"Mr. Opus McDopus" wrote in message
...

"Ivan" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all..

Been an avid fisherman for many years and finally decided to try out
fly fishing..
Whilst a little intimidated, skeptical and overwhelmed by all the
information out there, I decided to try this forum out to see if some
of my questions can be answered..

First:
The rod and reel I will need.
I went to a shop the other day that a person runs from his garage. Has
many rods for sale and whilst he didn't have any fly rods, he offered
to sell me one of his.. He showed me many four of the ones he owns, and
except for one of them, he offered to sell me any of them (with a reel)
for $100.
I don't know what brand the rods were, but they were 100% graphite.
Two of them were 6-7, the other was 7-8 and longer than the rest. I
believe the 7-8 was 11" whilst the rest were 9"6' or thereabouts..

Second:
Casting.
I'm sure a lot of contreversy discussions can be brought up in regards
to casting.. But I want to know if there is a basic technique that I
could follow and have me fishing relatively quickly..
Is there any websites or videos that one would recommend?


Okay..
That's all for now..


Thanks for your time..

Get yourself an inexpensive rod form Walt Winter at
http://www.ezflyfish.com/ (a very trusted individual, IMMHO), Cabela's,
Gander Mtn...

Fred is probably on with the most popular weight being 5/6wt, but I would
also add that if you are fishin' fairly small trout streams, I would go
with a 3/4 weight rig. Length of the rod is very important as well.
Personally, I like short rods, 6' to 7 1/2', for my fishin', as I fish
small steams in North Carolina. However, a longer rod is better in most
cases, for all around fishin', as you can reach across currents that might
create drag on your line. I have learned to compensate for those
situations; but, as a beginner, you may want to get a rod in the 8' to 8
1/2' range.

You are going to spend more money on flyfishin', per piece of gear, than
you will for spinnin' rigs. Just accept this and you will get over the
sticker shock and get on with the job at hand. Once you get a feel for
castin', you cast other fly fishers more expensive set-ups and learn the
subtleties, you will realize that price does equal quality, in most cases
concerning your rod and *LINE*. Yes line quality matters, and the more
expensive lines are better lines--others may say differently, but I doubt
it.

Your reel is simply a line storage unit, for small stream fishin' anyway.
Buy a functional reel, probably made of a composite material for you
original set-up. You will want to get into the more expensive reels as
your taste in rods matures.

Concernin' casting, go to http://www.sexyloops.com/index.shtml and click
on there fly casting link. Buy some books, read up. Get out in the yard
and tie a fly on that you have clipped the hook off of, or tie a wad of
yarn on to the tippet and begin castin'. The advice you get on casting
will be imperative--10 to 2 or 11 to 1 castin'. These numbers represent
positions on a clock. Your back cast should never, generally speaking, go
beyond 2:00 behind you and your forward cast should never go beyond 10:00,
again generally speaking. Obviously, you must lower your rod at the end
of your forward cast, but that will come as you practice.

Lawn castin' won't suffice forever. You really need to get on the water.
Find a stretch with no trees to get hung up in. Don't worry about
catchin' fish right away. Learn to cast properly. And, no, your castin'
style may not be exactly what the *experts* say it should be. I for
example, use my wrist a great deal more than would be suggested to the
beginner, but then I can't cast for **** either!

Go ahead and Google everything that you can think of about castin' and
flyfishin' in general and read.

Stick around here, learn to grow a very thick skin, and remember: There
are no stupid questions, just stupid people who ask questions! :~^ )

Op



Many city parks have ponds/duck ponds that are a good place to practice.
Plenty of room for a back cast and no fish to interfere with your
concentration. A fly rod in a city park is 'babe magnet.'

john