Fly Fishing Rigs

[Jack T]

I was recently on the river below Norfork Dam, Arkansas and observed two guys doing well fly fishing from the river bank, I neglected to ask on their equipment, did notice color of their line, Brown, just been reading up on fly fishing equipment, terminolgy etc, was not aware so much envolved with fly fishing equipment, I cannot wade due to wearing of a prosthesis so my fishing is limited to bank or boat , I'm not aware of the difference in handle A-B or Reel Model or how does one transpose fly line weight into comparision monofilament breaking strain, sure is a lot to read on Nymphing, FlyLine #, WTSF, Float Fly Line, Sink Tip and Line color.

I just read on Cabela's Three Forks/Cahill Combo with Fly Line I assume it would be sufficient for my needs so if any feed back recommendations would be appreciated.

[Steve SPIZ]

lot of info for you at the glenwood park saturday the 6 th fly fishing casting look at the forums come out and play great peeps to help u out

[Colt Johnson]

I was recently on the river below Norfork Dam, Arkansas and observed two guys doing well fly fishing from the river bank, I neglected to ask on their equipment, did notice color of their line, Brown, just been reading up on fly fishing equipment, terminolgy etc, was not aware so much envolved with fly fishing equipment, I cannot wade due to wearing of a prosthesis so my fishing is limited to bank or boat , I'm not aware of the difference in handle A-B or Reel Model or how does one transpose fly line weight into comparision monofilament breaking strain, sure is a lot to read on Nymphing, FlyLine #, WTSF, Float Fly Line, Sink Tip and Line color.

I just read on Cabela's Three Forks/Cahill Combo with Fly Line I assume it would be sufficient for my needs so if any feed back recommendations would be appreciated.

 

 

Jack: In addition to the information you provided about fishing from the shore, can you offer any further information about what kinds of fish you want to pursue, what kinds of water are you fishing (the banks of a river or the banks of a pond or lake) and any other information that may be relevant. All of that will help us suggest the appropriate line weight, rod length and etc.

 

As a general principal though, you should consider the following as it is sometimes a difficult concept for newbie fly fisherman to grasp: Unlike traditional rod and reel fishing where the weight of the lure being flung through the air pulls the line off of the reel, flies are way too light to function that way. ***Just try tying a medium sized fly onto your spinning tackle and you will see that casting even ten feet is quite a chore, never mind the wind!***

 

Rather, a fly rod functions with different weight lines. If you have noticed, fly line is significantly more massive than regular fly line. You mention a comparison in lb. test in your questions, but you can forget all of that when discussing fly line. The fly line will be plenty strong no matter what weight you get. The different weight fly lines are referring to the different masses (physical weight of the line).

 

If you recall your physics lessons, velocity is speed times mass. If you increase the mass you also increase the velocity. Since flies are not heavy enough to generate the necessary velocity to pull the line off of the reel, you need to create your velocity with the line. So you have massive line that is being flung through the air, and that line creates enough velocity to carry the burden of pulling the fly to its destination. The larger the fly (typically) the more mass you need in your line (i.e. a greater fly line weight).

 

As a general principal you can fish tiny flies with 1-3 wt. rods, medium sized flies with 4-6 weight rods, and larger flies require 7-12 weight rods. That is a very generalized statement and there are certainly personal preferences that dictate what weight fly rod people choose to fish.

 

For me, I prefer a 1 or 2 wt. fly rod for my bluegill fishing. And for bass, I vary my fly rod selection depending on the size of the flies I will be using and the conditions I will be fishing in. If it is going to be windy, then I need to opt for a larger weight fly rod. If I am fishing an intimate stream that is 20 ft. wide at its widest point, then I can get away with a lighter weight fly rod. It all depends. For example, I landed a 3 lb. largemouth on a #12 spider last weekend using my Sage SPL 0wt. rod. The rod handled the fish just fine. But had I wanted to cast a 2/0 deer hair popper with a fat marabou tail, I would probably need to use my Sage SP 8wt. at a minimum.

 

The key thing to remember is that the larger and more air resistant your fly is, the more velocity it will take to pull your fly to its destination. Since the line is responsible for pulling your fly to its destination, you will need to increase the speed your line travels (that's where you get into the action of your rod i.e. a fast action or a slow action) or the mass of your line (i.e. the line weight).

 

Hopefully that helps to get you started in your fly rod selection.

 

Colt

[Ryan Kral]

Hey Jack, your right, there is a lot to read on on all the different equipment, but it can be broken down pretty simply.

