Fly Fishing Thread

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I'll start.

I caught this 23" Brown Trout this past summer. Caught him on an Olive Green Bead Head Wooly Bugger. Released him safe and sound to the creek.

Some say the wooly bugger is cheating because it works a lot of the time, but I don't care. As long as I am catching fish I really don't care.

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>>923082

How is a bugger cheating? I've never heard that before. Awesome fish, where'd you catch it?

Caught pic related and a few more larger rainbows on Christmas Eve. It was the first time I threw a euro-style nymph rig, and I had success before getting hopelessly tangled and struggling to tie on a new setup with cold hands.

Any tips for keeping double nymph setups tangle free? Next time I want to try a drop shot rig like Kelly Galloup uses (google it)

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>>923379
Chama River in New Mexico, where I was fishing

>>923082
>Some say ___ is cheating when referring to fishing techniques

Sometimes people use dynamite too, but that isn't cheating either. It is just efficient. If someone wants to slap themselves in the balls while doing something, go right ahead and let them.

That being said, I fly fish, but I don't use a fly rod or fly line. I did 30+ years ago, but learned I don't need it.

>>923379
I caught the fish in Saucon Creek in Pennsylvania.

A lot of older gentlemen have called the wooly bugger cheating since it works almost anywhere. Those people are the purists who believe a fish should be caught on a dry fly.

Nice fish btw. I just caught a couple brookies recently. I know how it feels to fish in cold weather.

For the dry-dropper rig, i just usually tie the nymph on a piece of line about a foot long. I tie that through the eye hole of the dry fly. Never had it get tangled before.

>>923380
That river looks like trout heaven. I bet you pulled some nice browns out of there.

May I ask what's the difference? Not to be offensive.

I recon its just a different way of casting and using lures meant to mimic bugs. And when it comes to fighting the fish? Is it different than fishing with an ultralight rod?

>>923397
It depends on your reel in technique. Some people wind the reel manually and fight like they are using a normal rod. Others pull the line itself using their hand and let it pile up on the ground as they pull the fish in. The latter can be done because the line is so thick.

>>923397
Obvious the way you cast and the lures you use are different. Flies are tied to immitate a wide variety of insects and other prey items.

That being said I fished for trout on an ultralight since I was 3, and only recently got into fly fishing. The biggest difference I found is trying to find the right fly for the right moment. But other than that I use tactics that I used with my ultralight and I have had a good deal of success.

>>923398
That is very true. I usually pull the line in by hand if there is already a lot piled on the ground in front of me. Otherwise I like to reel it in.

>>923400
Can you actually fight a fish properly without using the reel if the fish is anywhere above 4 pounds?

>>923411
Yes you can. If the fish starts to run just losen your grip on the line. If you let it go the line goes slack and the fish can spit the hook. I just do it to avoid my line tangling while reeling in a fish.

>>923397

With conventional tackle, the weight of the lure is what gets your lure to your target. As your lure gets smaller it becomes increasingly difficult to cast distances accurately.

A fly line is much heavier than mono or fluorocarbon. When you cast a fly rod, you're casting the line, not the fly. This allows you to cast tiny flies accurately at distance without adding weight.

>>923414
>Cast tiny flies over distance.

This is the textbook definition. But do know that some flies, especially salt water flies, can be heavy on their own. Also you can add split shot to a fly to help it sink.

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heavy flies heavy lines used to be a saying.

>>923512
That is an interesting fly. Did you tie that yourself?

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>>923533
yeah tied myself ballyhoo/tarpon for a upcoming mexico trip.

>>923648
That is awesome. I hope you catch something good.

>>923648
I'm going to islamorada for spring break this year and I'm hoping to catch some bonefish in the flats. Are you familiar with the area?

>>923974
Sorry, but I can't really help you there. I've never been there.

