Hello gang!

I have never fly fished before. Im pretty good with a baitcaster and a spinning rod and overall consider myself an experienced angler. My buddy Dfitz fly fishes and it looks like a fun challenge to learn and at times a great way to catch fish. Better than conventional tackle even at times. He kicked my butt with his fly rod a week ago.

So I am appealed. I want to learn how. I have watched some videos on you tube on basic casts etc. I need help picking out a good starter combo. Maybe like a kit from Amazon or something that comes with what a newbie might need to get on the water and get into the sport?

Mainly want to start with targeting panfish and small bass in local ponds.

I am looking at something like this...

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Water-Fishing-Complete-Starter/dp/B004CPCUOS/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

Is this junk? Reviews are good for a "starter" rig.

I started fly fishing about a year ago, so I'm probably not the best source for rod/reel combo comparisons, but my first combo was a 9' 4wt Echo Base for which I really have no complaints about. The outfit came ready-to-fish with a nice rod/reel case. I believe I bought it for around $100 or so on Amazon. Sunfish and crappie are a blast on it and smaller bass put up a hell of a fight. I've always heard great things about the Cabelas CGR rods although I've never used one.

If you go with a 4wt, be more prepared to target panfish though as it's definitely not suited to throwing the standard size bass flies, which are usually in the size 6 to 2/0 range; at least with my rod, any flies size 8 or larger starts to mess up my cast (and it gets worse if they are weighted). That certainly doesn't mean you can't target bass, though - I've caught plenty using size 12 epoxy minnows and woolly buggers, but they're almost always on the smaller side. Pulling them out of weeds and that nasty slimy grass you see in ponds can also be difficult with the lighter rod and tippet. I think a 5wt or 6wt rod would be ideal for what you're looking to do.

Fly fishing is an absolute blast; best recommendation is don't give up after a few frustrating outings when you get started. YouTube has plenty of great getting started videos and if you like reading, I highly recommend The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide (I think that's the title). I just recently started fly tying as well which has made fly fishing even more satisfying when you can catch a fish on something you tied!

Just my overall input but there are far more experienced folk on here who can give better advice.

That 3/4 weight combination might be alright. Amazon used or maybe still sells the 5 weight combination made by the same folks. The 5 weight wild water combination casts nicely. My BIL got one and I cast his. No idea how the rods hold up over time. My BIL never fished more than one time.

A 3 or 4 weight won�t cast very large flies for much distance, so it wouldn�t be a great choice for big bulky bass patterns if you wanted to cast them for distance. A 3/4 weight is a pretty ideal size though for bluegill and bluegill fly patterns. I use my 2 weight Cabelas CGR for bluegill and bass. All Cabelas CGRs run $69 currently, and you could get a really nice Piscifun Sword for about $50 and some line for about $25. That amazon wild-water combination will end up cheaper.

Thanks for the feedback! So sounds like if I am looking to start out with small flys for smaller bass and bluegills this might be a good way to go!?

The reviews on Amazon are very good.

Cant wait to start trying this out!

I only fly fish and predominantly use a 2 or 3 weight. I have caught 4 lb bass on my 2 weight. The combo you showed is cheap after the Amazon discount, you can't go wrong. With my three weight I cast #6 clousers with lead dumbells, granted I have fly fished a long time. Get the combo and get started, don't bust yourself trying to cast sixty plus feet, most fish are caught at 30- 40 feet. My motto is that if your fly is not in the water you won't catch fish. You are doing it right fish for Blue Gills but be prepared for Mr. Bass to show up. Good luck and tight lines.

Thanks Linecaster!

I did go ahead and order that combo.

Maybe a silly question but what does the weight refer to? Is that the rod action or stiffness? Like a medium vs. Heavy rod in baitcasting rods?

The Association of Fishing Tackle Manufacturers several years ago established fly line weight ratings. This is measured by the number of grains in the first 30 feet of the fly line. There are 14 grains in a gram. For instance, a 3 weight line will weigh 100 grains plus or minus 6 grains. A 4 weight line will weigh 120 grains, plus or minus 6. Unfortunately this has become even more complicated in recent years. As graphite rods developed much faster actions, a lot of people found they were having difficulty casting these rods effectively unless they went up a line weight. So now many of the lines are at least a half weight heavier than their rating, in some cases a whole line weight heavier, and some lines are even two line weights heavier than rated. You can find line weight charts online, so if you know the grain weight of a line you will know what its line weight really is. Fortunately most rods will cast 2 or even 3 different line weights effectively. Whichever feels best to you is the best for your purposes. With conventional tackle the weight of the bait or the lure is pulling the line off the reel during the cast, but with a fly rod the "lure" is too light , so the line is weighted, and you are casting the line.


