What is fly fishing?

[Fishpro21]

Hi everyone,

I am fairly new to fishing and I am just wondering if anyone can tell me what is fly fishing? I saw the equipment for it and I don't understand how it works, it looks completely different from a regular spinning rod.

Cheers!

 

[[email protected]]

fly fishing is the same concept as spin fishing, you have a rod, a reel, line, leader and lure. in the case of spin fishing, the weight is at the end of the line which propels the very light line off the spool on the cast.

with fly fishing its the opposite, you have a very thick heavy line that when used in combination with the rod, propels the nearly weightless lure out, the line provides the weight not the lure or float/splitshot

heres a great resource that can explain it a lot better

http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons/chapter-one-the-basics-of-fly-fishing

 

[classic drifter]

fly fishing is the same concept as spin fishing, you have a rod, a reel, line, leader and lure. in the case of spin fishing, the weight is at the end of the line which propels the very light line off the spool on the cast.

with fly fishing its the opposite, you have a very thick heavy line that when used in combination with the rod, propels the nearly weightless lure out, the line provides the weight not the lure or float/splitshot

heres a great resource that can explain it a lot better

http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons/chapter-one-the-basics-of-fly-fishing

amen!

 

[Fishpro21]

Awesome! thanks JMatt, but I way planning on picking up fly fishing as a new hobby, is the equipment expensive or does it vary on preference?

 

[Christopheraaron]

It's like any form of fishing, you can go all in and spend $2000 on equipment easily or you can spend $80 and see if you like it first. To see if you like it either get out with a friend who has the gear, or get out with a guide, then go from there.

 

[Graham Bristow]

The fly shops can help you pick the right gear, just don't let them talk you into a $1000 outfit. And don't buy a cheap crappy tire combo either..

There are also some good videos that will help you out and some good info on-line..

Some guides like myself offer fly fishing lessons for a decent price as do some fly shops. For no charge I provide all the gear for the guys that need it so basically you can try it before you go buy a lot of stuff you don't need or wont end up using. Also, I can help you pick the appropriate equipment for the type of fly fishing you want to do..

Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound to much like self promoting, just trying to help you get started and I know if I was to do it all over I would take a lesson, hire a good guide or find someone to teach me the right way. M

 

[Alfiegee]

The fly shops can help you pick the right gear, just don't let them talk you into a $1000 outfit. And don't buy a cheap crappy tire combo either..

There are also some good videos that will help you out and some good info on-line..

Some guides like myself offer fly fishing lessons for a decent price as do some fly shops. For no charge I provide all the gear for the guys that need it so basically you can try it before you go buy a lot of stuff you don't need or wont end up using. Also, I can help you pick the appropriate equipment for the type of fly fishing you want to do..

Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound to much like self promoting, just trying to help you get started and I know if I was to do it all over I would take a lesson, hire a good guide or find someone to teach me the right way. M

I generally agree with what you say Graham, I could probably use a lesson or 2 to improve my technique :smile: .
Years ago I lived in a trailer park that had 2 streams running into it which joined to become 1 popular western trib now a days. Up-stream of the park lived many Specks. Unfortunately not so much these days. I used to catch them on spinners in the spring and early fall, but in the summer they seemed to become non-existent. Then I met a friend from B.C. and he pulled out a fly rod and was catching them consistently.
I had 60 or 80 bucks of Crappie Tire money in my truck so I headed out and bought a rod, reel and other necessities. I didn't buy a cheap combo, but I didn't break the bank either and proceded to teach myself to "fling-a-fly." ( hence the reason my technique is far from perfect.) But I did catch them, and some nice Browns too.
Wow, this could be a long story .
Then my ex and I broke up and I ended up with no fishing gear (even though she hated fishing.) I ended up living at an appartment just up the road from a guy who runs a tackle shop out of his garage. Well one day I walked in and saw a used fly rod and reel sitting there. I asked, "how much?" He said, "$25" and I said sold.
Anyway, my father is 80 and worked as a salesman for a large chemical company and was presented a beautiful fly rod and reel, Orvis 6 wt. for his retirement. He gave it to me as he is not as mobile as he used to be. What a dream it is using the Orvis. A quick check on-line tells me the set-up is worth close to $1,200.

Alfie.

 

[[email protected]]

I would think about $500 would be enough to get you started if you're buying pieces separetly, 100 for reel, 200-250 for a rod, depending on line 40-85, leaders 20-25, tippet(used to retie on the end of your leader for breakoffs) around $5 or $6, and the rest for a collection of flies