Anyone have recommendations for fly fishing gear or where to buy it? I want something I can disassemble and strap on my bike or pack. Last time I went fishing was about 35 years ago and I'm not exactly current on the state of the technology. I'm looking for good fish-a-day quality but not necessarily the state of the art. But it would be interesting to hear about what is considered the state of the art.

Thanks!

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...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

I was looking into fly fishing gear a while back. I still haven't gotten into it, I don't have the time or money right now. Here is what was recomended to me. A 5-6 weight pole that is 8 feet long-a good all around weight and length for a beginners pole.
I see you are from Seattle so I assume you are going to be fishing mostly for Trout, Salmon, and Steelhead.

I went to a fly shop in Eugene, OR when I was there and asked the clerk what a beginner should have, and of coarse he had the set up for me. It came with the rod the reel and rang in at about $175-$200. I was also recommended to Cabelas by a fly fisherman I know. You can get a pretty good setup from them for about the same price.

Good luck, let us know what you get and how you like it.

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It depends really what you want to spend and use it for. A standard stream rod would be like an 8 1/2ft, 5-6wt. This would be good for trout, and light bass work. Orvis makes a few that are 5-6 peace rods for easy storage and carry.

However if you fish small streams like I do, and want a rod that can lay down a 9ft 7x Mirage leader then an Orvis Superfine is hard to beat. I have a 7ft 4wt that weighs only 1 ounce. I can roll cast that thing into the tightest streams with low overhangs. I absolutly love this rod and will take it to my grave, it has a little Battenkill reel that is pretty sweet as well.

If you are thinking about fishing salt then the costs will be higher because you need a good reel. I don't really like my saltwater combo all that much, next I'll get a Zero Gravity rod with a Loop, or Tibor reel. I want a water proof drag!!

Figure between $200-$1,300 for a freshwater combo and $500- $1,500 for something for saltwater work.

Cabelas is hard to beat for a cheap but good quality beginners combo. However if you want state of the art, Orvis, Sage, G Loomis ect make some amasing rods. For reals Tibor, Able, Orvis, Van Staal, Redington are good choices.

My favorite line is Cortland 444, WF4F for my small stream combo. Spend money on good line, it casts and lays out much better then the cheap stuff.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Before the Laurasian supercontinent broke-up, I used to backpack and fish a lot. I bought a 2-section, 7 ft rod rod on which I could put an ultra-light Mitchell reel or a fly reel. I carried a lttle book my mom made for me that had heavy felt leaves, between each leaf I could place a lot of flies or hooks or a few spinning lures. I guess it had 8-10 leaves. Very light and flexible allowing easy packing.

the rod was a piss-poor spinning rod (too whippy) and a piss-poor fly rod (too short & stiff). But the virtue of trading fishing methods was great. We were high in the San Juans or Estes Park so ponds were generally small and creeks were narrow and twisty. Back then we could have a campfire, which is probably illegal now-a-days. I carried a roll of Al foil that we'd wrap two layers around the gutted fish and bury it in the coals for 5-10 minutes. Gawd those fish were delicious. Are they really the finest flavored fish on Earth or is it faded roses from days gone by?

B

I have two Redington two piece setups, one with el cheapo Redfly reel and one with Loomis Adventure reel. They're #6/7 and #8/9 respectively. Your reels are going to get banged up a lot I learned so don't spend too much on them. The cheap reels can be had for $50. They're noisy, you can't adjust the drag, they're generic black, but they get the job done. Get a 4 piece setup. I'd forgo the wimpy stuff if I were you just because you're in Washington. Go for Salmon.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

No faded roses. I read on the 'lectric innernet that meat cooked and consumed within sight of where it was harvested DOES taste measurably better!!!

Agreed. That will take more than a cheapo fly reel and non-adjustable drag or you'll be using that reel to pull in a progressively shorter and shorter tippit.

I borrowed an Orvis 8W and some reel with an adjustable disk drag for stalking Cohos in Kodiak. They were less than 2 miles from Ugak Bay and 5 from the Gulf of Alaska. They were strong, fresh fish. Hooking one was like tying onto a submarine; that drag will NEVER be the same...

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Thanks again for all this great feedback!!!

