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mikemus725

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Hey guys I've been taking a look at this site and reading the posts for a while now and really learning a lot. I haven't fly fished yet but am really looking forward to it. I am heading to Cabela's in Hamburg shortly and looking to get a good but relatively inexpensive fly fishing outfit (although I am aware the equipment is not cheap) I am looking for recommendations on what I should get while I am there, fly rod, reel, combo, fly's, leaders, tippet and anything else you think I could be missing. Thanks! Oh and I also need to learn how to cast so I'm prob gonna start out at a local stream.
 
P.S. I'll be using it to fish for trout in PA streams mainly Valley Creek and some of the stocky streams in and close to Philly.
 
Here's a reasonable combo...

http://tinyurl.com/2kpjdv

It comes with all of your line and backing, as well as a few flies.

I'd get that for starters, as well as some knotless tapered leaders. 9' 5x should do the trick for that.

Get some spools of tippet, 3x through 6x. There are always debates about which brands are best there, so just pick one. I prefer orvis superstrong. When buying tippet, be sure to buy all of your spools of the SAME BRAND. That way, you will know that they will blood knot to each other nicely.

I'd also get a few dozen hare's ear and pheasant tail nymphs, elk hair caddis, and adams flies. Aside from that, I'd find a local fly shop to get more specific patterns. I'd also pick up some panfish flies and find a farm pond to practice.

A good pair of hemostats or forceps, and perhaps a wheel of split shot will also come in handy.

That's all I can think of that you will definitely need to get started.

You will be fine to carry your gear in a small bag, but if you find you enjoy it, prepare to invest in a good vest or chestpack and some waders.

Once you've got your stuff, post it all here. We can help you to rig it and get you ready to get some fish. You'll need to learn a few knots and whatnot, and this is the best place to do it.



EDIT:

Valley is TOUGH. Be prepared to get skunked a good bit, but it's worth it. I'm in west philly and fish it often.
 
Do you know anyone who fly fishes? If so, get them to teach you to cast before you buy anything. Then you can try a few rods at Cabelas.

A few other thoughts.

Your first rod should probably be an 8'6" 5 wt.

Depending on what you consider cheap, think about getting a combo with a Prestige Plus reel. I haven't used one, but a number of other posters like them.

If you live near the Wissahickon in Ft Washington, buy a few stimulators and hit the sunnies. They aren't big, but they'll teach you how to hook a fish.
 
Ian's right. I forgot to mention which rod to get.

Also, learning to cast before you go is a good idea. They will let you try them out if you wish, but you need to know how to cast first.
 
As far as the Cabelas setup goes, I think it's a good choice for a good amount of gear at a reasonable price. I've got one of those setups for steelhead and the rod performs well, I've been happy with it. You should look around though because you might find that you can get just as much for a little bit more and also better equipment.


I've found two schools of thought when buying a first fly fishing setup...one is to get something less expensive and something that you'd eventually replace or use as a backup. The other is to bite the bullet up front and buy something you'd grow into. Do whichever is within your price range, but look around and cast some rods FIRST.

If you can, before you go to cabelas, hit a local fly shop and see if you can cast a few rods. For one thing, you'll pick up a few pointers as to how to cast, and secondly, you'll get to have a feel for some different rods. Pick a rod based on the one that feels best in your hands when casting and is also within your price range. Medium-Medium fast is my guess as to what will serve you best right now, but again, it's all dependant on what feels best to you.

As an example to illustrate my points....a buddy of mine got into steelhead fishing and bought a cheap noodle rod because he wanted something cheap. The rod casts horribly, has horrible action and is basically taking up space in his house. I call it the Sequoia because it's large and has NO action at all. After one use, he's never used it again, it's that bad. Don't make that mistake.

Also, you'll need some floats, so make sure you pick up some of those too according to the size of the stream and flies you're tossing.

As for tippet and leader, I prefer flourocarbon. It's costly yes, but it's very good in low and clear conditions, so I figure why buy mono and flouro. I will say though, that I always have a few mono leaders to either use in a pinch or when conditions don't require me to use flouro. I still use flouro tippet and really like the Orvis brand based on price and quality. Climax, Rio, and Cortland are also good. Frog's Hair is great, but also more costly. I'm sure others will have other recommendations but flouro works good for me.
 
