New to Fly Fishing

[TheFishSlayer]

Hello, 

I sold my boat a few years back and had hopes of being able to go fishing with my buddies now that they all have boats. Well that hasn't panned out so I have been throwing around the idea of trying out fly fishing. We camp quite a bit and when I had my boat I always wanted to take the boat and camp/fish. But we would need to bring two trucks and it just never really worked. 

Fast forward, we've been camping near rivers and streams more so I would take my usual casting tackle but I've never really had much luck because 99% of my gear and tackle are for Pan fish/bass, Walleye and wiper. I was watching some guys fly fish up stream a bit and it just looked like something I need to be doing instead of bank tangling. 

Last weekend we went up to Montana and stayed at this ranch for our anniversary. My wife and daughter scheduled a 2 hour horseback ride (I was going to go but the weight cutoff was 225 I'm 230). So I had 2 hours to kill. They had a fly fishing casting lesson so I figured what the heck. Might as well learn how to do it. I loved it. 

So today I am scouring the web trying to find a decent setup and find some starter gear. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I am about to pull the trigger on the Orvis Clearwater setup. 

What flys should I be looking to use? I plan on fishing around my local area (North Ogden) with trips to the Uintas. We love going up into the south slope near Hanna. Would love to learn what types of flies to  use and how to keep my eyes out for what bugs are hatching. 

Thank you

[gofish435]

I think you'll be happy with the Orvis setup.  If your mostly fishing streams I would say that a 9' 5 weight is a good all-around rod.  I grew up in Ogden so the South Fork of the Ogden, Blacksmith Fork, Logan, Weber, Little Bear River, Lost Creek, and any of the streams coming off the Uinta's are fun.

I used to mostly nymph fish so a hare's ear, pheasant tail, Montana nymph, prince nymph, renegade, and a San Juan worm are all good patterns to have in sizes 10 - 14.

Welcome to the fly flinger crowd.  I've been doing it for close to 40 years and only wished I had found out about fly fishing at an earlier age. 

[TheFishSlayer]

I think you'll be happy with the Orvis setup.  If your mostly fishing streams I would say that a 9' 5 weight is a good all-around rod.  I grew up in Ogden so the South Fork of the Ogden, Blacksmith Fork, Logan, Weber, Little Bear River, Lost Creek, and any of the streams coming off the Uinta's are fun.

I used to mostly nymph fish so a hare's ear, pheasant tail, Montana nymph, prince nymph, renegade, and a San Juan worm are all good patterns to have in sizes 10 - 14.

Welcome to the fly flinger crowd.  I've been doing it for close to 40 years and only wished I had found out about fly fishing at an earlier age. 

Copy that, Thank you for your response. I'm 46 and can tell I'll feel the same way.

[gofish435]

One of the things that I don't like about fly fishing programs on TV is they try to make it sound so complicated that a lot of people are scared to try it.  It's really no different than any other kind of fishing.  You have a few basic knots, learning the terminology, and just getting out there a fishing.

Good luck!

[richyd4u]

I think you'll be happy with the Orvis setup.  If your mostly fishing streams I would say that a 9' 5 weight is a good all-around rod.  I grew up in Ogden so the South Fork of the Ogden, Blacksmith Fork, Logan, Weber, Little Bear River, Lost Creek, and any of the streams coming off the Uinta's are fun.

I used to mostly nymph fish so a hare's ear, pheasant tail, Montana nymph, prince nymph, renegade, and a San Juan worm are all good patterns to have in sizes 10 - 14.

Welcome to the fly flinger crowd.  I've been doing it for close to 40 years and only wished I had found out about fly fishing at an earlier age. 

I agree with everything said here...luckily my father got my brother and I into fly fishing at a very young age nearly 40 yrs ago, and we have taken it to a whole other level over those last 40 yrs. I grew up in Davis County, so we had plenty of fly fishing options, but our favorites have always been for rivers the Weber and Provo (Green River if you don't mind the drive) and for lakes Strawberry, Daniels, Mill Hollow and Uintas. Now that I live in Southern UT, I fish primarily lakes and there are some KILLER lakes down here! You'll want a good 9' 5wt rod for floating line presentations, and then get ya a 9-10' 6wt for intermediate presentations on lakes down the road. Fly tying is the best part IMO, so if you want to get into that, start watching some youtube videos. Saves you a lot of money on flies, and as a beginner, you will burn through a lot of flies! Fish feed primarily subsurface, so focus on nymph fishing under an indicator. There are nymphs that work everywhere, both rivers and lakes: Bead Head Hares Ear, Bead Head Pheasant Tails, BH black zebra midges and balanced leeches/wooly buggers (in lakes). You'll get into fish anywhere you go on those presentations. We like to fish a two fly setup, so generally your bigger more attractor type fly first, then tie of 12" to that and put your smaller fly...adjust your indicator to the depth you are fishing and current, add split shot if needed for faster deeper water...want those flies bouncing on the bottom in river, and suspended approrpriately in lakes. Good luck....fly fishing is the best!

