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New to fly fishing

6K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
Hello all,

Doesn't look like there has been much activity on this forum of late so I'm not really sure what I can expect but I'll give it a shot anyway.

My son and I are interested in fly fishing and would like to give it an earnest try. We live in Southeast Michigan, near Ann Arbor, and have multiple lakes in which to fish as well as the Huron River. My guess is that we will be mainly fishing for pan fish and various types of bass which leads me to assume that a 5/6 weight rod will fulfill our needs. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. Because we are just getting into this we obviously don't want to drop a ton of money into gear but would like something durable, that we can grow into and have fun with.

I would love to hear your suggestions and recommendations because fly fishing is fascinating to us but we are coming from a spinning rod and reel world that is primitive when compared to fly fishing.

Thank you for your help.

Rob
 
#2 ·
Glad you found this Forum. You're right, though, things have been very slow. We're still kickin' and posts such as yours keep us going.

Fishing for pan fish in small lakes is a great way to learn fly-fishing, as you'll be rewarded with the odd take as opposed to the demands of trying to catch selective trout, which is a very tough way to start your fly-fishing career.

You might try fooling around with small poppers. Most panfish like them, as do bass, and the surface action is very stimulating. Cast the poppers into likely openings in weed beds (which helps with accuracy). No need to go long -- thirty feet into the right spot (or twenty, for that matter) will get you rises and hookups.

And it's the action that will keep you at it as you improve your casting and fishing skills.

You'll find that as opposed to spin-gear, with poppers you can fish places that would foul you were you spinning. Pan fish (and bass) love structure and you can explore and probe spots (and, incidentally, catch fish) where you couldn't before.

I cut my fly-fishing teeth on Bluegill. I still love to fish for them, even though I live in Steelhead country.

Welcome to the Forum. This is a very general answer to your questions. If you have more specific questions or need more explanation, please ask. We're here to serve.

Cheers,

Eric
 
#3 ·
Hi Eric,

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I'll take your advice regarding the poppers and the small lake scenario but what about a "getting started" rod and reel combo? Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops have some great choices and Orvis has a very nice setup for beginner's. The ones that I am interested in range from around $150 to about $200 for a four piece rod, reel and line to get you started. Are there any specific names of manufacturers I should be looking for? I'm guessing that since we're just starting out high quality equipment probably isn't the most important thing - the high quality stuff can come later as we get better at casting and learning fly fishing techniques.

Thanks,

Rob
 
#4 ·
Well, here we go....

My son and I picked up our first fly rods and reels today. We ended up with two Mystic Inception 9 foot (4 pc) 5 wt rods and two Lamson Konic reels. Everything should be in by the end of the week and we will be receiving some tutelage on casting when we pick the up.

Very excited.
 
#5 ·
Well, here we go....

My son and I picked up our first fly rods and reels today. We ended up with two Mystic Inception 9 foot (4 pc) 5 wt rods and two Lamson Konic reels. Everything should be in by the end of the week and we will be receiving some tutelage on casting when we pick the up.

Very excited.
 
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