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>>923974
yeah..ive fished the keys a few times. theres bonefish in the spring. theres other fish to catch too. my brother inlaw has a boat so he took us out most of the time to fish the overpasses. I waded a lot there everyday but its like endless walking. I think it would be a great place to sup and fish. but truthfully I caught the better and bigger fish tossing jigs and baits rather than on the fly. youll def have fun though, its a beautiful place with a great fishery.

>>923398
>>923400

I've always thought this was interesting. I never used to even touch my reel until fairly recently. Now I put every fish I tie into on the reel for a number of reasons.

I normally target big strong bass, pike, and steelhead and I trust my reel's drag system more than my own reflexes.

I once wrecked a spendy RIO fly line by absentmindedly stomping it into the gravel while I was hauling in a fish by hand.

It's easier to feel the strain on a monofilament leader.

I just find it more enjoyable.

I paid a ton of money for this reel and god damn it I'm gonna use it.

>>924060
See that makes sense. Targeting big fish does make stripping the line by hand more difficult, but I've lost fish trying to reel up the line piled on the ground. The fish runs towards me and spits the hook before I can pick up the slack. Thats why I use the reel if I can reel the excess line in quickly.

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I made this fly today bored sitting in our warehouse. someone commented that "its not a fly unless it has feathers and stuff"..
what they said kind of rang in my head.

At what point is a "fly" not a fly?

>>924400
All flies are lures, but not all lures are flies. If it isn't a lure then it is for snagging, not luring. They are also used with a fly rod and fly line. Using a crankbait with a fly rod is normally too heavy for instance. You can instead use a popper fly which is too light to be used with a normal fishing rod.

Based on that, I'd say it is a fly if you must use a fly rod to properly cast it and use it.

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>>924409
the history of fly fishing is a neat thing. many "crankbaits" were made for fly fishing in the past.
heddon and arbogast were game changers in the industry for this..they were referred to as "fly rod lures"

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I can cast a yozuri pin minnow on my 6wt.

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>>924409
>Using a crankbait with a fly rod is normally too heavy

>>924485
>normally

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>>924493
>>normally
using a crankbait with a flyrod would seem odd.

>>924409
>normally

I have never seen someone using a crankbait with a fly rod. I guess it isn't impossible, but it makes no sense to me.

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>>924521
you ever use a spoon on a flyrod?

>>923078
Don't split the fishing threads we don't need two threads of the EXACT same thing.

Pretty sure fly fishing is fishing. Back to the general you go.

>>924719
The thing is; Fly fishing and lake fishing are completely different, except for the fish part. Equipment, technique, flora and fauna knowledge, river vs stagnant body of water, everything basically.

>>924728

Don't get baited so easily. You're a god damn fisherman.

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Anyone here from the southern Appalachians that can point me towards some lesser known and more wild fisheries? Something you have to hike into would be cool.
Pic is from the Nantahala in NC

>>924728
Yeah well there's already like 3 people who post nothing but fly shit anyways. The last couple threads have been 10% autism and 90% fly fishing.

>>924719
I came to this thread to be all about fly fishing. There isn't enough fly fishing in the general thread to be of interest. Maybe those people in the general thread could come here and talk about just fly fishng.

>>924714
I've only ever used flies while fly fishing. So no, I've never used a spoon while fly fishing before.

>>924521
>>924498
That's the point.

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Thread needs more pics
Tiger from GSMNP

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>>925001
Wild brown from a small stream in NE New Mexico

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>>925004
One of his cousins, farther down stream

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>>925005
The stream where we were fishing and camping.

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>>925010
Very young Redeye Bass from Alabama. Fun fish to catch in the south.

>>925001
>>925004
>>925005
>>925015

Those are all very beautiful fish. I've never caught a Tiger Trout before. How recent are those pics and do you remember what flies you caught then on?

>>924719
Bow fishing is not fishing. Same as shooting a fish with a gun or blowing it up with dynamite. That is hunting. Not fishing.

Take a guess as to what they are talking about in the general fishing thread right now.

No thanks. I'll stick to my fly fishing thread.

