Fly fishing thread. The last one inspired me to buy a whole

Is it possible to get into fly fishing without dropping a fortune?

>>940929
Look at those Cabela's combos. They are supposed to be decent for the money. But even with that you will probably still drop $150-$200 to get going for one species.

>>940931
Thats not too bad, I guess.

>>940932
It's like anything, you can get into it real deep and spend thousands or drop a couple hundred for stuff that isn't complete trash but you won't be bragging about.

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>>940931
OP here. My setup was in the $150-200 range like others are saying, and I bought what seemed like entry level gear from the mainstream brands. Cabelas rod and reel on sale right now.

As with anything you can use the Internet to get the basics.

Do you really need waders? Why do fly fishermen always seem to have them?

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>>940935

>>940991
Seems totally correct to me. What's he problem?

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>>940995
>written by a tripfag
I do post a lot of bullshit

>>941020
We'll of course. I'm surprised no one has posted a knife striking a rod in this thread yet. But that was one of the most innocuous and obvious of comments.

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>>940988
its just convenient, there are rarely things to snag when your in the middle of the river, plus you can make shorter more accurate casts

>>940929
I bought a tenkara kit similar to http://www.backcountry.com/tenkara-rod-co.-owyhee-package?skid=TRE0007-ONECOL-S12FT&ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6dGVua2FyYToxOjI6dGVua2FyYQ== and enjoyed it.

what size-wt rod do you usually fish?

>>941020
>yfw a worm will outfish all of those

does anyone have a list of must needed general fly trying materials, normally I look up the flies i want to make and buy accordingly, but if anyone knows good general materials it'd help

>>940988
Because they are old people. When they get wet their pee spreads on the water and trouts won't bite

>>941112
it really depends on what patterns youre planning to tie. stock up on the basics.
mono thread, regular thread, flat flythread
feathers and cape
bucktail
peacock herl
flashabou
chenille
crystal flash
crinkle nylon
marabou
assorted dubbing
scavenged materials

then as you go onto different patterns just add to the box. start simple though with the basics.

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sally hansens hard as nails.

goop thinned with a few drops of naptha is a good substitute for flexement(sp?)
devcon epoxy 30 minute not the 5. the slower the dry time = clearer the finish. also 5 minute will yellow on you eventually from uv.

>>940929
Is it possible to "get into" any hobby without spending a decent amount of money? Join a local forum or facebook group, you'll learn a lot about fishing in your area and will probably be able to buy used gear on the cheap.

>>940988
Because walking dick deep in water that's 30-40F is fucking miserable and also dangerous if you fall in.
I usually wet wade in the summer months or down in the south where stream temperatures are higher, but in the fall and winter and on bigger water waders are a must.

>>940961
That was my first attempt at an elk hair caddis, I'll post some more tying pics soon that aren't as ugly.

>>941445
To add on to this, some of my favorites are foam and "doll" eyes from your local craft store, EP fibers, rubber legs, and bead chain or dumbell eyes.

Materials to stock up on depend on the species of fish that you target most often. I go after a lot of bass so I tie larger poppers and streamers more often. If you live closer to trout you need a different set of materials to focus more on nymphs and smaller flies.

>>940899
I googled "fly fishing in northern IL" and found this: https://www.google.com/amp/s/flyfishingguides.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/illinois-fly-fishing/amp/

How the fuck do people post on 4chan but not know how to google shit?

>>942197
In his case I don't really know.

But in some instances, the internet doesn't always help. Like most website I found told me that my area (Southern PA) was a good place to use stone flies. I've used them, but I never caught a fish on one. It took me a few tries to figure out something they will hit on most of the time, but that doesn't always work.

Sometimes it is laziness, while other times the information online is either not up to date or, for some reason, inaccurate.

>>941939
I meant more like, why can't you fish from the bank or the shore? Conventional fishermen don't tend to wade.

>>941940
That's super ironic, friend. I found those flies so aesthetic that that image is literally what caused me to pick this up and now I just today bought the materials to start tying an elk hair caddis. I will timestamp when I get home from work because this is so funny.

