selecting Flies

Hello friends, I am brand new to Fly fishing and new to this site. I read fly fishing 101, Part 21 and was looking up the suggested starter flies.My resource for this search is from Cabelas, but for 18 or so flies it's very expensive. Can someone suggest a starter kit for a beginner that would cover lake and stream fishing?

Also, what are the advantages of folating lines to sinking lines? Hope this isnt's a stupid question. All so, what the use of dry flies opposed to wet flies? arnet they all wet when in the water?

Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

Charlie Shockley, San Diego :? [/b]

dry flys float, wet flies are fished sub surface.

Cabelas has expensive flys look else where I have seen them as low as $0.55.

As for selection look at a hatch chart for you area then trow in some wollybugers and some other streames/ leaches and you will be set

[quote="PaGuy"]dry flys float, wet flies are fished sub surface.

Cabelas has expensive flys look else where I have seen them as low as $0.55.

As for selection look at a hatch chart for you area then trow in some wollybugers and some other streames/ leaches and you will be set[/quote


Thank you very much "PaGuy"]

Hi Charley For most applications you want a floating line,especially if you are a beginning caster. It will be easier to cast and much easier to pick up for the next cast. Eighteen flies is much tougher. I understand the reason for limiting yourself so much but it means that instead of having flies to match what the trout are feeding on you will have to use flies that are sugestive of many things. To do this with only eighteen flies I would start with black and olive weighted wooly buggers in size ten to cover minnows, crawdads and large swimming nymphs. smaller nymphs and emergers would be covered by hares ear and grouse soft hackles in sizes 12 and 16. Get some adams's in sizes12, 14,16,18,and 20. Black fur ants in size 16 and a hopper of some kind. Elk hair caddis (16 tan, 18 olive) will do for both caddis and small stoneflies. A couple of renegades or bivisibles can fished with an active presentation to imitate egg laying cadddis or fluttering mayflies unable to take off but no longer drifting placidly. For your final flies I would suggest you go into a local shop and pay the higher price to get their local knowledge and advice for matching the hatches on the water you will be fishing. This small assortment won't work all the time but should get you into some fish most of the time.

HI Charley and welcome to this sport!

different flies, both patterns and sizes, work at different times of theyear in differnet waters, so it is hard for anyone not familiar with where you'll be fishing to tell you what to get.

Try an Internet search for the waters you'll be fishing to see if they have a hatch chart. Also search Amazon.com to see if there is a Fly Fishers Guide book for your area. If so it will be a good investment and will have hatch charts (list of flies that work) for all the water in your area.

See if you have a fly shop near you. If so, they will be able to recommend the flies for now in your area.

Since you'll be buying a line, you have a perfect in with your local fly shop. YOu buy from them, they reco to you.

Buying a line it is worth it to buy a good one as this will help you far more than almost any other piece of equipment. A floating line is the most versatile. The entire line floats, but you attach a leader and then tippet to it that both sink --especially if you put some split shots on them. Sinking tip line is more specialized, for those who are fihing deep waters and need to get their fly down to the fish fast.

Since you are on a budget, I recommend a double taper floating line. When the first end wears out, as it will, you can just pull the line off the reel and reverse it. 2 for the price of one. YOu can't do that with a weight forward line.

As for line brand, there are many good ones. I like the Cortland 444 peach classic, which is not the most expensive, but a very good line and grwat value for the money.

The fly line will have the same price at Cabela's and at your local fly shop. If you get it from your local fly shop it will also buy you the right to ask for advice. Ask them to pick out the 6 best flies for the waters you'll be fishing. Buy them. Write down the name of the fly and the size. They will probably cost between $1.50 and $3.00 at your shop. then you can go to the sponsors page here and order more of the same flies from Hill's Discount flies for about $1.00 each.

Hope this helps.

Charlie,

If you are going to fish our local lakes in the San Diego area you can do pretty will with just a small number of patterns.


Olive or black woolly buggers in size 8 and 10 will catch bass, crappie, bluegill, and trout (when stocked during the winter). I fished nothing but woolly buggers and bluegill poppers on our lakes from January through June this year and caught plenty of fish.




Gold Ribbed Hares Ears in sizes 12 and 14 will catch trout and bluegill.

For the very limited dry fly fishing here a a Parachute Adams in size 16 and 18 will cover most situations. All of our lakes have year round chironomid (midge) hatches and this fly in these size usually works when the fish feed on the emerging adults. Most of the lakes also have very, very sparse callibaetis mayfly hatches and this fly is a good immitation for those too.

For bluegill small bluegill poppers in size 10 or 12 will work pretty well when the bluegill are active near the surface.

Lots of other fly patterns work well to, but these will do quite nicely locally.


Also, the San Diego Fly Fishers club ( www.sandiegoflyfishers.com ) has free fly casting lessons every Sunday at Lake Murray from 9am till Noon. They have rods to practice with.

Also check out one of the fly shops I noted in your flyline post.

Charlie,
I know this reply isn't about flies but I wanted to tell you NOT to spread yourself too thin. Flyfishing is a big world and can be a little intimidating.
Keep it as simple as you can to start.
Talk to your local fly shop and locate water that you can practice on. It would be great if there were bluegill or trout for you to fish over.
Remember you will hit a few bumps but it will be a interesting ride.
Doug :)

Hi and welcome, this site has closeout fly lines, I've never purchased from them but seems they have some good deals.

http://www.cortlandline.com/

I have been fly fishing 3 years and am already 5 rods, 3 reels, hundreds of flies and other gear into it.

You never indicated what your'e going to be fishing for. As for fly selection, I would find a fly shop in the area, see what they recommend and then go online to purchase those flies. You can get better deals online for sure on flies.

You should try and find some other fly fishers to get some of their tips. This will help ease you into the sport.

Read whatever you get your hands on, especially info on local fishing in your area.

Good luck and tight lines!

You could always check out www.flyshack.com their flies are 0.75 each and have everything that you need for flies.


-Pemi