Interested in fly fishing

[SemoFish12]

I was just wondering if I could get any advice on picking a pole and reel out. I've seen a few people do it and I know it would be fun once mastered. I fish small farm ponds for bream,crappie and some bass and fish a swift clear river for smallies.

Any info I appreciated,
Have a good day

Semo

[deathb4disco]

Get a 8.5-9' 5-weight combo. (That's a rod, reel and line put together for you and ready to fish.) The cheapest outfit I would recommend is the Scientific Anglers combo ($80-$90.) Bass Pro and Cabelas have great combos, too.

Buy a 9', 3X leader, and a spool of 3X tippet. Add a few topwater spiders and small woolly buggers and nymphs (#8-#14.) For tools, all you need is a line clipper and hemostat.

Hit the pond first and get comfortable catching bluegill and bass before you go near the running water.

Good luck!

[deathb4disco]

Also, if there's a fly shop near you, buy an outfit from them, and ask for a brief casting lesson. If they have an "intro to fly fishing" class, sign up for it. It will save you years of frustration.

[jimp]

what he said, and check out youtube for tips and such as well. If there is a local fly shop around, see if they will let you "test cast" some rods, some rods will feel better to you than others due to the different actions available.

[SeaRay]

Agree with above advice. My first outfit was a combo from LL Bean that they sell to their fly casting clinic students. Whole thing was less than $100. Several years later I managed to break the tip and when I returned it to them for repair, they sent me a new rod...free. One mistake I made was to get a 7 ft outfit thinking it would be easier to use in tight spots. A 8' 6" or 9' is easier to learn with and a better all round choice in 5 or 6 wt.
One thing I would add that made my fly fishing much simpler is to get a Braided leader, 8 ft or so. On fish like bream it won't matter that it is not invisible like mono but you use a 3 or 4 foot 4# test fluorocarbon tippet and you are good to go. The braided leader has a loop on the each end so you can change your tippet is a jiffy when it becomes to short(from retying of breaking off).
Bream and bass are a ton of fun on top water poppers. No need to spend a ton of money for this type of fishing, but be forewarned it is addictive.

Here are some links to use as a reference. If you have a fly shop close by, they can fit you with all this and may offer some casting lessons. It is not hard to learn, but there are some fundamentals you need to know.
Quest II Two-Piece Fly Rod Outfits, 3-7 Wt.: Quest Outfits | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean
Fly-Fishing Rod & Reel Combos : Cabela's
Braided Fly-Fishing Leaders / Braided Nylon Leader with Bimini Tippets -- Orvis

SeaRAy

[SemoFish12]

Is it easier to start out with a heavier fly? Or a smaller one?
I guess I should ask which is the right way, not easiest.

Thanks
Semo

[jimp]

size of the fly depends on the line wt of the rod, and what style of fishing (topwater or poppers) or nymphs for dropping down in the water column. Don't want to use a heavy bass popper/streamer on a 4wt, or a small foam topwater fly on a 8wt, very difficult to cast as the "line" is what you cast in flyfishing, not the lure or fly.

Suggest you get a wt forward (WF) floating line to start out with, learn how to cast by watching youtube videos, take a lesson or two and practice, practice and practice. GL

[deathb4disco]

Is it easier to start out with a heavier fly? Or a smaller one?

Smaller, but don't make it too difficult. Get some flies in the #8-#12 range for bluegill. Small poppers, sponge spiders, woolly buggers and almost any trout nymph will work well. (Anything that looks "buggy" will catch fish.)

Keep it simple!

[Bobo Greybeard]

One thing you want to be careful of from one fly fishing newbie to another is the "Whip Crack" when going from your back cast to your forward cast. That will actually "crack" the tippet and you will loose your flies. I was told to not go any lower than a 5x when first starting. I am not an expert though.

Bobo

[jackie53]

White river fly shop!!! Bass Pro in Springfield Missouri!!!! they can set you up!!! Hope this helps!!!