>>942367
I wade when I fly fish so that I don't get hung up in the trees on the back cast, and because using smaller casts tends to be more accurate, while longer casts tend to be less accurate.

Aside from that it also makes landing the fish and releasing it much easier, since you can bring the fish right up to you in the water, and then release it right there.

>>942197
Yeah I found that. I figured it might actually be possible that people know something that isn't listed on that one particular dude's spreadsheet.

Why do some people get elitist when it comes to fly fishing over other spin fishing?

Like I understand some people just find it more fun to fly fish but where does the concept of fly > spin, in terms of catching fish, come from?

>>942403
As a fly fisherman and a spin fisherman I don't think that either technique is superior to the other. I find fly fishing fun because, to me, it is more challenging than simply throwing bait on a hook and casting into the water. Maybe some fisherman believe that it is too easy to catch fish, and that is why they dislike it.

But, like I said, I like to use both methods, but I tend to lean more towards fly fishing. But, in the end, fishing is fishing.

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>>942370
kek, thanks dude. The pattern with foam is called a mooda pooda by Fly Fish Food. They have an awesome youtube channel with more patterns than you'll ever tie. I tie the same style fly on a regular dry fly hook as a general attractor pattern that I'll usually tie on first if I'm fishing dries. (pic related; I'm not sure if you can tell what the flies look like or not, might be a shit picture.) Easy and effective.

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>>942370
Are you OP? There's got to be some smaller creeks in your area with bass and bluegill. Check out Panther Branch Bugs on instagram/facebook/he might have his own website I'm not sure. He fishes and ties flies for small creeks and posts some really inspirational pictures.

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>>942436
Better version of this picture

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>>942442
These are both easy ties that work well on bass and sunfish in small creeks.

>>942403
>Why do some people get elitist when it comes to
Because insert any X and insert any Y. These are all possible states. And for each state there is at least some person such that that person gets elitist about X with respect to Y.

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Is it easier to fish for smaller fish first? Is there any reason why I shouldn't just hunt keeper size fish as a total novice?

PS this is OP and this is my first fly. An Elk Hair Caddis.

>>942582
Pretty solid attempt considering your first tie was a dry fly. Most people start with woolly buggers and go from there. Good stuff, keep it up.

>>942582
Nice fly you got there.

As to your question, I don't really have a good answer for you. Fish are not robots. Each one is different. One fish may hit on a fly, but another in the same spot might not even look at it. With that being said, I say to just fish for whatever you think is in the water, and use whatever you think will work. I've caught wild fingerlings on wooly buggers and I've caught trophy browns on midges. Each situation is different.

Basically, no fish is easier than the other. Over time though, you will develop techniques that will help you land fish pretty much anywhere.

>>940899
Fly fishing is still fishing.

Back to the general you go.

>>943373
Apparently enough people like just fly fishing enough to have its own thread, otherwise this wouldn't be here.

How about you go back to the general.

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>>940929
It's possible to get into it fairly inexpensively, but it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid dropping a fortune.

I first got into it about six years ago with a $100 rod/reel combo. Everything after that is just a blur as fly fishing consumed every aspect of my life and left me in tatters financially and emotionally. Today I have 12 rods, and I figure I've spent close to $20,000 to feed this horrible, crippling illness.

Pic related, last night's impulse buy. Sage vxp, Lamson Remix, InTouch RIO Gold. Help me.

>>942403
Because fly fishing is inherently an elitist activity.

I think that in most cases people are drawn to fly fishing because they want a more elevated angling experience. Fly fishing generally requires more technical skill and a more in depth knowledge of fish, their feeding habits, and their environment. If you ask me, anybody who loves fishing enough to want to learn these things can rightfully have an elitist attitude.

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>>943431
OP here.

I hope someday I, too, have $20k to spend on fishing.

Also, last night's attempt was so bad that I immediately tore it apart and threw away everything but the hook.

>>943463
Just curious, but do you ever watch Youtube videos on how to tie flies? I've heard that they a great for starting new patterns, and that it helps build a sort of muscle memory on how it tie them.

