Looking to get into fly fishing

I live in Southern MN and fish the upper part of the drift less region and some trout on the north shore, but with spin tackle. When I fish near fly fisherman I really start to notice the huge presentation advantage that fly fishing brings. Especially on the North Shore for Steel head. So I’m Looking to get set up for fly fishing and trying to learn it this spring. The terminology of it all might as well be a different language to me. If anyone has any recommendations on rod size and line to start with, that would be greatly appreciated. Would be using it mostly in small creeks in SE MN but would also use it a little for the steel head run on the North shore.

Thanks,

I’d go checkout Mad River outfitters youtube channel. They give a lot of good information and how to’s. I’ve learned a lot from his channel as I primarily use spin tackle but truly enjoy throwing the whippy stick around. Fly is another language of it’s own between rods being categorized in weights, floatin line, sink tip line, full sink line, tippets. Even the knots are different. It can seem a little overwhelming at 1st especially for people converting from conventional like me, but once you get start to get the hang of things it can be rewarding I find fly to be an art watching the line go through the air. My drift less set up is 9ft 5wt with floating line. One last thing spring bluegill with floating flies is a great way to practice.

Thanks! I’ll have to look into that, and i do plan on using it occasionally for panfish. Seems alot less clunky than my current fly set up where I just use a clear bobber to have some weight to cast. It still makes a pretty obnoxious splash lol. Dumb question, if you were going to fly fish for steel head and wanted to get yarn flys and spawn sacks down towards the bottom you would just use a different line right??

Hi Alex and a belated welcome to IDO! There are much better trout minds than me on this site such as LenH and Steve Root but I’ll share my $0.02 as I just started fly fishing last year. Hopefully I don’t lead you astray and those guys can correct me if I do. You’ve got some great streams in your region and the North Shore is fun as well.

From a setup standpoint there’s nothing wrong with getting a “starter kit” offered by many reputable fly companies (Redington, Orvis, etc). I was skeptical of this idea but was assured that it’s perfectly fine for beginning on SE MN trout streams. That said, you’ll want a different setup for North Shore steelhead than you will for SE MN stream trout.

Stream trout in your area: 4wt 8-9′ fly rod with matching fly line. A high quality reel isn’t a priority for the relatively small fish in your region. Reels basically just hold line and backing for most small freshwater applications. Feel free to go with a 5wt 9′ rod and matching fly line too as it’s more of an “all around” rod allowing you to fish with smaller bass presentations as well if that’s your thing. For dry flies (small, floating) and small nymphs (underwater “jigs”) I’d use a tapered leader about the same length as your rod and use tippet (the end of the leader) of size 4X, 5X, or 6X. As a general rule you divide the size of your fly (they’ll range from <0 for huge muskie flies to 24+ for very small) by 3 or 4 to find the appropriate tippet size +/-1 isn’t going to hurt.

Steelhead: Use a beefier setup all around. 7wt or 8wt rod and accompanying line. Thicker leader and tippet, depending on presentation. A rod of this weight can also be used for smallmouth. At this point the quality of your reel might start to matter more since a nice steelhead will take line and you’ll want a good drag system.

This all sounds like a lot of jargon and can be intimidating at first. I found a great resource on Youtube offered by Mad River Outfitters EDIT: McCrappie already made this suggestion so you know they’re helpful. They do a great job of not being pretentious, catering to beginners, and they have video series on getting started in fly fishing, fly casting, Q&A, etc.

If you want a confidence booster, try fishing the Duschee Creek outside Lanesboro. It’s right next to the DNR fishery and has great populations of “dumb” trout to let you practice presentations, techniques, etc. I’m not giving away any secret location with that suggestion so be forewarned that there may be others there but it’s very fishable.

It also never hurts to stop into a fly shop and shoot the $hit with the folks there. They’re a wealth of information and want others to get excited about the sport. Try Driftless Fly Fishing Company in Preston or Root River Rod Co in Lanesboro. Good luck, it’s addicting!

Thanks moustachesteve! I’ve been looking around on their website and they actually lay stuff out in way that spin fisherman can understand. I’ll have to check that spot out this spring. I kind of figured a heavier setup would be needed for steel head, I was just hoping to get away with one rod and reel for now, but I can see why a good reel would be needed. I’ve only every hooked up with one (9’Light crappie set up) and that thing kicked my ass for 3-4 minutes.

..

You should probably look into Hank Patterson on YouTube.
Specifically “Think Like A Fly”

My 2 cents, stream trout, bluegills working weeds and pads, 9ft 7wt. You hang a big Brown you will wish you had a 6 or 7 wt. Steelhead and Salmon, 9ft 8 or 9 wt, a fly reel is fine if you have the room to work your line, a lot of time you don’t, I use a quality underspin reel like the Pflugare President. for steelhead with mono. DK.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

You should probably look into Hank Patterson on YouTube.
Specifically “Think Like A Fly”

I learned everything I know about fly fishing from that genious

I guess I’ve never heard of putting a spin reel on a fly rod. I have ZERO idea how that works with casting line and stuff, but I like the idea of fighting a fish on a familiar reel.

