beginner fly fishing tips?

[Anthony]

hey everyone. some weather huh? its beautiful.today i was out practicing with my fly rod and i have had a couple problems, 1. when i am casting and making my last forward stroke the fly isnt going far at all, should i have a heavier fly on? what kinda of fly line (#, such as #6 for example) should i be using for freshwater and i want to get into saltwater too what size line for that? 2. when i am going back and forth back and forth with my rod my line is hittin gthe groung behind me, should i have my rod higher or should i be casting more forward? any other tips or information you can provide me for a beginner fly fisherman would be greatly appreciated.

thank you

Anthony

Tight lines

[Patrick]

By no means am I a pro flycaster but I have had some success in freshwater. The problems you have run into, I ran into as well so I'll tell you how I solved them. Perhaps some of the more experienced fly guys will help you out where I can't or perhaps they have better advice. I'm just telling you what I did.

The weight of the fly has nothing to do with your casting distance. Well I should clearify that. If you try to cast a large fly on a 2 weight rod, it won't work. In flycasting, you are casting the line, not the fly.

The size of the line you are using depends on the rod and reel you use. Fly fishing is a system deal. Look at the rod, it should say what weight rod it is. 6 is good for larger trout, small black bass in freshwater. In saltwater, it's good for shad. You can probably tame some smaller stripers and blues.

When you say your cast isn't going too far, are you saying that the line heaps up in a pile in front of you? If that is the case, my guess is you are releasing the line to early or too late. When you go to make your backstroke, tug on the line. This accelerates it a bit.

I believe the reason the line is hitting behind you when you false cast, is because you are either pausing too much on the backcast or you are bringing your rod down to 9 o'clock. When I cast, I whip the rod between 10 and 2 o'clock. When I go to shoot my line, I bring it down to 2:30. The thing with flyfishing is if you pause too long, your line falls behind you. If you don't pause long enough, the line makes that "crack the whip" sound and your flie falls off.

Good luck

[Anthony]

thanks so much patrick. well what the line is doing is going about 10-12 feet and then just stopping no matter how much line i try to false cast. one more thing, should i be false casting towards the side at say maybe 1-2 o clock or straight over at 12.

thanks a bunch

anthony

[Anthony]

forgot one thing patrick, what are some good fresh water flies for bass and trout and should i use floating or sinking with a strike indicater.

thanks again

Anthony

[ragfly]

My recommendation is to rent a video on fly casting or go with someone that is experienced. There are to many questions to answer. The biggest mistake people make when they are starting out is to try and throw to much line. The distance will come as your technique gets better. A good way to practice is stand sideways and cast across the front of you watching your 10 to 2 action of your fly rod tip, do not break your wrist. Use floating line at first and tie a little piece of yarn on to represent a fly, so if you hit yourself you don't get hooked. remember to rent the videos, you can save yourself alot of time and frustration. BE PATIENT everyone started out in the same boat.

[Patrick]

Ragfly makes an excellant point. Look at a video. Seeing it is going to help you more than you reading about it on any website. Perhaps you can find a book maybe. I would check the town library. And by all means, do the yarn thing.

As for your fly line selection, wet flies will allow you to fish more of the water because they sink. But at the same time, dry fly fishing is more exciting to see a trout or bluegill stalking a surface bait. I like the wetflys myself. If you decide to go that route, the one fly you cannot leave home without is a Wooley Bugger. My favorite colors are olive or black. If you get the size right, they will take just about every fish you want.

[Patrick]

This is why you have to love Dry Fly Fishing. All these pictures were taken from "Fishing" by Bates, published by Outdoor Life.

The top picture is a Brown Trout taking a dry fly. Photograph by Werner Meinel
The Middle picture is a Panfish stalking a floating spider. Photograph by Erwin A. Bauer. (by the way, he has a great book called "Saltwater Fisherman's Bible" which I like)
The last photograph is a Largemouth inhaling a popper fly. Photograph by Erwin A. Bauer again.

[Anthony]

thanks you guys, patrick those pictures are awesome. one more little question, should the leader on the line be tapered or regular? and how long should it be? thanks. o yeah and about that yarn thing, what do you do just cut your leader off and tie a piece of yarn to the fly line?

thanks

Anthony

Tight Lines

[Patrick]

I like tapered leaders for freshwater. That's another personal preference though. I like the leader 6-9 feet long.

When you practice with the yarn, I would tie it to the leader so you can practice a roll cast to straighten out your line.

Another tip is to wear an old pair of sunglasses or protective goggles. I've been whipped in the face, across the arms and I've hit my glasses a few times. Don't want you to put your eye out.

[Anthony]

thanks patrick. this helps me out ALOT.

Anthony