What every fly angler needs

[Graham Whatmore]

Right then, I have a rod and my GRX reel came this morning, bought some wet flies and some scuds off ebay, not buying anymore till I know what to buy, the guy I bought the rod off gave me two lines as well(dunno what they are)and some backing line but I might get me some Shaky lines. So what else is a necessity for the budding fly man then who may target the river rather than trout lakes?

Types of fly I need are confusing me a bit at the moment mainly because I don't know what the various flies are for. Wet and dry I assume are self explanatory but what the others are I havn't a clue, and surely I don't need great hordes of 'em do I?

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay]

You need to buy a good book on fly fishing now Graham.

 

[Chris Connolly]

where you gonna be fishing m8 and what types of fish you gonna target.
I'll advise best I can and then its up to you to do the damage.

 

[chef]

Graham,
this year I had 3 days with a Guide (Carl Hutchinson) near Rippon to brush up my casting (Carl is a British distance record holder) watching him cast a full snowbee xs in two false cast every time is amazing as well as that he is a total fishing nut!!! we fished the river ure and a couple of stillwaters and I learnt more in those 3 days than from all the books i've read.
so if you can get someone a guide or a friend to show you the ropes when you then read the books it will all make sense,
it was the best money i've spent
Tim

 

[Graham Whatmore]

I want to target coarse fish on the likes of the Wye and Severn but I will probably have the occasional dabble at the trout lakes, though the Wye has loads of them and cheaper too.

You're right of course I have to learn how to do it first but I do have a couple of friends who can at least point me in the right direction and once I get some line on the reel (first problem) I can have a little practice.

 

[Ric Elwin]

You'll need a pair of waders. May as well get chest one's as thigh waders uses are limited. Question is whether to get neoprene or breathable ones.

 

[Shrek]

Graham, unless your friends are qualified casting instructors, I would be hesitant to take advice from them as they will inadvertantly pass their bad habits on to you. Your best bet is to find an APGAI qualified instructor local to you, this website should help.

Also, if you're targetting rivers then chest waders are a definite and preferably breathable. On a hot day they come into their own and on a cold day, you can wear layers under them to keep you warm. Best to get a pair with stocking feet so you can get good wading boots too.

However, for the time being, as long as you have rod, line, reel, leader material, flies, landing net, something to carry it all in and a decent hat and sunglasses, you'll be fine to catch some fish.

 

[Bob Shuttleworth]

Might be worth starting on the dry fly as the takes are easier to spot (although not necessarily easier to hit!).

Find somewhere with lots of smallish chub (8oz - 2lb) and try a bushy dry fly late evening. There's nothing like a few fish under your belt to boost confidence.

You might want to take a pair of forceps for crushing barbs & unhooking.

 

[davestocker]

An absolute necessity is some stuff for rubbing on your leader to make it cut through the water surface when wet fly or nymph fishing. You should also rub down the last foot or so of leader when dry fly fishing. Sunk monofilament is allegedly less visible than when it's floating. You can buy stuff that does this (eg Xink), or make tons by mixing Fullers Earth (from a chemist) with a concentrated washing up liquid (adding a bit of glycerin for a longer life). I suggest avoiding double strength monos and fluorocarbons until you're a bit more experienced. Use clear durable monos like Maxima Clear to start with.

 

[paul williams 2]

Glasses!!.....polaroid and clear safety glasses for dusk ( clear ones only for safety)since moving over from coarse fishing i have found i can't use my hands so much (because i am carring rod etc ) to shade my eyes when stalking/spotting......i'm also learning that the fly/lure is secondary to stealth on rivers......no doubt stillwaters too?

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Just a little update. I went down to the local trout lake yesterday and asked about a little instruction and the manager said no problem. When I asked how much he said I don't charge, just buy a ticket and I will put you right and if I need it he will do the same each time I go until I feel confident. He said he will ring me when its quiet and that way we won't get too many interruptions.

What a nice man, a very nice man.

 

[NT]

Good to hear of someone that's prepared to help. I am no river or stream expert, but there is a lot of skill in stealth and accurate casting. After all 'a rising fish is a taking fish' so to get you fly on its nose without being seen or heard is the key to success.
A lot of this perfect imitation of flies is not necessary. In stillwater if you can get your flies within the rings of rise before they are more than 6ft diameter you will catch that fish 90% of the time. Change your fly for the other 10%.

Neil.
I also run a flytyers club in cheshire in my spare time!

 

[Graham Whatmore]

I had my first lesson off the man Stan this morning and I think I performed very well even though the wind was a bit troublesome. Obviously never got it right every time but at least I finished up knowing what I had done wrong so that helped. Over 2 hours he spent with me and he said I can go any time I like if I feel like a lesson and he's not too busy.

Oh! and I caught 2 trout as well one of which I had for my tea tonight so I must have done it right a couple of times eh!

 

[Shrek]

Excellent news Graham!!!!!

 

[Alan Tyler]

For safety and getting the best out of polaroids: a bush hat with a wide, stiff brim.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

That means I'll look like Ron then Alan, (only joking because I know polaroids work better when they are shaded). I am now ready to buy flies and I notice theres different colours of the same pattern as well as different size hooks so, a few questions please.

1. Is it wise to buy flies in pairs in case of loss.
2. How many different colours should I have of each fly.
3. What size of hook is the optimum size or is'nt there an optimum size.

 

[Alan Tyler]

There's alway a down-side, isn't there?

1 pairs are a good idea, wish I remeberd mre often.
2 Most lures are black or white + orange or lime green, the only other one of major signficance is the pink Baby Doll. Most flies, on the other hand, are tied to look like something, so you only need that colour.
However, as thereare dozens of different buzzer and caddis species, it helps to ask around as to what shows up on your water.
Cobwebs can be a useful source of information, but tend to reveal the goodies after the hatch, so their silent account is best for next year.

3 As with coarse fishing- as big as you can get away with/ the rules allow. Rules usually limit lures to either #10 or #8;
nature sets her own limits on naturals! (though I have been advised that if they're feeding, offer them an imitation a size smaller than you think the prey item is; if they're not, try and tempt them with a big mouthful.)

If there's the slightest chance of you being able to tie your own, do it! My own all-time favourite spring-time pattern was Canning's "Dot Midge", and I've never seen that for sale, even though it's almost unbelievably simple to tie.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

I did ask this guy thats teaching me if there was a local fly tying club but he said theres nothing round here at all so, as I know nothing about it, it looks as though I'm destined to remain that way. I have ordered a couple of books from the library so maybe that will throw something up.

Thanks Alan.

 

[chef]

Graham,
try www.flybuyer.co.uk they do a buy 2 get 1 free deal and the flys don't seem to bad . Even though i tie my own flys i allways buy a new pattern before i tie it just to see what it should look like