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>>925019
NM trip was mid August Redeye was late August Smokies/Tuck/Nantahala were in October. The Browns and Redeye were caught on various dries, I think the tiger was on a zebra midge (my buddy caught it so I'm not 100% positive).
Pic related is either GSMNP or Nantahala both trips were in October.

>>925061
That location is beautiful. What do you tend to fly fish for more: Trout, Pan fish, Bass, or something else?

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>>925092
I grew up in NM but I go to college in Alabama. Bass and panfish are closest while I'm at school, and in small streams they act a lot like trout. I organize a few trips a semester with friends to go to north Georgia, Tennessee, or the Carolinas to fish for trout, and I fish once or twice every time I come home.

Brown from the Nantahala

>>925104
Beautiful Brown. I grew up in PA, so I usually fish for trout, but I also fish for bass, pan fish, and even some predatory fish like chan pickerel and pike.

Trout is by far my favorite game fish. They can be difficult to find and hook, and they put up a very good fight.

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>>925092
If you're still in college in the US see if you've got a 5Rivers club at your school. You'll learn a lot, and if your club puts in a few community service hours then you get wicked discounts (40-60%) on brands like Rio, TFO, Orvis, Costa, etc

Brookie from the Nantahala

>>925109
I am in college. We don't have a 5Rivers club but we do have a fly fishing club. We do tournaments, trips, and we do a lot of projects like cleaing up local streams.

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>>925110
Look into the 5Rivers program. I'm the president of the club at my school and it was way easier than I thought it would be to get the pro deals.

Trout are my favorite as well. They only live in beautiful places, and nothing beats hiking into a wild stream, matching the hatch, and landing a trout on a dry that you tied.

How does your club organize competitions? We're trying to host one in the spring.

>>925119
I go to school in VA, and there is a guy that owns a private stream and lets people fly fish there for a fee. We arrange two days and reserve the entire stream just for us and that is when we do the contest.

I would recommend talking to your local clubs, like Trout Unlimited, or the local game commission. They can usually help out with setting up a contest, especially if proceeds for it go to a good cause.

>>925122
I'm more interested in how you organize the competition itself. We're going to camp in a national forest with another school's club and fish for a weekend. Do you guys do total fish count at the end of the day or largest three fish or what?

>>925403
We do it in 2-person teams. Each fish is measured by an official. The lengths of the top 5 biggest fish between us are added together. That is for 1 2-hour session. We have 3 sessions and the team with the greatest total length wins.

>>925408
Since it is a trout competition there is also an individual award for biggest rainbow, brown, and brookie.

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It was actually a good year for me on the water. Fuck it's cold.

>>926107
Damn that fish is a hog.

Yeah it is cold out, but there can be good fishing in the winter, if you are willing to brave the cold.

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>>926133
Here in NE Illinois, we have either single digits or rain to look forward to in the foreseeable forecast.

>>926146
Damn that sucks. Here in PA it's in the 30s and some snow, some clear weather.

Nice fish btw. Is that a Northern Pike?

>>926197
Muskie. We don't have much for trout in this area, at least not in fast water. ;_;

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>>926210
Got this fat girl a month or so ago.

>>926211
That is a beautiful fish. Is the blood on the gills from the fight?

>>923082 This was my fish from last summer.

>>926210
That really sucks. Do you prefer trout or do you have a different favorite species?

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>>926229
I can't remember if it was from trying to yank the hook out before the picture or from the rocks. There were two around the same time. One ran through this shallow run of maybe 2-3" in rapids and beat itself up. I do remember this one started spewing eggs. You can see some in the pic.

I don't have a particular species preference but I can never get enough of carp. Definitely my most targeted fish.

Also, that's a nice brown. Where at? Mine was SE Wisco.

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All these were from this year, I definitely got my summer's worth. Winter is still a cunt though.

>>926255
>>926257
That sucks with the trout. If I ever hook a female trout (can usually tell by the body and head shape and colors) I try my hardest to release it unharmed, but I usually release all my fish anyways.