[up2nogood]

Nothing against Orvis ,but IMO either Redington ,or Echo is another great choice . I have been doing this for nearly 50 years . I have several high end rods , Sage ,and Winston . I also have a couple Echo rods , and they are hard to beat for the price . Some interesting videos to watch is Kelly Galloup's take on these off shore rods ,and reels .

[joshomaru]

I am going tor recommend looking into Maxxon- great value for the money.
If you are just starting out with casting and what not, here is what I have for advice: if you have your rod, reel, and line all matched up right, let the gear do the work. My dad used to teach casting classes, and he said young men are harder to teach, because they try and muscle the rod to throw the line. They are impatient and don't give the rod the proper time to load and unload to move the line. He said teaching ladies was easier, because they weren't trying to horse it.
Dry flies are best to start with to get your timing. Throwing nymph rigs change what you are doing- but, just minor adjustments because your weight is distributed different due to additional weight and indicators. A good transition is once you are comfortable throwing drys, add a bead head nymph dropper from the dry. This is a great combo for small streams! From there, going to nymph rigs is another slight adjustment. With nymphs, you don't need to do a bunch of false casting, because you aren't trying to dry a fly- you just need to get it to where it is going, so you hopefully foul up less in the foliage. Constantly check for knotting in your line, though!
I love throwing streamers in bigger water (by bigger, I mean bigger than the pocket water of creeks, like the Weber, or stillwater like ponds and reservoirs). This is again another adjustment in casting technique. The constant is patience and timing, and letting your rod do the work.
I have been spoiled with great gear and opportunities my whole life due to family and personal connections, and try not to take it for granted. One day in the late fall almost 14 years ago, my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I really just needed to get out and throw a line. I didn't feel comfortable driving too far away leaving her on her own for too long. I had this idea to throw flies at carp in a canal close to my home, because at least it was something, and carp are easy to catch, right?
How wrong I was!
I was so incredibly humbled by the much maligned and lowly thought of carp. I watched a fish feeding in a lane literally MOVE to the side of a perfectly presented nymph, and move back to his lane as soon as my nymph drifted past and continued feeding on everything other than what I offered. I've seen wily browns and picky cuts do this, but a carp?
It was the best experience for me, because it created an objective and goal from that point. I spent time on the Jordan without fishing equipment just observing carp and "what they do." This lead to me being more successful into pursuing carp with a fly rod. I have gained an incredible respect for a fish that most people just consider "trash" fish, because they made me break down what I thought I knew, and how I did things, and rebuild my techniques and understanding, ultimately making me a better fisherman in all aspects- not just carp fishing or fly fishing.
The point of this exhaustive sermon, Mr Fishslayer (if you are still reading this tome), is that the fly rod and gear is just another tool in your arsenal in the pursuit of tricking an animal with only a two-chambered heart and the most basic of thought processes to eat something that is not even food. There are many ways to do it, and the journey of experiencing the failures and successes is culminated when the water breaks and your rod goes bendo!
Find your joy in the journey, my friend!

[TheFishSlayer]

