Hi guys, first time on this forum. Looking into getting into flyfishing and was hoping for some advice on a good outfit for a beginner without breaking the bank. Also looking for some thoughts on simplifying fly selection. The whole matching the hatch and getting the size right seems like a daunting task for the uninformed. Thanks for your help.
Howdy! Scientific Anglers, Reddington, and a few other companies sell rod/reel/line packages. These are pretty decent outfits usually cost around $120 bucks. For trout fishing an 8 foot long 5 weight is a good choice. I bought a 5 weight Reddington outfit from Cabela’s and it’s been a lot of fun to use.
Flies….oh man there are a million different flies. But you won’t need most of them. There are different hatches going on at different times of the year and that will affect what flies you need. There are flies that are tied to represent a specific species of mayfly at a specific stage of development….like a Blue-winged Olive Emerger pattern….and some guys really get into that. They’re also the guys with 6 fly boxes crammed full of flies. The other school of thought is to use more generic bugs in a few sizes like #14-#18. Some fish might turn their noses up at that but you’ll still catch a bunch. Flies like the Adams, the Adams Parachute, Elk Hair Caddis, Grasshoppers, Ants, Hare’s ear nymphs, Pheasant tail nymphs, and a few streamers like Wooly Buggers or Grey Ghosts.
If there’s a fly shop in the area that’s a good place to start. they’re always happy to sell a few flies and most shops have a pretty good handle on what’s working lately.
Good luck and have fun!
SR
The basic rule of thumb is the fish feed in the top 6″ or the bottom 6″ of the water column. The nice thing is you can see when they’re feeding in the top 6. I probably fish a weighted wooly bugger more than any other fly. It does everything except fish as a dry. I’d also add soft hackles to the list. One of my favorite flies is a pheasant tail soft hackle.
If you get into hatch fishing you may find one of the reasons you get into boxes full of flies is you get into puzzle solving due to selectivity. Some guys really enjoy that part of it and it can be extremely challenging.
The progression for trout and flies however becomes learning the aquatic insects. It becomes an exploration of a completely different branch on the fishing tree.
Good luck
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