looking to get into flyfishing

[mountain man 300 win]

well I'm looking to get into flyfishing this summer, can anyone help me out on some good tips, good rods/reels. where around Innisfail is good for fly fishing? I hear that red deer river is good. where is a good place to get some tackle and rod? any tips will help, thank you!

[Okotokian]

Honestly, the best way is to take a course. They supply equipment and go over what you should buy, etc. It really is the best and fastest method to get into it. Lots of courses in Calgary, and Jim and Linda McLennan also do courses in Okotoks, maybe High River.

[elementzero]

Well fly fishing can be an expensive sport. As for rods and reels, if you are a true beginner than going to any fly fishing store and just picking up a combo kit will do just fine. They can range from $80 and up to the moon. To pick out the weight of the rod/reel you want, you need to figure out what you are going to be fishing for. Since you are in Innisfail and the reddeer river is great you will going for trout and i would suggest a 5/6 weight also a very common class. Many people will have different opinions. In a combo kit, it will come with fly line and most common will be a floating line. There are many different types and any fly fisher can go on for ever on this whole topic. The floating line will do just fine for the time being cause you can fish all types of flies with this line. Chooseing fies is pretty easy, there is a lot of info on the net about this and if you look up top 10 flies for trout that will do it, buy acouple of each in different sizes. Fly Fishing for Beginners.com is a decen't site. There is a dvd by scientific anglers called fly fishing made easy that will teach you all you need to know for a beginner. You should be able to find this at your local fly fishing store. I know bass pro has it and many others. Hope I helped, I could go on forever good luck out there.

[densa44]

When I first moved to Alberta, some of the first streams I tried were just west of you. In those days there were not many fly fishermen, just guys with worms, spinning rods and bobbers. I don't think they had much luck after the weather began to warm up.

Anyway I was crossing a pasture on a dry windy day and hoppers got up into the wind and were blown on to the stream (Fallen Timber) the water just churned as the trout went after those grasshoppers!

Since then I tie my own (they are awful) and use almost exclusively elk hair caddis and elk hair hoppers. The hoppers look a lot like a very large elk caddis but the trout don't mind.

My first rod cost $10.00 at CTC and was fiber glass and I used it for years. Sadly my present one cost somewhat more but I don't use it as often as in my youth.

Welcome to the club, you'll love it, your wife too.

[Darren N]

I learned allot going to the local library and getting videos and books. Especially when you have time over the winter months.

[canned Tuna]

I would say check some vids posted on youtube in beginner casting buy a casting video learn the terminology.

For freshwater fly fishing I think your fly line and rod are most important. Lines can cost $70 and up use 6 weight forward line on a 9 ft rod med to med fast action the line will last you along time and take care of your gear.

Talk to your local tackle dealer and read up some brands online and do some research. Yes you could spend money on a casting lesson but that to can cost an arm and a leg. Spend whatever you can afford. Go to the show this weekend and get a free lesson at the mayfield trade centre and talk to the reps.

I was just looking into a spey casting lesson with simon gawesworth it's about $350. Because I don't want one of those 1/0,2/0 hooks whipping around and tagging myself. Hope this helps.

[Dust1n]

9 foot 5wt WF floatinline TFO with a 4/5 hobs creek is a great begginer set up.
the best fles for all around use are.wooly bugger,PT nymph,CJ nymph,Prince Nymph,SJW, Adams, EHC, turks turantuala. the list gos on but those will get you somewere

[honda450]

TFO rods

Pheruger reels

Cortland 444 line

Thats all ya gotta know.

Just because it costs more don't mean its better. Have fun, fly fishing is a blast.

[mountain man 300 win]

thanks everyone for the tips!!

[Dust1n]

he hobbs creek is a great choice at only 39.99 you get a allumin reel and let me tell ya i had no promblem so far on it and its super smooth

[ericlin0122]

Please dont cheap out on line. if you have budget, get Rio gold.
If you wanna catch fish, indicator with SJW is all you need most of time.

