If you could pick one book or DVD to help you starting out,what would ya 'll
recommend?
Ernie
“The Curtis Creek Manifesto”
Cliff
Book would be “The Trout and the Stream” by Charles E. Brooks…then read the rest of his books.
Boy, that’s a wide open question. My answer is “That depends on what your wanting to learn.” If it’s fly fishing, then what species of fish will you be fishing for? Trout, Warmwater, Saltwater??? If it’s general fly fishing/casting, then I would probably with one of Left Kreh’s or another great caster. If it’s fly tying, then you can get what you need right here on FAOL. Let us know more of what you’re planning to fish for and I think we can provide better answers to your question. Just a thought…
Jim Smith
Ernie,
When you say ‘starting out’ if you mean you have never fly fished then I would suggest a DVD on beginning casting. I believe the number one mistake beginners make is to grab a fly rod and go fishing with no idea how to cast. Before you go fishing you need to learn how to cast, period. It will make your first trips far more enjoyable if you do, otherwise it is very frustrating.
Larry —sagefisher—
I like Joann Wulff’s DVD on fly casting. Of course, you cannot go wrong with a Lefty Kreh DVD. I still look at my Joann Wulff DVD every now and then when I am teaching myself a few new bad habits. For most other aspects of this addiction, just go to the main page here and poke around…there is enough there to keep a guy busy for weeks, if not years.
Brad
You have arrived at a great starting point. Check out the material on the home page under flyfishing basics on the drop down from that go to flyfishing 101. There are a lot of really good videos on Youtube.com by Lefty Kreh, Joan Wulff and others that can help you with your casting. You may want to check your local library also and see what they have you can use and then decide what you want to own and review at your discretion. The “Curtis Creek Manifesto” s a great little book and is very useful for stream fishing for trout, it won’t help you a lot for bass, bluegill or red fish. During my extensive travels of Texas, I have found the rumors about it being a large place to be very true. Where you are going to fish and what you are going to fish for will dictate a lot of what you will want to do in the future. Bluegill and shellcrackers are a great place to start. Hopefully, a little while down the road you will decide to expand your interest into fly tying and we can teach you to better appreciate roadkill.
Have fished all my life,but never picked up a fly rod. I would say largemouth and smallmouths mainly, but the lakes and rivers have whites,hybrids,crappie,perch, and striped bass!
Ernie
Many moons ago when I was still trying to learn …a DVD by Mel Krieger showed me what a tight loop was …it made my day and of course had more to offer.
First I fully admit that although I never met Lee Wulff, he is my favorite and most respected fly fisher and fly tier. So I’ll offer this suggestion: Get the Lee Wulff video - “I Was Born To Fish - Lee Wulff on the Beaverkill”. While fishing several of the pools on the Beaverkill, he talks about the trout, trout food and flies, casting, and in between he ties several different styles of flies. So, where almost all videos specialize on 1 maybe 2 aspects of fly fishing for trout, this one covers much more and does it exceedingly well. It’s an all around excellent video. Oh and he was 84 when the video was made.
Allan
owGood Morning Ernie,
First of all, there is no such thing as learning from just one resource. The best learning takes place when you can determine HOW you learn. By that, I am speaking about the channels of learning. Most folks require a combination of visual, auditory, memory, and touch (in the case of flyfishing that would be actually participating in the lesson). I would suggest using videos, dvds, and books which demonstrate the how to and why part of the techniques employed in our sport. There is a fantastic selection of videos available: Dave Whitlock, Joan Wulff, Skip Morris ad many other experts who present the information and demonstrate how to put it all together for streamside success. Try your local flyshop for video and dvd rentals that you can then supplement with additional reading. Hope this helps.
Gerri
Larry Dahlberg’s Bass and Panfish DVD is the best non-trout beginner’s DVD I’ve seen. He covers everything from knot-tying to casting to tying basic flies. You might be able to find a copy on Ebay.
Just bought one,thanks for the link!
Ernie
I watched most of the DVD today,it's pretty good!
