Total fly fishing novice..

[Bucksnbows]

3 hours ago, Moho81 said:

The best advice I can give you is DONT EVEN START! It’s another addition you don’t need. Next thing you know you have at least 4 fly rods in different weights, 2 sets of waders, you’re waking up early on a cold February morning in hopes of catching nice steelhead. You’ll be standing in water that’s 34 degrees, ice will be clogging up your eyelets and your fingers will be numb. Eventually you’ll be good enough to catch something other than the tree behind you in your back cast and when you do finally succeed you know what you’ll do? You’ll let the damn fish go because for some reason fly fishing turns you into a catch and release snob! 

Wait, there are people out there that only have 4 or 5 fly rods?  You must mean in each weight?  

[mowin]

9 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

Wait, there are people out there that only have 4 or 5 fly rods?  You must mean in each weight?  

WTF am I getting myself into...

[Versatile Hunter]

2 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

lol,  we have all fallen for these traps!  I fear duck hunting for this very reason.  I almost glad i couldnt get out to try it like i planned this year. 

I got out this year. Hooked. 

[crappyice]

2 hours ago, mowin said:

WTF am I getting myself into...

Don't get too scared. I only have two rods-I am in the market for a new reel and @The_Real_TCIII is insisting I get a euro POLE! Like any other drug,  in moderation it can be a great value add!

[Bucksnbows]

10 minutes ago, crappyice said:

Don't get too scared. I only have two rods-I am in the market for a new reel and @The_Real_TCIII is insisting I get a euro POLE! Like any other drug,  in moderation it can be a great value add!

I don’t want to count, but I can list rods I don’t own. I don’t own smaller than my 3 weight Winston, and I don’t own any 8 or 10 weights. But I do own multiple of most weights with 5 weights being most common in my arsenal. I probably still fish 5 different 5 weights and have retired a couple over the years. But I’m “in the business”, so I may get certain help on costs. At $900-$1,000 for a single high end rod, paired with a reel over $500 and a fly line over $100, I wouldn’t own many if I had to pay full retail.  It’s crazy where prices on high end fly rods have gone. But yes, they are worth it in the right hands. That said, most fly anglers will be thrilled with the functionality of today’s mid priced rods. 

[left field]

Fly gear is expensive. B&B is right that mid-priced rods are very good right now. 

I own from 2wt - 8wt, with the 4wts being used the most as I normally just fish for trout. Most of my rods don't see water at all. I also have a slew of fibreglass rods that only get used if I want to stand on a dock and cast to panfish and bass for fun.

The 8wts are used for salmon or saltwater. I have two with me in Mexico: an older Winston and a TFO Mangrove Coast. The TFO is new to me and I just wanted to try it out.  

I also change reels a bit and overline (5wt line on a 4wt rod) if the conditions call for it.

Another rod I haven't tried but gets very good reviews is the Fenwick Aetos. This is a low-priced rod that always gets a thumbs up from the Yellowstone Angler rod shootouts. They rank it higher than a $950 Sage.

https://www.yellowstoneangler.com/gear-review/2018-8-weight-shootout-g-loomis-asquith-best-fly-rod-comparison/fenwick-aetos-best-inexpensive-saltwater-fly-rod/

 

FYI - I have an article coming out in Salt Magazine this week on fishing for tarpon in the Yucatan.

[Robhuntandfish]

I suggest watching all of Hank Patterson's videos before you fly fish..

[mowin]

2 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

I suggest watching all of Hank Patterson's videos before you fly fish..

I've been watching a few videos on YouTube, not sure if they were Patterson's. I'll definitely look at those. 

[Robhuntandfish]

49 minutes ago, mowin said:

I've been watching a few videos on YouTube, not sure if they were Patterson's. I'll definitely look at those. 

 

[Dogman]

Back in the day the sportsmen shows would have seminars for getting started on flyfishing. It's coming into those show times now. Perhaps start there. Like anything practice makes perfect. When I started it was with a 7.6 ft glass Fenwick and pflueger medalist real with double taper flyline. For fishing catskill creeks it was my ticket.

Tip: when you start fishing with the fly rod bring your regular gear also.(spincaster or wharever) When you get frustrated gently place the fly down and away and grab your regular gear to decompress.  Eventually you will be able to ween off the spinning gear and then come back to both fly and spinning gear with equal enthusiasm.

Enjoy !