I caught that trout in a small creek in SE PA. Most of my fishing is done in PA or VA.

Carp are fun to fish for. They fight so well.

As for winter, I don't mind it, but the cold can be annoying. I just caught a couple brookies the other day, but at the same time the eyelets on my rod had ice buildup, so that was annoying. Also by the end I lost most of the feeling in my face and fingers.

>>926107
Jesus Christ that is an absolute whopper of a fish. Congratulations on landing that thing.
How did you go reeling it in? Did it put up a good fight?

>>923078
What brand of reel won't dick me over for around two hundred buckaroos? I'm looking for a large arbor deal that can work for salt water flats species.

>>926295
7/8wt 11.5' switch rod. I hooked him in really close, and as soon as he felt the hook, he bee-lined for deep water. Straight into my backing with the entire rod bent in half. I was sweating, lol.

>>926305
I have a scientific anglers.

I would recommend the Electron Fly Reel. I use 5 WT. That reel is $165

>>926305
>>926311
To add on to that, the only reel they have that I would recommend for salt water is the Voltage in 10 WT. Can't go much smaller than that for salt water. That one is $205.

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>>926310
>>926295
He was knocking on 20 I imagine. Biggest mirror I've ever seen.

>>926316
That is truly an amazing catch man. Any angler would be proud of himself after that. Again, congrats on the catch and best of luck on future trips.

>>925001
i hear those are pretty aggressive fish. we have them stocked in a few lakes here. I think I saw one shoot out of some weeds to hammer some baitfish. Seem to act very similar to a pike if that really was one.

>>925005
so you post dinks just like fishing general... I thought fly fishing was elite. Guess I'll dump my 5wt and 9wt on craigslist.

>>926340
It may be small but that is a beautiful fish. Much nicer colors and patterns than most other fish.

>>926274
I've had guides ice up and it's a bitch. I've heard that rubbing Vaseline on them before getting in the water keeps them from icing, but I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.

>>926338

Are you thinking of Tiger Muskie? Tiger trout (in my pic) are a sterile cross between brookies and browns, and to my knowledge are no more aggressive than any other trout species.

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had to swim for this bastard. 9.5lbs, 29"
only gilled it because the fly came off at my feet and i jumped on it

>>926954
That is an awesome rainbow. Was that for a contest? I only ask because the fins are kinda broken up which usually is a tell-tale sign of a stocked fish, however natives can have fins like that.

But the colors are absolutely beautiful. Nice and healthy trout. Great catch.

>>926941
To be fair, I have seen trout be pretty aggressive and attack small fish like minnows and some flies pretty hard. I've heard of Coastal Brook Trout eating mice that swim on the water. That sounds pretty aggressive to me.

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>>927046
>stocker
>fin rot
fish doesnt have clipped adipose..though i dont know location of anon but it is how they do it in a lot of places. nice fish

>>927063
Not all stockers have a clipped adipose fin. However, most stockers have all their fins worn down due to the concrete walls of the racetracks they are raised in, as well as the sheer number of trout in one pen at a time.

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Is tenkara a meme?

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I'm a montana trout fisherman, going to flyfish for Florida bass over spring break, any recommendations on fllies that i should have? Pic is a wild montana brook trout.

>>927093
Beautiful Brookie. For Florida bass, I would recommend frog patterns, bass poppers, large streamers, and baitfish immitators.

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>>927093
Check out a website called warmwaterflytyer.com

Poppers and big streamers, as mentioned above. Any of Kelly Galloup's streamers will work fine. A lot of times bass will strike a fly because it pisses them off, not because it looks like a food source. With that in mind make your flies more loud and obnoxious than you would for trout. Rubber legs, flash, rattles, etc.

>>927093
I live in Florida and have found on top of all the recommendations above, bass also love wooly buggers

>>927203
Really? I didn't think bass liked wooly buggers. Is it because they can imitate small fish, or do they just piss the bass off like >>927103 says?

