Total fly fishing novice..

[mowin]

What gear would you fly fishing experts recommend for a total nube? I had a fly rod probably 30 yrs ago and really didn't put forth the effort, so for all intensive purposes, I'm a complete novice. 

I'd mainly be interested in local creek fishing for trout and ponds and lakes for panfish.  Would I be better off sticking to one or the other? 

Not looking to go crazy money wise, but have no clue what size rod, line ect that would be suited for a novice and the type of fishing I'm interested in. 

Edited January 9, 2023 by mowin

[crappyice]

 

8'6" 5 weight rigged with floating line is a good  all purpose rod for what you described.

Orvis makes a set up called Encounter for just under $200...but it's 4 piece which I don't love just cause I always fished with 2 piece and 4 seems like double the "work"

[DoubleDose]

 

41 minutes ago, crappyice said:

 

8'6" 5 weight rigged with floating line is a good  all purpose rod for what you described.

Orvis makes a set up called Encounter for just under $200...but it's 4 piece which I don't love just cause I always fished with 2 piece and 4 seems like double the "work"

 Agree and recommend buying a quality, not low budget (least expensive), set-up.  It is actually easier to learn how to cast with the better equipment, as it performs better.  

[Bucksnbows]

I second a mid priced rod in the 8’6” length, in either 4 or 5 weight. Lots of excellent rods in the $300 range these days. Don’t go nuts on a fancy reel with a smooth drag for what you will be doing. The reel just holds the line. A good click and pawl is all you’ll need. 
 

I was head guide for Shannon’s Fly Shop in Califon, NJ for seven years and this will be my 51st year fly fishing and nearly exclusively for any size fish. Welcome back to the addiction. 

[left field]

For your needs, an 8.5'-9' 5wt will cover you well. 

There are too many variations in terms of rod, reel and line to cover. I might take a lesson with someone with the idea of trying a variety of setups. That said, I often recommend a Redington Classic Trout rod. Retails for $150, but can usually be found on sale. I have four in various weights and the 4wt is my goto trout rod. Panfish is a 2 wt.

https://farbank.com/products/redington-classic-trout-590-4

Reels are only so important for trout and panfish. I like Lamson reels, but the Orvis Battenkill II is a good choice for trout. Simple and old school.

https://www.orvis.com/battenkill-fly-reels/7H9P-Family.html

Lines are all over the place. $20 or $100. Mid range and NY based are Cortland lines. I use a few of them and put a double taper on my trout rod.

https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/classic-series-freshwater-fly-fishing-lines

Reach out for any other questions.

 

[mowin]

Thanks for all the replies.  I'll be doing some homework during the winter and hopefully I can find someone locally to show me how not get tangled up in line, lol. 

[left field]

If you are anywhere near an Orvis store, they often offer free casting lessons. Alternatively, a Trout Unlimited chapter will help you out with some local casters.

[The_Real_TCIII]

2 hours ago, crappyice said:

 

8'6" 5 weight rigged with floating line is a good  all purpose rod for what you described.

Orvis makes a set up called Encounter for just under $200...but it's 4 piece which I don't love just cause I always fished with 2 piece and 4 seems like double the "work"

A four piece can be a two piece lol. A three piece on the otherhand....

[Versatile Hunter]

25 minutes ago, left field said:

If you are anywhere near an Orvis store, they often offer free casting lessons. Alternatively, a Trout Unlimited chapter will help you out with some local casters.

Unfortunately, the 5th Ave store no longer offers casting lessons... 

[left field]

4 hours ago, Versatile Hunter said:

Unfortunately, the 5th Ave store no longer offers casting lessons... 

A covid thing, I'm sure. There's a new fishing manager there and I'll bet he gets it started again.

We used to teach casting in front of the NY Public Library. It was pretty cool.

[mowin]

Been doing a little looking online for used stuff.  I'll narrow down what I'm comfortable spending.  I'd hate to have hundreds in new stuff only to get frustrated and give it up. 

[Bucksnbows]

10 minutes ago, left field said:

A covid thing, I'm sure. There's a new fishing manager there and I'll bet he gets it started again.

We used to teach casting in front of the NY Public Library. It was pretty cool.

We may have met. I’ve given presentations to the NYC TU chapter at least twice on river restoration at the Orvis store. 

[518BowSlayer]

Never got into fly fishing but absolutely love my centerpin! I mostly use it for steelhead on the salmon river but it works great on small local trout streams too. If you wanna hit some trout waters with me this spring you can try mine out. Like you, I didn't want to drop a ton of money on gear I never tried before so I got a cheap setup but it works for me 

[mowin]

1 minute ago, Skillet said:

I don't know jack about fly fishing, but I bottom bounce trout with an Orvis Rocky Mtn 9wt & a Battenkill reel spooled with fluoro. 

I love that rod so much I bought another one. 

You know a hell of a lot more than I do because you've obviously caught fish. 

[left field]

2 hours ago, mowin said:

Been doing a little looking online for used stuff.  I'll narrow down what I'm comfortable spending.  I'd hate to have hundreds in new stuff only to get frustrated and give it up. 

This is a common approach and I'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment. Set yourself up for success. I'm not necessarily talking about spending a fortune on gear, but even used it's going to cost you at least a few hundred for a semi decent rig. And you would still have no idea of this is the right or wrong rod for you. Yes, expensive rods are better, but I could give you a thousand dollar rod that will be a broomstick in your hand.

Instead, I might bite the bullet and either hire a guide for a day for a day of fishing to teach you the basics and get some water time. Or hire a guide for a casting lesson on grass to see the type of rod that works for you.

If you do the lesson, you will save a lot of frustration down the road. 

If you do the guided trip you will determine the most important thing ... do you like fly fishing?

For what it's worth, I always ask guides to teach me something I don't know and take casting lessons from better anglers than me when I feel I need a tuneup.

2 hours ago, Bucksnbows said:

We may have met. I’ve given presentations to the NYC TU chapter at least twice on river restoration at the Orvis store. 

Possibly. Though these days, I can barely remember breakfast.