Tell me about fly fishing

[tchartwick]

I’ve been considering trying fly fishing. I’m thinking of targeting smallmouth and panfish. Do I need the same rod for both? And what weight should I use? Also, is it better to get a better rod or reel?
I’m just starting out, so any advice would be great!

 

[Stone_Ice_1]

Like most things the cost and investment varies greatly from top of the line to budget in flyfishing gear. I would start with one rod, something around a 5 or 6 weight to find out if you like it or not. Go with a cheaper set up to start, don't get the cheapest one but you don't need that fancy $1,000 rod. Get a kit that comes with everything, rod, reel and line.

If you do end up liking it, you will have no shortage of rods in little time.

 

[Bambistew]

If there is one thing people overthink, and over pay for its fly fishing/gear...

For panfish, you don't need anything special, IMO. I'd spend the money on good fly line and flies.

There are some fantastic chinese rods/reels for $40-80 on Amazon, they are just as well made as the name brand that cost 5x as much, and they're probably made in the same factory in China... I'm sure many will argue against me. I have rods ranging from $50 to $800, and I'm not good enough to tell the difference, but have caught 1000s of fish on a fly.

I have no idea what your budget is, but the fly line is probably the most important part of the entire setup, IMO.

 

[nrpate05]

Really no need for a high end rod, especially for bass and panfish. Reel doesn't matter too much. It is basically a place to hold line. It matters only if you're drag is going to be screaming a lot. Redington and Temple Fork Outfitters make great equipment for the price. I have a few TFO rods and don't see a reason to get anything pricier. I have one ~$800 Orvis rod but it was a gift. I never would have bought it.

I'd probably get a 6 weight, so you can throw bigger flies for smallmouth and it'll work fine for panfish. I'd also get some sort of combo package or a used setup until you find out what you like.

 

[Sheltowee]

A 9ft. 5wt. is kind of the Toyota Tacoma of flyrods. It isn't a Ferrari nor is it a Mac truck, but it will cover most of your reasonable bases between the two. I got into flyfishing with an Orvis Clearwater kit and didn't feel undergunned with it at all.

I'd strongly, strongly suggest you hook up with a flyshop (Lost Coast looks like a pretty cool one) for a basic intro class and maybe a casting lesson or two. Orvis also has a bunch of great free instructional videos on their YouTube page.

 

[R.K.]

For panfish, anything 3-6wt would work well. Add smallmouth to the mix, get the 6 wt. 9ft, 4 pieces. The 6 is better at throwing poppers and closers, then handling the odd big fish.

I have Cabela’s, Redington, TFO, St Croix, Orvis, Sage, and Winston. Go with a Redington or TFO, whatever is cheaper. Avoid cheap Cabela’s, they have a nasty habit of breaking in the tip section during a cast.

I suggest 4 categories of flies: poppers/sneaky Pete’s/gurglers to throw in calm water and let the ripples dissipate. Might take 20-30s for a smallie to come up and eat. Then clousers in chart/white and whatever other color you like. Then some kind of crawfish pattern to drift in current or crawl on the bottom. Finally, wooly buggers of some flavor in white and black to strip or drift, size 4 if you can. Cone heads are handy.

 

[MTLabrador]

I agree with a 6 weight for smallmouth. If it were me starting from scratch I’d get an Echo Ion XL, and a Lamson liquid reel with the 3 pack of spools. Get a sinking line, and a good floating line, and you can use the other spool for a speciality line like an intermediate sinking for lake fishing. You’ll be well set up to handle just about anything without breaking the bank, or feeling the need to upgrade later on.

 

[Steelsearchin]

It's a slippery slope if you like it. I paid for part of my college tying bugs, back before quality materials were being shipped overseas.

I'll second a 4-6 wt for panfish. Big bluegills on beds with a large foam spider is about as much fun as anything on a light rod. 6 or 7 weight for smallies and consider a sinking line for stripp8ng streamers. I picked up an Echo carbon 4 wt last year that I like as much as any of my croixs or sages.

Definitely worth a casting lesson or two at the local shop, or there's lots of good information on youtube...