Larry

In addition Larry's explanation the rod action maybe mentioned in the advertisement. Not to confuse you but to help, if the rod is glass fiber it is likely to bend easily and feel like a noodle, on the other hand a graphite rod can be little the same the action would be referred to as medium, most are a little stiffer, medium fast. A fast action would be fairly stiff. As Larry mentioned rod ratings are referring to line weight a low number is light the higher the number the heavier the line the more back bone to the rod. At the top end you are looking at catching sharks at sea the lower end pan fish. Most people are advised to start at 5,6, or 7 weight but for me I would get your combo and get with someone to help with your casting, don't give up it is worth the effort, as Larry said depending on the rod action a heavier line might be in order, your helper may have heavier lines already to be able to experiment, if you live nearby I can help. PM me.

Rods run from 0 weights up to 15 weights. Nothing to do with action, a 5 weight can be fast (tip flexing) or slow (flexes all the way into the butt) and anything in between.

The idea is that rod of certain weight rating will perform best with a line of the same weight rating. 5 weight rod matches with 5 weight line. In reality, folks cast lines lighter or heavier than the rod�s weight rating all of the time. The rod�s weight rating is simply a starting point on line selection.

Higher weight rated rods tend to have better inherit ability to cast larger, more bulky flies, for greater distance. Lower weight rods tend to have enhanced potential for making delicate presentations in smaller spaces.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Fly-Rod-Buyers-Guide/531762.uts

Chart with some ideas about matching a rod weight to a particular fish.

Lower weight rated rods can land bigger fish. These fish were brought to hand with my 2 weight 6�2� cabelas CGR, the lowest weight rod I own. But with a 2 weight, it will be more difficult to cast flies of bigger weight and bulk for any great distance.

That�s why the charts are made for suggested rod weights to match the various species. It�s more about the fly size than the fish size. Largemouth bass often respond to bigger and bulkier fly patterns and to cast those big and bulky bass bugs with any kind of authority, one will want a rod further up the rod weighting system. My 7/8 weight CGR with a short and heavy head fly line, a relatively short leader/tippet handles bulky deer hair patterns pretty well or heavier saltwater patterns intended for fish like redfish.

It�s hard to do everything you might want to do with just one rod. You can catch bluegill with an 8 weight, but it might not be as much fun as it would be with 2, 3, or 4 weight. You can get redfish with a 4 weight, but it going to be seriously difficult or nearly impossible to cast the necessary flies the necessary distance on the average windy Texas coastal day.

People often end up with several rods of different weights and actions to match what various fish and conditions they fish in.

Super good to know!

Appreciate the help. Makes more sense now. There are lots of videos on you tube but they are kind of all over the place, some seem too basic, like for someone who has not only never fly fished but never fished at all. Too slow and rookie for me.

And of course some are more advanced and not really instructional but more for entertainment.

Thanks for helping with my questions.

My new rod will be here Monday! Hopefully it comes early in the day, if so I can head down to the local pond and maybe get a bluegill or two! At least start to practice how to cast. Watched lots of videos on various casts and how to cast but really need a rod in my hand to practice.

Karsapo Those are some hefty fish on the 2 weight CGR. I have one too and I guess I need to fish it more often.
The CGR stands for Cabelas Glass Rod. My go to is a TFO 2 Weight Professional ll 8 foot which is a graphite but is a medium action and with a shooting head can cast big flies 70 feet easily. I have also caught 4 lb plus bass on it.

Such good info in this thread, and cool fish pics.

Dan, I'll help you out any way I can.

Excited to see you catching fish on a fly

Thanks man! I will take some in person lessons next time we meet up. I was inspired by all your great fly trips. I love fishing for LUNKER bass with giant baits but on days like we had a Bridgeport, just getting some good numbers and lots of species would be fun and the fly was out fishing the conventional that day like 10 to 1. So thats something for sure.