I am going tor recommend looking into Maxxon- great value for the money.
If you are just starting out with casting and what not, here is what I have for advice:  if you have your rod, reel, and line all matched up right, let the gear do the work.  My dad used to teach casting classes, and he said young men are harder to teach, because they try and muscle the rod to throw the line.  They are impatient and don't give the rod the proper time to load and unload to move the line.  He said teaching ladies was easier, because they weren't trying to horse it.
Dry flies are best to start with to get your timing.  Throwing nymph rigs change what you are doing- but, just minor adjustments because your weight is distributed different due to additional weight and indicators.  A good transition is once you are comfortable throwing drys, add a bead head nymph dropper from the dry.  This is a great combo for small streams!  From there, going to nymph rigs is another slight adjustment.  With nymphs, you don't need to do a bunch of false casting, because you aren't trying to dry a fly- you just need to get it to where it is going, so you hopefully foul up less in the foliage.  Constantly check for knotting in your line, though!
I love throwing streamers in bigger water (by bigger, I mean bigger than the pocket water of creeks, like the Weber, or stillwater like ponds and reservoirs).  This is again another adjustment in casting technique.  The constant is patience and timing, and letting your rod do the work. 
I have been spoiled with great gear and opportunities my whole life due to family and personal connections, and try not to take it for granted.  One day in the late fall almost 14 years ago, my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I really just needed to get out and throw a line.  I didn't feel comfortable driving too far away leaving her on her own for too long.  I had this idea to throw flies at carp in a canal close to my home, because at least it was something, and carp are easy to catch, right?
How wrong I was!
I was so incredibly humbled by the much maligned and lowly thought of carp.  I watched a fish feeding in a lane literally MOVE to the side of a perfectly presented nymph, and move back to his lane as soon as my nymph drifted past and continued feeding on everything other than what I offered.  I've seen wily browns and picky cuts do this, but a carp?
It was the best experience for me, because it created an objective and goal from that point.  I spent time on the Jordan without fishing equipment just observing carp and "what they do."  This lead to me being more successful into pursuing carp with a fly rod.  I have gained an incredible respect for a fish that most people just consider "trash" fish, because they made me break down what I thought I knew, and how I did things, and rebuild my techniques and understanding, ultimately making me a better fisherman in all aspects- not just carp fishing or fly fishing.
The point of this exhaustive sermon, Mr Fishslayer (if you are still reading this tome), is that the fly rod and gear is just another tool in your arsenal in the pursuit of tricking an animal with only a two-chambered heart and the most basic of thought processes to eat something that is not even food.  There are many ways to do it, and the journey of experiencing the failures and successes is culminated when the water breaks and your rod goes bendo!
Find your joy in the journey, my friend!

Joshomaru

Yes! great advice thank you. I did end up getting that Orvis clearwater setup. but I will look Maxxon if I get another. When I took that lesson this weekend I could definitely feel that I was trying to muscle it. I calmed down a little and was able to get a better feel for it. He had me trying dry flies and some that were just under the surface that looked like a caterpillar with little legs. I had some issues casting that one after being used to the dry fly. In fact I smacked myself right in the sunglasses with the lure. I'm really looking forward to getting out and learning how to do this properly. Now I just need to figure out what flys to start with.

[richyd4u]

I am going tor recommend looking into Maxxon- great value for the money.
If you are just starting out with casting and what not, here is what I have for advice:  if you have your rod, reel, and line all matched up right, let the gear do the work.  My dad used to teach casting classes, and he said young men are harder to teach, because they try and muscle the rod to throw the line.  They are impatient and don't give the rod the proper time to load and unload to move the line.  He said teaching ladies was easier, because they weren't trying to horse it.
Dry flies are best to start with to get your timing.  Throwing nymph rigs change what you are doing- but, just minor adjustments because your weight is distributed different due to additional weight and indicators.  A good transition is once you are comfortable throwing drys, add a bead head nymph dropper from the dry.  This is a great combo for small streams!  From there, going to nymph rigs is another slight adjustment.  With nymphs, you don't need to do a bunch of false casting, because you aren't trying to dry a fly- you just need to get it to where it is going, so you hopefully foul up less in the foliage.  Constantly check for knotting in your line, though!
I love throwing streamers in bigger water (by bigger, I mean bigger than the pocket water of creeks, like the Weber, or stillwater like ponds and reservoirs).  This is again another adjustment in casting technique.  The constant is patience and timing, and letting your rod do the work. 
I have been spoiled with great gear and opportunities my whole life due to family and personal connections, and try not to take it for granted.  One day in the late fall almost 14 years ago, my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I really just needed to get out and throw a line.  I didn't feel comfortable driving too far away leaving her on her own for too long.  I had this idea to throw flies at carp in a canal close to my home, because at least it was something, and carp are easy to catch, right?
How wrong I was!
I was so incredibly humbled by the much maligned and lowly thought of carp.  I watched a fish feeding in a lane literally MOVE to the side of a perfectly presented nymph, and move back to his lane as soon as my nymph drifted past and continued feeding on everything other than what I offered.  I've seen wily browns and picky cuts do this, but a carp?
It was the best experience for me, because it created an objective and goal from that point.  I spent time on the Jordan without fishing equipment just observing carp and "what they do."  This lead to me being more successful into pursuing carp with a fly rod.  I have gained an incredible respect for a fish that most people just consider "trash" fish, because they made me break down what I thought I knew, and how I did things, and rebuild my techniques and understanding, ultimately making me a better fisherman in all aspects- not just carp fishing or fly fishing.
The point of this exhaustive sermon, Mr Fishslayer (if you are still reading this tome), is that the fly rod and gear is just another tool in your arsenal in the pursuit of tricking an animal with only a two-chambered heart and the most basic of thought processes to eat something that is not even food.  There are many ways to do it, and the journey of experiencing the failures and successes is culminated when the water breaks and your rod goes bendo!
Find your joy in the journey, my friend!