Moustache Steve’s advice is really good.

An 8-wt, 9′ to 9’6″ rod is pretty common for Superior steelhead. I have a 7-wt which has worked for me but I wouldn’t go lighter than that. I’ve caught fish up to 30″ on the 7-wt. Lake Michigan fish may require a heavier set up. You could probably double up on gear if you wanted to target SMB and steelhead. Some guys even spool their fly reels with straight mono/fluoro/running line if they are drifting weighted yarn/flies on the bottom or fishing with floats. Where you really want to spend your money on a steelhead set up is in the reel. Smooth drag with a low start up inertia.

You could end up with multiple set ups for stream trout. Rods from 3-wt to 5-wt are pretty common. A 5-wt is pretty versatile and would be a good starter as it is a little heavier rod for throwing streamer patterns. Length, however, can be variable. You can see stream rods anywhere from 7′ to 9′. A longer rod is easier to mend line for better drifts but can be tougher to use in close quarters or on smaller steams. The opposite is true for shorter rods: easier to use in close quarters but not as good for mending line. I tend to use an 8’3″ 5-wt most of the time. Some streams could definitely handle a longer rod. I do have a 7’6″ 3-wt that I use on smaller brook trout steams but can get a bit manhandled when hooking 15+” browns with that rod.

tegg wrote:

Moustache Steve’s advice is really good.

An 8-wt, 9′ to 9’6″ rod is pretty common for Superior steelhead. I have a 7-wt which has worked for me but I wouldn’t go lighter than that. I’ve caught fish up to 30″ on the 7-wt. Lake Michigan fish may require a heavier set up. You could probably double up on gear if you wanted to target SMB and steelhead. Some guys even spool their fly reels with straight mono/fluoro/running line if they are drifting weighted yarn/flies on the bottom or fishing with floats. Where you really want to spend your money on a steelhead set up is in the reel. Smooth drag with a low start up inertia.

You could end up with multiple set ups for stream trout. Rods from 3-wt to 5-wt are pretty common. A 5-wt is pretty versatile and would be a good starter as it is a little heavier rod for throwing streamer patterns. Length, however, can be variable. You can see stream rods anywhere from 7′ to 9′. A longer rod is easier to mend line for better drifts but can be tougher to use in close quarters or on smaller steams. The opposite is true for shorter rods: easier to use in close quarters but not as good for mending line. I tend to use an 8’3″ 5-wt most of the time. Some streams could definitely handle a longer rod. I do have a 7’6″ 3-wt that I use on smaller brook trout steams but can get a bit manhandled when hooking 15+” browns with that rod.

X2, Moustache Steve really answered your questions well. Personally I use a 9 foot 5 weight for Trout. It throws the small stuff adequately but also has enough horse power to throw into the wind or present bigger flies like streamers. If you have a lake or pond near you that holds Sunfish, you can learn a lot about casting, hook setting, and playing fish with a fly rod as they’re enthusiatic about biting so you have a lot of action. And it’s great fun!

The suggestion that you visit a local fly shop is very good advice. Go say hello to Melvin at the fly shop in Preston. He’s very knowledgeable and is a great guy to chat with. Another thought would be to attend the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo in St. Paul (http://greatwatersflyexpo.com/) next March. You can get free casting lessons, talk to fly shop folks, watch people tie flies, and of course there are a bunch of great seminars.

Have fun with this !

Steve

many expensive fly rods are in the corner of the garage collecting dust. Start cheap…get a couple lessons…join a group that will help…watch videos..can end up crazy expensive…is a good stress release…the casting and the being out in nature…be realistic…kinda a long learning curve.

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also check into the Center Pins….Have a bud that drifts spawn right after spin and fly anglers are done and catches monsters after they have beat the water to a froth.

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Fly Fishing. The most fun a guy can have standing up!

Center Pins? What is that or those?

I’ll have to check that out! I’m a sucker for expos!thanks

Flipping a spawn sack with a quality underspin, and a flyrod is the cats as-s for Steelhead. I personally say an 8 wt is mandatory in a smaller river, now in big water, that’s different, For little trout use a smaller rod, but with bigger fish, 6wt and above. my 2 cents. DK

Alex, St. Croix has a huge sale up to 60% off many of their rods (open water, ice, salt/surf, and fly). While I’ve never used it personally, their entry level Rio Santo rod gets good reviews and St. Croix is a reputable brand overall. It’s 50% off right now so you could get both your stream trout and steelhead rods for the price of one ($135 total if you go with the 4-piece rods, which I recommend for portability).

St. Croix Sale

Sweet! I’ll probably look into that.

Thanks!