Went Fly fishing for the first time Saturday!

[jwhite_opso]

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.

[rainbowchaser]

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.

[Doug Poudre]

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

[maodiver]

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

[jimsnarocks]

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

[hungNtree]

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