# New To Fly Fishing



## zippo (Apr 11, 2011)

Well I am 100% new to the idea of fly fishing. And i need help. A buddie of mine told me that you can fly fish for pretty much you can spin fish for. Is this true?

Also my dad used to actually used to tie many flys and thats what supported our family, but well with him its more start slow and it will come. So before he will show me any thing i got to read Trout Bum, and that siries. I have no problem with this but I still want to see what i can learn before he shows me his tips and tricks.

So I went to walmart and got the Shakespeare starter fly rod setup, I know this is a cheap set up but i figured i will learn on crappie stuff before i go and drop $400 for a decent set up.

My Main questions are, where in the Lima Delphos area can i get fly tackle? Or am i better to get stuff the net?
With the Auglize and Ottawa river round here with smallmouth bass what are some good flys for bass? Or better yet for fly fishing ohio what would be a good bulk buy of flys to start off with?


----------



## ARReflections (Jan 7, 2011)

Clouser minnows, wooly buggers and for panfish, improved Mcginty and improved black gnats and crappie candy...


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

zippo said:


> Well I am 100% new to the idea of fly fishing. And i need help. A buddie of mine told me that you can fly fish for pretty much you can spin fish for. Is this true? *Absolutely. Even more species than other, more traditional tackle*
> 
> Also my dad used to actually used to tie many flys and thats what supported our family, but well with him its more start slow and it will come. So before he will show me any thing i got to read Trout Bum, and that siries. *Sounds like an awesome dad. * I have no problem with this but I still want to see what i can learn before he shows me his tips and tricks.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately I can't help you with fly shops in your area. I can definitely recommend black buggers, olive buggers & white clouser minnow patterns as tried & true fish catching machines. If your dad won't give you some, maybe he can teach you how to tie the clouser minnow. Between those 3 flies, it's hard not to catch fish on Ohio streams. 


Seems your dad is the guy you need to talk to, but if he's not gonna show you the ropes (read the book!) then start practicing your casting as soon as possible. I would think reading water would come after that. 

So you learn where the fish sit in current, you learn what patterns mimic natural food for them & then how to accurately get your fly into position so it swims by them naturally & you're done... Sport mastered, on to the next one!


----------



## wabi (Jun 14, 2008)

I've been fly fishing for a few years now and I live in a rural area where there are no fly shops or people to help me learn.
The internet has provided my instruction along with countless hours of practice and fishing.
It's not that hard to learn the basics, and I haven't picked up a spinning rod since I bought my first fly rod! I might add that I have actually caught as many or *more* fish with the fly rod as I ever did with spinning tackle!

The fly rod isn't the perfect method for every situation, I still use a baitcast outfit for some situations (catfish), but the fly rod(s) are my #1 method for fishing and I fish almost every day when there isn't ice on the water.

I'd suggest watching a few youtube instructional videos on basic casting then practice. If you have a problem seek help on the web or from someone you know to solve it before you develop bad habits.

I might add that a cheap rod isn't always the best way to learn. I started off with a cheap rod and had to watch my line throughout the cast to keep my timing close enough to be effective. I was working for a man and woman (I'm a self-employed plumber) who knew I fished, and they asked if I fly fished. I told them yes, and they gave me a rod that had belonged to the lady's first husband and had been setting in the closet since he died years earlier. It was an early Sage rod and I was astonished the first time I cast it! No need to watch the line, I could actually feel the rod load! 
I'm not saying all inexpensive rods are junk, but some of them are pretty poor quality. On the other hand, I bought my son a discontinued model in the form of an outfit (Redington) last winter, and I was impressed with the quality and balance (well matched rod-line-reel) for a "package deal".

My advice is get out there and practice! If you have a problem seek help ASAP. You might find your spinning outfits are soon gathering dust.


----------



## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

If you have a Gander Mntn in your neck of the woods, they carry an assortment of stuff for the everyday fly angler. Line dressing is a must,a few inicators. Some people suggest tippets.I been doing this all my life and i just carry some small spools of 6,8,12 lb line on me.Dont worry about getting too technical. I have a Scientific Anglers 8 wt i use for steelhead and it has worked awesome for me.Along with a cortland large arbor reel. I also use a two handed fly rod,but thats later! As for smallie flies...i use rabbit strip sculpin patterns and you cant go wrong with larger poppers. All i use on the Grand. For largemouth i use the same but long rabbit strip with coneheads are fun. I tie my own flies but would never buy from a commercial store. Support your local area flytiers. Also Craig Lewis at Erie Outfitters.


----------



## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

wabi said:


> I've been fly fishing for a few years now and I live in a rural area where there are no fly shops or people to help me learn.
> The internet has provided my instruction along with countless hours of practice and fishing.
> It's not that hard to learn the basics, and I haven't picked up a spinning rod since I bought my first fly rod! I might add that I have actually caught as many or *more* fish with the fly rod as I ever did with spinning tackle!
> 
> ...