>>943466
>watching someone else do something builds muscle memory

>>943466
Yes I've been doing that a lot.

>>943471
It does. Obviously not as much as "doing" the thing, but are you saying you can't imagine how it feels to do something? You get a sense of how many wraps for this or that or whatever, so that you remember when you're doing it at least how your movements should look.

>>943473
That is what I meant with >>943466 If you watch the video and follow along, eventually you will have a muscle memory to where you can tie the fly without using the video at all.

>>943475
If you're tying while you watch the video, then yes.

>>943463
I don't want you to think I ever had that kind of money to spend on fishing. I'm broke all the time. That's just how fucked my priorities are lol

>>943431
It is not hard to get into fly fishing for not a lot of money. I have probably spent maybe $500 on all of my stuff. Is it the best: Not by a long shot. Does it work: Every Time

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>>943516
OP is a /his/ native. No one has any claim to the truth of the moral value of different priorities.

>>943524
$500 is a lot of money to some people.

>>943528
All at once, $500 is a lot of money, but over time it's not. It doesn't take $500 to get into fly fishing. You could probably do it for $75 or less if you bought used gear for your first setup.

>>943688
Exactly. You don't have to spend $500 at once. A good fly fishing kit can run as low as $100. Over time you will spend more money on stuff, but not all at once.

>>940899
How old are you? Chicago area? Are you a douche? I might could show you some spots.

>>943524
>>943528
>>943431
You could get a cabela's wind river reel for $20 here and there. I've seen those sweetwater glass rods for $20. Cabela's fly line for $20. You could spend the same on a combo and be set. Don't be so intimidated. If you don't have $60 to spend on a hobby, you're doing life wrong.

>>940929
I just use a spinning reel and thin diameter line with a clear bobber. Works great.

>>942397
I live in the city and fly fish the harbors all the time. If you're up for a drive you can always go to the Driftless, which I'll be doing in the spring hopefully.

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>>944706
>"cabela's wind river reel for $20"
>look on interwebs it's $39.99
>wut?
same china reel unmarked is $12 free ship on ebay 3wt up to 8wt. fucka cabalas


Ayy yo'...Y'all wear a lanyard wen u fishin'? pic related

>>944723
more posts of that things?

>>944723
I've never been a lanyard guy but I wear a small backpack when I fish and I clip stuff to the shoulder and chest straps

>>940929
I bought a rod for about 30€ and fish at a private spot where I usually leave about 40€ (they charge by the weight of the caught fish). I can imagine there are similar setups in other countries.

>>940899
If you go a bit further north to the mt vernon Creek in Dane county Wisconsin it is an amazing trout stream.

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>>944703
30. Suburban. I am a huge douche.

Here's my third fly. I had to destroy the second one completely.

>>944723
How do you find that reel and how do you know that it's the same one?

>>944996
wraps and hair are looking better. Did you intentionally leave the hackle feather as a tail?

>>945054
Yeah I didn't crowd the head as much.

I didn't plan to leave the hackle tail, but once I tied it off it was naturally just sticking out like that and I liked it so I left it.

>>945094
imo it's not very natural so I would clip it off but it's your fly not mine

>>944996
We don't have much for trout around here, i.e. use for that fly. But there is lots of fishing for warmwater fishes, carp, toothy stuff. If you have skype, feel free to add me. I might could help out. iamnotawizard

>>944723
They go on sale often. I don't think the ebay reels are the same. I bought a small one and the drag broke after it got splashed once.

>>945216
I added you in the last thread actually and you never responded. =*(

>>945138
I have this intuition that modeling flies after real insects basically doesn't matter and that fish will attack certain patterns regardless.

I'd be interested in seeing research, but I get the impression that in the fishing community research means "the collected anecdotes of fishermen".

>>945641
It really depends on the fly and the situation.

For example, I have found that, especially for trout, dry flies need to be almost exact matches to what they are feeding on, or they won't bite.

Streamers are much different. I have found the wooly bugger to be extremely effective, despite not imitating any specific bait.

It all really depends on what type of fly you are tying and what the fish are feeding on.

