Fly Fishing Forum?

[cmeriptahoe]

Seeing TR's from all your awesome trips is great and all but I'm a fly fishing n00b who needs advice for just starting out and I don't want to bother the collective with such trivialities.

As such, anybody have a good fly fishing forum that they frequent?

[gretch6364]

North American Fly Fishing forum is a good place to get learning type resources.

[Hugh Conway]

thedrake


the basics of flyfishing are easy; shit aint' that different. spend time casting and on the stream.

[L8APX]

http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com

This will get you going on the basics.

[snapt]

thedrake

I met a guy in BC this fall that no shit said "hi, I'm so and so, I'm a big deal on the Drake." The place could have a cool tgr vibe but everyone takes it way too serial.

The Orvis stuff is good and Tom Rosenbauer does some great podcasts that can be very helpful.

Good metin you this weekend Gretch.

[gretch6364]

Good meeting you too snapt. I never did find a shop that had the line I wanted at the show. Kind of odd, but I think as the 2014 stuff ships, a local shop will surely have it.

I second the Orvis stuff. I listen to alot of Tom's podcast at work. Mainly just to pass the time and think about fly fishing, but I specifically enjoy his stuff on Carp fishing. Speaking of which, how tough are the Rio Carp lines? Need something I can beat the hell out of that doesn't have a lot of texture to grab dirt.

[Underoos]

I met a guy in BC this fall that no shit said "hi, I'm so and so, I'm a big deal on the Drake.

Haha. Was it Mike or Bill? I've fished with Mike, never met Bill, but neither strikes me as being anything but humble.

Yeah, the Drake blows. Buncha arrogant assholes arguing about their favorite 5 wts.

[neckdeep]

[QUOTE=snapt;4148827]I met a guy in BC this fall that no shit said "hi, I'm so and so, I'm a big deal on the Drake." QUOTE]

I think the correct response to that is, "wow. and you still find time to fish too? In which major city, located far, far away from excellent trout fishing do you live in?" IMHO, seems about as cliquish as a bunch of junior high school girls and as interesting as a frat boy farting contest. Lotta angry white males over there....It certainly brings to mind Groucho Marx's famous quote on joining clubs.

OP, I learned most of the basics from a book. A Lefty Kreh book, I think. TGR Mags will answer your questions, tho, if the topics are of interest to us and we are bored enough. Tried your local flyshop? Bored flyshop jockeys can be either really helpful to beginners or really arrogant. If they want your business, they'll answer all your beginner questions patiently. You'll get nothing but abuse from the Titans of Flyfishing over at the Drake.

[snapt]

Haha. Was it Mike or Bill? I've fished with Mike, never met Bill, but neither strikes me as being anything but humble.

Bahahaha, yes... There's a lot of maggots over there, but a lot of the drake dudes I've met are so far from their persona I can't take it seriously.

Gretch that is odd, though it seemed like most of those guys were focused on closeouts. To be honest I haven't used our Carp line. Always used a Grand and really liked that.

[gretch6364]

Yeah...lots of old close out lines. Lots of 1.5 and 6 sink rate lines. Probably should of just bought a 6...still undecided on sink rate.


I wouldn't take anyone's online persona seriously. Some of the biggest online assholes are very cool people. Didn't you all read the thread about online forum bullies in the padded room ;-)

[Hugh Conway]

Yeah, the Drake blows. Buncha arrogant assholes arguing about their favorite 5 wts.

I just look at the pictures

the other boards I went to always struck me as a bunch of geriatrics politely babbling about their favorite 5 weights. even more tedious.

[DeathVan]

The Moldy Chum site has at least one thing going for it.
I've never perused any other thread over there however.

http://www.moldychum.com/home-old/tag/friday-pin-up

[teleee]

The Moldy Chum site has at least one thing going for it.
I've never perused any other thread over there however.

http://www.moldychum.com/home-old/tag/friday-pin-up

Yep, this is the only moldy chum thread I follow.... Seems to be enough for me.

[cmeriptahoe]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

Looks like I have a few places to get started.

[skifishbum]

if ya get past the cliqueshe frat fuck jizz some pretty good lutz and stoke over in sukville
the whole intro things always humerous
def a few fishfuks i'd throw in tha boat and bake with and probably have a blast
don't like or get bruce lee
or angry arrogant 5 weighters
the sta puff marshmellow kids okay though

[Hkevinlids]

I've been fishing lost of my adult life and recently took a look the Orvis "How To " and found it helpful and a really good starting place. Link up with the local Trout Unlited group..it's a good way to get involved and gets you on the water with some people with experience

[schwerty]

This place is purdy good if you have questions.

[AKami]

This place is purdy good if you have questions.

I have to agree with schewrty...this place is great. A lot of fly fish forums are filled with smug fart sniffing dildos. Here questions are answered from knowledgable sources and without the attitudes I've received on other fly fishing forums

[cmeriptahoe]

This place is purdy good if you have questions.