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>>927246
All fish like woolly buggers. You can tie them to imitate baitfish, crawfish, insects, etc, and add or subtract flashy and noisy elements to your liking.

>>927546
Okay. Thanks.

>>927246
Buggers are great search patterns. Lots of movement and that interpretive profile. They imitate a lot of shit pretty decent, then you can zero-in once you know what they're eating.
When I'm on new water, I could go through 50 different streamers, or try a few different color buggers which will give me an idea of the forage it was mistaken for.

>>927704
I have heard that bugger are a good search pattern, but I never really used one for that. Mostly I just use the bugger as my go-to for spots that likely hide a big trout, such as a deep pool with cover. I have caught all my trophy trout on buggers. The big ones seem to love them.

Just ordered myself a #6 fly rod for light saltwater estuary work here in Queensland, Australia. Been fishing for 15 years, 90% of my fishing these days is with lures and I'm looking forward to getting started in fly fishing. Can anyone recommend me some good videos/articles to get a start on fly casting?

>>928196
Literally just go on YouTube and look up fly fishing tutorials and how to cast. Can't go wrong with that.

https://youtu.be/SxVvVoqFbIU
This video should help.

>>928196
orvis' website has some pretty good beginner vids

>>927046
>>927063
Not all stocked trout have clipped adipose fins
( I work at a fish hatchery)
We only clip the fins on our important fish (certain strains we want to keep track of for future reference and we can't afford to tag them all )
All production fish don't have clipped fins
Though most show fin wear
Out of 300thousand fish yearly maybe 50thousand get their fins clipped and even less get tagged
Though at my hatchery it is aall done by hand and not mechanised

>>928258
I never said clipped fins though. I said fin wear, which is USUALLY caused by the concrete raceways at the hatchery. I've been fishing long enough to know the telltale signs of a stocked vs native fish.

Again, I was only asking if the fish was a stocker or a native, because the colors said native but the fins said stocker.

>>928261
>rainbow trout
>native
They're barely even """""native""""" to the area they're endemic to

>>928261
I was referring to the talk of the clipped adipose fin ( of the second anon quoted)
That isn't clipped in said picture but the fin wear does suggest possible hatchery raised fish

>>928266
Actually this
Where I'm from chances are incredibly high if you catch a brown or rainbow it was stocked sometime in the past 4 years
Other than a very small selection of one (now considered)"native" brown trout it's only brookies that are native

>>928266
>>928270
While I agree that brookies are the only true natives, I call any fish clearly not stocked in the creek or river (i.e. born in the wild) a native. That being said, I caught many browns and rainbows this past summer that were under 5", so unless my state is stocking undersized fish, which is believable, then those were, in my opinion, native fish.

>>928277
Your opinion is wrong. The fish you're catching are wild, not native. If I release two gold fish into a Montana trout stream and they survive and fuck is their offspring native? Absolutely not. It is, however, a wild stream born fish.
The difference between wild and native is much more than semantics when it comes to game fish.

>>928296
It's my opinion, so I'm going to keep it. Thank you for the input, but I don't really care. Comparing trout that can easily survive in the ecosystem to goldfish is a pretty bad argument, especially when trout have been spawning here for over 100 years, while goldfish probably wouldn't survive very long, even if they did reproduce.

But, again, thank you for telling me that my opinion is wrong. I'm still gonna call them natives, and not really care.

>>928300
comparing brown trout to goldfish is fine because neither are native to North America, and without the intervention of man neither would be present in North America.

>>928300
What makes you think that goldfish wouldn't survive? Numerous species/strains of goldfish and carp happily live and breed in the same waters that trout inhabit in Australia. Both the goldfish and the trout are introduced species here.

>>928321
Wouldn't the water get too cold for goldfish. I'm sorry, but I am not too familiar on goldfish and their living environments.

