OT: Help me get started in flyfishing...

[JoshRoot]

So I have sort of been searching for something that my father-in-law and I would enjoy doing together. It's not that we're all so different, but he and his wife have settled into the "homebody" type of life in the 5-7 years that their kids have been out of the house. And all his previous "hobbies" sort of fell by the wayside when family and business got busy. I took up golf the other year, and so we're going to give that a try. He used to play a lot (mostly business golf) and enjoyed it. But his health issues may cause this to be more trouble than it is worth. Or at least relegate it to a "once in a while" option. He enjoys fishing and crabbing, but his version of that (as far as I know) involves long hot afternoons of drifting around trolling or waiting for the crab pots to fill. I love my inlaws, but 5 hours of 90 degree temps on a 18 foot open boat with no head/galley in 40 degree water is one of my ideas of death. So I haven't ever offered to go out on the boat with him.

But when I was over at their house the other weekend, he gave me a little lesson casting a fly fishing rod. It's something that I have been curious about for some time, and to my surprise, I wasn't bad (at least not for someone who had never tried casting before in his life). not only that, but I found the rhythmic casting motion to be a lot of fun and somehow meditative.

So I'd like to learn more.

I know little to nothing about fly fishing except what he told me in my 20 minute lesson and what I've read in the "L.L. Bean guide to fly fishing" that I checked out from the local library. I was able to scrounge up a cheap-o 6/7 wt 3 pc Pfleuger rod and reel from a friend. So I've been playing around by casting some old fly line in my back yard.

Any suggestions on learning? Does anyone have an instructional video or DVD that they would want to loan/sell? Or at least one to suggest? I'm going to hunt around for a fly fishing shop that offers classes or lessons. But I live in a pretty small rural town, and I'm not sure how easy that will be.

God knows I don't have the money to get into another expensive hobby. Thankfully, golf came almost free (as far as equipment goes) because of hand-me-downs from my grandfather. But how much will I have to spend to get a rod/reel/case that I could learn on (and isn't a total piece of junk)? What makes a decent rod? Will this Pfleuger rod work?

Just looking for a little help. And it appeared that there were a number of fly fishermen on the forum.

 

[JoeFriday]

the L.L. Bean materials are actually very good.. I learned a lot about casting by reading one of those

Jan is going to be the guy who can probably help you out the best.. and chances are you won't have too much of a hard time finding a fly shop in your area.. the Pacific Northwest is packed with them.. more as you get closer to the coast, I think

as for a low cost setup.. that's funny! I think I priced out a beginner setup once and it came in around $600 for a semi-decent setup.. you're looking at a rod ($100 minimum), reel ($50), line ($30), waders/boots ($200), fly box and flies ($40 to get started) and a handful of accessories like tippet, nippers, hemostat, etc. (about $50).. so it's not the cheapest hobby to have.. it's comparable to photography.. high initial cost, and a constant cost to keep going (like film, you have to keep replacing flies)

but as you already found out, it's an extremely meditative sport.. I can spend 6 hours on the water, and catch only 3 fish, but feel that there was no other way I'd rather spend the day

 

[BrianShaw]

Just looking for a little help. And it appeared that there were a number of fly fishermen on the forum.

May I sugggest that you cross-post to APUG. They might take the bait 😀

 

[JoshRoot]

May I sugggest that you cross-post to APUG. They might take the bait 😀

Hooray for silly puns.

Between photo.net and RFF, I have all the photography discussion that I need. So I don't get involved with the LUG or APUG or any other.

I know that there are a few fly fishers here, so I'm not likely to "strike" out.

 

[SteveM(PA)]

You should check out John Lurie's "Fishing with John" series. He goes fishing with folks like Jim Jarmusch, Willem DaFoe, Tom Waits...some priceless stuff in there. It's meant to be a take-off on fishing shows, but ends up teaching a lesson, that fishing can transform you, even if you're a dork fisherman like me.

http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=42

I just fish "regular." The connection to the water is such a high. Like Brett said, time spent fishing, especially with a friend, is time well spent. Have fun!

 

[ch1]

I'd suggest that you visit an Orvis store - but make sure your leave your credit card at home! 😉

Or you could just rent the movie A River Runs Through It and watch it with your Father-in-Law? 😀

Just kidding on the second suggestion - as to the first, I think Orvis is THE store for fly fishing and probably can steer you in the right direction.

 

[JoshRoot]

It does appear that there is an Orvis store east of Seattle in Bellevue.

As for the "River runs through it" suggestion, apparently my father-in-law used to have business dealings with the fellow who did the "stunt casting" for the movie.

 

[John Camp]

Orvis also runs lots and lots of fly-fishing classes, and not all are expensive (they figure they're going to get you on the merchandise end -- it's like getting "free" rangefinder lessons from Leica.) But you don't necessarily have to trout fish and gets waders and all that, etc. You can also fish for bass and panfish, and it's commonly done. It's not especially cheap, though. I'd say, about like golf. Maybe you oughta get him interested in rangefinders and street photography...it's an interesting hobby that he could do forever, and not necessarily strenuous...

JC

 

[Graham Line]

There ought to be a Fisherman's Supply up in Seattle; there are a couple down here in Portlandopolis. Merchandise is good enough and cheaper than Orvis, CountrySport and the other gentlemen's shops.
Most fly shops offer some cheap lessons on fishing and tying. You might want to spring for a guided trip or two to learn the local water. Except for transport, most of the costs are up front. Angling for browns and rainbows is cheaper than trolling for Leicas.

