OT - Fly Fishing Beginner Setup? - OT

MaskedMarvel · June 15

Greetings friends!

We get to hit the NC mountains for a week on Saturday.

Stacey’s uncle is really really sick and this could be the last trip for us with him. Sweet guy :( and he wants to try his hand at fly fishing..

i used to fly fish Pelican Valley in Yellowstone decades ago, and all my rig is looooong gone.

For your basic first timers - and we FULLY expect to catch more tree branches than anything lol - does anyone have a recommendation on a two-rod beginners’ setup I could Amazon or something so I can get this guy in some clear mountain stream? I used to do clear bobbers with a light lead and a fly, and that will still work, but maybe something a little more purist for this week is in order…

he and I checked Academy, but around here everything is about the bass fisherman..

any help genuinely appreciated. Much love.

8-D

johnmitchell · June 15

As someone who knows zip about fly fishing. Are there not rental places around. Just spit balling.
I hope everything works out and prayers for Stacey’s uncle🙏

Buckwoody Egger · June 15

another angle— i would make some calls to shops and spring for a guide. even if you cross over into georgia or tennessee.

we used an orvis -listed guide one time in the smokies. it was little streams where you are not able to cast far. so he taught us all the little drop moves and put the dry fly powders. caught a ton of little gillies.

he brought the waders, boots, gear, lunch and everything. they don’t all do that but if you are not going often they are worth it.

i have also gone trout fishing / squirrel hunting in north georgia. some wide open spots in chattooga but typically more narrow stuff. i got absolutely schooled one time by a friend with a little 4 ft spinner reel and the right technique. he caught his limit and mine that day. so even if fly fishing is the goal, maybe bring a shorty and some trout balls along for plan b.

fishlessman · June 15

I fish everything from a 3wt to a 13 wt. My main rod for streams is a 5 but if I were setting up a beginner it would be with a 6 wt. It's easier to feel the rod load up with the extra weight of the line. Find a flyfishing shop, don't go to Cabela's. When there to fish, get a guide and make sure the guide knows you need the basics before hiring him

St croix used to be a descent rod to start casting with but they were the higher end of beginning rods in price. It's been way too long since buying a new rod for me to really make a suggestion

Keep in mind that most trout are caught close to you and beginners throw a lot of slack line which gets you into more fish. As your cast gets better, seems like Less fish get caught. Then after years you get better fine tuning slack line.

You mentioned two setups, a 4wt is good for dries, I hardly fish dries anymore.6 gets you into nymphs and streamers and a fly fishing strike indicator is basically a better bobber. Sometimes I use giant dry flies as a strike indicator with a nymph under it or a small ant imitation

xfire_ATX · June 16

I tried Fly Fishing a year ago in CO.

1. We went to stocked ponds so we should have been able to catch something. I had two bites but no fish. Ohters had some.. so be it thats fishing. Some others went to a river.
2. We had guides who had all the rigs and for the river fishing full waders and such
3. I could not get over the fact that there was a hook zipping back and forth past my ear.

It was fun to try.. will I do it again, nope. I prefer bass or intercoastal fishing.

DoubleEgger · June 16

Try Great Outdoor Provision Company. I bought fly fishing gear there 27 years ago and an internet search shows they are on Westover Terrace.

alaskanassasin · June 16

They guys at Speckled Trout Outfitters in Blowing Rock seemed pretty knowledgeable @MaskedMarvel and they have a bar in the tackle shop so you can enjoy a micro brew while you shop

Legume · June 16

Reddington and Orvis both make nice combos for ~$199 that have quality rod, reel and line. Line is very important, you can get cheaper combos with crap line, but that won't serve you well. The Orvis come in 8' and 8.5' lengths which is nice for small streams / trees and brush.

That being said, for what you describe I think a guide is the best call. Put that rod $ into hiring a guide and talk to the local shop and explain the whole thing so they can pair you with the right guide, one that can really be patient and teach and bring you to spots where you'll be successful. They'll have all of the equipment you need. Some provide waders, some rent them from the shop, but you can ask and they'll tell you what they provide.

You can usually book half day or full day. A full day day for someone who's not well is a very long day hiking around in waders, etc.

RRog17 · June 16

We used these guys out of Boone one time. Caught Rainbows, Browns, and Brooks. Both wild and stockers. They provided everything.

https://www.duesouthoutfitters.com/

As far as combo rigs for beginners I have ones from Echo and Reddington that I have used for years. My Echo is a 5 wt and the Reddington is a 3 wt. Everything included.
I used the 3 wt more in the NC mountain streams when I lived there.

fishlessman · June 16

really, get a guide. ive been fly fishing 50 years, if i leave new england i get a guide for atleast the first day. if you know someone that can cast, a couple hours with him on the lawn practicing will go along ways. i say on the lawn because if you practice on a pond you stop concentrating on the cast and start fishing

the orvis casting method teaches casting from 10 to two oclock, good method to cast 30 feet, not so good for casting long distances. in this case, 10 to 2 would be just fine. watch some youtubes on it. i personally hate that method to learn casting technique but its quick. forget about single and double haul, the guide can teach single haul if your ready.

if you hire a guide now, he can tell you what to bring for a line, theres level lines, double taper lines, weight forward lines, weight forward long taper lines, shooting heads etc. in-close fishing i would probably start with a double taper with 3 feet cut off the end to increase forward weight on the line. not seeing the water your fishing i would leave that choice up to the guide. theres a ton of little things that make a difference but being new, try and start as simple as possible.

