|
Post by yihunt on Jan 12, 2008 13:13:56 GMT -4
I got, what I think was a good deal on a flyfishing outfit and will start using it this year. I'd like your opinion/advice
The rod is a St. Croix-pro graphite-8'--5/6 weight and the reel is a Cortland C-G 1.
Is this a OK starter outfit?
I also got a box of bead head nymphs in different sizes and a few wooly buggers and some dry flies that i don't know the names.
Any suggestion on what time of year to try these bead heads and wooly buggers? and how does a person use the strike indicators?
|
|
|
Post by leverlover on Jan 12, 2008 21:07:14 GMT -4
Sounds like a good outfit. As for the strike indicators, think of them as a bobber for nymph fishing. They attach to your leader in any number of ways depending on what kind of indicator they are. These are used for dead drift nymphing and would be used with your beadheads and fished upstream and dead drift like bait. By adjusting the distance from the fly to the indicator, you adjust the depth of the fly. The Wooly Buggers would be a good start to. Generally most folks fish them downstream and across with some weight to keep them down. Hope this helps and good luck!
|
|
|
Post by beddog on Feb 24, 2008 12:40:00 GMT -4
Well... Just came inside after trying my hand at casting my new fly outfit in the driveway. In 15 minutes I got the line caught on the cable line to the house, So I moved to a new position. Then I got it caught on a tree. I hope this isn't an indication of how opening day is going to go. Maybe I should take my UL spinning gear and some wax worms with me opening day just in case.
|
|
|
Post by leverlover on Feb 24, 2008 13:49:47 GMT -4
To be honest, unless you have the creek to yourself, opening day can be an exercise in futility with the fly rod even for the most seasoned fly rodder. Your best bet would be to carry the spinning gear.
I don't know if you were practicing with a leader and fly on your line or not. But if you weren't, I would advise taking an old fly and breaking off the hook at the bend. If you don't, you'll get a "crack the whip" action that will fray and crack the end of your new fly line. And only practice on grass. Concrete and asphalt will crack the finish on your line just as quickly.
Start out with short casts until you get accustomed to the timing of your cast. Also, set out a small cup to use as a target.
Good luck and keep us posted:)
|
|
|
Post by beddog on Feb 24, 2008 14:37:27 GMT -4
Thanks for the info Leverlover. Yes I was practicing with a leader and a fly on. Right now I can only practice in the driveway as we have about 6 inches of melting snow from last weekend here in the SE of the state we still have to contend with. It's melting fast though. It's a beautiful day today, bright and sunny and not too cold. That's why I wanted to get outside and do some practicing. I will take your advise on taking the spinning gear and some wax worms with me on opening day. The problem is, the places I've chosen to fish are special regulations, primarily fly only, catch and release. Now the "Tully" you can fish spinning, but you have to use artificial, not live bait. French Creek has a .9 mi. fly only, catch and release section, the rest is open to any kind of fishing. The Little Lehigh is fly only, catch and release. They are the three places I know of around me to do some trout fishing. I'm pretty sure there are more that I don't know of, but these seem to be the best known, and as far as I know, the most productive.
|
|
|
Post by leverlover on Feb 24, 2008 15:59:47 GMT -4
Get on out to those special regulation areas now. Don't be shy....you'll see and watch anglers in action. Most of them are more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Down your way, the Blue Winged Olive should be getting underway right along with the Early Black and Early Brown Stoneflies. Midges are always a prospect to.
If you are interested in scouting out some Pocono streams, just PM me and I'll point you in the right direction. ;D
|
|
|
Post by beddog on Feb 24, 2008 16:20:22 GMT -4
Thanks Lever, I take it the special regulation areas are year round, no closed season? I'll do that. As far as scouting out some Pocono streams, I may take you up on that. I'm a mountain man at heart. Been trying to get out of the SE area for a long time. Stuck here due to job restraints. I'll figure out how to PM you later. Thanks again.
Dave
|
|
|
Post by firefightnlife on Feb 24, 2008 21:42:53 GMT -4
backyard practise never hurts either
|
|
|
Post by ilovevt on Mar 24, 2008 16:43:02 GMT -4
i was taught in my 9th grade English class how to fly fish. also 2 years ago in Womens in the Outdoors. i have never gone but i did learn how to fly fish.
|
|
|
Post by beddog on Apr 4, 2008 18:43:19 GMT -4
Hey Y I... have ya been practicing with that new Fly rod ?
|
|
leep
lodge member
Posts: 31
|
Post by leep on Apr 6, 2008 13:47:56 GMT -4
Don't be afraid to take your time and WAIT. Wait for the line to straighten behind you before you power forward. I used to turn my head and watch the backcast until it straightened. Still do sometimes just to check. I have used a lot of different types of strike indicators and I settled on the blaze orange yarn loop. You have to hit it with some floatant but it has almost no drag.