>>928322
Goldfish can survive in waters down to about 10*C which is well within temperature range for most trout species

>it's an "aging trout fishermen desperately try to justify the environmental damage that their overrated and genuinely boring target species do by considering them to be 'native'" episode

>>928329
>boring target species

Many anglers would disagree with you, but that is your opinion.
But now Im curious as to what you consider to be the ultimate freshwater game fish.

>>928334
Probably golden dorado or nile perch. If we're talking light game then I'd look to species like Indo-pacific tarpon or jungle perch. All are fantastic target species on fly and much more meritorious targets than trout

>>928334
I assume you don't live in the US with those answers so I would be inclined to believe you on that.

However, where I live, nothing beats going out to a small stream with very light fly gear and catching a trophy brown trout or a true native brookie. Again, just my opinion.

Live in SW New Hampshire and just got into fly. Where do I go/how do I go about scouting a spot? What features do you look for?

>>928277
If you don't understand or misuse terms such as native, introduced, etc, then how are you not wrong.
If everyone were to define a word differently, how would language function?

>>928277
Most states do stock small fish
We stock fish at almost every size anywhere from 1-2 inches up to 7-10 lb brood stock
But the majority of the fish released are about 10-14 inches
But the second most released size is 3-6 inches
So they very well could be stocked fish

Also qualifications for being native are a bit different from what you're describing
You're discribing a possible wild born fish
Which can be the start to an (eventually) native population (it's all a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo based on the states definitions and heir decisions ) that I really personally don't care about
I would call them wild fish personally to avoid any confusion. But that's just me
>>928300
You also may be surprised on how little trout end up spawning ( only talking from my personal experience , mostly from one river where I live ). But I've found that very few trout actually end up spawning and creating wild fish
It's just not terribly common
I've done electroshocking with biologists to try to figure out survival rates and to figure out if fish are reproducing naturally
And while we do come across some "wild " fish the majority of what we pull out of the water is stocked trout and holdovers

Though things could be different where you're from
>>928321
Goldfish can ,will, and do pretty well in the wild
I know of a few pounds where people have released goldfish and they do nothing but thrive and they do reproduce
Eventually fucking a pond
Same thing with koi
They can and sometimes do thrive in North America
Never seen cold water bother them

>>928340
Looking for some input here mostly on fly choice
Haven't flyfished in years ( never really got into it but tried it a while back)
But I'm looking to target a very small Brook through the middle of thick brush

I don't think it's fly fishable ( it's barley normal fishable due to growth )
So I'm looking for some fly's I can use on a spinning rod either under a float or behind a split shot that will work for very small native brookies

Ideally I'd be fishing for them relitivley soon ( winter time) but I'm.not sure how much that limits my fly choice etc

>>928466
Also if I have the choice should I fish down the stream or up he stream?
Chances are I'm going to have to be walking in the water during to overgrowth

>>928466
Small nymphs, midges, and squirmy worms should do it. Look up a drop shot nymph rig. You have split shot at the end of your line and flies tied on to the tag end of surgeons knots above with a strike indicater or sighter above the flies.
Similar to euro nymphing but not tournament legal.

in small streams with thick brush you roll cast and high stick it, which makes a fly rod beneficial because of length.

Be sure to clip your barbs.

>>928475
When I say overgrown I mean really overgrown
Stuff quite close overhead in most places
I'm pretty limited to a short (4-5 ft ) spinning rod. And tiny little flicking casts
Any fly's in particular ?

>>928477
Look up roll casting in tight quarters. When it's really bushy you don't really cast overhead at all, you treat your line more like tenkara.
Not saying you're wrong to use a spinning rod if you're more comfortable with it, but it can be done on a fly rod, and when you're tight lining a longer rod is advantageous because you can get your flies farther out without making a back cast.
Go to your local fly shop for advice on flies for your area, or google a hatch chart for your region. Zebra midges and BWO nymphs work almost everywhere in the winter, and Brookies in my area really like squirmy worms, but ymmv

>>928479
Thanks man , it's really a tiny Brook (most holes less than a foot deep) and its really tight quarters. ( One of my co-workers attempted to flyfishe it once. But he ended up not being able to really cast at all and got frustrated and left

>>924400
>>924409
A lure is a fly when the weight of the lure is not used for the force of the cast; in fly fishing the weight of the line allows you to cast, whereas in conventional fishing the weight of the lure is used to cast.

