Fishing Q&A

A couple questions about fly fishing?

I've seen what it's like, the motions involved, and it looks as though it could get tiring fairly quickly (for me at least. I have like no upperbody strength. haha). Are the rods on the lighter side. And if not, is it possible to get one like that? My boyfriend loves it and the way he talks about it made me curious, so he'll be taking me the next time I see him. I was also wondering about how often you catch fish.. how it compares to other methods? The last time I went fishing was years ago with my dad. We spent hours at a pond sort of place and I got one. It was "regular" fishing though... I have no idea what it would be called (I must seem like such an idiot to most of you :P). We cast out, let it sit for a little while and then slowly reeled back in. Anyway, I'm gonna stop rambling now. I'm just genuinely interested in fly fishing because my boyfriend enjoys it so much, and likes it even more that I'm curious. Thanks for any answers. :)

Public Comments

1. Flyfishing is more an "art form" than "regular fishing". (Regular fishing would be fishing with conventional or spinning tackle.) Flyfishing does take more "intelligent finesse" and upper body strength but the "rewards" are greater. Although someone with a spinning/bait-casting outfit and bait may be able to catch "more", generally, Flyfishing is a more "subtle" fishing form and (at times) will catch you bigger fish. There are exceptions: When fishing for any type of freshwater Trout, Flyfishing can excel OVER bait or in-line spinners. However, in general, you usually don't catch as much as someone using conventional/spinning tackle and bait. BUT, when you DO catch something on a Fly outfit it is heaven! (lol) I suggest you take 2 different outfits when fishing: Fly and Spinning. That way if your upper body gets tired, you can use spinning tackle. Viola! Also, YES you can get a super light Flyfishing outfit but they can be VERY, VERY expensive, (VS Spinning or Conventional outfits). Look sharp for AIRFLO, Pheasant Tail, or FishSteelheads answers; they are the Trout gurus. Hope this helps somehow? Good fishing.
2. There are alot of variables to know if you will like it or not. I learned to fly fish a couple of years ago, and have not looked back since. Acutually, I was a bit nervous to, but I took my girlfriend out a couple of months ago, and she wants to go more than I do now. You don't need much strength at all, rods are VERY light too. I have gotten to the point that I dont "regular fish" much at all any more. Even when I go to a pond or lake, I still fly fish there too. The thing that hooked me most was the surrounding enviornment. I LOVE the mountains and mountain rivers. Ever since I was a kid, I loved standing in them and still feel compelled to do it now as an adult. Although you look kinda dumb when just standing in a river as an adult, not so much when you have a fly rod in your hand. My girlfriend didn't catch a fish the first time out. She was dissappointed, but I did let her reel one in that I caught. I let her look at it and then she became determined that she was going to catch one after that. I learned that while teaching her, I had to keep it fun for her and not lose her interest. If I made it too much work or to difficult at the beginning, then she would give up and not want to come back. The next time that we went (after her insistance) she caught two or three. We only fished for about 5 hours because of the weather. It has been getting hot, so we arrive about 6:30a and leave usually around noon before it gets too hot. Long story short, try it, I think you'll like it!
3. a decent quality graphite fly rod is very light, in the 3-5 oz range (for the typical 5 wt freshwater rod), the loaded reel is often heavier than the rod. your total setup should be less than 2-2.5 pounds. I've never had a sore arm or shoulder from casting even after spending 10 hours on the river, the only sore muscles I've had from fishing has been legs from wading upstream, and arm and shoulder from long fights with large fish. casting is more about finesse and not about muscle, just keep you wrist locked and rotate at the shoulder not the elbow, get your timing down and you'll find that a nice tight loop thrown from the shoulder will traval much further than using your elbow. how many you catch depends on your ability to select the correct fly for the conditions and your ability to control your line to create a natural presentation. I catch more fish fly fishing than I ever did on a spinning rod (which I will never use again). Fly fishing is way more fun, your always doing something so you don't get bored, once you get into it you will never go back, most addicting thing on the planet. its really not that hard to learn.
4. fly fishing is not power but finesse
5. Go to your local fly fishing shop, ask about classes for beginners. Seattle has several that start in April at a very reasonable price. It does not take a lot of strength to handle a fly rod. I learned when I was about 10 years old and less than 85 lbs.
6. 1)there r some poles thst are really light but they r expensive 2)it depends where u fish like u might catch 4,8,2,or 1 fish. i would suggest waders because it doesnt work on shore sometimes(if u have a boat use it 2 fly fish) . get a fishing vest .well have fun
7. Ive been fly fishing almost all of my life, so there must be something good in it! you shouldn't tire too easily when you start fly fishing, its a common mistake many beginners make when they start is to make the casting stroke back and fourth as quickly as they can, then they will tire easily, the truth is you let the ROD do all of the work, I'm sure your boy friend will explain what i mean to you. Next up is the weight of the outfit, if he has been at it for a while there is a good chance he will have spent way too much money on the sport(like me,lol) and will already have light weight rods as the better the quality the lighter they are, such as the new orvis Helios rod. If your river fishing you will be almost certain that you will be fishing with a light set-up. The main thing to do is enjoy it! the chances of getting tired quickly are small, especially if you start catching, all i will say is keep tight hold of the fly rod, because there are some big trout out there that will will take the fly like a bullet, the feeling of watching a strike and then feeling everything tighten up is a great one so enjoy! and tight lines to ya! Great info on fly fishing, dont let the name stop you its fly fishing! http://www.sexyloops.com/beginners/index.shtml
8. Remember, fly fishing was invented as a better means of catching and killing fish, nothing more; it has since evolved into a more aristocratic appeal but the idea is the same, it gets a light bait, in this case an imitation insect, crustacean or fish, to the larger fish in the most efficient manner possible. There are many inexpensive and lightweight fly outfits available, you can easily find one for under $200 and often much less than that. Repetitive casting will tire your arm the first few times out, but it's worth it!
9. Fly Fishing, Learn from a Master by Bill Mason is an excellent book to help get you started. Fly fishing is different because you are primarily "stalking" fish instead of blindly casting, in my opinion this makes it a more complete experience because you have to be ever mindful of your surroundings. I guarantee that once you try it, you'll like it. If I were you, I'd ask your boyfriend to show you how to cast, it really is not that difficult. If you find that it comes easy to you and you like it, go ahead and purchase the equipment and practice in the yard. How often do you catch fish ? Alot depends on what species you're fishing for and what type of water. The nice thing about fly fishing is that you will be able to mimic food on the surface as well as below the surface. Don't worry about upperbody stregnth ( you don't need it) in fact, most women learn to be very good flycasters. It is all timing and transfer of energy. With today's graphite rods being very light, you won't have to worry about getting tired. Good Luck with your new adventure