Looking forward to learning something new. The rod is supposed to come Monday! Hopefully early enough I can get it set up and get down to the local pond for a test run.

Dan,

You may want to pick up a copy of the August issue of Fly Fisherman magazine. It covers a lot for the beginner fly fisher, from how to pick a rod to the different types of line to waders and even has casting lessons by Lefty. It also goes in to in to talking about fly color and sizing down for sun fish.

Thanks Mitt.

Big tip of the Hat everybody else for helping out. I got my new Rod today. Only had about 30 minutes to try it out. But I caught some fish at my local Creek!!

So much to learn but im in the game!

Cool beans. You won�t run out of things to learn or fish to catch. I have a fly rod in hand as much as anyone that�s not paid to do it and I�m still thirsty for more.

Dan, I sent you a pm on here.

That's what it all about. Have fun and cogratulations.

Hey Dan, PM me your address and I'll send you a few flies

Bill

Same offer goes for me. The people on here were really helpful when I got started tying and I would like to pay that forward.

Nice Dan, you'll get hooked fast!

I see you're in Denton County - feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like to meet up to do some fly fishing, always looking for new angling buddies! Still have to meet up with Mitt as well!

Dan - put you a decent fly line on that rig and you will be amazed at how much better it casts. As a general rule, the lines included with any kit are junk.

The Piscifun Sword is an excellent fly line for the money, IMO. You'd have to spend $80+ to do any better.

https://www.amazon.com/Piscifun-Wei...s=gateway&sr=8-13&th=1&psc=1

I agree that the lines usually found in combo kits are less than optimal. One of the best lines I have found at a very good price (less than $40) is the Barrio Small Stream line. Barrio is in Scotland and ships lines worldwide (free shipping). There is no middleman involved, so he is able to keep his costs down. I use these lines with a lot of my rods, and I think they are certainly as good as any of my $80 lines. Usually takes about a week to ten days to get the lines. Available at flylineshop.com. Your rod is described as a 3/4 weight, which usually means it should work well with a double taper 3 weight or a weight forward 4 weight. I would try to borrow some lines in different weights from somebody to try out. As I said before, use the line weight that feels best to you. As you become more experienced, you may find that you can do better with a lighter line. There are a lot of technical details in flyfishing, but the main reason for doing it is that it is just plain FUN.

Larry

Yeah we still do. I have been living in a construction zone for the last moth or two and haven't been doing much fishing lately. Hopefully this rain will subside some so the rivers and creeks can get back to normal. I really wanting to fish the Paluxy. I went by the state park on Memorial Day and the water was up, moving fast but still clear.

I got the flies Bill thanks! Very kind of you sir. I will put them to good use.

Went down to the local pond on Sunday and just wore out the bluegill. Must have caught 30 in a bit over an hour. Thats good!

The bad is I missed 5x that many lol. Still learning! Andrew (Dfitz) hooked me up with a new longer rod and some new line, also an old reel he does not use anymore. I plan to take that rig out next time.

The casting is tough! Like 1 in 10 times it feels good and looks good and I am stoked! The other 9 times it is a mess. Have line tangled under the but of the rod, on my feet, in sticks on the ground, around the rop tip, you name it ha ha.

But I feel like I am getting better. Thanks for the support fellas! Looking forward to getting a bass here soon on the fly. I know they are in that little pond by my house I have seen them. Just need to get one on my fly.

The hardest part for me when I was learning was learning how to set the hook. Growing up bass fishing forms a pretty strong habit crossing a fish's eyes on a hookset. No telling how many bluegills are swimming around with a hopper and a foot of tippet hanging out the corner of their mouth. In fact, that is something I still struggle with.

I got a chuckle reading about your line tangles. There's not a fly flinger out there that can't relate. Especially while you are learning to cast I would highly recommend you learn to tie your own leaders out of mono. Those tapered leaders sure get expensive when you tie them up so bad you have to cut them.

Yes sir I have been tying my own leaders with a nail knot and 6lb or 4lb mono. The rig came with two tapered leaders from 5.5lb down to 2# and they were just a lot of trouble. Drew suggested using just 4 or 6lb mono and thats worked well.