My first set of gear and other musings

[nskorick]

So far my experience as a Fly Fisher have involved a cheap rod, some Orivs lessons and a guided trip on a lake in British Columbia. I've been looking forward to the day I would start collecting my own gear and that day was this Saturday. After some guidance from a couple of you here on this forum I took my list and headed off to Cabella's. I had the whole family in tow, I think they were equally excited to learn how to fly fish! It was super exciting. After reading and re-reading techniques, tackle, accessories, I was really "gearing up." My 9 year-old son smartly pointed out a 8ft 3wt and said, "Dad, I want that one, it's the perfect size for me." Funny cause it took me about 3 books, one website and countless YouTube videos to figure that out....I just took it as a sign.

As for the gear, I wound up sticking with the cheap rod, new 5 wt WF line & some flies. Since I hadn't jumped off the deep end yet with purchasing gear, I decided the new rod/reel could wait. I also picked up a net, floatant, nail knot tier, tippet, tippet holder, small multi-tool, split shot (tin) #4, forceps and a fly box.
I'm all ears on what I should add / takeaway on the above list. By the way, forceps are the coolest invention! I can't believe all these years of fishing for bass and I never used a set of these things. Just having them to hold stuff that would otherwise stick in me while I dug through my gear was really cool.

As a side commentary for those of you interested in my plight as a novice, the fun really started when I got to take that cheap level line off the reel and add the new stuff. I really enjoyed tying it all together with the 3 knots (I used the existing backing). It's almost like working on your car, it was a satisfying feeling given that a month ago I didn't know there were 3 different types of material on a rod, much less how to tie them together. My kids were really excited too, so I tied on a 3x 7.5' leader and a #10 hopper and headed down to the local pond to "practice."

What started out as an effort to get back on a lake with a rod (for the 2nd time) turned into a complete family affair complete with wife, kids & dog. It was a little comical at first given the fact that I'm still pretty green and they all watched as if I was some kind of expert. Even the dog was watching. After a couple of really bad casts and some thoughts about how I should've brought the camera to record & study my casting, the chorus of "can I try" started in. Then much to my amazement, my 11 year old picked up the rod and for the first time in his life cast a beautiful J loop and my 5 year old exclaimed "Wow Ethan! You're better than Dad!" Talk about funny, my wife just hooted and I couldn't help but laugh too - the irony was pretty evident. But then it hit me - I just found a new family activity and we were ALL having a blast and the only casualty was my #10 hopper (which whipped off on some errant cast). I told my wife later, if all I loose is $1.50 to have a great time outside then I'm pretty ok with this new sport. She agreed.

[Betty Hiner]

Ohhhhh, man, are you in trouble now!! One of you is going to have to learn how to tye flies and build rods!!! (maybe Ethan?) I'm thrilled you all had a grand time!!

[K7zb]

What a great start! You are truly blessed...

[billhouk]

You just watched the "first" $1.50 fly off. However, it is worth it. The only thing missing on your list of must haves might be some waders and boots. Of course, if the water is warm enough (or enough of the family is watching) you can wet wade. Good luck to what sounds like a great beginning.

Betty is right, you'll be building rods soon too. I'm working on ones for the daughter and grand daughter...

[texfly]

Fishing really is more than just catching fish. Thanks for sharing the best fishing story I've heard in awhile.

[Old #art]

Great story nskorick. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

George

[oldfrat]

Sounds like a great start!

You'll eventually want waders and wading boots, but can wet wade in old sneakers for now. And you'll probably want a vest or equivalent at some point, but can start with any back pack or belly bag you have already.

Here's my shopping list, which includes some items you already have.

Important stuff to have

A rod case. Rods are delicate when it comes to accidents like being stepped on, driven over, getting shut in a door, etc..

A reel case for each reel or spool. A padded reel case is cheap, protects your reel, stores your reel’s leader and tippet in a safe and dark place, and keeps the leader from spilling off the reel and tangling during storage and transport.

A landing net and quick-release holder. It is useful to have your landing net rigged with a quick-release holder, usually purchased separately, so you can easily grab the net and get it into play while your other hand holds the rod with a wriggling fish on the line. If you fasten the quick-release holder to the top of the net opposite the handle, not to the handle, the net will be less likely to catch on branches as you walk through woods or brush.


At least one fly box that will fit in the pockets of your vest. At minimum, get one with a ridged foam insert that you hook your flies in to keep them organized. Do remember to fully dry your fly before you hook it into the foam of a box. Otherwise it will rust in the wet foam.

Forceps. These are small pliers that look quite a bit like scissors. You use them to remove hooks from fish and to squeeze shut the split shot sinkers you put on your leader while fishing sinking flies. I also often use them to help tie knots.