I have no reason to reply, this is exactly what I would have said. So..._that_ X2! 

My closest fly shop to Athens is in Parkersburg, WV, which is a decent drive for me. I'm entirely self-taught when it comes to fly fishing and tying, so I'm sure there's a lot that I do that is not "technically correct," but I can get the job done.


----------



## ngski (Aug 16, 2005)

If your fishing for panfish/bass start out with small poppers, anything with a rubber legs or buy flies from your dad, he should be able to tie ya up some. Pay him a few bucks for some flies, keep it in the family.

Guess the closest to you as far as retail would be in Toledo area, you have the bass pro shop, and jann's netcraft. Jann's has some flies but not much, better off shopping over at bass for flies, Jann's has a decent selectioin of materials for tying.

You can check the Gander's, but there fly selection is scarce think they are giving up on carrying anything substational for fly fisherman.


----------



## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

If you go to

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/

They have a bunch of wonderful info for beginners. Not just how to tie but this is a wing, this is how and why it should be this big. This is hackle...etc.etc. Its really good check it out.

And everyone started out making some kind of sponge spider. Make some stuff like that before your tying royal wulffs. And slightly bigger ones will kill those smallies in your rivers.

and if you havent really flyfished at all go to a farmpond with some bluegills. Even if you can barely cast past your rod you can catch something. Plus you can try some different stuff and get some feedback because your catching fish. Catch some on sponge spiders then try floating flies then throw a beadhead and strip it back. bluegills will help you get a feel for what a bite on a beadhead or nymph feels like.


----------



## LearningtoFly (Apr 2, 2011)

That's a nice website. Thanks for sharing that!


----------



## zippo (Apr 11, 2011)

EGAH! So much information to handle, brain going into over load. 

I like yall fly fishers, Because i poseted in the 'spin' section of this site and it took a good long while before i got a reply, here I get many in uinder 24 hours.  But I want to thank y'all for all the advice so far, and I have been scouring the net for information (Good read for Fly Bass fishin) Now thats not a 'how to fly fish site' but the author made me chuckle a few times. And surprisnly i have found a lot of good information out there. And i learned that i have been casting wrong. 

But I have been practicing out in the yard (lawn mower is gonna love the very small jig heads i was using.) And well I have actually been pretty accurate (with in 6'') of where i wanted the jig to go. My biggest thing is insted of doing the over head cast, over my head, i have been doing the same motions out to the side (from many years of spin casting) But the biggest thing i knoticed is i havent been letting the line load the rod, something that i know i need to fix. 

So today my buddie took me to Mijiers and they have a small slection of flies. But he set me up with some dry flies, wet, and poppers. and some foam things called Brim Killers. (little spider ant looking things) So I will use these untill i actually figure out what does what and what not and go from there.

But for now i will figure out what flies do what and order them off the net. Or if an ohio tyer has a website from him. Untill my day blows the dust off his tying gear because he hasnt tied a fly in 19 years.... 

But Tomarrow after class im going to the lima resivor and see if cant get some brim to bite. They will most likely look at me and be like 'Who the heck is this guy who keeps waving that stick around?'. And once the waters recide in the Ottawa river im going to try and catch a creek chub.


----------



## Clayton (Oct 7, 2008)

For a good way to practice, get a few pieces of yarn and just tie them together with the end of your leader and cast that. That way you can see where it is going. Then throw a few hats down around your yard and practice casting to them


----------



## Rod Hawg (Jan 13, 2011)

Gills-Elk Hair Caddis's are great for Summer. Poppers are also good in the summer. As for now small Wooly Buggers. I've been fly fishing for over a year now. Caught a lot of fish on the Fly.

Bass- Decievers, Large Poppers, or anything that mimics a baitfish. 

If you need any flies P.M.


----------



## olderfer (Feb 2, 2009)

At age 71, I am also new to fly fishing.

Fortunately, a while back, I joined a local trout club. Other members helped me with casting, and now with fly tying. Of course I also use the Internet and the library.

To avoid mental overload, I am focusing on one pattern at a time. I started with wooly buggers, which can be tailored to catch a wide variety of fish; I am told that they are about as close to universal as a fly can get. In one to three hours a day I complete perhaps half a dozen flies ... slow but improving. 

Once I have a reasonable collection of wooly buggers, I'll move on to McGintys and gnats for panfish. I just bought materials today.

After a week or more of those, since we have a good smallmouth river nearby, I'm going to tie a batch of Clousers.

What comes next I do not yet know. But that's the plan: add one new pattern every week or two and then move on. Come fall I should "own" quite a few easier patterns and will be able to see ahead.

Jim


----------

