The Fly Fishing thread

“big fish was a pretty good flick”

“Yah, I liked it a lot.”

“Huge fish ... way to go...glad they kept it alive....Metro Police Divers have told us(local media) about the size of Catfish down at the bottom of Percy Priest Lake (at the dam spillway)... some the size of a small volkswagon... They have refused to search unless three or more armed divers are in the water at the same time...”

“When I first started fly fishing I picked up some fly casting videos at the local library and watched them for free. Then I practiced in my yard with a piece of yarn tied to the end of the tippet when I wasn't out on the stream. Just set out some targets in the lawn and practice at different distances. The best way is just get out and fish as much as you can once you have the basics down.”

“ruby, you gonna get your rugrat into flyfishin too?

what's cuter than little kids fishin ?”

“You bet! Jon left me 6 or 7 rods and all his lures and tackle so that I can do that very thing. While I can do it if I have to, the one thing I don't care for is pinching off bits of nightcrawlers to bait the hook. I'd rather use whole little worms or minnows. And leaches give me the heebie jeebies, too. (shudder)”

“spectacular!”

“I have been fly fishing for 20 years and love it. I took a fly fishing class when I was on vacation in Colorado. The gentleman that tought me made me promise to give it a try for 1 year. He said don't even pick up another style rod. I did what he said and don't even know where my other rods are. I now teach kids how to fly fish and tie flies. (They are easier than adults). I belong to a fly fishing club in Iowa and we have put together a book for begining fly fishers. Send me your address and I will mail it to you. It is great and designed for the newbies. Stikmon had a great idea. Hire a guide on your next trip. Tell them you are new and they will give you a guide that is willing to teach you instead of dragging your sorry b%$$ 20 miles up a river in 4 hours. Practice is the best thing. When they talk about the 10-2 rule follow it. When your wrist quits hurting you know you are doing it right. A lot of states have clubs like Trout Unlimited or the FFF. Find one and there will be someone willing to help you. Tight Lines.”

“My bro-inlaw was visiting from GA and he wanted to flyfish out west. I'm just getting into flyfishing and he's been at it for over a year. He suggested that we hire a guide because of his previous guided trips back east. My bro-inlaw took the orvis course, has read books, watched videos, and he says he has learned more in a couple outings with guides then all the other stuff combined. I would have to agree with him. I went from not being able to hit a 10' wide stream with my fly to dropping my fly into a 4' wide pool surrounded by rocks and trees and pulling out 14" browns by the end of 3 hours. The guide bonus is that they always had 2 or 3 rods ready to go if you got snagged or needed to change flys and the 8 flys I lost didn't come out of my wallet.”

“Outamatches (great name BTW), you have mail.

I like the idea of a guide. Thanks for the suggestions and advice.”

“that big ass catfish died enroute to KC.

heard it on the radio this am
last edited: 5/26/05 2:17:45 PM”

“I wonder how old that catfish was? Has anyone heard an estimate?”

“Alabama flyfishing fanatics:

The Sipsey below Smith Lake Dam will be stocked tomorrow sometime.

That is all.”

“I just talked to HPM ,who's out in Montana somewheres. He had perfect reception from some 10,500' peak or other, talking about all the trout they caught and how tasty they were, and how much fun they were having. Bastard.”

“If people are going to go into the backcountry and enjoy themselves, the least they can do is not taunt us by cellphone while they are there.”

“No $#!^.”

“What's his number? I'll call him tonight at 2:00AM.”

“It's the phone of one of our now aged out scouts. He can get full signal anywhere with that thing. I somehow doubt he'll have it on at 2 am (midnight their time) but, if I feel like it, I'll email it to you. Or I may just call myself. ;)”

“lol....nah I'll leave 'em be.”

“Just picked up a Redington Rod 5#Wt Piece 8'6" Rod, Okumu Magnitude magnesium reel, line, with tappered leader, 5X tippet and a couple of flys.

Now we just have to figure out how to use it!”

“Cool! Practice fly casting in your yard with a piece of yarn on the end of the tippet. Get used to casting at different distances and work on your accuracy by aiming at different locations out in the grass. See how close you can plant the yarn at your target.”

“Thanks for the advice Rich. We'll have to try that.”

“That's a great setup, Adventurist! I, too, have a Redington 5wt, (9-6") and recently picked up an Orvis Battenkil Titanium for half price!
RichB is right on with his advice. My biggest mistake when practicing was/is trying to make too long of a cast. Short, accurate casts is a much better way to go.”

“Thanks. I figure most of the time we won't even need to cast long since we are going to use on mountain streams and lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park a lot.

And by "we" I mean the wife and I. I think its cool that she is more excited about the purchase than me!”

“Yea, forget the distance casting stuff until you master the short distances. Remember to "stop" your hand at 1 and 11 o'clock, and keep your wrist straight (don't let it bend.)”

“Adventurist -

Tha hardest part about learning to cast a fly rod is acquiring the sense of timing. The mistake beginners make is to just whip the rod back and forth. Bear in mind that you are casting the LINE, not the fly - the fly just follows the line. The forward casting motion shouldn't start until the line is straightened out behind you (the backcast). This "loads" the rod, meaning that the weight of the line traveling backwards causes the rod tip to bend back, "loading" it with energy that you use to shoot the line on the forward cast. If you begin the forward cast too soon, then the line is still going backward while you are moving the rod forward and it just doesn't work. There are lots of good books on casting, or, better yet, go to a fly casting clinic at your local fly shop. A little instruction can go a very long way to help you get the feel of how it works and then you and your wife can practice productively. Flyfishing is a really cool thing for men and women to do together because it doesn't require a lot of strength to cast well, especially a trout rod - therefore women can do it just as well (in some cases better) than men.”

“Strutta is right, an instructor will be a big help. I teach kids to fly fish and the bigest problem is to get them to follow that 10 to 2 rule. Never let your rod go forward past the 10:00 postion and never let it go back past the 2:00 postion. The rod is not a buggy whip, you need the line to go in a straight line above your head and the only time you let the rod tip down is when you are lying the line on the water. One other thing to keep in mind is the fish are in the water not the air. I see people standing there for 5 minutes casting their line in the air. It should only take a couple cast to get the line out you need or to dry a fly in the air. Once you get the right amount of line out and you have gotten good at casting you should be able to pick the line up off the water and put it back down with 1 cast. Look at this web site to see what I am talking about as far as a level line in the air.
http://flyfisherman.com/skills/lkcastingbasic/index2.html”

“"The mistake beginners make is to just whip the rod back and forth."

"The rod is not a buggy whip"

Hmmm.. maybe that's why I lost 2 flys when I cracked the line like a whip?

I am definitely going to have us sign up for a class! I gave it a try on my own next to a lake and it was embarassing!

Thanks for the tips!”