# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Fishing >  I suck at fly fishing, advice warmly welcomed!

## ElevenBravo

Instead of posting in the sub group, Ill toss it here for greater exposure.  Someone might be a closet fly guy.

So, today I take my beginners kit to the river for an enjoyable time on the water, only to learn, the little bit of false casting I did on the grass was insufficient to prepare me for the water.  DANG!

I understand the "concept", but without some additional help Im afraid I wont be able to make corrections.

First, things went "okay" overall, I did better than I expected!  Though in the AAR I would have to give myself a final grade of F+. (But I did have fun... frustrating fun, but fun)

Next, I need to do something about my false casting, I think my pie is too wide, dohno.   As I was feeding line the fly started kissing the water in front and the leave behind me.  I actually lost a fly!  Not sure how to correct this.  I may shoot video and post for your evaluation so you can see my rod action (fishing, not pron type...)

Finally, my final cast are short and my line is not straight.  I dont know if its because it is dirt cheap fly line, or something I am doing.  I feel like Im doing a 1/4 decent false cast but when I go to get it wet the line looks like it was just tossed into the water, not shot... and the distance is totally unacceptable.  I swear I got no more than 20 feet at best and I have no clue what is causing it.  I tried several variation of release and several release points, but not having personal instruction Im clueless.

Needless to say, Im pretty sure some perch were out by the rock on the other side of the river and I never got to find out.  The other side was about 35 - 40 feet away, and all I got was a 20 foot cast on my best cast.

Im going back to tube and watch some more, Im missing something.  The setup had good reviews so Im confident its user error.

Thanks for your time,
Andrew

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## Sarge47

Your reel should have about 200' of braided fishing line for backing, tied to your fly line, preferably with a "nail knot.  Next the leader is tied to the fly line with another nail knot.  You tie the fly on the same way you tie any hook to a mono line.  Now we come to "fly selection."  Were you using a dry or a wet fly?  Check out the Orvis site for lots of info.  Here's my set-up including cost, and this is a cheap set-up:

Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Fly rod at $150.00(Designed by Lefty Kreh.)

Martin Fly reel at about $40.00.

Lefty Kreh(pronounced cray) Weight Forward 5 weight Fly line at $40.00.

Orvis Leaders about 4 bucks apiece..

Lots of wet and dry flies, some I made and some I bought.


I'm still learning, nobody does it perfectly their 1st time out.  Ask around and see if there's a fly fishing group in your area.     :Nod:

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## oldsoldier

I had the same issue when I started trying to learn fly fishing.......... found a great tip that helped immensley......... BASS FISHING!!!

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## crashdive123

Check your area for outfitters and shops that sell gear or offer trips.  One of the local ones here does free classes (to garner interest).  It's always fun to drive by when they have a class going one.  About 15 people in a field in various stages of casting and entanglement.

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## ElevenBravo

Good idea crash, Ill see if I can cabbage up a local class or a fly guy that is willing to spend some time with me.

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## ElevenBravo

So, I did a few things today to practice and had "better" results.

Observations: My leader was still curled from the package.  My fly line is still curled from the package.  Mostly the fly line being curled and not "flowing" through the rod causes a lot of my headache.

Corrections: I reeled out 95% of the fly line, clinch tied it to a tree and stretched it out for about 30 seconds.  Much better now, loosly reel it back in.  I pull out an 8ft section of regular 8# mono from a casting rod, stretch it out for a while, it is now perfectly straight.  I nail knot the leader to the fly line, then trim the leader to about 6 feet.  I then nail knot the leader to a 3 inch piece of yarn.

Results: Weather is cold and windy, so I dint get to practice but for about 10 minutes.  I was layered up and wool cap, etc.. but having just got over bronchitis I opt to not push it.  During the lulls of the wind, I was able to make a little longer cast and my fly line lay straighter, and so do the leader.

Conclusions: Ive got a pretty decent setup.  Though I need more practice casting and lastly a LOT of practice shooting.

