Fishing Question

“Planning a weekend "lazy" hike in the Smokies with a day set aside for day hikes and fishing. The guys I am going with plan to go fly fishing, but I just looked at gear and had major sticker shock. Can that stuff be rented somewhere?

If I just went with a lightweight collapsable rod will that work just as well (with a bobber as opposed to using the fly)?”

“Yes! use a open face reel and a lure! spinner bait, spoon, etc. no bobber and live bait!”

“You dont need fly fishing gear to fish trout. Its just a different style.


















O wait! Bacpac said you cant catch fish w/ a regular pole, plus the locals may be affended for getting snags!”

“Surely there are other fish besides trout. I assume there are bluegill or sunfish I could catch. The pole I have is one of the collapsable pole-only deals (kind of like a collapsable cane pole).

re not using a regular pole, I sense sarcasm so must have missed a spicy thread...”

“If you are fishing for trout keep your ears open. The male trout has a very distinctive call.”

“Are there regs re: artificial lures only or fly fishing only where you're going?”

“Yes--in the park you can only use artificial lures (bummer) and must use single hooks. No big deal...

Pray tell, what does a male trout "sound" like?”

“yeah, check the regs.

You may also want to consider a really cheap "pack" flyfishing rig from a sporting goods store. You won't be able to cast like a pro, but it will work. That's how I learned.

Fly fishing is a lot of fun.”

“"Pray tell, what does a male trout "sound" like?"
hiking mood
09:29:52 PM
04/10/02

When you hear one, you'll know it. It will be the experience of a lifetime.

I usually just bum fish off sucesssful fisherman. It's best when they are already cooked. People always try to give food to me after I inform them that I am on a diet. It always works.”

“You can check with Walmart or KMart. They usually have some cheap combo rod/real outfits that are good for packing. I have a Shakespear telescoping, spinning, ultralight set that cost me like $30 and it collapses down to about 9" and weighs next to nothing. They also have some cheaper fly rod sets that come with everything you need to start.”

“Why are you fishing for flies?”

“The Orvis shop in Gatlinburg used to rent equipment. Even if they dont rent, the can match the hatch to the catch.”

“hiking mood, ask bacpac hes the expert at calling!”

“Hark, I hear the rumpled whining warbler. A very shrill call.”

“Thanks for the info. Some of you are too funny. I'll be sure to save a buttery piece of fish for you, slim.”

“I just use some sticks of dynamite.”

“I regularly use a spinning rod for fly fishing. What you need is a clear plastic bubble that you fill with water so that you have some weight to cast. Tie on the fly with about 3-5' of leader below the bubble. The only draw back with this set up is that you will be fishing the top of the water or just below the surface. I've tried nymphing (wet fly) by replacing the bubble with a small sinker, but the sensitivity isn't very good because of the weight.”

“if you want a fly rod, i bought a decent one at dick's (a sports equipment store) for 35 bucks, 8 feet long 5-6 weight. i like it, caught a trout the other weekend, a big deal for me. no need for brand name expensive stuff, prices for fly fishing gear can be outrageous. as others said, you can always use a spinning rod to catch trout, live bait would be your best bet.”

“imho, your best bet is to get a cheap telescoping rod which comes with a spinning reel. You don't want to be beating the water to a froth learning to fly-cast out there. Some plastic worms, some hooks, aliitle weight, you're set. I trust you'll have a license.”

“That fly line is pretty expensive stuff too.”