Hi all,
The last time I did any type of fishing was probably about 10 years ago when I was in my teens, and while I enjoyed it, it fell by the wayside since then, replaced by plenty of high-stress/low-enjoyment activities.
Several weeks ago I was in Manchester VT, and happened to stop in the Orvis store. Now, maybe I'm a sucker for a good marketing campaign, but in the dead of winter I couldn't think about anything other than standing alone in a quiet river on a cool morning, the sun shining through the trees, fish nipping at my lures.
But there was a problem. I didn't know a thing about fly fishing. And I didn't have any gear. And as much as I would have loved take out a second mortgage on the spot, stocking up on all the finest equipment, something (read: wife) came over me. Ah yes, rational though.
Damn.
So several weeks pass, and here I am. Now I know I should invest some more thought in this, because if it were just a passing thing I would have forgotten about it by now. So I come to you to answer a boatload of questions! Here goes....
1. Is there a way to try this before I spend money? I don't know anybody who fly fishes, so in my mind I have to go out and buy everything to even try actually doing this once. Do I have other options?
2. What are the items I must buy? Rod and reel of course, but beyond that I've figured out I need a vest, waders and a fly line. There's gotta be more. Anybody care to make a list?
3. Do I need to spend hundreds of dollars to give this a whirl? I keep adding up the few items I know I need, and it seems like this is going to require a minimum investment of $300 to get started. Not a problem if this is the case and I really decide to give it a go, but I just want to make sure I'm looking in the right places. (I've looked at orvis.com and cabelas.com)
4. How do I know what I'm going to fish for? Yeah, I know this seems silly to someone who does this every day, but I honestly don't know what I'd be fishing for. I'd assume mostly trout - I live in Rhode Island and want to fresh water fish, and I'm willing to travel to nearby Mass, VT, NH, CT, ME. Do I need to prepare for any fish outside of trout?
5. Anybody know some good places to fish in RI and nearby Mass, VT, NH, CT, ME?
6. I picture myself purchasing a fly line that costs about $50, and then I cast it into a tree and suddenly I'm out $50. At this rate it costs me about $700 a weekend to do this. Is this not how it works? I was under the impression the fly lines are tapered, and therefore you couldn't just cut off a tangled part, etc. So do you have to have errorproof form before you start doing this?
7. How can I repay you for fielding all my boring questions?
Anyways that's all I can think of for now..... I'd appreciate any help I can get.
Wolfie
The last time I did any type of fishing was probably about 10 years ago when I was in my teens, and while I enjoyed it, it fell by the wayside since then, replaced by plenty of high-stress/low-enjoyment activities.
Several weeks ago I was in Manchester VT, and happened to stop in the Orvis store. Now, maybe I'm a sucker for a good marketing campaign, but in the dead of winter I couldn't think about anything other than standing alone in a quiet river on a cool morning, the sun shining through the trees, fish nipping at my lures.
But there was a problem. I didn't know a thing about fly fishing. And I didn't have any gear. And as much as I would have loved take out a second mortgage on the spot, stocking up on all the finest equipment, something (read: wife) came over me. Ah yes, rational though.
Damn.
So several weeks pass, and here I am. Now I know I should invest some more thought in this, because if it were just a passing thing I would have forgotten about it by now. So I come to you to answer a boatload of questions! Here goes....
1. Is there a way to try this before I spend money? I don't know anybody who fly fishes, so in my mind I have to go out and buy everything to even try actually doing this once. Do I have other options?
2. What are the items I must buy? Rod and reel of course, but beyond that I've figured out I need a vest, waders and a fly line. There's gotta be more. Anybody care to make a list?
3. Do I need to spend hundreds of dollars to give this a whirl? I keep adding up the few items I know I need, and it seems like this is going to require a minimum investment of $300 to get started. Not a problem if this is the case and I really decide to give it a go, but I just want to make sure I'm looking in the right places. (I've looked at orvis.com and cabelas.com)
4. How do I know what I'm going to fish for? Yeah, I know this seems silly to someone who does this every day, but I honestly don't know what I'd be fishing for. I'd assume mostly trout - I live in Rhode Island and want to fresh water fish, and I'm willing to travel to nearby Mass, VT, NH, CT, ME. Do I need to prepare for any fish outside of trout?
5. Anybody know some good places to fish in RI and nearby Mass, VT, NH, CT, ME?
6. I picture myself purchasing a fly line that costs about $50, and then I cast it into a tree and suddenly I'm out $50. At this rate it costs me about $700 a weekend to do this. Is this not how it works? I was under the impression the fly lines are tapered, and therefore you couldn't just cut off a tangled part, etc. So do you have to have errorproof form before you start doing this?
7. How can I repay you for fielding all my boring questions?
Anyways that's all I can think of for now..... I'd appreciate any help I can get.
Wolfie