The first objective I have when starting someone on fly-fishing is get a fish on their line.
What I am writing here is akin to training wheels on a bicycle, it’ll get you started.
Eric your 6 weight rod will work well, if it is the type with a weight range like 5 to 6 or 6 to 8, I tell beginners to go with the heavier weight line, double taper will do the job. The reason being, that the line not only carries the fly on the cast, but it is the weight of the line on the back swing that loads the rod. Oh yeah, use a lot of backing before spooling on the main line, the backing creates a larger diameter core so the fly-line rests on the reel in the largest loop possible.
I prefer 8 foot or longer rods for best casting.
3x to 5x tapered leaders will all work well. For beginners and for ease of handling I keep the length of the leader short, no longer than the length of the rod. I trim my leaders at the butt, the thick end, before I tie them to the line. Short leaders won’t give you a delicate presentation, but are easier for beginners and children to handle, besides the waters of Southeast Minnesota and North Iowa are usually colored so a super delicate presentation is not a high factor.
I know that there are some fancy loop type gimmicks out there for attaching the leader and fly-line, I have used them, but I like my leader tight to the fly-line, and I find that a nail knot works best. If your not sure how to tie a nail knot I can e-mail you some diagrams. At the end of the leader I like to tie on about a foot to eighteen inch long tippet. The tippet is a very good quality piece of monofiliment no more than three pound test and tied to the leader using a surgeons knot.
I find that the key to casting is to take your time on the back stroke, give the line time enough to stretch out and start loading the rod before beginning your forward motion.
Work on perfecting short casts, around 20 feet or less, most of your fish will be caught within this range.
I feel that floating flys are the way to go, otherwise why bother with a fly-rod?
For Bluegills and Bass, large moth, cricket and grasshopper patterns, in sizes of #10 to #14 work great.
Shades of gray, tans, browns and black are my favorite colors. Also try chartreuse poppers.
Don’t worry about a delicate presentation with panfish, sometimes it takes a hard splash to attract them.
I hope this info helps, if you would like more, give me a yell and we’ll go out and float some feathers.
John “troutchaser” Eggers.
FTR Pro-Staff