[Dust1n]

realy you shouldnt cheap out at all when your fly fishing becauseit takes everything to get your presentation and presentation is key.
it takes a good rod to cast your line,to keep preasure on the fish, ECT
it takes good line to mend and give you stealth when placing your line and theres lots more!
takes a good reel to land your big fish, if its a big fish its important to get him on the reel and take up your extra line.
line is very important though for presentations followed by rod then reel.

[chubbdarter]

some high end rods are difficult for some beginners. They are produced with very fast actions to generate alot of speed.....it takes a bit of getting used to just to get the loaded feel. Something to consider if your just learning

[Dust1n]

the first High end rod i bought and casted is a ZXL and it was a like casting a gods rod it loaded wonderfully. but when i had my chap marten it was like casting a stick it loaded pretty hard and was hard to get used to but after that rod i could cast for days without it feelin any heaveyer. the best thing to do i guess if you a newbie to it look at the actions on the rod yud want a
fast=stiff
med=meduim
slow=flexi
and so on with extra fast and so on again

[MrDave]

Originally Posted by mountain man 300 win

well I'm looking to get into flyfishing this summer, can anyone help me out on some good tips, good rods/reels. where around Innisfail is good for fly fishing? I hear that red deer river is good. where is a good place to get some tackle and rod? any tips will help, thank you!

Pm me when you get the chance. I can give you some free help. No problem. In Innisfail myself.

Walmart south end has waders on for $40, and some beginner rods. The rods will get you started but you will need to upgrade eventually. I have extra so I can lend you one to show you how to get started.

This guy in this video knows how to work his rod. He is digging a fish from under some overhanging shrubs. Its at about the 2 minute mark. Watch the rod action. Most people try to use their arm too much. Use the flex of the rod and the wrist. The other videos in the series will show you how NOT to handle fish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u_GO...eature=related

[commieboy]

I am a professional classical musician. I perform, compete and teach privately for a living. I am considered quite good at what I do. I was a teenager when I started learning how to play. How was I supposed to know how much I would enjoy it? Why should I spend $3000 on an instrument (serious student/aspiring professional quality") if I couldn't even be sure if I would be any good? So, I bought cheap. $99 bucks, to be exact!

I learned to play on this over the next two or three years. Was it a great instrument? No. did that hold me back? In some ways yes, but I also learned how to work around certain things. I really learned to work for every note I produced. In the end, I made a bad instrument sound good, because I learned how to use that particular instrument regardless of its faults. I now perform on a handmade instrument which cost me just under $12,000 (there were upgrades in between). If I had started on this particular instrument, I think I would not have made the progress that I did. The responsiveness of this instrument might have made me less conscious of the mechanics of sound production and it may have also shown more faults in my playing thereby discouraging me from further practice.

I take the same approach with my students. I tell new students to buy cheap first an find out of if music is something they want to continue with. From there, they have to decide for themselves how far they want to go with it and base an upgrade on that information.

This is also what I went through when I learned how to fish. Now that I'm hooked, I appreciate the importance of good gear and have upgraded much of my outfit, but I started on a $60 all inclusive kit from Canadian Tire (a Crystal River combo). A crappy rod for sure, but I learned to shoot a line (even crappier than the rod!) 60 feet. I learned that the rod tended to throw line to the left, so I adjusted my cast to get the fly where I wanted. I learned how to shock my tippet to get a good presentation. It all depends on how you use the gear you have.

I would disregard anything about action for the time being You're a beginner. How do you know what action you will like better? Will you even be able to tell the difference? Learn to use what you have. Take that experience and transfer it to new gear. You will then have a basis for comparison. There is nothing wrong with starting on cheap equipment. If you enjoy it and see the need to upgrade, then do so when you can justify it.

