This past weekend I visited my folks weekend place in Houston County and got to use a fly rig for the first time while catching a bunch of perch and small bass with a small popper.

I decided that I cannot stand not having a fly rig in my equipment repertoire and would appreciate some veterans suggestions on what type of setup I should purchase to do some all around fresh water fishing for panfish and the occasional bass.

Everytime I have ever window shopped for fly fishing gear I am overwhelmed with all of the choices and options. The one thing I DO know about fly fishing is that like other outfits the line, rod, and reel all have to be matched up. If I could get some basic information before I go shopping I won't be saddled with a bunch of stuff I don't need.

Thanks I appreciate your help.

thanks

you can get some pretty good stuff for not much $$ these days, so i recommend a 3 wt for panfish (to bring out the fight in them)and an 8 wt for bass (so you can cast the bulky flies & poppers that they eat)...i tried one rod for years, i used a 6 wt for everything...but it didn't work well & i would return to conventional tackle until the next "fly fishing flare-up" overtook me....my 02 cents

What I would suggest would depend on what kind of fish you want, and what environment you will fish in, plus do you want a beginner combo, or is money not an option? We need to know these things first. Will you only fish from a boat, or will you be on the shore, or are you wading? Will you fish river, shallow streams, or deep lakes? I am new at this myself, and I have a five wt, and an 8wt. If you only bass fish, and 8wt would be the one probably for you. So we need more info is what I am trying to say.

There are several places on the internet that provide advice to get you started. Here's one from Hook and Hackle, a good mail order house:

http://www.hookhack.com/startfishing.html

You can also find good information by going to http://www.flyanglersonline.com/

I would suggest that you join us for Texoma On The Fly on June 21. There will be free casting lessons and you will get the chance to try a few fly rods. You will also get more advice than you will know what to do with. The whole mess is free and a lot of fun as well as educational.

What he said!

Try before you buy is allways good! You sure can't beat the price!

You're in Bonham, so if you are willing to head west there are two good opportunities for you to get a lot of questions answered.

Next Tuesday at 7:00 at the Gander Mtn store in Sherman (located on the corner of hwy 83 and hwy 75), the local fly fishing club is having their monthly meeting and the topic is perfect for you. Here's the details:

Introduction of Program and Speakers: �How to Shop for Fly Fishing Gear-Buying Knowledge, Not Hype!� Our speakers are W. Bart Larmouth and Travis Moore who are both Assistant Managers at Tailwaters Fly Fishing Company, Dallas, Texas.

And number 2, Dale has already mentioned. "Texoma on the Fly" on June 21 at Eisenhower State Park. Free casting lessons, fly tying, fly fishing seminars, and TFO is planning to bring their demo rods, so you'll have a chance to try a variety of fly rods in different sizes and price ranges. More details are in the post at the top of this section.

Have fun,
Rex

All of the above are good suggestions. Here's yet another.
Bass Pro Shop/ Garland. We do Fly Fishing 101 every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. It's FREE and you can get a hands on feel and we won't try to "Sell" you something. Pretty simple.

Thanks to all.