There is an alpine river and lots of smaller brooks that are by our place in the stix. One of the local native American tribes started a fish restoration project last summer. This is in addition to the other fish stocking efforts. They put in breeding stock of what I think are sockeye and rainbow trout. I have pix of the salmon and will dig em out. In addition to that there are trout in some of the alpine lakes that I visit. I thought it would be fun to do some c&r. The key is to keep the broken down kit both light and fairly short. I don’t want the pack to snag anything while moving through the old growth or bushes. I know there are 4-5 piece poles and that is perfect.

As an aside, how do trout get to alpine lakes? These are at the 6,000 level and have no notable stream leading to them. Plus they survive with over 10’ of snow over the frozen lake surface all winter. It is amazing that they are even there, let alone in some reasonable abundance

A friend from school sent me a bunch of flies that he tied. He is the most extraordinary fisherman I've ever had the pleasure to spend time with. Been doing it since he was a child and he will get a strike something like 18 of 20 casts and lands most of them.

BTW there is a reference above to a “5-6 weight” pole. What does that mean?

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

That is the weight of the line. In fly-fishing, the size of the reel the resistance of the rod and the weight of the line must be matched or your casting will become more difficult. A balanced system will be much more rewarding than a mismatched one. The smaller the # the lighter the tackle and the shorter the casts.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

Cool. Does the weight have any relation to the size of the fish yer after?

Also on a calm day, what weight is suitable for say 30' toss, or cast, assuming a very small fly?

Here's an example

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

The line itself will not inhibit large fish. A good quality leader and well tied knots are the key... and playing the larger fish rather than hauling them.

For 30' a #4 should be good on average. If most of your casts will be 30' and less you might want to get a #4 rod and reel but spool it with #5 line. On calm wind/water you'll want 10'-15' leader and the extra weight of the 'not much' line extended will help your casting.

Oh and remember to practice your casting, sans hook, in a nice clear area before hitting the stream. Strong pushes and pulls from 11:00 to 1:00 and let the line fully extend out straight before you begin to draw it back again.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

Gawd you can probably shoot 30' of line single haulin' off a spinning rod. 30' is nothing. Just keep the tip of your rod parallel while casting. Plus your tippet is already going to be around 7' so it's not that much. I'd get a #4/#5 or so if it's not too windy, maybe bigger in a freak hurricane. Bigger fish, bigger rod. Two handed rods for Steelhead. The size of the fly doesn't matter. Casting is all technique. You should get advice from the local fly shop. They've got the scoop on everything.

As for flyes, well, talking flys is a little like talking ski wax. Whole lot of theory and speculation and no concrete way to measure the results.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Now this is where the art comes in, typical Trout weights are 4,5,6. Now you can get a 5wt rod and put 6wt line on it to change the casting characteristics. By going one weight up you will load the rod more causing it to flex more during a cast. This lets you take a stiff rod and turn it into a mid flex, and lay some delicate casts with it. However if you start with a pretty flexable rod you probably do not want to put a heavyer line on it.

If my memory serves me line "weight" refers to how many grams the first 30ft of line weighs. Weight has more to do with the type and size of flies you plan to cast. For example if you are casting little size 20 or 22 dry flies 0-4 weight is fine. But if you want to shoot a big bulky bass of blue fly through a stiff breeze 8-12 weight is better.

FYI they make 0-15 weight line afaik.

Their are also different types of line, for example I use WF4F on my Trout rod. This stands for weight forward 4 weight, floating. Their are sinking lines that sink at different rates, lines where only the tip sinks, lines that have different tappers up front for different presentations.

Fly fishing is an art, it takes 20 years of dedication before you can really begin to master it.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

So where and when is the fly fishing GTG?
I need lessons and a day on the stream.

__________________
-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831799-post13.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/831807-post14.html

I have always wanted to fish the keys! Any members down their with a flats boat want to host a GTG??

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Thanks for this explanation. But I still don’t get it. Is the use of the term “weight” for the resistance of the line to snapping or perhaps a reflection of the mass of 100’ of line? Or????

Am appreciative on the other pointers!

As suggested by many Cabela's has a nice package available



Here's the page for the kits http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0017452&type=pod&cmCat=catfeatflyfsh

What other stuff will i need?

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"