Thanks Ernie
Erine,
You stated you have fished most of your life for warmwater fish such as bass, bluegill, stripers,etc., and I assume you wish to continue fishing for them but using a fly rod. That tells me that you have a pretty good knowledge of where in your fishing water, whether streams, lakes or ponds, your fish can be found. That is a great starting point. That tells me that what you really want to learn now is how to cast a fly rod to get your fly to the fish. Try to remember that you cast a casting rod and a spinning rod and you do this by the weight of the lure. For warmwater fishing with a fly rod, the streamer or fly you will be using does not have the weight for you to be able to cast it. You must learn to unroll a fly line because the fly line is the weight that loads the fly rod and carries the streamer/fly to the fish. So, I would suggest that you get some casting lessons from someone who can teach you the basics of how a fly rod works and how to set-up a fly rod for warmwater fish which is what I assume you will be using the fly rod for in Texas. There are some differences on how a fly rod is set-up for say bass fishing and one set-up for trout fishing. It will help you with asking the right questions if we know what you intend to fish for. If it is for bass, stripers and other larger species of warmwater fish, you need to make sure someone helps you out with choosing the right weight fly rod and how to set it up with the proper leader/tippet. See if you can find a fly fishing club close to you or someone who fishes with a fly rod and let them work with you. For me, hands on is a better teacher than books. Don’t get me wrong, because books and DVDs are great, but, they sometimes assume you know more than what you do and you would be able to learn more from both of them after you have spent some time on the water with a fly rod. Time spent with a knowledgeable fly fisherman and on the water will teach you a lot and you will retain what you have learned and be able to practice until you get it right. Once you have the proper weight fly rod for the species you are fishing for and have it set-up properly you will be ready to get out on the water and let the fly rod show you what it can do and what it expects from you. I guess what I am trying to say is that books and DVDs are great entertainment and get you excited to get out there but once you get there, you need to know how to present the fly to the fish or all the excitment will be replaced with disappointment. Learn the basics first and then the books and DVDs will make more sense to you and you will get more from them. You need hands on teaching from someone with the knowledge. Once you have that, you will be well on your way because you already know where the fish should be and all you need to learn is how to present the fly to them and that is learned best by time on the water with the proper equipment and a knowledgeable fishing buddy. You will shorten the learning time by time on the water with the right person teaching you.
Sorry for the long post, but, I feel the most important thing for you now is getting the proper equipment in your hands and having someone with the knowledge to teach you how to use it. After you learn that, you get to learn how to tie your own flies! Do yourself a really big favor and stick with the fly rod and you will have twice as much fun fishing!
Hopefully, something I said here makes sense and is of some value to you.
There’s unlimited material for learning to cast a fly rod today. Today with the internet, it would take a lifetime to work your way through all of it! As an example, I listed one below.
I cut my eye teeth with an 8’ Fiberglass (rated 6wt) rod and after learning the basic cast, got together some poppers and went to “practicing” on some local ponds and small lakes fishing for bluegills and bass, doing so from the banks - graduated to boats later on. After I got the hang of casting the poppers, went on to going under the water surface using nymphs. When I started casting a fly, started with the wet and then taking on dry fly fishing. Learning the basics using the poppers (and catching fish!), wet my interest to want to learn more and more.
Today, when asked (I know I have not in this case!), I would recommend starting with a 5wt graphite rod, either an 8, 8 1/2 or 9 foot length. One could visit a fly shop(s) that have a display of rods and then just “fondle” each and see kinda what fits your feel. And I wouldn’t spend a great deal of money for the first rod - $150.00 buys a great combo, rod, reel & line. Would be great if you test cast before purchase, but if you cannot, the 8 to 9 length will work. You can acquire a more exacting fly rod taste later on.
Warren and Dale,
Exactly the information I’m looking for! I have a LL Bean
Quest 2 9’ 5wt . They have a fly fishing club in Waco,Tx
which is about 25 miles from my home,they will meet
April 8,which I plan to attend!
My favorite or home lake has largemouth,smallmouth,
Stripers.
What size flies should I start out with for largemouth and smallmouths?
Ernie
Ernie, there have been a lot of threads on that subject. I think the best advice I’ve seen is to match the size of what the fish are feeding on. Remember that smaller flies tend to be a bit easier to cast, at least for me.
Regards,
Ed
Ernie ~ that 9’ 5wt is just right for a med size popper. Bass are not all that picky. You can pick up poppers like the link below at Wally-Mart (at least in this area) and they will do just fine to get started. Later on you’ll refine EVERYTHING, including what your using for flies & poppers, but for right now just get started. I’d recommend you use a straight mono leader to start, like maybe 8# … and start with the leader about the length of the rod. You’ll make adjustments for the length and what you use later on.