Ahhhhhhhh!!ANOTHER, "member of the bother/sisterhood about to go broke!! Welcome!
My only suggestion to you, from someone that went broke, years ago, when he, too, didn't know any better than to get involved with flyfishing......... is to "READ, READ,READ, just about anything you can get your mitts on, BEFORE you go and buy even your first fly. Let, alone, a rod/reel/line combo. Grab a few issues of "Fly Rod and Reel", "Flyfisherman". etc. mags at the news stands, then perhaps read "Trout Madness; by Robert Traver.
I only make this suggestion, so you can get a sampling idea of what Flyfishing is all about, more or less. Please, do not, go into this beautiful "religion", thinking that "the better I own, price wise, the better caster, tyer, catcher of fish...... I'll be". It, just ain't so!
I, DO, urge you to not start with the "Dime Store Breed" of gear, as in almost anything, "cheap can be discouraging". Don't go got broke, either, but begin with "GOOD", serviceable gear, when first choosing your rod, line and reel.
Visit a reputable fly shop, NOT a mass retailer, for your first outfit.
I believe, that anyone can get onto the water, learn the sport well, catch fish and have a ball................ for less than $300.00
All of the above, is strictly my own opinions and ya' know what they say about "opinions and anatomy"!!
But, whatever you do, whatever level you start out with, DON'T be afraid to do one, extremely important thing, which you've obviously already started, doing.............."ask questions, and then ask MORE questions!! You'll find that you've chosen a past time where like no where else, will you ever find more people that are more than happy to give you all the help you'll ever need!!
Ask questions, here on these great boards, or even email any of us directly!
Good Luck, Welcome and have a great time!!
 
Get lessons :pint:
 
Personally, I think you should start with a 9' 5 weight. It's the most functional and forgiving. Cabelas rods are quite nice and surprisingly stable for the price. I'd stick with the prestige. The cheaper stuff casts like a telephone pole.

If you can't afford lessons, at least get a good video. -- I started casting by watching a scientific anglers VHS called "Introduction to Fly Fishing." I was young and there was simply no one around to teach me.

I also started fly fishing on a small lake -- which is actually not a bad way to begin. You don't have to understand elaborate mends and you can get used to setting hooks on sunnies and bluegill. Both of these species can be loads of fun to pursue with a fly rod.

You also aren't far from Downingtown Orvis which provides free seminars every once in a while -- there's a series coming up in late September.

Welcome!
 
I'll second the 9ft for the same reason...forgiveness. A longer rod is easier to cast and 6 inches isn't gonna get you into a small stream any better than a 9. When you need that extra 5 ft of cast you;ll wish you had a 9. Makes roll casting and reaching easier as well.

Doesn't have to be a lake...I learned a ton on Maiden creek below Blue Falls catching Crappies and Bluegill...first place I ever caught fish on my own flies as well. That was 20 years ago...

BTW...mike....if you let us know what part of the state you're in, I don't think anyone will be giving away any secrets by tell you a good blue gill hole.
 
If you know someone who already fishes, fish with them for a few trips to see how you like it.

My best friend is a guide, and got me into the sport. Before I tried it I thought it would just be a small hobby, and I was going to go very cheap on getting all the gear (I was intimidated by the price factor when I first started).

However, my friend took me out a few times, and I realized that this was not going ot be just a small hobby, and decided to skip the "introductory" gear phase and get a good, but still modest pricewise, set of rod, reel, and waders. I fish 4-5 times a week now and am very glad with my decision to spend an extra $$ on better equipement.

My point being, you should see how you like it before buying everything. That way, you can avoid overspending if it becomes a small hobby, or underspending if it becomes a passion (or the stream becomes your mistress as I've heard some say).
 
About the casting video idea...

various searches on Youtube.com have turned up tons of information on fly casting. Check it out. Can't beat free!
 
As moderate priced rods go, I'm a big fan of the orvis Cleawater series. A number of them are on sale for less than $100 on the Orvis website. Also, remember the law of diminishing returns. IMHO - The difference between a $50 rod and a $100 -$150 rod is much large than the difference between a $200 rod and one costing twice as much.

My first rod was a Cabelas Traditional, and it cast like a broomstick. I didn't realize how bad it was until I tried a Clearwater. I took two casts on the back yard, tuned to my brother and told him "this is amazing; I can't cast this well."

Edit - I just checked, and the Clearwaters on sale are too heavy for a starting trout rod.
 
