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New to Flyfishing; Several Questions!

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
Hello all, let me start by saying tersely how I was introduced to this fine sport.

Every year, usually, my family takes a trip to Colorado to go skiing(and I myself partake in snowboarding). Well, I'd had a longstanding interest in pursuing flyfishing at some point already, because my father had once lived in Denver(I'm in Texas) and had a nice rod/reel combo somewhere, so when I saw a pamphlet for a day-long flyfishing trip/learning experience, I was thrilled to try it. My father and I went out and had a lot of fun with it, I was sparked in my interest, though I caught no trought on Gore Creek in Vail(if any of you know that area, beautiful area).

I came home from the trip and immediately ran to several sporting-goods stores to find myself a cheapish, but decent, little combo set. I bought one of those cheap plastic-wrapped combos; when it came down to it and the rod broke, the reel I could not get the backing to hold to, I went out and ended up buying a nicer rod around 40 bucks, and a pre-rigged reel for about 30. Got myself an assortment of flies that to me resembled what fish seem to go for in our humid, bass and sunfish-laden area.


Now: I've had some fun, including a day where(they seem to bite at anything!) I caught 7 sunfish out of this tiny, tiny creek by using a small popper mostly as a no-action dry fly. Heh, funny. And excuse me, one of them was a tiny striper.


So I'm starting to wonder about wet flies/nymphs and I know I've bought several already; I won't worry about tying right now.

How am I going to go about fishing a wet fly, for one? Also, I haven't been able to find any strike indicators, all they sell around here are the regular little plastic-ball bobbers. They make too much noise for my taste; how could I perhaps make a small indicator myself with no special materials?

Further: Summer is indeed coming, I suspsect soon enough I'll want to dig again into my wallet, go to a more respectable shop like Bass Pro Shops(which for me is a good long way away, so I haven't been able to go there yet) and actually get some decent equipment.

Anyone know of some solid reel/rod combos or reels and rods that I could put together for under 200, 300 bucks? I suspect for that much I ought to be able to get a good setup, no?

Also, how might I entice a bass with a dry fly? I've had trouble getting the few largemouth bass in these little streams to go for anything.

Please, feel no need to condescend to me; though I am but 17, I will understand(or be able to look up) even the most remote terms of fly-fishing use.


Thank you all for any help!
 
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#2 ·
Glad you are finding fly fishing so much fun. Getting bass on dry flies is really more a question of attracting them to the size, noise, and motion of the fly. Deer hair bass bugs and foam or balsa wood poppers are the time tested surface flies for bass. You may not be able to find any of these near were you live though Bass Pro Shops and other catalog outlets carry them. The deer hair bugs run in the area of $5.00 and the poppers somewhere around $2.50 or even a little less.

When you get a better rod, I'd recommend you look into getting a 7 or possibly an 8 wt one because they work better when casting wind resistant flies like deer hair bass bugs and poppers. Also, bass like large streamers (they imitate baitfish) and large nymphs like dragon fly nymps, and both types are again best cast with the 7 or 8 wt rod.

There are many good rods on the market in the $150.00-$200.00 range (TFO, Redington, St. Croix, Sage, Loomis, Echo, Lamiglas, Cortland all make good rods in that price range). There are also quite a few good complete rod, reel, line combos on the market for between about $175.00 -$250.00.

You might want to see what some of our site sponsers have available in your price range or even contact some of them via email and tell them what you are looking for and how much you can spend. They would give you top notch service and would provide you with good equipment in your price range. Not to mention they are all experienced fly fishers who won't steer you wrong.
 
#3 ·
Thank you so much for the reply; I understand about the 7 or 8wt rod! Yesterday was very windy and I was out again for sunfish(got a few good ones, this time) and the wind I seemed to be cursing every minute or so!

Thank you for the suggestion on site sponsors as well. I understand how a small, user-supported site like this depends on site sponsors! I will look into that later.

And once again thank you for the reply. I think right now I'm going to head to a small park pond somewhat close to where I live that apparently stocked some rainbows in January; I don't know if any would be left by now, but hey! Why not try right! :)
 
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