>>943373
Fuck you poorfag

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>>940899

Congrats OP

>>940929
Cabela's Three Forks combo is pretty good. I do a lot of lake fishing so I started with a 9ft 6wt rod. If you're more streams/trout oriented go like, 7.5 ft and 4-5wt.


I do a lot of my own tying as well. Love to experiment and learn about local ecology. Since mayflies do well year round been experimenting with variants of them. Pic related might be the most successful pattern I've ever made/tried and it's fairly simple to make.

Materials:
Brown Thread (thin but strong)
Peacock Feathers
Goose Briots (for dual tail)
White/black premium hackle (don't cheap out)
Lead wire (if you want it to go deep)
Gold/copper beads size 5/32
Daiichi WET/NYMPH Hooks Size 10

Behold: the PanSlayer

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>>946122

>What's that - bass like mayflies?

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>>946122
>oh shit nigga so do crappie

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>>946122
>and ofc sunfish

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>>946122

It's a little too cold to get use of this guy yet but looks great in water. Supposed to be a deepwater sunfish - typically strip the line like it's injured/retarded

>>946122
Sweet dude. There's a local place I discovered like 5m from where I work that is like a tying distributor. So I'll check that out.

I really need to invest in a better vise. I didn't know how crappy they could be. How hard is it to clamp steel together?

>>946253

Yea there's some real shit ones out there. If you spend the 150 or so you can get one that will last forever, but you can go cheaper and have 'almost as good'.

http://www.fieldandstreamshop.com/p/superfly-crown-fly-tying-vise-15sfyucrwnvscclmpflt/15sfyucrwnvscclmpflt

^is what I use. I used to have a godly one that was given to me but the ex threw it out. Fucking bitches man.

>>946125
I have never had a fly that a bass wouldn't eat. They seem to eat just about anything, but streamers and poppers are the best.

>>946287

The bass here in NC can be quite picky this time of year. My go-to for bass in fall/winter is a beadhead reddish brown wooly bugger stripped slow.I save the poppers for the warmer months. Catching anything in 30-45 degrees can be rough.

Right now I'm mostly aiming for crappie/bluegill so the bass was a pleasant surprise.

>>946295
Fair point, though I don't usually fish for bass in the winter.

My go-to fish is trout, but I'll go and catch anything in the end. A fish is a fish.

>>946316

We've had a 'mild' winter where I'm at in NC. Though it's more of "Can I fit four seasons in a week" type deal at this point. Today I had a huge strike on that mayfly pattern but at first it felt like a snag.....then the snag moved 4ft in 2.3ms and he shook free. Was a 3-4lb something or more (maybe even a catfish).

I'd love to go trout fishing some time. Before then need to learn how to clean/gut/etc. Ironically I can fish well and cook well....but don't know how to clean fish. Fuck.

>>946282
>the ex threw it out

wtf is that the reason why she become the ex? Was she just dumb as all fuck and didn't realize she was chucking hundreds of dollars or was she crazy?

>>946329
Trout and panfish are simple to clean, look it up. If you plan on keeping them, cut their throats right after you catch them and bleed them all the way out and immediately put them on ice. They taste better that way, quicker way to go so there's less lactic acid.

You can catch and release with trout too.

>>946334

She became the ex because she was crazy. What's worse-
>the vice was from my old flyfishing mentor/neighbor that was more of a dad to me than my dad

Oh, it wasn't just that. She also threw away my old vest with about 100+ worth of flies, swiss knife, boxes, and 'accidentally' ran over my old rod. I've discovered that 9/10 women 9/10 times egotistical psychos.

>>946336
I'll def look into it. I've heard Crappie/Bluegill taste fantastic (crappie better they are the pickiest fuckers ever where I'm at). Thanks for the bleed-out tip I appreciate it.

>>946346

Jesus Fucking Christ. I don't even know how to respond other than [autistic screeching].jpg

Fuck that shit sideways dude. Worst ex I ever had just shit talked me to all of our mutual friends. Counting my blessings.

>>946329
You don't need to keep every trout you catch. I usually only keep ones if they are trophy size, and even then I usually put them back.

