Fishing Forum

So a friend of mine got bored with fly fishing....
I snagged up all this for $100.
Now I just hafta learn to use it LoL!



I got 3 poles, 1 6 ft, 1 9 ft, 1 9 ft custom. Vest, net, rod holder, about 100 flies, and a few misc other things.

[sly]
[signature]

SCORE!!!!!!
[signature]

Sweet deal. Learning how to use it should be a great adventure you'll always remember.
[signature]

Oh I hope so! Seems like a lot to learn, wouldn't want to learn it all twice LoL!

Tippets... I snapped the only tippet he gave me. Can I use regular fishing line? Or is there something different about tippets?
[signature]

You "could", but I wouldn't. First, you'll want to get really good at tying the blood knot. Get you some tippet material (any decent fishing gear shop will have it). The size of the tippet material will depend on what size of fly you are using. I personally wouldn't feel complete without every size from 3x down to 7x. I don't typically need anything smaller than that. For starting out, maybe 5x would be small enough. There are charts available on line to help you know what to use but it will become second nature very quickly and you won't need the chart anymore.

Re-thinking (since you seem to be new to this), when you say "tippet", you aren't refering to the entire "tappered leader" are you? The tappered leader is different than the tippet. Being new, I don't know if you understand the difference.

My advice would be to hook up with some who has at least some experience and let them mentor you, pick up some books and read, perhaps watch a video or 3, and do some experimenting on your own.

Are you planning on fishing rivers or still water, because even though many things are the same, many things are different between the two. For instance, I rarely use a tippet smaller than 5x in still waters, but rarely use anything bigger than 5x in rivers. Not that I'm an expert or anything. There are a lot of folks on here much more qualified than I.
[signature]

Thanks Hunter.
I've been doing a little research, and everyone seems to agree: "don't cheap out on the line". So I'll get tippets.
And yes, I understand the "backing / leader / tippet" concept. I'm good with knots too, I did the blood knot with some regular line before I picked up the gear. Piece of cake! (If I can get my eyes to focus on something that small!)

It's crazy to think that a big ol' trout will snatch up some of those teeny tiny hooks!

I don't have many friends who fish. Only two who know how to fly fish, one in SLC, and one who really doesn't have the time or interest in throwing flies at the water (hence my bargain!). Everyone else I know prefers to sit on the riverbank and wait for the catfish to come to them.

Personally, I enjoy fishing too much to just sit there. I've been thinking about trying my hand at fly fishing for a while, but the initial cost was a bit intimidating, and I prefer to stay away from the uber-cheap entry level gear. It always seems to just frustrate me.
I know it's pretty near the end of "trout season", so I have plenty of time to learn a few tricks before I get out & get serious with my new fly poles.

Been watching some videos on youtube. There are some very informative ones out there!.
Maybe in the spring I'll look into a class at cabelas or something.
As far as shopping goes, my corner of the valley is pretty limited. There's wally world, and theres a small all-purpose outdoor shop, that didn't even have dry-fly when I went in.

BUT.... so far I've only lost two hooks and snapped one tippet, lol! Not too bad for a novice, right?
... I really need to ease off & stop "cracking the whip"....

How is fly fishing off a float tube or pontoon? Any harder than on shore?
[signature]

The only difference between tippet and normal fishing line is the tippet will be slightly smaller diameter than the normal mono equivalent. I have been fishing normal fishing line as tippet for a long time now and there is nothing different between the two other than what I said and price.
The slightly larger diameter line does not matter if you learn how to present a drag free drift, which will come with practice.

Congrats on the purchase. You got a great deal
[signature]