Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

am not getting any younger and for years have figured to eventually give fly fishing a try...on THIS side of the pearly gates at least. now seems like a good time.

is this something one can learn to do on his own ? or are lessons/camps the way to go ?

Can someone suggest a decent and relatively affordable fly rod set up and place to purcahse ? Maybe for use only a couple times a year if I can get the hang of it.

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

I worked at a sporting goods store in Bound Brook for many years and we sold alot of the pre packaged fly fishing kits. Came with a rod, reel, line, leader etc. and never had anyone come back to tell me it was junk.
I think around a 6wt. or 7wt. if I remember correctly. The most fun you can have is with poppers in the summer. Easy to cast and control and watching the fish explode on them is a blast. Any small stream or rivers like the North Branch and South Branch after the water warms up holds alot of panfish and smallmouth that are eager to take a popper. Practice in the back yard or at a park before you hit the water, it's not hard if you remember you are casting the line and not the fly. Find areas with slow moving pools with lots of room for starters. Work your way up to nymphs and flies but it can get expensive after losing a few, I think that is why alot of guys tie their own. I'm sure there are videos on you tube that will help, don't forget the easy roll cast aslo. Let us know how you do.

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

i'd recommend you go out with a guide to give it a shot. for around $150 you can book a half day trip, and they will provide the equipment for you to try and put you on some fish. the best part though is just watching a professional do it a few times and show you how to do it. after four hours on the river with a guide you will feel like you learned more than you would in four weeks of fishing by yourself.

personally, I did my first guided trip from Shannon's in Califon and it was great. You can choose to go out on the South Branch of the Raritan at the KLG or on the Musconetcong at Point Mountain, (or a lot of other places) where you can go back afterwards and apply/practice what you've learned. They also have some private waters you can fish for more $ that have a lot of huge fish.

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

shannon's can set you up with any and everything else that you might need also
http://www.shannonsflytackle.com/

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

If you have time this weekend you might want to go over
to the NJ Sports Show & visit the Shu - Fly rod booth , if your looking for a decent fly outfit that don't break the bank I can offer solid suggestions yo get you started!
I can also give you a quick course in casting the correct way & at the show
w it won't cost you a dime!
Stop in if you can glad tohelp you out & your not committed to buy anything if you chose not too!

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

this comes up a lot and the best advice I can say is to get together with another experienced fly angler, or to Capt. Lou above (!!), and get some tips and help casting. In our area, while freshwater pond / lake fishing involves traditional casting, fishing on-stream involves a lot of hybrid casting: roll casts, sidearm casts, using the stream/river to load your rod to be able to present your fly to the pocket across and up from you, on and on. One day on stream with an experienced angler will give you the idea, and then it will be a whole lot easier for you to experiment on your own.

the best would be someone who can take you out to a pond and then to a stream. if you've been fishing for a while, you already know where fish are, but now you need to know how to present a fly to them. In addition, while poppers are basically the same whether spin or fly, the power of fly angling is to be able to present something in a way that can't be done with other gear.

when those stocked trout have switched over to feeding on bugs and your rapala or mepps gets ignored, you know its time to break out a drifted woolly bugger or nymph. when you see those subtle rises underneath an overhanging bush, you will learn how to present a dry fly, perhaps with a trailing emerger.

have fun with it! while you can eventually learn all this on your own and via youtube or other online materials, talking with someone or, better yet, getting out with someone will really help speed up the process!

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

All good points , I agree there is a definite need for streamside expierance, however if you have little or no expierance then you should start with hands onn instruction to master the cast.
This from my thirty years of teaching casting is bestaccomplished off stream.
Large part of this is gettingcorrect fly set up , this can make or brake your approach to fly fishing . Get basic techniques down with the right outfit is paramount to success.
Then you can ran h out to learn the proper fish casts on stream, to present fly correctly!
I'm a master certified fly casting instructor & charter member of the board that regulates
Certification of fly casting instructors for over twenty years since it's inception.
Believe me how you start is very important , it's not difficult but proper initial guidance can make it enjoyable !

Good Luck!



Good luck!

Re: Fly fishing...old dog new tricks ?
 

Rutgersfan1

I can help you if you like. Been fly fishing in fresh and salt for over 40 years.
If you tell me what you would like to target, we can take it from there. I like to keep it simple as fly fishing has gotten too complicated over the years. I can direct you to some afordable outfits and if you need lessons, I know a great local endorsed person as well who like to work with "older people" I will be at the flyfishing show with my son, the end of January. It can be overwelming for someone getting started but if you would like to catch up with us there I will PM you my number.

Leif