Anecdote:
I introduced a friend to fishing a few years back. After our first trip out using my equipment, he loved it so much that he bought a top end Winston with an Orvis reel loaded with Rio line, Simms waders, Korkers boots, blah blah blah blah blah...... This is his first and only rod, but he has never learned how to use it properly. Last time we got together I crushed him using my Crystal River combo. Poor guy, he got skunked.... again. And that Winston is incredible.

[grinr]

Do yerself a favor and stay clear of the cheap-azz combos suggested previously,you get what you pay for.I'm not saying you have to run out and drop a grand or more on a high-end outfit,but those $79 walmart combos and the like will only lead to frustration,lengthen your learning curve,and lessen your enjoyment of the sport.They may be touted as an "entry level" combo but in reality they are difficult at best to learn on and would be challenging for an even an experienced caster to make them perform half decent.Figure on spending at least $200 minimum on an outfit that you will be satisfied with for a year or two,or at least until you decide that you love it and want to upgrade or that flyfishing aint for you,at least it will have some kind of resale value.If you spent at least half of that $200 on a rod,and another 50-60 bucks on a "decent" floating line,you can cheap out on the reel somewhat,it's the least important component for normal trout-size fish.There are some "decent" entry level rods in the $100 range or a wee bit more,TFO,Shakespeare,Pfleuger,Okuma to name a few.A good quality line will make the world of difference and that's probly 50 bucks minimum for anything that's even worth considering,say like Cortland 444 maybe,or for a few bucks more you can get into the premium line price range with Rio,Sci Anglers GPX,Airflo,Sage etc.You should be able to find a more than adequate reel for $50 bucks or so,something like a trusty old Pfleuger Medalist is plenty of reel for any trout you'll hook into,and don't be concerned with all the latest,greatest,fancy drag systems and whatnot.....it's all hype and unnecesary really unless your fishing powerful searun Steelhead or Atlantics etc.,and truth be told,I landed my first couple hundred steelies and Atlantics on a Medalist RC as have thousands of other anglers.....it still works fine after 20+ years and is mounted on my "loaner" salmon rod.
Point being,the only thing you'll find for under $100 in a box store combo is gonna be Chinese crap that comes with wimpy lines,whippy,soft,heavy rods and cheap plastic reels that will be frustrating to learn on and probly develop bad casting habits as well.

A good rule of thumb for buying any outdoor gear is to buy the best you can afford.That said,as mentioned in the previous post,just because maybe you can "afford" a Sage Z-axis and a $500 reel to mount on it,doesn't mean you need or even should buy something like that,you won't have the skill or experience to appreciate it anyhow.If you compare it to say somebody starting out bowhunting for instance,you don't need a top of the line,flagship model Bowtech Invasion for example to get started hunting,but you don't want a Fisher Price bow from Toys R Us neither.I just hate see aspiring new flyfishers go and waste their money on bargain basement,peice-a-crap combos,when for just about the twice the money(which still isn't alot) you'd get 4X the outfit and enjoy it 8X more.

[tacklerunner]

All points are valid and I hope the OP isn't more confused and wishes he never asked the question. I have a sage, TFO, Reddington and one I built myself; all great rods.

But... the only problem I have with a WMart special is the line. To my dissmay my buddy sent his wife to but him a new fly rod; "get a good one he said!" So she went to Wmart and spend $80 on the most expensive combo they had; and 8 wt nonetheless. Met up with him and I couldn't cast the thing worth shyt because of the line. So then I had to take him and get proper backing put on and new WF floating line; another $80. Then a proper leader and tippet etc. Now he's almost at $200. It's a decent beginner rod but even if he went to BassPro, WSS, TFH and spend $200-$300 on an entry level rod, he would have gotten a better set up and better value for his money.

Bought my brother a Reddington combo at WSS for $200 in a 6 wt for xmas few years back and it's really good. He'll probably never replace it.

So in the range of $100-$300 I do believe you get what you pay for. Beyond that it's unrealistic to know what you will like better at this point so I would not go there. More expensive rods can also be harder to learn with. Also in this range, as stated many times in many posts the line and rod are far more important than the reel.