As such, flies may be cast with conventional rods using certain rigs. If the fly/lure that you've made is intended to be cast using its own weight as the driving force then it is a lure; if it's intended to be cast using a fly line or fly rig for conventional fishing, then it would be considered a fly.

>>926146
Where are you abouts? I'm in Chicago most of my time, trying to fish the city.

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>>929075
wrong.

>>929080
Why is that wrong? Seems like sound wisdom to me

>>929080
You are wrong. That is literally the definition of a fly, and of fly fishing.

So poppers and crease flies are pretty common, but does anyone know of a fly pattern that can 'walk the dog'? One that gives a similar action to, for example, a Lucky Craft Sammy?

>>929362
http://www.flyfishfood.com/2013/08/zaggin-zuke-bass-popper.html?m=1

>>929400
Looks good, thanks. I also found the 'pole dancer' which has a similar action. Should work a treat on small to medium sized trevally in my local waters

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>>923974
Hey it's me (>>924032) Dont know if you're still following this thread but here's some info I got from my bro in-law. the place we caught the bones is about a mile straight out of islamorada its called "shell key" he also mentioned renting a kayak and fishing the channels or renting a boat also an option.

>>929080
Lol, have you caught anything on your DD crease flies?

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>>927076
absolutely

>>929433
Awesome thanks for the info. Did you wade or kayak to shell key or do you need a boat or a guide to get there?

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>>929488
>joe blado crease fly

I have its one of my go to flies, I make them in all different sizes. for fresh and salt. Its a good alternative. cheap, easy to make and its a good search fly. fished on a intermediate like blado recommended. people think theyre poppers and thats where it gets confusing. sure you use a wf floating and you can 'pop' them but it was intended to be more of a wake bait thrown on a intermediate or sinking line. itll plop and swim and then pop back up to the surface or you can just rip them back and move a lot of water which usually gets them looking up. I like them a lot, the only drawbacks are that some will lay on thier side if you dont trim under the hook which truthfully isnt a bad thing makes a good imitation of a dying bait (if youre into that) & that they do tend to get ripped up after a bunch of hits. but at least that means your catching fish..thats why ive been epoxying most of mine. it adds a little weight and they subsurface swim. I have like 50 of these things ready to go.

going to make some craft foam sliders next : )

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>>929610
I waded all around isla, fished under the overpass bridges and rode in my in-laws boat. Its a lot easier inna boat those keys are vast. you need a boat or yak to get to shell key or like i mentioned a sup could do it. I would look into renting a yak for a couple of days, go to the hardware store there make a cheap ass pushpole to bring along. use the yak to cross channels and then find areas you can wade or pole around, you can always drag the yak while you fish shallows.

cold beer helps you focus.

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Finally had a good enough day to go down to the local creek. It was worth it, as I caught my first Rainbow of 2017. I caught him on a yellow beadhead wooly bugger, and he was released back into the creek unharmed.

>>929736
Sweet man thanks a bunch. Any killer patterns I need to know about? I was planning to tie gotchas and Charlies with rubber legs, anything specific that they liked?

>>929726
Thanks for the info. Never fished a crease fly on a sinking line. I put a few together that I hope to use on hybrids in the spring. We'll see how they do.

>>927076
No. If you are in a serious hike chances are you have very little space to carry anything more than a tenkara kit with you.Most fishers get everywhere by car so they don't know about carrying a big backpack for days.

>>930548
How much heavier is a 3 or 4 wt rod than a tenkara setup? With a light "western" rod you can do everything that you can with a tenkara rod AND cast greater distances. What is the real advantage of tenkara?

>>928361
Check the fish and game website. They post stocking reports in the spring that list locations of where they stocked trout. Start there, check out some spots from the website, and start walking up/downstream to find good spots where the fish congregate.