A nipper. You use these to cut leader and tippet off close to the knots you tie. They look much like nail clippers. In fact, you can start by just using nail clippers.

Split shot sinkers in sizes B and BB, preferably made out of tin or tungsten, which is more Eco-friendly than lead. Tungsten is heavier than tin and, thus, better. I like the ones designed to be easily removable. They have little “ears” that stick out at their hinge. You squeeze these “ears” together with your forceps and the split shot comes off your leader without damaging it. Some people don’t like “removable” split shots, though, as they believe they are more likely to hang up on underwater weeds.

You can also buy little containers of weight in paste form. You dip it out of the container and mold it around your leader. It is more expensive than a simple split shot, but is nice when you want to add just a small amount of weight.

Fly floatant. Ask your fly shop or a fly fishing friend what brand and kind to buy. You’ll be putting this floatant on your dry flies to keep them floating better and longer.

Strike indicators. These are small floating things that you put on your leader when you are fishing sinking flies. Strike indicators come in a variety of styles. I’ve come to like the Thingamabobbers.


Sunscreen and insect repellant. Even with a hat and long sleeved shirt you can get badly burned standing in water that reflects light up at you and you may often encounter biting insects. Keep the insect repellant and sunscreen off your flies, line and leader. Their chemicals will eat up your lines and leaders. And these chemicals repel trout.


Good stuff to have

A wading staff. I’d put this in the vital list, but it isn’t if you are going to be fishing from a boat or only wading in relatively low and slow moving water, with no algae on the rocks. If you are on a tight budget, you can make your own wading staff—just remember to have a cord on it to tie to your belt or vest so you can use both hands for other purposes without your staff floating downstream. You can make a light weight, but sturdy, wading staff from an old ski pole.

Small scissors. Better yet, get a small Swiss army knife that has scissors and other tools you might want at streamside – including tweezers that help to pick up small flies. Scissors are the easiest tool for cutting monofilament, but not as close to the knots as nippers can do. You can also use them to trim your flies to change their shape or floating characteristics.

Magnifying glasses are a big help when you are putting on a fly, tying knots in thin tippet, trying to identify an insect, etc.

A hook sharpener. Having a sharp hook significantly increases your chance of catching a fish. With lots of wear and tear from bumping on rocks and, ideally, a few bites now and then, your flies may get dulled to the point where they don’t hook the fish well any more.

A small net to catch aquatic insects. If you can see what the natural insects look like in the water you are fishing, you can easily find a fly that looks like what is on the trout’s menu today. Since the bugs are small, you’ll need a seine net to find them. Just stick the net in the water, hold it there for awhile, and the net will catch any insects drifting in the water. You can make one of these easily if you happen to have two dowels, some fiberglass window screening and a staple gun around. Or cheap aquarium seine nets work fine.

[rainbowchaser]

It looks like you need enough fly fishing gear for the whole family. Consider the Eagle Claw fiberglass oufits for the kids. They are inexpensive, durable and fun to cast. No one mentioned hats and polarized glasses (or at least safety glasses) as essential gear but you should never fly fish without them. If the family is watching you cast from a short enough distance to get hooked they should wear protection too.

[nskorick]

Thanks for the info and well wishes. I do have a pair of polarized glasses and a vest. But have opted to wait on the waders and use some old tennis shoes. Some of the areas we'lll be fishing in actually mandate "wet wading." If anyone has any advice on the best way to do that style of wading, I'd appreciate the tips.

I actually meant to ask about upstream casting. On the 1st cast at a new spot, if I don't want to false cast to get the line out, what's the trick to getting that 1st cast out upstream?

[Grn Mt Man]

nskorick,

I'd definitely consider making all your hooks BARBLESS especially with the whole family involved. If you've ever been harpooned with a barbed hook you know how nasty removal can be. All my hooks are barbless and the ones I don't buy in that mode I pinch down the barb with my foreceps.

I also went to using the SOFT WEIGHT thats very easy to mold onto the tippet/leader and also very easy to move up or down depending on the depth to be fished. Can also add or subtract weight easily and if you're really conservative (translate cheap like me) you can always remove it at the days end and put it back into your container. I bought a goodly supply last store visit and not to single out one product; but I bought the "LOON Outdoors" brand called "DEEP SOFT WEIGHT." It comes in a small circular plastic container and is non-lead and non-toxic. I take a small pinch of it and roll it around with my thumb and index finger and then wrap it around the tippet/leader. Also like to mold it into a torpedo shape after it's on the line by continuing to roll it. Think it's a little less likely to hang up on stuff this way. Just a personal preference.

Enjoyed your story very much and especially the part about involving the whole family. Used a fly rod early on to fish but didn't actually start fly fishing till I was about 62. Whole lot of good times missed.