# newbie to fly fishin'



## grdhandyman (Oct 1, 2007)

Just got my first fly rod..8' shakespeare with a model 1094 reel. Just got done tying the fly line to it and am going to practice throwing tomorrow. I'd appreciate any websites or info that would help me with the transition...thanks all!!


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## tornwaders (Oct 2, 2007)

take a casting lesson or find a local club or fly fisherman to give you a good start. dont develop bad habits from the start. fly casting is really not that hard, with proper instruction from the beginning will make your life much easier in thre long run I know from experience. good luck!


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## Janus (Jul 26, 2006)

Remember to stop that rod near or a little past vertical on the backcast. Pick it up like you are thowing the line up and over you, like you are in a doorway w/ a paintbrush full of paint in your hand and you only want to splatter paint on the wall behind you and the wall in front of you...watch the line unroll before you go foward. If you come from a spinning background like I did the hardest part was not overpowering the rod. I finally went to a casting lesson and learned from ledslinger to let the rod do the work keep your arcs straight and short..that thing is long and flexible for a good reason.
this site has some good casting videos and other informationhttp://www.sexyloops.com/index.shtml:
Have fun it's really an enjoyable way to fish....down right spiritual.
PM me if you have any questions I'll help if I can or try and direct you somewhere that could.
Take Care,
Janus


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

once the back cast is made, say the phrase, "mccomb is a great place to live", at which point start you forward cast. this is assuming you have a moderate action rod, which is what you shoud begin with. 

start by stripping 20 ft of fly line, and casting a hookless fly into a bucket of water, once you've got that down, increase the distance by 10 ft at a time. 

this will get you started.


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## ngski (Aug 16, 2005)

Suggest you start out in a field where you can practice without tangling up in trees. Janus suggestion with the website is and excellent source, and just concentrate on the simple overhead cast. 

I spin cast for the longest time and making the transition over to fly fishing took sometime, but a few lessons with some instructions helped me out greatly. Just remember it's about rhythm, timing and finesse. Let the rod do the work and avoid breaking your wrist on the cast.


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## grdhandyman (Oct 1, 2007)

I have made the sexyloops site one of my favorites. A lot of good info there. One question that I have not found an answer for is how much line do you let out from the last eye to start the casting process?


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## grdhandyman (Oct 1, 2007)

One question that I have is how much line do you take from the last eye to begin casting?


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## Janus (Jul 26, 2006)

The common answer is usually 30ft because if you have weight foward line that is the length that will load the rod properly..But I found it hard to aerializethat much when I was starting to learn. I still feel more comfortable with about 20-25 feet out...sometimes less and just release line on the back and foward until it is at about 30. That's me though, I would say anywhere between 20-30. A good tip is when you find a length out that you really feel is perfect for loading your rod, and feel most comfortable with in the air mark the line with a sharpie where it meets the top of the cork grip that way you can have a reference and always strip out to that point. Hopes that helps a little bit.
Janus


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## grdhandyman (Oct 1, 2007)

I really want to thank you all for giving me all of your advice. I have started practice casting in my side yard tonight. Lots of mistakes, but when I got it right it really does feel right! The rod and line flows almost effortlessly, which is a completely different feeling than in bait casting. I really cant wait to do it for real! I appreciate your patience and help... again thank you!!


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## bigdaddyoh (Aug 14, 2007)

Janus said:


> A good tip is when you find a length out that you really feel is perfect for loading your rod, and feel most comfortable with in the air mark the line with a sharpie where it meets the top of the cork grip that way you can have a reference and always strip out to that point. Hopes that helps a little bit.
> Janus


Excellent advice. Another trick I read about, and use, is to tie a nail knot around your fly line at that point. That way you can feel it as you are letting line out with your false casts. If you are a spatially challenged, and have a hard time judging distances, like me, this also gives you an instant point of reference. Gee, I guess I am spatial after all. Good luck and have fun.


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## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

Very good advice given by all. Another thing to add or suggest is to use a cadence such as 123 on your cast. 1 being your back cast, 2 being the pause to load the rod and 3 being your forward cast. Another important habbit to get into is putting the line into your rod hand index finger every time you complete your cast. This will have you ready for a quick hit and will play an important role when you hit the water. Also use a peice of yarn in verying sizes to adjust your cast to the fly size you with be using. Lager yarn for big flies and smaller for smaller flies. Start with a 7 1/2' leader of a 3x to 5x for better controll. Fly cast is a smooth easy motion and should be done between 10 and 2 looking at the face of a clock. To improve your accuracy bring the rod back right between your eyes. This will give you a straight line to your target. There many tricks to help. You a wrist band or some sort of band. an old sock cut to a small band works well also. Place around your wrist then place the but of the rod into the band. This will keep you from breaking the wrist and dropping your rod tip on the back cast. Another trick is to use tip section of your rod with about ten feet of a thick yarn. Practice your cast with this set up and watch the loop and how the yarn lays out. This is nice because it can be done in the house. Keep practicing before heading to the water and this will help dramaticaly. Also keep in mind when do get to the water the line pick up off the water will create resistance on your back cast and will help with power because of the surface tension and resistance. Welcome to the dark side. Most important is to have fun with it. Cast for between a 1/2 hour and 45 minutes when practicing anymore and you can become a little frustrated when things are not coming together. Take a little break and then back to it. S