 

[Djfan]

Go get an Okuma rod. They are excellent starter rods. A 6 weight is a good place to start.

 

[texwest44]

Go get an Okuma rod. They are excellent starter rods. A 6 weight is a good place to start.

Yup, Okuma makes exceptionally good equipment for the price range. I used an Okuma fly rod for a couple of years until I closed my Subaru hatch on it and ended its life. Loved that rod.

 

[longbow51]

Check the Sierra site from time to time. I got a couple of Lamson reels at incredible prices last winter. They have a variety of discounted rods, too, including TFO.

 

[Jnasa]

you can usually get a decent combo that has the rod and reel. If buying separate the rod is more important than the reel for most freshwater.

If you want one rod for both I would go with a 6 weight. If you can I’d suggest both a floating and sinking line. So a second reel or spool would be useful so you can go back and forth.

 

[NR_Hunter]

If you want to do both, get a 6 weight. I had been using a 6 weight with SA Anadro line on it, and it worked decent enough but it wasn't great.

I’m gonna go against the grain and suggest getting an 8 weight if you’re going to be more serious about smallmouth bass. The current is strong and the bass get big up here on the Mississippi and sometimes I like throwing bigger, wind resistant flies.


Then later you can get a 5 or 4 weight for panfish later, but in mean time you won’t be undergunned for bass. If you start with a 6 weight, you’ll probably still want a bigger rod, and you’ll still want a smaller rod.

 

[Mato]

I’ve been considering trying fly fishing. I’m thinking of targeting smallmouth and panfish. Do I need the same rod for both? And what weight should I use? Also, is it better to get a better rod or reel?
I’m just starting out, so any advice would be great!

I'm a huge fan of TFO, grab their entry level rod in a 9' 5 weight (or something darn close), some SA line double taper WF floating and an inexpensive reel and you'll be golden.

 

[howl]

Panfish aren't near as fun on a rod that will handle small mouth. If you know you will mostly fish panfish, get a decent 3 weight. Don't go so cheap you are frustrated by poor quality.

 

[Salmonchaser]

TFO, OKUMA, Echo make good price point rods. I probably had 40 of the Lamson reels and twice as many spools when I sold the place in Alaska. Not that you need a great drag for panfish and Bass, but if you’ll have a drag that will hold up if you need it. I would get a couple years out of a Lamson reel that would catch hundreds of salmon and big trout every year.
I used a lot of fast action rods in Alaska because with the exception of fishing for Reds we were generally throwing big flies in windy conditions for big fish. A fast action rod is more difficult for beginners to handle as the rod is less forgiving of casting mistakes.
A medium or slow action will serve you better I will think.
Once you’ve mastered casting you’ll probably want to step up a little in weight and go to a fast action rod for throwing big flies to big bass.
Buy the very best fly line you can.
Don’t overthink it, master the count, don’t try to throw too far and all of a sudden it will happen. Have fun.

 

[Boarmaster]

I’ve been considering trying fly fishing. I’m thinking of targeting smallmouth and panfish. Do I need the same rod for both? And what weight should I use? Also, is it better to get a better rod or reel?
I’m just starting out, so any advice would be great!

Its more about the rod and line for smaller fish. Reels become more important is larger fish or saltwater. I would recommend getting a descent rod but since you are just getting started and haven't formed a preference you may want to stay out of the $1000 fly rod market until you do. Your rod length is determined by where your fishing. Open areas / longer rods, tight or bushy areas / shorter rods. A good fly shop in the area you are planning to fish would be a huge help. Maybe even have training in a group setting that covers equipment, setup and basic casting instruction. This was a huge help for me.

 

[Rack Daniels]

Someone please correct me if I’m wrong here.

I need backing that goes straight to the reel right? THEN my line (floating likely), THEN my leader, THEN the fly. Correct?

 

[Dan-06]

Someone please correct me if I’m wrong here.

I need backing that goes straight to the reel right? THEN my line (floating likely), THEN my leader, THEN the fly. Correct?

That’s correct

 

[Hem]

That’s correct

Generally backing is unnecessary in Montana. Most of the fishing it never reaches the water. But 50-100 yds isn't a bad idea. Remember the line itself is give or take 100'.