Having experience with TFO & Reddington I would not hesitate to recommend them but there are others that are as good or better from what I read for under $300 complete.

For the OP I would seriously take an experience fly fisher with you shopping and value his/her opinion and get what you can in YOUR budget. But don't spend $1000 at this point as you will see no benefit from it.

IMHO

[tacklerunner]

Originally Posted by MrDave

Pm me when you get the chance. I can give you some free help. No problem. In Innisfail myself.

Walmart south end has waders on for $40, and some beginner rods. The rods will get you started but you will need to upgrade eventually. I have extra so I can lend you one to show you how to get started.

This guy in this video knows how to work his rod. He is digging a fish from under some overhanging shrubs. Its at about the 2 minute mark. Watch the rod action. Most people try to use their arm too much. Use the flex of the rod and the wrist. The other videos in the series will show you how NOT to handle fish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u_GO...eature=related

PM MrDave and take him up on his generous offer. Try some of his rods. It will settle your mind and I'm sure you'll learn a lot.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by tacklerunner

But... the only problem I have with a WMart special is the line. To my dissmay my buddy sent his wife to but him a new fly rod; "get a good one he said!" So she went to Wmart and spend $80 on the most expensive combo they had; and 8 wt nonetheless. Met up with him and I couldn't cast the thing worth shyt because of the line. So then I had to take him and get proper backing put on and new WF floating line; another $80. Then a proper leader and tippet etc. Now he's almost at $200. It's a decent beginner rod but even if he went to BassPro, WSS, TFH and spend $200-$300 on an entry level rod, he would have gotten a better set up and better value for his money.

Bought my brother a Reddington combo at WSS for $200 in a 6 wt for xmas few years back and it's really good. He'll probably never replace it.

So in the range of $100-$300 I do believe you get what you pay for. Beyond that it's unrealistic to know what you will like better at this point so I would not go there. More expensive rods can also be harder to learn with. Also in this range, as stated many times in many posts the line and rod are far more important than the reel.

Having experience with TFO & Reddington I would not hesitate to recommend them but there are others that are as good or better from what I read for under $300 complete.

For the OP I would seriously take an experience fly fisher with you shopping and value his/her opinion and get what you can in YOUR budget. But don't spend $1000 at this point as you will see no benefit from it.

IMHO

Originally Posted by tacklerunner

PM MrDave and take him up on his generous offer. Try some of his rods. It will settle your mind and I'm sure you'll learn a lot.

Perfect anecdote and great advice from Tacklerunner re: walmart specials.....you'll end up spending twice as much anyhow just to spool it up with a decent line because the lines supplied with those combos are all but useless.If you find that you like flyfishing at all,which if you have a pulse at all,you undoubtedly will,lol,you'll be wanting to upgrade sooner rather than later,esp. if you have the chance to fish alongside someone and try out a better rig you'll soon realise the difference between crap/not crap.Also,take advantage of Mr.D's generous offer,there's no substitute for experienced,hands-on instruction to get you started off on the right foot and help you with deciding on an informed first purchase that will be the best value within your budget.

[MrDave]

Certainly get the best you can afford. One of the good rods mentioned by grinr, IS what I was talking about at Walmart. The Shakespeare set up is at $100. It will do you decent, but will you cast like a pro- no because you will suck. lol.
It takes practice, and lots of it. I grew up in the sticks casting to a big rock on my lawn. Started getting good at that, then started on my mother's Iris's. Start short, and don't rush for distance.

One more tip, go fishing for perch with wet flies and an indicator, tons of fish for a kid, and can't miss. Be ready for a small pike, and have fun.

[Dust1n]

if you stick with a crap rod you get crap results i wasnt a good fly caster after a year with the martin i gave up and went to go buy a decent rod. the rod was 10 fold lighter casted like a bullet and didnt hurt my hand after 45mins of casting. if you get a entry level TFO yull get realy good results and after that rod my casting abilitys doubled and trippled now im realy good at all the casts

[The Great Outdoors]

I have about 10,000 flies in about 100 patterns and hook sizes for sale. Am selling them for $10.00 a dozen if your interested.

