Advice on fly rods and line

[bersim]

Since my trip to NZ I have been very keen to give fly fishing a go. I bought myself a nice little fly reel over there, as I'm itching to catch a bass on a fly as it seems like such a great way to catch them. All I need now is to get a rod, and from all of the posts I have read asking about this, I know that this is quite an important part of fly fishing. I don't want to spend too much money on the rod but I also don't want to get a bad quality one that will put me off fly fishing I will probably only want to spend a maximum of $100 on a rod (if that's possible to get a good one for that price!) I will also need to buy fly line and I'm not sure what brand or type. I will probably be just using it in the places that I use beetle spins and jackall type lures so I guess that will mean I will need sinking line as I will want to drag the fly along the bottom? I have read a lot of posts regarding all of this sort of info, but I would just like to make sure that I'm getting the right stuff before I spend a lot of money.

Thanks, James

[tomca]

I use a 6wt Pfluger 7'6" 2 piece rod. Chasing bass in the creeks I use a floating line with a sinking tip. The water is almost always shallow enough for the fly to reach the bottom.

[samsteele115]

Good luck fly fishing in the creeks we fish!! Haha. Might have to wade so you don't snag a tree . Cool idea though, bass on fly would be fun

[Dinodadog]

You have probably noticed the fly fishermen out at lake K. They are usualy fishing in the clear water on the edge of the weed beds, not over the top like we do with beetle spins. One of the reasons for this is that some fly lines cost as much as the rod or reel costs and they dont want to get hooked up on the bottom or a snag and lose any of this line. Easiest way to tone your reflexes up is to catch a few gar on fly first.

Wallyfly taught me to fly fish, you should see some of the fish he has caught from NZ

By the way reels and rods are usualy matched, what size reel did you buy.

Dino

[bersim]

Thanks for all the advice. I bought a 6wt fly reel.

James

[Dinodadog]

As Tom said thats a good size for bass, so you need either a 5/6 weight, a 6 weight or a 6/7 weight rod.

Then there is 3 mainlines with variations of each. Surface, Subsurface and sinking.

How is the pocket money going so far.You will have to do a lot of chores around the house to keep you in this hobby ha ha.

Dino

[Nog]

Hi James

Great to see you're interested in fly fishing. As Dino says, we do fish Lake K a fair bit from the bank (I fish OVER the weedbeds, only cause that's what Chuck Norris would do ).

As for a rod under $100, I'd try the fly fishing websites around for that. I know of a Nitro Distance 6/7 for sale for $80 plus postage. (SOLD 2:30pm 10/7, they don't last long at those prices)

I've got some older flylines sitting around that you could get by with as well.

If you can, come along to the Brisbane Flyfishers Club meeting next week and we'll sort you out. I'll post up details soon.

Norm

[bersim]

Thanks for all the tips guys! I'll see if I can make it to the Brisbane Flyfishers Club meeting next week Norm. I decided that seeing as I don't waste my money or use it very often I would spend it on something that I would use and really enjoy.

James

[elops]

James been clearing out gear that I rarely use and have the following you can have.

Daiwa Phantom PB-477 9' 6/7wt needs 4 new snake guides (idiot that rebuilt it for me put 4 standard guides and the rest stainless)

ABU Diplomat 368 reel with spare spool.

Scientific Anglers WF-7-F/S Yellow/Clear new in box.

Also some sinking lines these are sections of various lines that have met with accidents in the salt but are fine for deep Bass on this rod.

[aussie123]

When I was always fly fishing I had a variety of outfits to suit the different types of water and weather conditions.

In the mountain trout streams I used a 4wt as a lot of these streams you could jump over them.

If I was fishing or wading the rivers I used my 6wt and sometimes as well in the open lakes if wading was possible.

In the open lakes where we could not wade out or if it was windy I would only ever use the 7wt.

The 7wt gives you enough punch to get the distance you need,especially in breezy conditions.

Line type changes depending on where you are fishing or the weather conditions on the day but generally a weight forward sinking tip will cover all types of fishing if it is not too shallow.

A good quality line is also worth spending the extra money on.

A reel can be anything in freshwater as it is basically just a line holder.

Saltwater is different as you begin to rely on good drag systems,especially once you start to target pelagics.

Have fun as it is an awesome sport and there is nothing as good as catching fish on the fly,especially if you ever venture offshore chasing the pelagics.

[EZY]

hey mate tackle wharehouse at cooparoo has the top floor dedicated to fly fishing from rods to pre made flies. i use a fenwick 10ft 6wt and have cartriges for my reel so i can have several different lines ready to go e.g floating for surface sinking slow and fast shooting head ect. i use a 6wt as mainly i'm targeting things like trevs, carp, bass ect so handles most of that kind of thing well. if your coming out to winter camp i'll be bringing mine so you can have a play with different lines if your keen. ezy

cheak out cooparoo their also used to be a company down south called "the alpine angler" they check them out too. if you can have a look for the rex hunt series of fishing shows he explains fly fishing very well mostly trout but the infomation can be transfered over. any questions drop me a post. ezy