I’m just getting started fly fishing and have a few embarrassing questions. Could someone help me out?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Gmcsmith,
First, welcome to FAOL!
Now, as to your questions, it’s better to change flies by cutting off the current one and tying on a new one. Doesn’t hurt to have an extra leader with you, but you don’t want to change flies by changing leaders.
As for the bare minimum, I would suggest that all you need are 3 things:
I second that, also by tying on a new fly, the time you take to tie a new fly on allows the water and streambed to settle, allowing the trout not to be spooked off.
Carry 2 or 3 rolls of tippet and add the tippet to the leader when changing flies to keep your leader as long as you need it.
Good Luck
Gmcsmith -
Greetings and welcome from SE Idaho.
I planned to answer you question, but I see my friend from Auckland beat me to it, almost word for word what I was going to say. Of course, in my case, I would add a pair of glasses so I can get a new fly tied on, if that is necessary, which it usually is.
John
An excellent question, and I think the answer comes down to personal preference. When fishing (or planning to fish) dropper rigs (one fly tied off the hook bend or the tag end of the leader) I always tie them up in advance and keep them in a dropper rig flybox (available from Orvis and others). On the other hand for fishing individual flies I usually tie them on, on stream.
That being said however there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a small piece of appropriately sized tippet pre-tied to the fly so you can switch flies on stream. It will certainly ensure you are using up less of your tippet with every fly change.
As to the necessary tools, well that is very much again personal preference. What I consider necessary you may not. I think a pair of hemostats, a pair of nippers (can be fingernail clippers from the drug store), a few spools of appropriately sized tippet, a bottle of flotant (if fishing dry flies), sunscreen, and of course a fly box or two. I tend to be one of those “kitchen sink” people so I have multiple (seven) flyboxes, multiple types of flotant (gell and powder), enough tippet to completely rebuild a leader if necessary, etc. But there are also times I go fishing and all I have is a flybox and my rod/reel.
Hope this helps and welcome to the best fly fishing site on the net.
Brian
I might suggest the Scientific Anglers L2L leaders. Simple change of leaders without any complicated tying. Once you get good enough to use one leader all day without getting it all snarled up then you can try something else…but I never did. Love them!
When I first started, I would shorten a 9’ tapered leader to what I could cast. I usually cut about 3 feet off the butt end and then tie a tippet to the other end. If the leader ended with a 5X, I would tie in a 5X or 6X tippet about 2 feet long. After the knot tying, that would give me a leader/tippet somewhere less than 8 feet. To the tippet, I would then tie the fly. Now I’m down to about 71/2 feet. Turns out that it’s just fine for my fishing needs. I like fishing with a 7 1/2 foot rod, so the leader/tippet length isn’t a problem with getting all the knots into the tip top of my rod while landing a fish. I could probably use a longer leader/tippet rig, but so far I have no need. Plus, it’s easier to handle. When I’ve removed and replaced enough flies to reach the leader/tippet knot, I try to replace the tippet with another 2-3 feet.
Complicated I know, but it works for me.
A good cigar and a flask of single malt scotch.
It is amazing what the above items weigh when you put them in a vest… I agree with Jeff. That is the bare minimum, but you will be amazed how quickly that your bare minimum list will grow.
By the way Gmcsmith, welcome to the best flyfishing site on the net. Hang on and enjoy the ride.
Brad
GMC. First I want to welcome you to FAOL and the BB here.
Second, The guys who answered your question know what they’re talking about. Follow their advice.
The only thing I would add for this time of the year are ragg wool fingerless gloves and a Louis L’Amour western novel to read until the snow flurries/wind/rain stops and you can go back to fishing. Oh yeah, and chapstick to keep the ice in the guides to a minimum.
Oh, I see you are from San Antonio. The weather thing might not always be an issue. I guess you could swing by Lockhart and pick up my son to go fishing with you. He needs to knock the cobwebs off that St. Croix I gave him for Christmas last year. Don’t think you can get him in your vest tho. He’s more of a wheelbarrow tote. Jimsnarocks:rolleyes:
Shame on me. I forgot. A BIG TIME welcome. You won’t be sorry you came here. We’re all anxious to get to know you better.
Welcome aboard GMC, well no, you don’t have to carry extra leaders but many carry a spare ‘just in case’. We used to have round aluminum leader holders for that purpose with two pieces of felt inside to place the rolled up leaders between. Those days are gone but you might carry one or two of those store bought tapered leaders if you don’t make your own leaders from a number of pieces of thicker to thinner leader material/tippet material. Ask questions on that if you like because the hit on store bought leaders is about 25 times what you can make one for.
Changing flies will of course shorten your ‘tippet’, i.e. the last section of your homemade or the thinnest end of your store bought leader. Here’s something…don’t let your leader shorten too much…add some additional tippet material before you have to totally rebuild your leader. In other words, if your leader is a 5x, add some 5x tippet before it turns into 3x from changing flies. Like I mentioned, any questions, let us know. We do have answers here and again, welcome to the other ‘sport of kings’.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Welcome aboard. 
The preceding answers are excellent. I would add to the above recommendations a hook file. The sharper your hook the better.
It almost sounds like he is just using leaders with out tippet, tying directly to the leader.
My best tip is to find a fishing buddy that Ties to pal up with, he should have all the flies you could possibly need and maybe some extra goodies for you though you may have to drive though
Welcome aboard GMC. You’ve received some good information here, and most of us know what’s being said. You may be a bit confused about how to pick out the kind of information that you need from what’s been offered. I’d suggest that you go to the FAOL Homepage, and look at the menu on the left, and click on “flyfishing basics”, and you’ll find a world of good information in an organized form. If you still have questions, it’s helpful to ask for very specific information, rather than a broad general question. It narrows things down to a useful size. There’s always someone on here with the right answer, if you can get it sorted out from the many opinions expressed. We’re a pretty diversified bunch. There’s lots of other good stuff on that menu on the left as well. Kick your shoes off, put your feet up, and make yourself at home.
Maybe add to that a pair of forcepts to remove said hooks…
Welcome to fly fishing. You’re completely effed and don’t even know it. Congratulations!
Change flies not leaders. You might best be served in the near term by buying 9’ 4x manufactured leaders from the local fly shop. Cut off a couple/three feet of the thin end (the tippet portion) and tie a perfection or double surgeon’s loop at the end of the remaining leader. Use another perfection loop to add back a couple/three feet of tippet. When the tippet gets down a foot or so, add more either by changing the whole tippet or adding more to that which remains with a double surgeon or Orvis tippet knot.
What do you need? (I’m going to be a little bit less minimalist here).
Your license
Flies for the day
A couple of extra rolls of tippet to add as you go through the day. A roll of 4x and 5x should cover your needs
Nippers
Hemostats
Floatant
Split Shot
Indicators
A couple of extra storebought leaders. Even the best can tangle a leader so much that it’s done.
Magnifying glasses (if you need them. I do).
Net (if the fish are so big, they can’t be landed by hand).
It’s not a bad idea to peel off a couple of feet of duct tape, roll it up in a ball, and throw it in your vest. You never know when duct tape will came in handy.
Welcome to FAOL!
You’ve gotten great advice. Just to clarify a bit, add 18- 28" of tippet to the end of your leader. That way you can change flies and snip off tippet without climbing up your leader. You can pick up spools of tippet for a couple bucks. A double surgeon’s knot is a good one to use to attach tippet to leader. Here’s a good link:
http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfishing.php
On the main page of FAOL there’s a link to fly fishing basics on the left hand side. Follow the link to Fly Fishing 101 for a lot of helpful info. There’s a section of leaders and tippets there too.
Good luck.
peregrines