[grinr]

Originally Posted by MrDave

Certainly get the best you can afford. One of the good rods mentioned by grinr, IS what I was talking about at Walmart. .

Not all Shakespeare's are created equal though.They actually make some pretty decent rods that are quite popular overseas(UK etc.)but I'm sure any Shakespeare combo offered for $100 would be on the very low-end of their model scale and gauranteed the line would be crap.It may well be a 1/2 decent rod(?) but the Shakespeare's I was referring to start around 100 bucks for the rod alone.

[Jaanders]

Mountainman
I live west of Innisfail in Markerville, and if you need help, or want to go out, shoot me a PM. I have been flyfishing for 3/4 years, so fairly new. Any help/advice you can get, Take It. Pretty big learning curve, so take any help. I would also try to get some lessons. It really does jump start your learning. Its one thing I would go back and do. It will also give you a better idea on what kind of rod you are looking for. Lastly: Practice. I still practice in my yard all the time. It will take years. Good luck, you will never look back, I promise. I enjoy flyfishing more than hunting for Whitetails, which I didnt think was possible.

[Dust1n]

jandersgo out to sylvan lake. go to marina bay. then go buy a wooly bugger. cast it and catch some wallleye. the retreave you can vary but i find they like long slow strips. yull expect from 20-120 walleye a day on the fly there.
i was even out fishn the people using bait.2:1 but that was only in summerwhen everyone was using minnows and i was using a leech pattern

[grinr]

Originally Posted by The Great Outdoors

I have about 10,000 flies in about 100 patterns and hook sizes for sale. Am selling them for $10.00 a dozen if your interested.

...handtied with pride and meticulous attention to quality by the most experienced 3rd world sweatshop trout anglers that 10 cents/day wages can buy.

[densa44]

I'll bet you have heard more than you ever wanted to know about starting to fly fish.

If you know what you want to fish it would help a lot. What kind of water would help too.

For me, I've never strayed from how I started, trout on a river or steam and wading. The set up that suits me best is a 9 foot rod and a double taper line with a single action reel (cheap). I have acquired more advanced equipment over the years but my grandfather's advice (Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi) was careful wading and presentation were the keys!

It is fun to practice long casts and "laying out a nice line" but my grandfather was right!

Pretty soon I won't be able to wade and I'm not sure what to do.

I'm glad that you are taking it up. Those flies at $10.00 a dozen are a good buy.

[403Bowhunter]

Originally Posted by honda450

TFO rods

Pheruger reels

Cortland 444 line

Thats all ya gotta know.

Just because it costs more don't mean its better. Have fun, fly fishing is a blast.

I'd suggest checkin out Bass Pro for TFO rods simply because you can get a $100 rod that has an UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME WARRANTY!!!!!! Fly rods break.... it just happens... and for $25 bucks TFO will give you the replacement piece to your rod... and the distributor is out of Calgary, so its quick and easy!!!

This WILL save your ass hahaha I dont know how many times its saved mine!

[MrDave]

You could go spend a fortune on a rod, but if you look at all the big $ rods for sale in the buy/sell, you will see it doesn't matter how much you spend if you don't get off the computer and use them. I look at the packages there and think why pay that much for a rod if you aren't getting out. $500 package does no good if you are not using it, a $100 rod does just fine collecting dust.

As usual, this fellow won't likely take any of us up on any offers to get help, unless there is a fee to be shown what to do. Any ways good luck with starting out, and think of getting out. Will you catch any more fish by spending lots of money on a rig you can't use right?

Lots to be learned, but common sense can't be taught. Watched a fellow at Lundbreck falls one time, trying real hard at getting nothing. Bright red shirt and yellow hat, and one of the nicest rods I seen. Rod didn't do him any good, because he didn't learn about his prey.