs.??? Like James was talking about earlier in the thread I am looking to get into fly fishing. I fly fished when I was a little boy with things like bluegill poppers and the black foam ants on a fly hook and this was my dads fly rod and tackle I used . I am looking at several styles of combos for smallmouth and bluegill and trout. The combos I was thinking on was 5/6 for gills crappie trout and the combos for wipers, smallmouth, sauger was a 7/8 combo.

One other thing guys I appriciate all the imput it is always nice to learn new things.

Originally Posted by ezgo

yes that was what I was trying to find out about. Still trying to understand things like tippet vs. plane mono or the tapered leaders vs.??? Like James was talking about earlier in the thread I am looking to get into fly fishing.

There's a fly fishing board here that might help:

Fly Fishing

Also, FAOL has an excellent "Fly Fishing Basics" section. Just click on the link at the top left:

Fly Anglers OnLine, Your Complete Internet Flyfishing Resource.

Originally Posted by ezgo

I am looking at several styles of combos for smallmouth and bluegill and trout. The combos I was thinking on was 5/6 for gills crappie trout and the combos for wipers, smallmouth, sauger was a 7/8 combo.

Sounds good to me!

Originally Posted by ezgo

Still trying to understand things like tippet vs. plane mono or the tapered leaders vs.???

Briefly ...

A tapered leader is a piece of mono 7-9' long. (You can buy longer ones, but that's the usual lengths.) Bass Pro, Cabela's or any fly shop will sell them. In addition to the length, they will be marked with an "X" description (2X, 3X, 6X, etc.) That tells you what diameter the tippet section is. The bigger the number, the thinner the tippet. 3X tippet breaks at around 8#, but it is thinner than regular 8# mono. 6X will break at 3-4#.

For most bluegill/crappie/trout flies, 3X to 5X leaders should be fine. For bass, you might use 0X to 2X leaders. These are general guidelines.

Db4disco and others thanks, One thing that was mentioned and has got me thinking more are a breathable or lighter weight chest wader. I dont duck hunt but I do fish in some cold water different times of the year, I did see a pair of boot foot waders with a 600 deneir material and was looking at them possibley. I leaning on the boot foot more because that has all I have ever used and the conveniance of just slide them on and go. The one thing about the neoprene I was looking at was the warmth and stretchy material it has when you bend over. I am considering taking my canoe out also this winter teamed up with a good pair of chest waders and hopefully momma lets me get the new fly rod with it.

Chest waders are the way to go. If it's too hot out, you can roll the top down to you waist and secure it with your wader belt. They are also much better if you ever get a pontoon boat or float tube. Both of which are extremely fun to fish from. Above all, wear your PFD and have fun.

I still keep kickin around the neoprene for reasons of jumping in and out of the canoe when you get to a riffle or when you want to pull over and just wade the water. I have never owned that type of chest wader but keep thinking when sitting in a canoe or any small craft if could be alittle more foregiving. I dont want to get two types of waders just one, I fish for different types of freshwater fish and have a canoe in ceiling of the garage and 18'6" boat in there along with other gear starting to run out of room. I also tye jigs in my basement so I have an assorment down there. Not complaining but trying to make a good choice for storage reasons.