Well since you guys said it was OK, I'm looking to pick up my first rod/reel/line setup that will be a good learning tool but also be useful past the "beginner" phase. I'm willing to pay for quality but am not really looking to get too crazy since I'm just starting out.

Any suggestions or direction? Good weight to start out with as some of a one rod quiver? How much should I expect to spend on this first setup?

[Hugh Conway]

Where do you want to fish and for what?

[STLHD]

Assuming you're fishing for trouts, I'd get a 5wt 9ft rod. Echo makes some fine rods that do well at all ability levels. The Echo 2 5wt is still one of my favs. Their newer stuff is nice as well.

I wouldn't spend much on a reel; it's pretty much just there to hold your line when you're targeting trout. You should be able to get a serviceable entry level reel for 40-70 bucks. Redington and Echo would be two to look at.

[dfinn]

Ive got a reel and line (5wt) that you can have and some waders for real cheap. If you're looking to get into it cheap to see if you like it.

That's what I did last season. Now I'm addicted.

[schwerty]

If you're targeting trout....

I waved the Winston Passport and VSL rods around last summer. They seemed very nice for the price. The VSL would be a good stick for the post beginner stage. I also dig the Sage VXP but you are entering a little higher price point there. But, that could be a great rod for any level if you like the action.

TFO makes solid casting rods for all levels too. I haven't kept up with their newer models so can't comment.

For a reel, go to a local fly shop and ask them for the best deal they have. Often times they will have nice reels that are the last generation models of the new stuff. As long as you are up front and don't get out of a Porsche SUV right in front of the shop, they shouldn't push something outrageous on you. A $50 trout reel will work but I'd be Leary of the longevity if you use it a lot. You can find lots of great reels for a 5wt, (if that's what you are looking for), around the 100-150 range that will last a long time if taken care of and will treat you right when you hook a fish that does need a drag system. Just my .02 though. I know plenty of guys who have fished with cheap reels and never looked back.

Get a line to match your rod action. Again, buy from a shop! They will help you match the line to the rod and the type of fishing you will be doing.

[gretch6364]

You would probably get better answers if you were more detailed about what fish and where, but looks like your in San Fran, so I am gonna guess trout in that area, which is going to be a little different than fishing Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.

First advise, go talk to a shop like Schwerty said. They will know what streams you will be fishing. Second, don't buy a cheap fly line.

For reels, the new Orvis Battenkill (for a 4wt) or the Leland Sonoma Trout (for a 5wt or 6wt) would be my choices if buying new. Both are just under $100 and will last you a lifetime on a trout rod. Speaking of Leland, you might want to go check out their shop and talk to them. Keith is a solid guy, and they always have some marked down gear, especially their Loop stuff. They are in Sonoma.

Most of us western guys would tell you to get a 9ft 5wt, and a medium fast action is going to be the easiest to learn on.

I would take this with a grain of salt. I have only seen some videos of Northern Cal fly fishing, which is why I would again, suggest talking to a shop that knows the local rivers, but they very well may point you towards a more medium action 8'6" 4wt.

If I was buying my first rod again for Colorado, I would get a medium action 8'6" 4wt. Something like a Redington Classic Trout, which can be found currently at Cabela's for $99, and alot of very experienced guys love fishing it. That rod would be under-gunned in Wyoming and Montana, and probably not the best choice for some of Colorado's bigger tailwaters, but if you can only have one.... I don't think I would enjoy fishings a fast action 9ft 5wt in RMNP or some of the other awesome small streams that are around, and are always a good confidence booster for a new angler, assuming there is not too much brush and trees to get tangled in. I am so glad I don't get tangled as much as I did when I started...that sucked.


Don't buy a line though until after you bought a rod or know specifically which rod you want and you talk to someone about what line to get. Some of the lines are so damn heavy and are being marketed as a 4wt line, becuase the high end rods have become so fast. In my opinion, while it is easier to learn on a medium-fast, you will learn better technique by starting on a slower rod.

If you want to go the medium-fast route and are willing to spend a little more, any of the top fly rod makers rods in the $300 to $400 range are going to be good rods that you can use for the next 20 years. Scott A4 (which would be my first choice for a sub $400 rod), Winston Passport, Sage Approach or Response (fast action), maybe even the new Redington Vapen. I would probably steer clear of the other Redington rods that I have not mentioned.

If you want to spend a little less, my favorite "budget" rods are the stuff from St. Croix and TFO (BVK model has too stiff of a tip for anything less than a 6wt IMHO, so stay clear of that one even though it is an awesome rod). I also like the Echo Lexi-Bell lent me and have heard good things about Allen.

[gretch6364]

Solid advice here, though Lelands is one foot in the grave so I'd worry about long term warranty on their stuff.

Yeah, I heard this too. Luckily there is nothing to the Sonoma reels, which are really just a copy of the Abel Trout reel. I probably wouldn't purchase their brand of rods.

Sierra Trading Post has some great deals on the Sage 1800 and 2000 series reels are awesome deals right now, and Lamson is solid across the the board.