 

Fly Line- As far as color goes, that is really just a preference, except you will notice that sinking lines are typically darker because they are actually underwater with the fish. Typically, the best bet would be to start off with a Weight Forward(WF) floating line, it is the best all around line, can be used in ponds/lakes, rivers and streams, for lots of different species. You can rig your leader differently, for different techniques, weather you are using dry flies, or nymphing, or throwing weighted streamers, still using the same floating line. As far as weight of the line, that is more for judging the size of flies you can throw. If you use a small line, 3wt for example, and are trying to turn over a big streamer or popper fly, it is not going to do it as well as say a 5wt or bigger, doesnt mean it won't, just wont be the best presentation, or as accurate. A 5wt line doesnt mean it will break if trying to land a fish bigger than 5lbs, but your leader/tippet might if not using the correct size, and not careful at how you play your fish. I dont know what you plan on fishing for the most, but my first rod was a 5wt, good all around size, use it for bass, trout, and perfectly capable of handling bigger fish, again, if you play the fish right. I have the Three Forks rod in a 3wt that I use on the smaller trout streams of WI and IA, for delicate presentations of dries, and smaller streamers.

 

The rod handles usually differ(A/B) depending on the size of the rod, some rods will have a "fighting butt" on the heavier wts, to help you use your wrist or forearm as a little extra leverage when fighting a heavier/stronger fish.

 

Reel- Reels are a little more basic, just want to make sure the reel is the proper size for the size and length of line you will be using with it. I would rather spend a little extra on the rod, and just buy a modest reel. I have cheaper aluminum reels on all my rods, some may argue that the drag device isnt the best, but I have yet to hook a fish that my drag couldn't handle, and if it couldnt, you can just use your hand to palm the reel, acting as a drag. I would go with a medium or large arbor, which will give you a faster retrieve than a small arbor, and less memory in the line.

 

Depending on the line size, and fly size, just make sure you are using the correct size leaders, and tippet, I would just stock up on different sizes, have some 3x-5x, that should cover your bass or bigger trout for example, 6x-7x if planning on fishing for the smaller stuff, such as the spring creek trout. If like me, you will end up having a stock pile of all the sizes as you fly fish for different species over time. Hope this helps, sorry so long winded. Ryan

[Paul Sadowski]

The "Can of Worms" prize in the category of Questions goes to Jack T. That's a doozy Jack;)! The best way to learn is to head to any knowledgeable tackle shop and have them show you some outfits, and walk you through the components. But I can make a few comments too. Balance is key when considering a fly rod set up, just like it is for other fishing rods. You wouldn't put 35 lb test on spincasting rod and give it to a kid to fish for panfish. Likewise for a fly rod set-up. The above Cabela's Combo is sure to be balanced. Whether you want to consider the rod, reel, line, or leaders, when you choose one, you really choose all the rest of the componets that balance the outfit (or should). You asked about lines. Let's leave aside specialized fishing lines. Lines run from 000 (the lightest) thru to 12 and even beyond. You most likely will fish lines right in the middle say 4-5-6 weights. If you go to a fly shop, they will most likely try to sell you a 9ft 5 weight, and line it with a WF5F line. So let's look at that line weight again, WF5F. So 5 is the weight of the line, but what about the rest of it? WF is the line taper, it means weight forward. Another taper is DT or double taper(all this means is that the line is tapered on both ends, well it doesn't just mean that but for now leave it there.) Next, the F stands for Floating; S stands for sinking. Most fly-fishing can be accomplished with a floating line, but obviously in deep or fast moving water, sinking lines (or tips) are required. Tackle companies pretty much stick to these conventions, but I pulled some recent lines I bought and they are all a bit different:

 

DT3F - Rio

WF10F - Rio

WFF#5 - Allen

EXR-FWWFL4 - Albright

DT - 3- F --SA

 

Regarding color, I like natural colors the most, green and tan. Sure it looks spiffy to have magenta gel spun backing and teal lines and whatnot, but I can still see my line pretty well, so I'll pass. Reagrding breaking strength, in fly fishing it really only pertains to your tippet, or leader. If your fly line breaks on something you catch, let me know ASAP so I can fish where you are fishing. Just a few thoughts while a took a break from the grind. I could easliy type up 10 more pages and probably still leave you short. But hope this helps. Feel free to bounce back with any specific questions and I and many others, I'm sure, will try to help you out.

[bruce petersen]

To introduce you to fly fishing, I recommend you consider upgrading to Cabela's Redington Crosswater Fly Rod Outfit -- the 5 weight - two piece rod for $119. It comes with a decent Rio fly line. LL Bean has a combo designed for beginners -- 8'6 5 weight outfit for $69 -- Angler II Outfit KH268355--if you have a little more money in your budget, the LL Bean Streamlight outfit would be worth considering for $175 KH268769. Unlike Cabela's, with LL Bean the shipping is free. With a five weight rod you can cast small flies size 18 to larger ones size 6. This is one of the most popular sizes for general trout fishing, but would work great for panfish and bass. The quality of the fly rod and the fly line are the two most important components in the outfit. I highly recommend you take some lessons. The Orvis stores in the Chicago area offer free lessons on Saturday mornings.

