new and need some advise

[mikeyfish303]

hey everyone new to the forum and basically to the sport

i have been fishing my whole life and consider myself a pretty avid bass angler but lately i have been getting the itch to take up fly fishing again, i used to have a rod and go out once in a while but then i started working at a trout hatchery and kinda got tired of trout for awhile

im a senior in college so getting into the sport needs to be pretty cost effective but i dont want cheap gear either i have waders and the such just looking to get a rod reel and a handful of flys for the time being

i fish a lot of small streams so i was thinking of getting a short rod like 7'6'' 2-5 weight local shop has some st croix that are $100 and they have some ovis reels for $65 i believe, i imagine that would make a pretty soild setup for what im looking for but im open to any and all replys to this setup

the shop workers dont seem to be a ton of help so i figured i would come here and ask everyones opinons on this setup and what kinda line and tipit i should be looking to pick up

also if anyone could give a few all purpose flys that will get my feet wet in the sport i used to use bead headed nymps nd woolyboggers when i used to go out and always had decent results

thanks for any replys i might get and sorry if these topics have been discused before im in a crunch for time at the moment but will certainly read through as much of these post as i can later on

 

[Chaz]

A 7'6" 4 weight is what I use on small streams. I've been toying with the idea of getting something lighter, but recently witnessed someone using a light rod to cast weighted flies and for longer casts he wasn't getting the fly out there.
A lot of what I do on small streams is longer casts with weighted flies, so I've got to figure it out. Some of the lighter rods will be ok if they are fast action rods. I have a 4 weight 7' 6" I'll part with for the right price.

 

[sroach]

Mikey,

Welcome to the board. I am just getting back in to in myself and fish a smaller creek near my office.

I bought a 7'6" rod just for that purpose. Form what I know St.Croix is a good rod, I have two of them for bass fishing and never had a complaint. I bought an Orivs rod and reel, and honestly I went cheaper on the real, I want to say it cost about $45.

Sounds like you should be fine...

post some pictures once you start catching them.

 

[pcray1231]

As for everyone, I think the first thing to ask is "what is your idea of a small stream". You'd think we'd all agree but then people give examples, and you find that everyone is working from a different frame of reference. For instance, there are those who are used to fishing rivers, like the Lehigh, Delaware, or Yough, and they call Penns Creek a medium sized stream and Spring Creek a small stream. There are others (like me), who often fish little mountain freestoners full of native brook trout, and they consider Spring Creek a large stream, and Penns Creek essentially a river.

Coming from a bass background, I'm half suspecting that your idea of "small" may be larger than most of ours. And that would change the recommendations considerably.

 

[Fishidiot]

pcray1231 wrote:
Coming from a bass background, I'm half suspecting that your idea of "small" may be larger than most of ours. And that would change the recommendations considerably.

Good point and worth considering.

Mikey,
Welcome to the PAFF forums. My advice would be to stay away from any fly rods smaller than 4WT. They are essentially specialty rods and probably not what a beginner should start with.

 

[csoult]

My 2 cents..... Get an 8'-6" 4-5wt you can fish any steam in pa with this rod, this will allow you to be more versatile. I fish some pretty small streams and until recently this is the only rod I had. Sure it would have been nice to have smaller rod at times, but I could not even imagine fishing the larger streams with a smaller rod than the 8'-6".

 

[MKern]

8'6" 4 or 5 wt. is perfect as mentioned.
For leader/tippet, but a tapered leader (7.5 foot 4X) and a spool of 4x and 5x tippet. Get Rio powerflex; it's cheap and a very basic, yet reliable tippet. Attach the 5x to the end of the leader.

As far a reels, $65 is about right for a trout reel. Get a good line; expect to pay about $50 on the line. Get a weight forward.

For flies, if they sell it, it will catch fish. However, your standard bead head nymph (insert favorite pattern here) will work. For dries get something that you think will float; so you can see it.

Other esentials: fly box (get compatements, rippled foam doesn't last long), backing (who cares, you'll never see it again), floatant (gink), and slipt shot.

 

[mikeyfish303]

thanks for the replys im going to head down to a shop with my buddy and see if i can find something if i do ill be sure to post up with what i get when i get back

as far as being a small stream im talking most of them being 5 to 6 feet wide some maybe ten at most i will get out on some bigger stuff but 90% of my time would be in streams less then 10 foot across

 

[pcray1231]

For those streams, 7'6" is about ideal. The rule of thumb is to go as long as you can, but not longer. With longer rods, casting in tight places, as well as walking along the stream, become troublesome with long rods.

On thicker streams, sometimes even shorter is nice. If it's more open, you can get away with something around 8'. But 7'6" is a nice go-to length for those streams.

Ryan is right, though, that it's very short for any trips you may make to larger waters. So if you plan on also fishing those, the ideal is to plan on getting yourself specialist rods for each situation. If you're on a budget like most of us, a jack of all trades approach would put you at 8' or 8'6".

For the small stream, 7'6" rod, my personal preference is to get a 4 or 5 wt, and even overline it with a 5-7 wt line to help load it at close range. I like power, tight loops, to get under brush and stuff. But even among experts, there's disagreement there, some like softer rods and lighter line weights, which allows even a 6" brookie to show off and put a good bend in the rod.

 

[bam]

PM sent

 

[gulfgreyhound]

The rod is the delivery system so don't go cheap. Line is the deliverer so better is the way to go,reel, pretty much just holds the line. To me a 5 wt 8/6 or 9 ft is the deal.
If it were me I'd check the pawn shops. I've gotten some deals there. GG

 

[Cornholio]

If you like bass fishing try warm water fly fishing. I find it to be more rewarding than trout fishing but that's just me. A 6w is a good choice for bass and any wf floating or sinking line will serve you well depending on your water. Cork poppers, marabou streamers, and any crayfish pattern will work well. Smallies and large mouths will also smash hoppers in the summer months.

 

[littlelehigh]

When you get yourself a rod PM me and I ll send you a hand tied leader and a few trout flies to get you started.



A cabelas Cahill series rod and reel is a perfect starter set up for less than $100. Don't spend more than you have to get started