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Caught this on a black egg ducking leech

>>931244
Very nice fish you got there.

>>931246
Biggest Steelhead ive ever caught.

>>931251
What weight equipment did you use to catch it?

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>>923078

>mfw I got a Hatch Fanatic 5 with a spare spool for 70 bucks

>mfw i dont even fly fish

>>924486

That's fucking amazing. Where 2 buy?

>>931683
>got

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98% new to fishing here. I bought a Cabelas CGR 4/5 and I want to build around that and try out this sport in Northern IL. Any opinions for price/quality matching the rest of my setup?

>>932630
>>932630
You could probably find all that you need at Cabela's. Their brand of fly line is pretty good, not stellar but not crap.

That being said, what are you looking to fish for? I'm not very familiar with IL fishing.

I use Cabela's brand floating fly line in 5 wt with a 7.5 ft 5wt tapered leader and 5 wt tippet. Works like a charm for trout, bass, pickerel and the like.

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>>932630

CGRs are fantastic rods for the price.

I'm not familiar with your area either. Google is your friend and we won't do all of the work for you. Find out what fish are nearby and go from there.

That being said you probably have small creeks and ponds with bass and brim. Get some olive bead head woolly buggers in sizes 2-8. You'll catch fish when the weather warms up.

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>>932781
>>932710
Yeah I bought the prestige premier reel and the scientific anglers TPX because they were also on clearance. I'll go back to lurking now. Props for not being dicks to a newfag tho. It's what I would have done. :^)

>>933083
*GPX

>>933083
>>933086
Why would you want to be a dick to a newfag? I'm glad to help someone to bring them into fly fishing. Not many people still fly fish, and still fewer people of younger ages. It is nice to get new people into fly fishing. It will make sure the hobby not only survives but thrives.

>>923078

Guys I want to get into fly fishing but I literally don't even know where to start. What's like the minimum basics for this new and exciting hobby?

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>>923078
I have a question, what is fly fishing like in comparison to regular fishing with a weighted lure or cork? I've always gone Fishing with my dad but we are in south texas and fish exclusively saltwater so I have never flyfished. I've had accidents with hooks before and the thought of whipping something barbed around my head is scary.

Here is a pic of one of my corydoras.

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>>933266
Sorry in advance I have not read through the thread, but answers still appreciated. The most I've fished has been plenty of flounder and red fish, good stuff.

>>933267
Fly fishing, in my opinion, is almost an art. Being able to cast a tiny, feather-weight fly over 40ft but in a way that imitates a real fly so the fish will strike is so much more challenging than just throwing a hook with bait into the water and waiting for a fish. I know, since I do that too.

And yes, there is a danger that you could get hit with flies, especially when the winds are stronger. Best option: wear sunglasses. If at night, wear some type of eye protection. It may seem odd, but it is better than getting a metal hook in your eye.

>>933259
Lrn2google

>>932630
skype me if you want some info about fishing around here (Chicago/surrounding). iamnotawizard.
I have so much Cabela's gear, I should be on payroll. I don't have much bad to say about it.

>>933266
>what is fly fishing like in comparison to regular fishing with a weighted lure or cork?
If I had to pick one word, I'd choose "delicate". There are exceptions, of course (fishing for pelagic species, for example), but by and large fly fishing involves quietly and carefully flicking very small lures into small target areas after stalking up on them. In some cases, when you mess up the fish spooks and you have to find another fish somewhere else and try again.

>I've had accidents with hooks before and the thought of whipping something barbed around my head is scary.
You don't wear glasses when you fish? Shit senpai. Good luck keeping both of your eyes, I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgsLIM14qVA

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Striper from the tallapoosa last weekend.

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Who here has gone flyfishing recently? This is from yesterday, was very chilly!!

>>935579
I have.
>>929961 was my fish from a little over a week ago. Cold as well, but the fish are still biting. I want to get out again sometime soon.