Went Fly fishing for the first time Saturday!

I just relocted to West Virginia for a temporary work assingment, and thought I would go on a fly fishing trip while I was up here. I hired a guide, and spent Saturday fly fishing.....to say the least, I am now hooked! I do have alot of questions that were not asked Saturday, and hope that the members of this board can help out.

1) Besides these boards, is there a good reference to beginning fly fishing? I have always used spin cast, and see an overwhelming amount of information into fly fishing...I

2) What type of rod and reel would you recommend for a beginner?

3) What is the recommend length for the backing, leader, and tippet? I have found some information on this, but nothing says how much to tie on.

I would appreciate any help in this matter.

Hi, welcome to FAOL If you click on home at the top of this page and then click on fly fishing basics on the right hand of that page you'll find a lot of usefull information.

A good place to start if you want a book.
http://www.amazon.com/L-L-Bean-Fly-F...4088571&sr=1-2

Go fishing...then go fishing again...then go fishing again. Practice the skills you learned. As far as a rod? Walmart works for a starter...as much heresy as those who will surely comment will say. Also they have less expensive stuff on sierratradingpost.com

Hello and welcome to FAOL from SoCal. There's a lot of information on this site as well as things to buy from the Sponsor's page. Peruse the Home Page for lots of info as well as the BB. Jim

Welcome aboard! It hasn't been that long ago when I got started fly fishing, and I can tell you from experience, without this site, i'd never have made it. As to answer your questions, I think most everyone will say a 5wt is a good place to start, if you are only fishing streams, ponds and such. I don't know anything about fishing the saltwater, though I'd love to try sometime. Best advice though, is just get out on the water and go fishing. And practice casting alot. Although, I think you'll be better off if you practice about 20 to 30 minutes at a time. that way you don't get tired and start bad habits. Don't be bashful asking your questions, there is a ton of information available here on this site as well as the web, but sometimes that is overwhelming, so don't be bashful.

good luck and again, welcome aboard,
hNt