Andrew

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## Sarge47

> So, I did a few things today to practice and had "better" results.
> 
> Observations: My leader was still curled from the package.  My fly line is still curled from the package.  Mostly the fly line being curled and not "flowing" through the rod causes a lot of my headache.
> 
> Corrections: I reeled out 95% of the fly line, clinch tied it to a tree and stretched it out for about 30 seconds.  Much better now, loosly reel it back in.  I pull out an 8ft section of regular 8# mono from a casting rod, stretch it out for a while, it is now perfectly straight.  I nail knot the leader to the fly line, then trim the leader to about 6 feet.  I then nail knot the leader to a 3 inch piece of yarn.
> 
> Results: Weather is cold and windy, so I dint get to practice but for about 10 minutes.  I was layered up and wool cap, etc.. but having just got over bronchitis I opt to not push it.  During the lulls of the wind, I was able to make a little longer cast and my fly line lay straighter, and so do the leader.
> 
> Conclusions: Ive got a pretty decent setup.  Though I need more practice casting and lastly a LOT of practice shooting.
> ...


Like most Fly Fisherman I wear a Fly fishing vest that's loaded with all of my needed gear.  Among these is what's called a "Line Straightener."  They run a few bucks at your local fly shop, Bass Pro, etc.!  Here's an example:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...e+straightener.

I should have mentioned it earlier but didn't realize what your concern was...my bad!     :Crying:

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## ElevenBravo

I wonder, if it is possible my fly line is too light?  I would assume not, but I gotta ask.  When I watch fly cast on tube, when they shoot I see 20 feet of line run through the rod.  Im not getting the same results at all.  

Further advice welcomed.

Andrew

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## 1stimestar

Good luck Andrew.  I'm sure you'll be successful at it soon.  Just like anything worth doing, practice makes perfect.  I have never learned fly fishing, though it always looks so satisfying.

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## ElevenBravo

Even if I do suck, its neat to see the fly line in the air!  Thanks for the encouragement 1st, I could use it!!

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## Sarge47

EB, check this out, then go to some of the others shown on the same page; Lefty Kreh is an expert and teaches even the beginning fly fisherman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nJ9xGuSH7g  :no way:

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## ElevenBravo

Thank you Sarge!

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## crashdive123

Keep in mind it's called fishing and not catching for a reason.

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## ElevenBravo

Well, if my fly never makes it to the fish, its not fishing... its failure.

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## Sarge47

I have a large paved lot in front of my house.  I step off about 30 yards, mark the distance and work on my casting.  I tie a small piece of brightly colored yarn to the end of my leader in place of a fly.  Right now I'm about 5 feet PAST the 30 yard mark.  It's like learning a golf swing, you build a muscle memory.  Also remember NOT to break your wrist on the cast.  Keep it locked in place!  We used to have a Fly-fishing club here in town until one of the two "Alpha-leaders" moved to Minnesota.  Then the other one died of _Anaphylactic_ shock when he pulled some old wood out from his yard uncovering a bumble bee nest resulting in a multitude of stings.  The members that are still here meet at a local cafe every Friday morning, but aren't doing any get together's.     :Cool2:

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## Wolfsaber

Sometimes you can find guys on Craigslist (depending on where you live) who give fly fishing lessons. I can say I still suck at fly fishing but I am way better once I got a little hands on help.. 

Good luck..

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## ElevenBravo

I did find out my line was garbage.  Just loaded with reel with some 333 forward weight line, its doing better but now I think th rod I have is not much to brag about.  Issac at Sportsmans Warehouse tried the rod with a good spool of fly line and he casted just find.

I did notice when I cast like he said, standing sideways, I can watch the line front and back real good, nice tip.  Im also finding I need a lot more practice...  Your supposed to start slow, speed up and come to a quick stop.  But if you dont stop right you get a snap on the rod tip and that ruins your cast, I forget what they call it.  Anyway, I finally got the rod tip to behave better and casting improved greatly!

Im still not happy with distance or accuracy so I obviously need lotz of practize!!

Ill keep ya updated...

Andew

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## Psalm25

I am pretty new to fly fishing too, so my advice if from a beginner who became hooked on fly fishing from the moment I started. 

First off, don't use a cheep fly rod, get one that feels like a perfect fit for you with good action. 

Secondly, tying your own flies will give you a satisfaction that can not be put into words when you trick your first fish into thinking your fly is the real Mccoy.

