Fly Fishing Gear Question

[Classical Presbyterian]

Okay, Puritan fly fishermen and fly fisherwomen, here are two questions from a newbie to this particular method of the sport:

1. My new fly reel kit was quite inexpensive and came with free line. It is not "weight forward" and seems to just be simple, white floating line. My book on fly fishing from Orvis says beginners learning to cast need to get "weight forward" line to help in the casting. So, should I unwind my line and drop $20 on new line or just go with what I have? I'm on a tight budget, to say the least!

2. Waders. I need some. I can only afford the basic 'breathable' waders at the local sporting goods store. They have two choices: Hodgman and Field and Stream. Will this be a waste and should I save up for Orvis or L.L. Bean waders or can I take a lower-cost risk with these others? Again, I want them to last a few years of occasional use and I do not have much of a budget.

Thanks!!

 

[ewenlin]

Don't know much about fly fishing as I do mainly lure fishing with a spin cast reel..

glad to know another pb member who's into fishing!

 

[White Knight]

Well, are you planning on making fly fishing a regular thing, or just a hobby?
hobby= use what you have, ignore what you don't and have fun
regular thing=endulge and buy a fly fishing for "newbie" book
I drive 2 hours every year to the nearest fresh spring and trout fish. Nothing but me and my pole, I'm not afraid of cold water. You don't need extras, just the fly and string, you could make your own pole if you needed to.

 

[Eoghan]

I would make do myself. I waited some 15 years before getting a forward weighted line. Useful but not necessary.

If you want to be authentic as a puritan (theologian) use cats gut ;-)

 

[Classical Presbyterian]

Living near so many good streams and lakes, I would like to learn the art. The minor investment of some equipment just gives me incentive to actually stick with it.

My first outing involved crocs on my feet. That did not go well on slippery rocks...

And, in my vanity, I do not want to look like a total idiot in the stream. So, waders and boots are in order.

 

[VictorBravo]

Living near so many good streams and lakes, I would like to learn the art. The minor investment of some equipment just gives me incentive to actually stick with it.

My first outing involved crocs on my feet. That did not go well on slippery rocks...

And, in my vanity, I do not want to look like a total idiot in the stream. So, waders and boots are in order.

Of course, the well equipped angler will have the best gear, BUT, let me tell you a little anecdote.

I'm a fly fisher from way back--as in, my Dad handed me a fly rod when I was around 4 years old and told me to catch something. He watched and helped, but mostly I learned by watching him.

My rod was very good--a handmade custom bamboo rod given to me by an uncle, but I've fly fished with cheapo gear from K-Mart, too. I never worried too much about the reel. Sometimes I'd find I had nothing but broken reels and ended up fishing with the fly line held in loops in my left hand like a lariat--it's not optimal, but it worked.

So here is the story: I had an afternoon free, and I had my fly rod, but I had no other gear--no flies, no waders, no nothin' except my rod, fly line, and some leader from a spinning outfit. I stopped at K-Mart and bought 5 packages of flies, caddis, mosquito, whatever I thought would work for the day, and I went up to the Madison River in Montana (about a 30 minute drive from where I lived).

I waded out in the river in my blue jeans, cloth tennis shoes, a can of pop in my hip pocket, and started fishing. It was typically good fishing, I caught a number of nice Browns in an hour.

I turned around and saw a fisherman standing on the bank watching me. I waved, he waved back and stood there. I decided to wade back and see what he wanted.

It turned out he was from New York City, had taken a fly-fishing class, spent somewhere around $2000 to get outfitted, and had flown out to Montana to try to catch fish. He had been there 4 days and hadn't caught a thing.

I looked at what he was using, all hand-tied beautiful flies, but not at all like the hatch we were having. I handed him a pack of the K-Mart flies and told him to cast under some trees along a bend in the river. Second cast--he caught a nice trout.

I gave him some other hints and bid him a good vacation. He told me he was going to trash the waders and be a Montana fisherman like me, because it just was too hot in those things. I told him that most Montana fisherman did use waders, but I just was a cheap farmer.

He was a nice guy, and I think I made his trip.

Point being, talk with some locals and make friends. You will learn a lot--and don't worry about looking like a fool. You will, and decent people won't chide you for it.