Nymph fishing will be very frustrating for awhile until you can get that mindset needed for a good nymph fisherman. When you find yourself setting the hook and there is a trout on the other end and you aren't quite sure when you set the hook or why, then you will know your instincts have taken over because you have done it over and over so many times your mind recognized a hit and you struck before your consciousness caught up. it seems a little funny, but really the analogy isn't that far off.
Ok flyfishermen here's your money saving tip for today. Uh, actually it will have to do you forever cause it's the only one I have.Lol ;D
Floatant is expensive, so here is how you make enough to last you for a long time for just a little money. this secret was given to me here in Montana by a friend from Williamsport who learned it from an even older friend back there. Take some canning wax and put it in a jar. Then fill it up almost to the top with lighter fluid. Shake it up and set it down somewhere. Go out every few hours and shake it again until the wax is all melted. I use a small jar , like a small coffee jar. I'm not sure what the mixture is and am not sure how much it matters. I used about three or four of those canning pieces. After it is all melted, take an empty or almost empty floatant bottle and simply fill it up. this mixture will smell a little at first. it is after all lighter fluid, but the flies will float higher and much longer. You will find that you will not have to respray your fly nearly as often and I have not noticed any lessening of fish caught. I guess at least for top water fishing trout don't have a problem with it. i have caught many Cutt Throats and Browns and big rainbows with this setup and never had one trout come out of the water gagging or coughing... ;D
it is less than a quarter of the cos tof floatant in the stores and you can make a batch and share it with friends. i am on my third season with my small coffee jar full. And, It works.. let me know if any of you try it and how you do. Montana trout have no problem with it. Cya. Leep:
|
|
|
Post by beddog on Apr 21, 2008 17:53:34 GMT -4
Thanks Leep, if I knew what "canning wax" was I might try this. Never had the need for it so I don't know what it is. Y.I... I took the leap this past weekend and started using my fly rod for the first time. I was out at the Tulpahocken with my ultra lite on Friday afternoon and ran across three guys fly fishing at a nice spot. I jumped in when there was only one of them there, the other two showed up an hour or so later. I caught a couple of nice rainbows on a C.P. Swing and got to listening and talking to these guys. Two of them caught 2-3 fish as we talked. Nice ones too. One of these guys, a younger guy (about in his mid thirties), actually came across the creek and gave me a quick casting lesson with his outfit. I felt a little awkward but liked it, in fact I actually felt the line "load" on the rod as I casted. That was it... I had to try this even before my "official" fly fishing class next weekend. The next day I was on the water, French Creek, by 0900. My first couple of casts were roll casts to get the line out. The next one was a false cast to see if I could get a little distance to a nice looking eddy or slack spot next to a riffle. As I took in some of the slack fly line following the indicator, a nice rainbow hit it, sending the indicator backwards up the stream. I simply "lifted" the rod tip and he was hooked and airborne at the same time. My eyes got about the size of silver dollars and I actually caught myself laughing, saying YES !!!! That's it... I'm hooked. No more throwing meat or metal at them. For the rest of the summer it'll be flys. It almost feels as though I've discovered fishing again. You know... that excitement we got when we first started catching fish. ...and so as to let me know this wasn't just dumb luck, I ended up catching and releasing 6 rainbows that day. I got off the water at noon (with a huge smile on my face) and went back out a couple of hours later (after I ate and let my back calm down...I hate getting old and out of shape) to catch 3 more. Now the outfit I have is an inexpensive ($100) Cabelas combo. The combo is ok, but I couldn't always feel the line "loading" and I'm already seeing other shortcomings to the outfit, like, it seemed "loud", I could actually "hear" the fly line going through the guides, the outfit seemed somewhat heavy to me... Things like that. Soooo... you guessed it. Now I know what I'm going to do with some of that "Government" money I'm gettin in May.
Hey Leep... I'm thinkin about a Sage "Launch" 8'6" 5wt 2 pc. with a Ross "Rhythm" model 2 reel, ever hear of it ? I did some research online and haven't heard a bad word about them, in fact, nothing but good words. That and the fact both are American made. Any advise ? Keep in mind I don't want to spend an arm and a leg (which we all know we can). From the sounds of them, their quite a step up from what I have now.
Y.I. get out there with that fly outfit and start throwing it. By the way, I was using a beadhead pheasant tail #18 tied on as a "dropper" to a "wine" red San Juan worm. In essence two baits in one.
|
|