 

Bruce

 

Just found the Redington Crosswater outfit online at Sierra Trading Post for $80.

[Jack T]

lot of info for you at the glenwood park saturday the 6 th fly fishing casting look at the forums come out and play great peeps to help u out

 

That I will not be able to attend, I live in NE Arkansas, lived NE Illinois up to just on three years ago having been a member of ISA for over ten years, first meeting I went to was held in Kankakee and first Blowout I attended was held in Wilmington.

[Jack T]

My chiropractor was into fly fishing last year so I'll be checking with him, far as fly shops etc about a four plus drive to the nearest fishing area's namely Red River, Moutain View and White River, Mountain Home, AR, until heat/humidity decreases giving fishing a miss, it was 100 F at 9pm last night, thanks for all the info

[Mike G]

Jack,

 

You seem to have some special needs as indicated by a prosthesis that might keep you from wading. Let me say that I have caught a lot of fish on a fly rod while sitting in a boat or canoe not to mention fishing from shore.

 

I will go out on a limb and tell you the one rod to start with. It will be fine for panfish and trout yet enough for bigger fish like bass and pike. Get an 8-8.5 ft 6 wt rod or more corectly stated a rod that will cast a 6 wt line. Make that a floating 6 weight forward. A tapered 7 to 9 ft mono leader that ends at about 6# test goes on the end of the line. Besides Cabela's, Farm and Fleet sometimes has combos like this on hand. It dont have to be an exercise in dollar power. $50-150 should get what you need to start.

 

I cannot disagree with the idea of hitting a fly shop though it can cost a few extra $$. Just keep in mind that you can get started for $50-100; so the guy should prove to you why you should go higher.

[Jack T]

Orvis has a school going in Missouri and Tennessee over two days at a cost this year $470, bit late for me this year so I may look them up for next year,also purchased Steve Mc Nalleys book and hooked into an on line itsruction video.

[Gavin]

Jack...what kind of fishing do you intend to do with your new fly outfit? Fly rods are like golf clubs, and your choice of rod depends on allot of things. Size of the fly, dry fly, nymph, streamers, size of the fish.

 

You mentioned the White & Norfork down in Arkansas..A 9-10' 5wt is a great rig for trout fishing with nymphs down there...and youll proabably want a 9' 7wt for tossing streamers. The 9' 7wt will work well for smallies too. Get a good weight forward floating line, and a disk drag reel...you can go cheap on the real, but youll end up upgrading it to a nice disc drag model once your cheapo malfunctions on a big White River brown. Cheers.

[Jack T]

I purchased a Cahill Rod from Cabela's, 4 piece, 8'6'' 5 wt, Medium Action Graphite Rod, Offset gear to gear disc drag, came with Weighted forward floating line [ yellow], Tapered Leader, 20lb Backing, Pre-spooled on the reel/ready to fish.

This is basically an experiment for me to enjoy as per bait and spin cast fishing if I'm able to adapt to fly fishing casting will only be 30-40' bank fishing areas I will visit Norfork and Red River, for trout, evenings and pre dawn I will be bait casting a floating Rapala as per I observed a guy doing on the White River, Bull Shoals State Park, catching Walleye and Brown Trout, then during the day revert to a Golden Cleo spin casting, Buffalo River and Crooked Creek just west of Mountain Home for Smallies, been retired since 95, relocated to NE Arkansas from Lake County, Illinois just on three years ago, took me forty years to "Pry The Rock Loose", I have a 34' Class A Motor home, next winter will be spending two months South Padre Island, salt water fishing was what I was raised on, one hour before/one hour after high tide.

[Jack T]

I purchased a Cahill Rod from Cabela's, 4 piece, 8'6'' 5 wt, Medium Action Graphite Rod, Offset gear to gear disc drag, came with Weighted forward floating line [ yellow], Tapered Leader, 20lb Backing, Pre-spooled on the reel/ready to fish.

This is basically an experiment for me to enjoy as per bait and spin cast fishing if I'm able to adapt to fly fishing casting will only be 30-40' bank fishing areas I will visit Norfork and Red River, for trout, evenings and pre dawn I will be bait casting a floating Rapala as per I observed a guy doing on the White River, Bull Shoals State Park, catching Walleye and Brown Trout, then during the day revert to a Golden Cleo spin casting, Buffalo River and Crooked Creek just west of Mountain Home for Smallies, been retired since 95, relocated to NE Arkansas from Lake County, Illinois just on three years ago, took me forty years to "Pry The Rock Loose", I have a 34' Class A Motor home, next winter will be spending two months South Padre Island, salt water fishing was what I was raised on, one hour before/one hour after high tide.