Third, bring a wine skin and enjoy yourself while you practice. Don't sit in your back yard flicking the rod back and forth, get out in the water. Grass can't teach you how to move your flies in the water to make them look more life-like.

Last but not least, if they are not biting in one spot then try another. I have had my best luck fishing the pools.

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## atoz

Though this is an lold post and your probable 100% better caster now.  But your problem is you are not stoping you rod on the forward cast fast enough.  The end of you cast should be very abrupt as if the rod hit a bridk wall.  What is happeing is your letting the rod drift just slightly, only and inch or two.    Hope this makes sense.
cheers

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## SLVRBK

I am a fly fisherman...... and fly fishing is an art (as you know) and takes a lot of practice. If you are getting short casts I would suggest peeling off more line and focusing on your pointer finger release that holds the rod and initial line. Honestly, if you are having fun that is all that matters. Form and distance will come. Where do you fish? I am in Calgary right now and usually fish the Bow River but it is flowing crazy right now with glacial runoff etc.

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## ElevenBravo

Since the thread showed interest, Ill update... Its been quite a while since I touched the fly rod, but I picked it up again and for some reason, the timing came much more natural.  Weird how that works some times!

Anywho..  Im not perfect or pro level... BUT, I am a LOT better than I was.  I got some whacky side cast going well for when under a tree, etc..  having a LOT OF FUN with it.  Though my casting distance leaves a lot to be desired, Im laying out a lot flatter line and avoiding the bull whip cast 98% of the time.

I guess...  I just needed to step away from it for a while.  Its strange.. but it seams to me, the HARDER I TRY, the harder it is.  If I just relax, the false cast, the cast and the roll cast ALL come much easier.

I still need more practice, and probably will till I take my dirt nap... but this is WAY better than spin casting!!

In honor of my (our) accomplishments, Id like to present: "Two rookies fly fishing"



I have since bough her, her own fly rod kit... Its a Courtland from Wally for $40, but its got a sweet action to it and nice line!
I have not had a chance to take her fishing with it yet, because of area flooding, so another week or two maybe.

EB

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## canid

I'm not very good at flyfshing either. My trick, depending on where I'm fishing, is to bring my bass rod and some spinners. I'm not above cheating, within the limits of the law, to take home a trout.

flyfishing's more like low impact exercise. spinning's like assasinating trout.

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## RandyRhoads

Rent "A River Runs Through It' 

That will teach you all you need to know.

Seriously I have no advice. I'm pretty decent at casting but have yet to land a fish on a fly rod since I started 7 years ago. (Not that I do it a lot)....

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## Old GI

Here's one for you,11BxV (if I recall correctly).  A professor I know (from my Long Tab days) at University of Wisconsin-Stout actually teaches a fly-fishing course (OK, for handicapped poeple) but he is a real expert.

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## letslearntogether47

I am quite good at fly fishing.
The trick is to look behind you on the back stroke and wait till the line straightens behind you before starting the forward stroke.
Most folks start the forward stroke to quickly.
In my opinion fishing on a river is easy.It's fishing in a pond that has limbs/hazards that makes it tough.
In some cases you may have to"roll"cast.
I've landed some rather big,large mouth bass and trout on light tackle.

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## Reel water

Haven't read the whole thead, but crash nailed it. I have been a flyfishing guide for 20+ years here in Colorado. I've heard all these questions a million times. Fly fishing Is much like this joke

How many ski instructors does it take to screw in a little bulb----
5  one to screw it in and 4 to analyze each turn  :Smile: 

Nothing beats expirance ...... Time on the water........ Time. If you hire ( or do a free casting clinic ) a guide. You will find the answers you seak. 
You can feel free to pm me with your question, he'll if you were in Colorado I'd hook you up

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## Rick

Why on earth would anyone fish for flies?

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## Reel water

Flies are full of protein heheheh
BTW where's the duck man?

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## Trouthunter

What rod are you using?  What weight is it?  What line are you using and what weight is it?  What size flies are you using?  What size tippet are you using?  Just a few of the questions that I need an answer to in order to give you a decent reply.  I live fly fishing and I might be able to help.

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