new to fly fishing

[jonalford]

I have had a flyrod for a couple of years now and still not any good with it. It can be really alot to take in. This year coming up I want to stick with it. It is hard for me to cast to a tailing red when I also have a gold spoon set up on a regular rod next to me. I have decided to start off with freshwater fishing. Is it cheating to throw a flyrod with a dirt worm on it to start building confidence or is that unheard of. I have decided to bring only the flyrod when freshwater fishing for a while. I want to get ready for summer time bass fishing and eventually going after some reds.

[Musicdoc]

I think the best way to gain confidence with a fly rod is what I call pond hopping, that is, going to several local ponds and lakes to target bluegills and bass. These ponds and lakes are generally within 10 - 15 minutes of my house. So, I can make short trips after work or early on a Saturday morning before my wife gets me doing those "honey dos).

During the spring, you can catch tons of fish on the fly, using mostly streamers and poppers. You won't find anything more fun than catching bass and bream on poppers! I find it more difficult right now to catch bass (they're deeper) but in the spring, summer, and early fall, it's really easy and lots of fun. I chose not to go to the marsh today because of the wind, which allowed me to go to one of my local ponds this morning. I caught about a dozen bream, one bass, and two catfish. (I call it a cajun freshwater slam). Check out Catch Cormier's site at: http://www.laflyfish.com/
I've added three pics from yesterday's cajun slam.
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j365/Kevin_Andry/IMG_0964.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j365/Kevin_Andry/IMG_0963.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j365/Kevin_Andry/IMG_0961.jpg
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j365/Kevin_Andry/fisherman.gif

[Yak-a-Lou]

Bream in the ponds as MD mentioned or... specks under the lights at night.

Bring ONLY fly rods and you'll only fish with fly rods.

(I find this easier to do when I know I already have fish in the freezer.)

[TidewateR]

Jon, once you get the hang of fly fishing and catch that first red..any tail or back you'll see after that will make you forget all about that spinning rod. Leaving it in truck or at home helps too. If you think kayaking with a spinning rod is stealthy, just wait until you get confident in your fly cast. The flies you throw can land much softer and can be much smaller than bait youd use on convention rods. Off target casts can immediately be pulled back and be thrown immediately back at the fish.

Pond fishing will be a great way to start off, once you've had a few casting pointers.

[Limestone Cowboy]

Kel's fly fishing tip of the day: Keep leader and tippet length under 5 ft total for bass and reds. Also go with heavy mono leader around 20lb test. The stiffer the leader, the easier it is to get the heavy fly to turn over properly. Also, fly rods are long and kinda soft, so it is good to rely on a heavy tippet and a hard ,fast hookset.

[jonalford]

thanks guys

[4x4fishin]

I'm new to this as well, but have been practicing in the back yard and neighbor hood ponds. I'm anxious to get my ultimate and my fly rod back to Buras soon. Let me know when your going down there and I might know a few places we can get into to "pod hop" for reds. I've got some ideas for some combat launches into some ponds that would be too far a paddle from the normal launch points down there.

[jonalford]

I started practicing in a pond near my house but plan to be ready for the spring. I also noticed I had a 6 foot long leader with 12 pound test. Gonna try and change that tomorrow. I am just trying to keep it simple for now. Some of the stuff I read about flyfishing can be alot to take in but I figure redfish will bite almost everything. just trying to get the fly to turn over. Seems everyone has a different way to throw the long pole. How far do you have to throw it to have any luck on a regular basis ?

[jonalford]

nice catch Musicdoc. The freshwater fish do not seem to be that active for the fly this time of year. That is my experience anyway.

[Musicdoc]

nice catch Musicdoc. The freshwater fish do not seem to be that active for the fly this time of year. That is my experience anyway.

You're right. I went this afternoon in the lake by my house and didn't even get a bite. Should have gone to the marsh. I got a report from my godson and my brother that they got their limits of redfish in an hour this morning...Bayou Dularge area.

[jonalford]

Yeah I would rather fish for reds and trout anyday but the river is 5 minutes from my house. I am also a teacher and off for two weeks. I can usually only get two trips a week down south due to gas unless I am staying at the camp which I plan to do alot this summer.

[seeinspots]

My experience with fly fishing has been to 1)keep casts few and short--<25ft to start (false casts looked great in A River Runs Through It; impractical in the marsh) 2)cast only to what you see (don't waste time "probing") and 3)just to reiterate what Yak-a-Lou said-if you leave your other equipment at home you have no choice but to use it. I just recently put these 3 things together and, after one year, finally, finally starting catching redfish on fly. It's not an image thing. It really is a stealthy application of bait if done properly and fun.

[jonalford]

I have been practicing in the street in front of my house. I put a paper plate down as a target. For some reason I seem to be more consistent thowing sidearm I think because it is easier to watch the line go all the way back. On another note is the nail not the best knot to tie fly line to leader or is it ok to use one of those pins that slip into the end of your flyline that has a loop to tie onto. Are different leaders better than others.

