It was bound to happen sooner or later

I caught my FIRST fish on a fly rod earlier today :D, a 5" sunfish, on a black sponge spider with white legs on my home lake. Was using my TFO 8'6" Pro special with an Orvis Clearwater reel. The little bugger had been slapping at the spider for several minutes, guess I ticked him off enough throwing it back at him time and time again he finally gave in. Had several other slaps/misses but no more hook ups with the fly rod. No pics, left the phone in the truck, but I'll remember how he looked for a long time. Also caught a 10" bass while shooting some docks close by.

I took my Ride 115 today to see if I could FF from the yak, and had watched a couple of utube videos and picked up some pointers on that, and the tips seem to work for me anyways. I even got brave enough to attempt to stand up in yak, and was successful in standing up AND no tipping over either. I still have some learning to do on the standing up part, well, on the FF'g as well, but I'm gonna mark this day down as successful.

Congrats on the first fly rod catch, I think you will enjoy all fish caught while fly fishing just as you did your first. Sounds like you had a great day all around ;)

Congrats on the first fish!

I'm a kayaker as well. Honestly, I think that is a perfect platform for fly fishing. Combine the stealth of a kayak with the presentation of fly fishing, and it's an absolute hoot for catching!

Awesome Jimp; I remember that moment for me too. Some of my friends don't understand, but I'd rather cast a fly rod all day and catch nothing than throw bait and pull in fish after fish.

Sounds like an excellent day! Something tells me that spinning rod's going to collect a lot of dust!

A lot more fun on the fly rod, aren't they?

Jimp, Congratulations, bream can be a lot of fun. The surprise bass are a bonus not to mention the catfish and grass carp or common carp you may encounter. I have a neighbor who has made the mistake of asking me to introduce him to flyfishing, he also moved from flyrod owner to flyfisherman recently. I am not as hardcore as Prairieschooner, reeling in fish after fish is still fun to me, but my spinning and casting rods are covered with dust. Oh, congrats on not turning over the yak, I am the resident crash test dummy.

Yeah, I'm not so sure I would prefer casting a fly rod all day with no hook ups over catching fish after fish either. That would be a tough one and would probably pick the multiple fish day as well. It was a satisfying day for sure to see the end result of catching something on the fly rod tho. I doubt my spinning rods will gather much dust as I fish for crappie quite a bit, went yesterday as a matter of fact. LOL.

Well, you know, it's called "fishing", not "catching" ;)! OK, maybe my statement was a little too bold, but to me "how" really is more important than "how many".

Jimp, try the fly rod for crappie too. small weighted streamers retrieved very slowly or fished under an indicator can work very well.

I plan on going for some crappie using the fly rod, thanks for the tip on the streamers. Been trying to figure out how to get some depth and was thinking the streamers, and have some 1/80 and 1/100 jigs as well. Just have to go out and try it :rolleyes:

Microjigs can be killer, one of the largest bass I have caught on a flyrod was on a 1/124 oz. jig. Bass about 5 1/2 lb. made for interesting few minutes.

Congrats! Now just relax and learn, since you got the monkey off your back! Crappie can be a blast on the fly. Some of my better crappie have come off a small black leech and #10 Clouser minnow. Even during the summer, they will chase bait into the shallows! But I am also a BIG believer in using "the right tool for the job", and sometimes that is not a fly rod. I am also becoming a huge fan of slip corks and a simple mallard flank jig.

Haven't seen any 1/124 micro jigs, will have to look.

Is a #8 wooly bugger too "large" for a 5wt, how bout a #10 WB ??

Got the yak in the truck and going after work, we'll see what happens today.

I have tied and used many No. 8 bugger with my 5 wt. BTW, I got the 1/124 at BPS, they have about a No. 10 hook, they cast well and are not deadly it you do a chuck and duck and don't duck. The 1/124 oz are toward the bottom of the page. http://www.basspro.com/White-River-F.../product/3085/

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Originally Posted by jimp

Haven't seen any 1/124 micro jigs, will have to look.

Is a #8 wooly bugger too "large" for a 5wt, how bout a #10 WB ??

Got the yak in the truck and going after work, we'll see what happens today.