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## Janus (Jul 26, 2006)

great tips. Personally, I have found that accuracy is much more important than distance. If you can cast where you see the fish then you will catch more fish. I have not caught a fish more than 30feet away most are as close as 10-15feet. Some can cast to the backing with ease , I can't maybe I'm jealous..ha!...lay out some paper plates on the lawn an try and hit them...
stop when your arm gets tired it's all downhill from there.


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## Hummel (Apr 3, 2006)

practice, practice, and practice


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

might sound dumb but I watched a fly show and they said to say I'm from kansas on your back cast and that should be long enough for your line to unroll before you start your forward motion of the cast. actually it kinda works. now don't go screaming i'm from kansas when your fishing just say it in the back of your mind lol. or do what I do. just look back and watch it straighten out. if your arm gets sore you are trying to hard on the cast. the paint splattering effect is another good way to put it. when ya do it right the line should want to flow right through you fingers. watching a video is great also .I got some from the library. 10 to 2!!


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## chuckyp (Oct 23, 2007)

The other thing that rod and reel pack you purchased came with horrible fly line just FYI. I started with the same setup and once I purchased some decent fly line I noticed a huge improvement in casting. If you run your fingers down the line that came with the combo you will feel bubles and bumps etc... Its not the best stuff in the world. Just a little pointer.


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## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

a big help in timing the straightening of your backcast is to simply turn your head and look whats happening---keeping in mind that your natural tendancy is going to be to drop your rod lower when you turn (keep your rod high and in position where you abruptly stopped your backcast)---your forward cast will have to start just before your backcast is completely unfurled

the amount of line that you strip from your reel is determined by your ability---at this point its more important to get your loop/rod control and timing down and get consistant with casting basics while "carrying" various amounts of line while false casting


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## grdhandyman (Oct 1, 2007)

In reference to the comment about the fly line, I have noticed it isn't very smooth at all. To look at it, it seems ok, but running it between your fingers, you can defiantly tell it is rough. Since I am new at this, the line poundage goes with the size rod....right? I will be heading to my local tackle store to get a replacement spool. Might pick up some backing too, to fill the reel a bit. How many sizes of leaders should I have on hand? I know that the tippet size is determined by the fly size.


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## corndawg (Oct 24, 2007)

You might want to try some line dressing before plunking down big cash on new line. Even if you do buy new line you&#8217;ll still use the dressing for cleaning the line periodically. I&#8217;m no expert on casting but I&#8217;d like to add on to what ledslinger posted. Try using a &#188; stance and turn you body to the side just enough to be able to glance over your shoulder and watch your loop form on the back cast. After awhile you&#8217;ll know what the line is doing just by the feel of it laying out behind you. As far as matching the line with the rod I have heard of guys mixing it up such as 7wgt line with an 8wgt rod. I&#8217;ve never tried it but I&#8217;m thinking that the line would load faster. Maybe some of the more experienced fly guys will chime in on this.


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## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

To add to leadslingers suggestion you can acutually turn and cast parallel to your body and this allows you to easily watch your back cast. Link of your back cast as a forword cast, backwords. The two should be very much the same in terms of how the line reacts and lays out.
Relating to cordawg a good line will make a difference and should be a consideration. Be sure to check with your dealer as some line do not require dressing and can actually have a negative affect. the Orvis generation 3 wonder line is one example. It has a super slick coating that can be slowed down by dressing the line. Use a mixture of 75/25 water to mild soap and a soft cotten clothe the clean your line. As far as line wts are conserned you would be better serve moving one line up for example 5wt. rod 6wt line. THis will help load the rod better. 
Leaders and tippets should be matched to your quary and fly selection. Bigger wind resistan fly require short stiffer leaders such as a 3x 71/2 ft for smallies or bass fishing and flies and so on. Trout and other light line light fly fishing is when you get into longer leaders and lighter tippets. Allways down size when adding tippet. 5x leader add only 5,6,7,or 8x tippet. going the other direction ex: 5x leader adding 4,3,2,1 or 0x will actually hurt your casting as the leader will not perform properly. Backing is also a must, it will be there if you need and help fill out the spoon and quickens retrieve abit. Practicing with shorter leader is also very help full. Add a piece of yarn if in the grass or other and a fly if you are on the water. As always my main and most important advice take a lesson or get out with an accomplished caster. The best advice is being told what you are doing wrong in the cast so you can work on those aspects. Also don't put any pressure on your self just have fun and use the tools given by all the guys here and you will master the basics quickly and then be able to advance your skills with time. S


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