hk,

You are kind of lucky, wanting to get into fly fishing and living in Edmonton. There are two fly fishing clubs in Edmonton and the best way to learn to fly fish is to join a club. I trust either club will have people who will be willing to guide you through the steps of getting into fly fishing. Check them out.

As for rods, any decent outfit will be great for a beginning fly fisher. You will want a 5 weight rod, possibly a 6 weight but many suggest the 5 weight for learning and it is a great weight for trout fishing. If you buy an outfit then it will come with a decent reel, you don't need a top of the line reel for trout if you don't want it, and it should come with a weight forward line that matches the weight of the rod.

Before you head out onto the water you absolutly must learn how to cast decently, otherwise your expierence on the water will not be a very good one. Many people grab a rod for the first time and want to hit the water to see how many fish they can catch. No, don't do that. Learn how to cast first, then learn how to present some different types of flies (dry or top water to sub-surface flies). That is where a club comes in handy, check them out.

There are also some great DVD's out there about basic casting and basic fly fishing. You may want to invest in some of them.

Here are the two fly clubs in Edmonton and welcome to FAOL.

Larry ---sagefisher---

Northern Lights Fly Tyers
http://www.nlft.org/

Edmonton Trout Fishing Club
http://www.edmontontrout.ca/