MaskedMarvel · June 16

This info is EXACTLY what I’m looking for. You people are so great.

thank you all!!

RRog17 · June 23

MaskedMarvel said:

Greetings friends!

We get to hit the NC mountains for a week on Saturday. Stacey’s uncle is really really sick and this could be the last trip for us with him. Sweet guy :( and he wants to try his hand at fly fishing..

i used to fly fish Pelican Valley in Yellowstone decades ago, and all my rig is looooong gone.

For your basic first timers - and we FULLY expect to catch more tree branches than anything lol - does anyone have a recommendation on a two-rod beginners’ setup I could Amazon or something so I can get this guy in some clear mountain stream? I used to do clear bobbers with a light lead and a fly, and that will still work, but maybe something a little more purist for this week is in order…

he and I checked Academy, but around here everything is about the bass fisherman..

any help genuinely appreciated. Much love.

8-D

Did y’all get in some fishing?

MaskedMarvel · June 23

RRog17 said:

MaskedMarvel said:

Greetings friends!

We get to hit the NC mountains for a week on Saturday. Stacey’s uncle is really really sick and this could be the last trip for us with him. Sweet guy :( and he wants to try his hand at fly fishing..

i used to fly fish Pelican Valley in Yellowstone decades ago, and all my rig is looooong gone.

For your basic first timers - and we FULLY expect to catch more tree branches than anything lol - does anyone have a recommendation on a two-rod beginners’ setup I could Amazon or something so I can get this guy in some clear mountain stream? I used to do clear bobbers with a light lead and a fly, and that will still work, but maybe something a little more purist for this week is in order…

he and I checked Academy, but around here everything is about the bass fisherman..

any help genuinely appreciated. Much love.

8-D

Did y’all get in some fishing?

We’re here right now. I have our rigs setup. We need to pick up more leader and some
more indicators, but just me TYPING that means we’ve been learning a lot in a short time.

Out to hit the fish tomorrow. The area we’re in is reportedly the best trout fishing in the lower 48. We’ll be on “the fly fishing trail…”

PS - this is an extremely expensive way of life lol

fishlessman · June 24

MaskedMarvel said:

RRog17 said:

MaskedMarvel said:

Greetings friends!

We get to hit the NC mountains for a week on Saturday. Stacey’s uncle is really really sick and this could be the last trip for us with him. Sweet guy :( and he wants to try his hand at fly fishing..

i used to fly fish Pelican Valley in Yellowstone decades ago, and all my rig is looooong gone.

For your basic first timers - and we FULLY expect to catch more tree branches than anything lol - does anyone have a recommendation on a two-rod beginners’ setup I could Amazon or something so I can get this guy in some clear mountain stream? I used to do clear bobbers with a light lead and a fly, and that will still work, but maybe something a little more purist for this week is in order…

he and I checked Academy, but around here everything is about the bass fisherman..

any help genuinely appreciated. Much love.

8-D

Did y’all get in some fishing?

We’re here right now. I have our rigs setup. We need to pick up more leader and some
more indicators, but just me TYPING that means we’ve been learning a lot in a short time.

Out to hit the fish tomorrow. The area we’re in is reportedly the best trout fishing in the lower 48. We’ll be on “the fly fishing trail…”

PS - this is an extremely expensive way of life lol

My tackle box is ten by fourteen feet with french doors. I have two😁 concentrate on the techniques the guide gives you. It's not the fly in general.... It's the Indian, not the arrow

RRog17 · June 25

Nice! Post pics if you have some.

MaskedMarvel · June 25

Well this is our last night near Cherokee. It’s been wonderful. Uncle Bobby took off for home after this morning of fishing. We had a blast!

the tl;dr is: fishing could be renamed “knot tying,” and “knot UNtying” lol…

Bobby was more calm than me when casting and had better success just from a technical perspective.

I would get my rig together and cast three times and have a good awful birds nest halfway up the rod. Eventually, I got better at knots and really good at casting. Learned a whole lot. We sacrificed a few flies and a few indicators to the Fly Fishing Trail. Worth it.

But no fish on the hook. One REALLY DRAMATIC bite on my line - I swear that sucker was 20”… but I didn’t set it in time. Amazing.

Appreciate all the help and encouragement here everyone. We can’t wait to get back out there.

Buckwoody Egger · June 26

looks like a great outing and time well spent. nice job

Legume · June 26

Great description and it looks like you had some fun, setting you up for success next time. It's the opposite of bass fishing, most of your technique fly fishing for trout is going to be out of the water vs in the water.

So much YouTube out there, if you're interested.

fishlessman · June 27

looks like great nymph fishing water. i used to just not see i was getting hits til i had a guide tell me to set the hook over and over again while a saw nothing. now i set the hook with the slightest bump, turns out i was waiting for a fish to submerge the indicator and missing the tiniest actual hits. the world becomes a tiny sized post card piece of water with a strike indicator on it, when that happens you see the slightest bumps from trout. theres way more hits from fish than you see, strike at everything

OT - Fly Fishing Beginner Setup? - OT

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