 

[JoshRoot]

Maybe you oughta get him interested in rangefinders and street photography...it's an interesting hobby that he could do forever, and not necessarily strenuous...

I don't think so. For me, photography isn't a "buddy" activity. It's something that I do alone for the most part.

There ought to be a Fisherman's Supply up in Seattle; there are a couple down here in Portlandopolis.

Fisherman's Marine & Outdoor seems to be a PDX only store. Their website just lists the two Oregon locations. Unless that isn't the place you were thinking of.

Anyone have any suggestions for used fly gear? ebay? I wouldn't even know what to look for.

 

[Graham Line]

That's the one. Could have sworn they had a shop up there. At any rate, shop around the sporting goods stores and so of before you put money down, 'cause prices vary a lot. There used to be a decent one in Ballard, but I can't remember the name any more.
I have a nice picture somewhere of about 80 beginners lined up along the Henry's Fork in NE Idaho, all practicing their cast in the same 100 yards of river.

 

[JoeFriday]

any decent fly shop will be more than happy to set you up.. all you need to do is wander in and say "I'm thinking about starting fly fishing".. just about every shop I've checked out has had at least one friendly and helpful guy who will spend hours telling you what you need and how to use it

notice that I keep saying "fly shop".. not 'fishing store'.. if they sell mostly spincasting tackle or bait, chances are fly fishing isn't their cup of tea and they'll give you the same look RFers get in most camera stores... "oooooh, you're one of those guys who likes to do things the hard way"

I can recommend a really good fly shop in Portland, but I'm not sure they have any other locations.. but still, Washington state has some of the best fly fishing in the country, so there are going to be about 500 fly shops in a two hour drive

feel free to PM me for specific info on anything

 

[SRMC]

I'm surprised there aren't a large number of flysfishing stores in your area. As Joe said, most offer relatively inexpensive lessons. I've concluded that these are to get you hooked 🙂 and you'll move on to better gear and guided trips.

Scientific Angler has a video series that teaches everything from basic casting to more advanced techniques. Watching a video is ok, but I benefitted far more from a $50 lesson from one of my local shops . . . I just have yet to make it out on the water. Lately I've just been taking my 4yo daughter out with spinning gear, so I haven't put my fly casting skills to the test.

I'm lucky in that in my area I have:
http://www.flyfishingspecialties.com/template/home.asp?sublink=home
http://kiene.com/
and
http://www.americanflyfishing.com/retail/common/shop/store_home.asp?store_id=201

There are always http://www.cabelas.com and Bass Pro, but I still like to direct my business to the locals as they are a wonderful resource, give excellent service and support., and have always had competitive prices.

The message board on Kiene.com may be a good source of inexpensive gear from reputable folks.

Take care,

SRMC

 

[onespeed]

fishin"

fishin"

Josh , patricks on eastlake right down from louisas oldest shop on the west coast i think. stay away from orvis ( lifestyle stuff here) avid angler by 3rd place books in lake city ,creekside in issaquh?sp I could keep going but drop me a line for casting lessons I have been flycasting since i was 9 as for gear last summer saw me get rid of a couple of rods i do not use any more but don't fret there are tons out there start with a 5 wt combo ,does not have to be high priced get a good line your main cost will the ongoing need to buy flies oh yeah ace hardware in oak harbor has a good stock and i think there is a shop in everett too just about any town near a river in washington has some sort of flyshop in it alas the shop in mt vernon closed about 4 years ago but again ace hardware in mt vernon
now a diferent subject all together want to sell me back that r2 body?
Robert,

 

[JoshRoot]

Ah Robert,

You'll be hearing from me! PM ahoy! You too JoeFriday!

 

[StuartR]

I learned how to cast pretty much as soon as I could hold a rod, so I don't know any books or anything to suggest proper form, but I will say that fly fishing is one of the most relaxing, pleasant ways to spend a summer day I can think of. It is great other seasons as well, as long as you can stay warm and dry...but in the summer, standing up to your knees in a cool stream in the woods is just fantastic. I would also highly recommend finding a fly-fishing store and see what they have to recommend. Most fly-fisherman tend to be very easy going and helpful. They may not tell you their favorite spots right away, but they should help you find out where to learn. Once you get a rod and reel (again...I don't have much advice since my rod and reel are both about 20 years old), you can practice casting in a yard, field, or anywhere you have a wide open space where you are not going to hit someone in the face. A little practice will save you a lot of time in tangles, lost flies and general annoyance when you are on the river.
If you are really serious, find out a bit about the streams you are trying to fish in. Fly fishing is really about matching the hatch...that is making the fake fly on your line look like and behave like the insects (and sometimes minnows, eggs, crayfish etc) that are in the river at the time. The fishermen who are the most successful are the ones who can recognize what the fish are feeding on at the time, and then match his fly and the way he fishes it to that. Otherwise it is just a crap shoot. When in doubt, use a wooly bugger.

 

[butch]

IMO, you're practice in the yard is the best approach to learning. Just remember, elbow of casting arm near the body. Start at 10 o'clock, back to 2, let the rod load, then back to 10 and drifting down to 9. That's the basics, but as in "A River Runs Through It" shows, all develope their own method. You'll learn more knots than a sailor. Look for a pamphlet that teaches the "uni-knot". It works for most uses. Blue-gills are best to learn on since you don't have to have as much finnesse to catch them. A few Round Dinnies #6 or #8 will be all you need in bugs. Pinch down the barb or carry an a__hole opener. A hungry Blue-gill will swallow a popper out of sight. Then you'll be ready to take on the more elite varieties. Good luck in your pursuits.