Fly Fishing

[BestNest]

Looking for any help. Advice. Things I'll need to pick up. Etc.
Float fished and ledgered for a couple years now and after watching a guy up Fontburn yesterday it's wet my appetite.
Definitely the next step for me.
Cheers in advance. Steveo.

[jimmy]

oi oi wonky donkey, get a rod, 6-7#, 7# lines, ( floating, sinking and intermediate ) a landing net ( most fisheries wont let you fish without one ) a priest ( again, most fisheries wont allow you to fish without one ), sunglasses, cap, fluorocarbon and mono, zinc and ghink, then flies mate, dry wet and lures. Call into the shop steve mate and we will have a chat, I am in Saturday and sunday, failing that have a word with stan ;-)

[Ian Alexander]

Go on Steve.....it's great fun but highly addictive.

It's easy too in the respect that you have to bait or tides to worry about. I would say that you would need the following to get yourself up and going.

A 7wt rod of about 9'6"

A reel to match with two spools.

Fill one spool with an intermediate line and backing.

Fill the other with a floating line and backing.

(the tackle shop that you buy the lines from will probably fit them for you and attach a couple of braided loops).

A couple of spools of fluorocarbon, say 5lb and 7lb.
You might want a couple of tapered leaders too but to start with just keep your leaders short.....about the length of your rod then lengthen them as your casting improves.

A flybox.

Some flies, you'll want some lures like cats whiskers, yellow dancers, blobs, tinnies, and some damsels.

Get some nymphs like the hares ears, buzzers, diawl bachs, bloodworms.

Then some dries, like hawthorns, hoppers, daddies, hoppers and emerger patterns (my favourites)....you might also want a sedge pattern for later in the summer to pull/twitch across the top.

Also get a couple of bungs/strike indicators for when the going gets hard, they are not everyones cup of tea but they can save a blank.

You'll need a priest, a landing net, forceps, snips, de-barbing pliers, some gink (floatant) a bag to put it all in and always wear some glasses.

It sounds more than it is and it won't be that expensive. Frasers or Terry at Reelsports should set you up quite well.

Use the floating line to fish on the top with dries or emergers if the fish are showing. also use your floating line to fish buzzers.....fish them almost static or let them drift around with a bit breeze and give them a slow pull or twitch now and then.....watch your line for takes....they can sometimes be very gentle.
If no fish are showing then try your lures either on your floater or use your intermediate and count it down a bit before starting your retrieve. Vary the retrieve to find out what the fish are after, a slow figure of eight then a couple of short pulls, soe longer pulls a pause or strip it back sharpish......it all depends on the day. A good starting point is a slow figure of eight with the odd longer pull.
As the weather cools in the autumn and winter the fish are often deeper and letting your intermediate sin a bit more and twitching a bloodworm or nymph will often get a take.
If all else fails the stick a tinnie or blob under the bung sit back and wait HaHa.

There will be differing opinions but the above info will get you a few fish I'm sure. Just watch other anglers and have a bit play about with different things.

I'm a novice at it but I really enjoy it.....it's something a bit different and most of the fly fishing guys are very friendly and will give you advice.

I hope that this helps, good luck, Ian.


****Edit****Hello Jimmy you beat me to it ****

[jimmy]

you explained it a lot better than I was trying to Ian mate

[Ian Alexander]

you explained it a lot better than I was trying to Ian mate

HaHa....purely by good luck Jimmy. Have you been out much? I've joined Chester-le street and I'm trying for salmon/sea trout........but so far that's all I'm doing....trying!!!

[andyco]

rod licence!

I've only just started fly fishing, but this is the gear i've got (bearing in mind this is for dry fly fishing for brown trout on small-medium sized rivers!).

9ft, 5 weight rod

5/6 weight reel
backing line
WF5F fly line
9ft tapered leaders
spool of 4x flourocarbon tippet

small scoop net, with lanyard and magnetic holder

waders
fly vest
'gink' floatant
'zink' sinkant
'agent x' line cleaner/treatment
fly drying pad
forceps, on a zinger
line clippers

fly box
dry flies (parachute adams, tan elk wing caddis, blue winged olive, greenwells glory, grhe, iron blue dun, black f fly, and a few different spiders)

cap
polarized glasses (the glasses arent just for seeing into the water - they're to stop you hooking your eyeball if you mess up the casting!)
waterproof jacket

[jimmy]

HaHa....purely by good luck Jimmy. Have you been out much? I've joined Chester-le street and I'm trying for salmon/sea trout........but so far that's all I'm doing....trying!!!

how did you manage to join there mate, when I rang one of the committee members I was told there was at least a 3 years waiting list, I got my migratory license so I am just waiting for davy Raymond to get me up durham on the free stretch for my salmon ;-)

[Ian Alexander]

how did you manage to join there mate, when I rang one of the committee members I was told there was at least a 3 years waiting list, I got my migratory license so I am just waiting for davy Raymond to get me up durham on the free stretch for my salmon ;-)

Hello, Jimmy, I put my name on the waiting list mate.
I live in Chester Le street too.

[BestNest]

Cheers Fellas. All advice much appreciated. Starting from scratch sounds complicated but I'll persevere !

[jimmy]

Steve its not as complicated as it sounds to be honest with you mate

[Lee,j]

I'd get a few lessons as well I used terry at sharply he was excellent , good luck it's great sport

[topbanana]

Not long took it up steve and I love it mate. You can get kitted out for not a lot of money as well. It's awesome taking fish off the top, going through everything to get one to take then have them shoot off and jump about. I'm hooked now lol. Good luck with it mate

[markt1225]

I'm only about 6-7 sessions in and am officially well and truly obssessed. Blanked for first time last week and it only added to the addiction. Seeing so many fish around you and they not taking is so frustrating but adds to the challenge. Light gear, feeling the takes and the bonus of not ending up covered in crab and worm just class. Even the trout fisherman mag a good read and not totally full of adverts!

[BestNest]

Cheers lads. No doubt I'll be picking your brains sometime soon...