Joshomaru

Yes! great advice thank you. I did end up getting that Orvis clearwater setup. but I will look Maxxon if I get another. When I took that lesson this weekend I could definitely feel that I was trying to muscle it. I calmed down a little and was able to get a better feel for it. He had me trying dry flies and some that were just under the surface that looked like a caterpillar with little legs. I had some issues casting that one after being used to the dry fly. In fact I smacked myself right in the sunglasses with the lure. I'm really looking forward to getting out and learning how to do this properly. Now I just need to figure out what flys to start with.

Luckily I told you exactly what flies to start with and how to present them in my prior response, lol...if you want to get on to fish, check that post out.

[TheFishSlayer]

I am going tor recommend looking into Maxxon- great value for the money.
If you are just starting out with casting and what not, here is what I have for advice:  if you have your rod, reel, and line all matched up right, let the gear do the work.  My dad used to teach casting classes, and he said young men are harder to teach, because they try and muscle the rod to throw the line.  They are impatient and don't give the rod the proper time to load and unload to move the line.  He said teaching ladies was easier, because they weren't trying to horse it.
Dry flies are best to start with to get your timing.  Throwing nymph rigs change what you are doing- but, just minor adjustments because your weight is distributed different due to additional weight and indicators.  A good transition is once you are comfortable throwing drys, add a bead head nymph dropper from the dry.  This is a great combo for small streams!  From there, going to nymph rigs is another slight adjustment.  With nymphs, you don't need to do a bunch of false casting, because you aren't trying to dry a fly- you just need to get it to where it is going, so you hopefully foul up less in the foliage.  Constantly check for knotting in your line, though!
I love throwing streamers in bigger water (by bigger, I mean bigger than the pocket water of creeks, like the Weber, or stillwater like ponds and reservoirs).  This is again another adjustment in casting technique.  The constant is patience and timing, and letting your rod do the work. 
I have been spoiled with great gear and opportunities my whole life due to family and personal connections, and try not to take it for granted.  One day in the late fall almost 14 years ago, my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I really just needed to get out and throw a line.  I didn't feel comfortable driving too far away leaving her on her own for too long.  I had this idea to throw flies at carp in a canal close to my home, because at least it was something, and carp are easy to catch, right?
How wrong I was!
I was so incredibly humbled by the much maligned and lowly thought of carp.  I watched a fish feeding in a lane literally MOVE to the side of a perfectly presented nymph, and move back to his lane as soon as my nymph drifted past and continued feeding on everything other than what I offered.  I've seen wily browns and picky cuts do this, but a carp?
It was the best experience for me, because it created an objective and goal from that point.  I spent time on the Jordan without fishing equipment just observing carp and "what they do."  This lead to me being more successful into pursuing carp with a fly rod.  I have gained an incredible respect for a fish that most people just consider "trash" fish, because they made me break down what I thought I knew, and how I did things, and rebuild my techniques and understanding, ultimately making me a better fisherman in all aspects- not just carp fishing or fly fishing.
The point of this exhaustive sermon, Mr Fishslayer (if you are still reading this tome), is that the fly rod and gear is just another tool in your arsenal in the pursuit of tricking an animal with only a two-chambered heart and the most basic of thought processes to eat something that is not even food.  There are many ways to do it, and the journey of experiencing the failures and successes is culminated when the water breaks and your rod goes bendo!
Find your joy in the journey, my friend!

Joshomaru

Yes! great advice thank you. I did end up getting that Orvis clearwater setup. but I will look Maxxon if I get another. When I took that lesson this weekend I could definitely feel that I was trying to muscle it. I calmed down a little and was able to get a better feel for it. He had me trying dry flies and some that were just under the surface that looked like a caterpillar with little legs. I had some issues casting that one after being used to the dry fly. In fact I smacked myself right in the sunglasses with the lure. I'm really looking forward to getting out and learning how to do this properly. Now I just need to figure out what flys to start with.

Luckily I told you exactly what flies to start with and how to present them in my prior response, lol...if you want to get on to fish, check that post out.

Copy that, I read it and wrote it all down in notes. HAha I guess what I meant was to learn what's hatching at the moment and figure out what the fly names are and what patterns mimic what. I appreciate the advice.

[richyd4u]

Haha, just pulling your chain! Good luck and look forward to seeing some future fly fishing posts from ya!