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Heavens no..... tie them on and give them a ride.

well, tied 'em on and did not do well at all in the casting department, pretty ugly but gonna keep at it. For some reason, I'm determined to learn this FF thing. All I seem to be able to cast halfway decent/consistently are poppers and sponge spiders. I can get somewhat decent casts with the micro jigs but not consistently. :confused:

Get in your back yard and learn to cast the flyrod using no flies, just the line and leader. Once you get use to casting the line start casting with old flies with the hook points cut off so they won't grab hold to anything and keep working your way up in weight until you can cast a 1/32 on a 5wt. Learning to do this takes time, don't get caught up in trying to make long cast but try to make a good short cast. Distance will come in time.

I stand up fly fishing in my Ride 135 all the time. You will learn to trust the stability. The Ride is a super-stable hull designed for fishing. Keep at it.

Crappies caught on a fly rod from your kayak taste better than crappies caught any other way.

is a level leader (mono) the easiest to learn/practice with? And a 1/32 is gonna hurt when it hits, hook or no hook. LOL

Nothing wrong with mono, especially for practice, when using heavier flies cast with an open loop.
The tapered leader turns over the fly better when using heavier flies.

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Originally Posted by jimp

is a level leader (mono) the easiest to learn/practice with? And a 1/32 is gonna hurt when it hits, hook or no hook. LOL

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Tapered leaders are better for fishing and are not really harmed by practice unless you pop of the end. Knotted tapered leaders work fine if you can tie good knots, furled are better for fishing, IMHO. Better to do that in the yard than lose a working fly. Yes there is likely to be minor pain, frequently in the back of the head, from a 1/32 oz. piece of metal regardless. One of the reason I wear brimmed hat is it protects the ears from the sun and the fly.

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Originally Posted by Uncle Jesse

Tapered leaders are better for fishing and are not really harmed by practice unless you pop of the end. Knotted tapered leaders work fine if you can tie good knots, furled are better for fishing, IMHO. Better to do that in the yard than lose a working fly. Yes there is likely to be minor pain, frequently in the back of the head, from a 1/32 oz. piece of metal regardless. One of the reason I wear brimmed hat is it protects the ears from the sun and the fly.

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LOL so true!!

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Originally Posted by Uncle Jesse

.... One of the reason I wear brimmed hat is it protects the ears from the sun and the fly.

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Same with me!!!

i have fly fished nearly 50 years but just discovered the kayak. both of them still "light my fire". i agree with the earlier post about the boat being an excellent fishing platform and fly fishing from them probably should be against the law. welcome and tight lines to you!

Welcome to the club. I warn you, fly fishing (and fly tying as well) are very additive.

A five weight rod can cast a fairly big fly a #8 I cast on my 3 and 2 weight rods. Catching pan fish is especially fun on 1-2 & 3 weight rods. I mainly used to fish a 5 weight but now go with the ultra lights. Taking nothing away from your 5 weight and your enjoyment of fly fishing. Look at Lefty Kreh fly casting video's will help you or get with a knowledgeable fly caster/instructor.
Good luck and stick with it, I am also a self taught fly caster. Don't give up it is a wonderful method of fishing, I have left conventional fishing long ago.

thanks for all the moral support guys, you just want to drag me deeper into this pit don't ya. LOL

Just wait. It gets worse!

I do not limit the ways in which I fish. I fly fish. I use "hardware". I bait fish. I pour my own sinkers. I tie my own flies. I even make my own in-line spinnerbaits. I will modify some store-bought hair-pin style spinners. I've got enough parts that I could start assembling my own Carolina rig shortcuts for bass fishing.

Knowing my luck, in a year or two, I'll be tying fishing rods as well.......

ok, where is the straight jacket and padded room. ROFLO. I'm no where near that bad, no where near that bad, no where near that bad. Actually, I'm not, I don't do anything other than have way too many rods for the different types of fishing I do. Just like the many/several variations of fly fishing, there are numerous ways (styles or methods) to catch crappie, and some styles suggest at least 8 rods (if legal in your state) to fish that method. Figure it up, a rod, a reel and line, x8, then all the different lures, plus the boat, motor, trailer, special trolling motor, special rod holders (you are using 8 rods remember), and the fish finders with 12" screens, DS/SI/GPS, have to have at least 2 of these too.