First attempt at Fly Fishing

[ludeboy_77]

In anticipation of my vacation to do some fly fishing I decided to give it my first try at a local lake (wading is prohibited). Well I had fun playing with the new rod and reel, and saw some fish rising to take something that looked like it was just under the surface film. I made eager attempts to land my fly near the spot where I saw the rise, but maybe I was too eager. In all, I lost two flies (snapped them off) and broke one hook on some rocks, I also destroyed one leader. I think I scared all the fish away with my casting.

After I destroyed my leader I decided to head back home and review my DVD on trout fishing. Sure enough I was over powering the rod and doing everything else wrong, which is warned out about in the DVD. So I think I will be practicing my roll cast in my backyard, and buying lots of leaders. One good thing, I am pretty good at making some of the knots shown on this site.

Does anyone here fly fish at a lake where wading is prohibited? I dont think I can cast far enough to catch anything as the water is really shallow for the first 10 feet.

[krausebb]

Are you using tippet at the end of the leader?

[ludeboy_77]

No tippet, I am tying the fly right on to the end of the leader. Whould using a tippet be better for a novice as myself?

[dogtown]

Roll casting cannot effectively be practiced on a lawn. Go back to water and practice. General casting can be practiced on the lawn though.

[J Castwell]

Your job is,,, figure out if and when the fish come within your casting distance!

[gutbomb]

Find an instructor in your area. DVDs can be wonderful teaching tool, but they cannot tell what YOU are doing wrong.

[tlerm]

What species of fish are you targeting? You don't necessarily need to cast further out to get where the fish are. I fish primarily for bluegill and bass from the bank (no wading allowed where I go most often) but I often catch more fish when I cast parallel to the bank within 2 ft from the bank.

Also, dogtown is right, you can't rollcast on grass. Has to be on water.

[tlerm]

How long is your rod? And how long is the leader you've been using?

[Jerry]

When I fish ponds oft as not the likely looking spots I want to cast to require a long cast. Fishing a soft rod I too tend to overpower it trying to make such casts....tailing loops, tying my leader in a knot don't ya know? I now take a rod I "lean" on.

I've heard some folks say they can get a whole seasons use from one leader....not this cowboy.....I buy leaders in bulk.

[TyroneFly]

Do you live in an area that has a casting pond or fly fishing clubs. Many give free lessons on the weekend and have outings for beginners as well. At a casting pond there are usually folks around eager to train. Also, in addition to your DVD, be sure to check out the fly fishing basics on the main page. In addition to the beginning info there are a host of other info for all levels and interests.

Welcome to FAOL and the madness that is fly fishing and all that goes with it.