With that being said, there is an easy way to gut trout that my dad taught me. It makes it so you can get the gills and guts in one pull. Then you just have to clean the blood vessels out, cut the fins and head.

>>946329
>>946379

What part of NC are you in? On most wild streams where I've fished in North Carolina the fish are too small to keep, and the ones that are large enough to eat are probably stockers so who cares. Agree that fly fishing is mostly a catch and release sport though. Don't be the dumbass who keeps tiny appalachian brookies or a big beautiful wild brown.

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>>946394
>>946379

Haha relax - I wouldn't keep a trophy fish to eat nor keep ones that are too small. I live in the Triad area (Greensboro/High Pt/Winston Salem) and I'm a fair bit away from trout territory.

So I mostly fish mid-section NC area. Smaller streams in NC have surprised me a few times but yea you see mostly perch/bluegill/catfish in them. I tend to stick to the lakes/ponds around here. Haven't caught anything too big yet but the lake I go to has some pretty big fish.

>pic related
>50 fucking degrees and he pulls this on a shad crankbait
>this lake doesn't even have shad
> a a at least I helped him bring it in and lent him my plyers

>>946404
That is a nice hog of a bass. How much did he weigh?

Also are there any trout streams in NC or not? I've only ever fished in PA and VA

>>946423
>>946404
Specifically, are there places to fish for trout in the area near FT Bragg?

>>946430
I've only ever fished in the mountains near Tennessee. That's a four hour drive for you. A little googling found this:

http://216.27.39.103/Portals/0/Fishing/documents/pg3f_piedmontstreams.pdf

The Little River, nestled deep within the Uwharrie National Forest,
is a major tributary to the Pee Dee River. Public access is limited to
a small Wildlife Resources Commission access area. The Little River
provides excellent fishing for many species.
>sunfish
>crappie
>largemouth

Uwharee is a lot closer to where you are.

If I were you I would try to find smallmouth in your area. I've never caught one but a lot of people love them on the fly.

>>946423

I'd estimate 10-11 lbs or so. 10 minimum (guy was rotund as fuck). This is the largest bass I've seen caught desu. Neither one of us had any way to weigh it. Sucked. My max from the same lake was 6lbs with most averaging 3-6lb range. That guy is almost 6ft as well to give you an idea.

>>946430
>>946423

Most of western NC's 'main' streams and rivers are stocked with rainbow trout and the other native trout populations are strictly monitored.

>>946445
>I should go to uwharee

The New River here is quite rocky/deep and supposedly has great Smallmouth fishing. They fight like all hell according to my MI buddy. Hopefully we can take a week this summer to go fishing down it.

>>946445
>>946451
Thank you

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>>941103
5wt or a 7wt just depends on weather or how im fishing

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>>946528
what species do you normally fish for?
I see a trout...

what line type do you use most?
>floating
>intermediate
>sinking

do you consider yourself a fly fishing purist?

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>>946451
Update:
42 degrees, winds 20-30mph today. Luckily got some awesome leather gloves just in time. Caught this guy on a freshly tied "flashy" olive green wooly bugger. Was fishing around with nymphs until I located a few sunfish schools, then switched over to the minnow-like bugger. This guy fought like hell too.

>>940899
I used to tie all the time, and I still have most of my gear set up on a table in my room. I sort of stopped tying after awhile though because i had way more flies than I would ever reasonably need to fish for trout or salmon with. Anyone else get some apathy with the hobby after awhile? it is too bad because its really relaxing.

>>947988

Try lake fishing for different species on newer ties (though if you're up north this may be hard). Going after 'harder' stuff is fun too - like catching catfish on a fly.

>>940899
Try fishing for salmon and steelhead in Wisconsin or Indiana creeks. It is amazing, especially in April when the steelhead are spawning and you can basically hammer males all day long

Does anyone here have any experience fishing in North Georgia? Is the Cohutta Wilderness the best place to backpack in and fish for a day or two? I'm organizing a trip with some buddies and I can't find a good source of information on Google.

>>948815
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking that trips to WI might be my best bet.