I think the guys have you on the right track to where you want to head a beginner. You'll learn many things along the way one of which is the action of your rod. I taught many students @ PSU both learned and unskilled the beginning stages of casting and found that most of them found it much easy to learn on a medium action rod. This will flex more in the middle of the rod which will help you tremendously because you can feel when the rod is loaded much easier than with a fast action. The cabelas rod's don't seem like a bad deal but I cannot speak to how they feel as I have never casted one. Temple Fork makes very affordable rods but best of all, and especially as a beginner you may have to use one, they come with an unconditional lifetime warranty. I believe Sage is the only other that carries this warranty but you will pay $175 for their starting model. Others have conditional 25 year which isn't bad but I would recommend getting something with a warranty on it. I've broken 3 rods and (redington) and I was thrilled to get brand new upgraded rods for $30 shipping. Much better than the $250 per rod I would have had to spend otherwise.

Also as far as casting goes, if you can find a local fly shop in your area I'm sure they'll give you a free lesson on casting. I bought some cortland line that came with a dvd that had good pointers for beginners and would be more than willing to send it to you. PM me if you're interested. The more you read and ask the faster you will learn. You'll be catching fish in no time!
 
Speaking as someone with slightly over two years FlyFishing experience who went the Cabelas route I would do it differently if I had to start over. What I should have done is go to my local Orvis dealer (where Sandfly happened to work) and take lessons while at the same time trying out several different rod actions. Going the Cabelas route I ended up buying a number of rods before I started getting a real feel for rod actions and settled on TFO TiCr rods as my choice. I probably spent as much on "throw away" gear as I would on a good Orvis rod. As someone mentioned Orvis does have an introductory priced rod series. Not to be critical of Cabelas rods, I've just come to understand the value of being able to go out back of the shop and make a few casts. (I own some Cabelas rods and I don't own an Orvis.)
 
tabasco joe,

I do believe that cabela's will let you cast their rods. Unless, of course, you bought them online or through the catalog.
 
jayL wrote:
tabasco joe,

I do believe that cabela's will let you cast their rods. Unless, of course, you bought them online or through the catalog.

I've been up there a hundred times and was not aware that they would let you cast one. I'll have to check that out next time. Still my point is that a beginner usually has flaws in his casting stroke that prevent much of a useful "feel". If a learned eye was helping it might be more productive. That's more likely to happen at a shop. Don't get me wrong, I love Cabelas and I have the Cabelas Visa Club bills to prove it! Just bought a rod, two reels, and line yesterday. TFO 8'6" 3 weight. I also may have bought a Cabelas FT rod if I could have cast it. They are on sale almost half price.
 
Wow, thanks you so far for all your tips and information. Other than Cabela's would you recommend any fly fishing shops near Philadelphia.
 
Check the list on the side of the page above...start with the closest..the locals will narrow it down for you from there I bet.
 
I just started a few months ago. I believe my method for buying gear was pretty sufficient.

First, buy your own stuff. If you borrow someone's two bad things could happen.

1. You could damage their equipment
2. You will get frustrated, because chances are, you won't be catching many fish at first. If you are using someone else's stuff, you won't feel obligated to keep trying.

Go to a fly shop or cabela's or dicks and find a combo that has everything you need to start (at least 8' rod #5/#6 line weight, reel, backing, maybe some flies)

I got mine for $40. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't spend more for 2 reasons.

1. You are either going to love fly fishing or hate it. You will want an upgrade rod soon enough (even if you aren't catching fish), or be sorry that you spent the money. If you're probably going to upgrade soon anyway, why spend $100 on a cheapo rod.

2. If you ever want to let someone borrow your spare, you don't have to worry about it getting wrecked.

Make sure you have a level or Weight Forward line. Doesn't really matter at first which one. If you get a level line casting will be harder at first but you will be better at casting when you buy a Weight Forward (WF) line later.

Knowledge is more important than equipment. Buy a beginning fly fishing book. I would recommend Lefty Kreh's Ultimate Guide to Fly Fishing. Buy a fly tying book that has lots of pictures so you can start learning flies. I would recommend The Fly-Tying Bible by Peter Gathercole. These two have helped me a lot.

You will need to build an arsenal of flies. No way around spending $ there. Go to a fly shop though. Start out with popular flies.

Read a lot. Fish a lot. Keep trying. You will love it.


Any questions send me a message


JB
 
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