[snake doctor]

The nail knot is good, and so are the "whipped loops" in which you make a small loop in the end of your fly line (see web videos) and then join it to a looped leader. This makes for easy leader swapping. I don't like the little barbed pins with the loop on the end, they tend to make the tip of my fly line sink, but they do work. If you use a nail knot then put about a foot or two of a heavy test mono (30#) and then tie (uniknot) a lighter leader (10-20# depending on the fish and territory) to that. Then you can leave the heavy line on all the time and just change what is below it as conditions indicate.

[Musicdoc]

The nail knot is good, and so are the "whipped loops" in which you make a small loop in the end of your fly line (see web videos) and then join it to a looped leader. This makes for easy leader swapping. I don't like the little barbed pins with the loop on the end, they tend to make the tip of my fly line sink, but they do work. If you use a nail knot then put about a foot or two of a heavy test mono (30#) and then tie (uniknot) a lighter leader (10-20# depending on the fish and territory) to that. Then you can leave the heavy line on all the time and just change what is below it as conditions indicate.
+1 on this. I use both setups. I use the "whipped loop" on my lighter rods but I use the nail knot on my heavier salt water rig. I was told that several people have lost the tip of a 9 weight rod when a redfish they were landing decided to make one last quick run. The loop had gone past the first guide on the rod and the large loop destroyed the tip of the rod when the red took off again.

[snake doctor]

Weather forecast has low winds Wed. -Saturday. Time for the flyrod!

[Musicdoc]

Weather forecast has low winds Wed. -Saturday. Time for the flyrod!

Yeah You Right!! Probably make it Wednesday and Friday. Couchon du lait on Saturday :)

[Catch]

Jonal, sorry to get in late on this post. But most of what has been said is good advice.

1) Go to the Louisiana Fly Fishing website at www.laflyfish.com and click on the Calendar page. You'll see lots of events coming up this spring where you can further your education and skills. I've been doing this for over 40 years and I'm still learning new things! The earliest activity you may be interested in is a "Fly Fishing 101" conducted by the Red Stick Fly Fishers on January 21. And yes, that's the same day as Minimalist Challenge. But RSFF is looking at the 2nd Saturday in February for a possible "Casting 101"... same as FF101 but just 3 hours of casting and an overview of leaders and knots. Also check out the "conclaves"... these are mini-expos that have a wide range of programs, casting, fly tying demos, and much more. You can learn a lot from osmosis.

2) Do not use the metal pins for leader connections. Those were okay back when fly lines were hollow. Today's lines contain stiff monofilament or braided mono. They may go in with effort, but they won't hold. The first time you lose a big fish, will be the first time you hook a big fish!

3) I agree on short leader, but lets define "short". In the world of flyfishing, anything less than 9 feet is "short". I like all my leaders to be 7-8 feet long, unless I'm working poppers around structure or under trees, then I'll go as short as 5 or 6 feet. But trust me, for saltwater an 8-foot leader is what you want. It gives you a cushion when casting to backing fish, that you are less likely to "line them" and spook 'em.

4) Casting sideways is great! You've done well... this is a difficult task for some folks, tho I can never understand why. I won't go into all the reasons why side casting is better than overhead casting. But let me suggest you do something else: practice casting SITTING DOWN. I've been giving kayak fly fishing programs for over a decade, and the number one thing I hear from newbies is "I do okay standing up, but it doesn't work in a kayak". That's because standing up, you can get away with some poor techniques and still make a decent cast. In a kayak, casts need to be controlled.

5) Think about using a specialized weight-forward fly line, or a standard WF line one size heavier. That's because in fly fishing, the line loads the rod. The weight of the line is established such that the first 30 feet of line properly loads the rod. Bass bug and saltwater tapers put most of that weight in the first 10-15 feet. The rod loads quicker and you can shoot line. Going +1 on the line weight accomplishes pretty much the same. Another trick, though it's a hard pill for many to swallow, is cutting off the first 2-3 feet of a weight forward fly line. This essentially makes it a bass bug taper. When I tell folks I sometimes use a two-part 9-foot saltwater leader with 18-lb butt and 12-lb tippet, and it lays out flat, they look at me crazy. But the secret is a sharp, methodical casting stroke and a specialized WF taper line. The right line can fool Mother Nature!

6) And as MusicDoc suggests, practice in freshwater. More practice breeds success. If you only own a salt outfit (7-8-9 weight) you'll soon want a freshwater outfit to have more fun fishing for bream, sacalait and rios. Usually a 4-5 weight. At $59 (sale price) those Cabelas 3-Forks outfits are GREAT beginner outfits... I use those for most of my pond fishing.

Hope this helps. Look forward to seeing your photos of "fish on the fly". :thumbup: