On the banks of the Bow river in the spring of the year 2000, I vented curse words that were so volatile that they could only be surpassed by that of a Maratimer.
The reason?.....well I was learning to cast a fly rod of course.
I hit the ground running when I took up fly fishing, I went to WalMart, and bought a stick that would have been better off used to till the garden than to be used in the hands of a beginner.
I got all geared up, rod, reel, and line all for about eighty bills.
I did eventually manage to get line out, but it was excruciating to say the least, with this lacking equipment.
So it is, the purpose of this posting that if you are an eager first timer, you learn from my mistakes, and smooth out the learning curve by getting the correct tools from the outset.
You will find that fly rods come in different lengths, and weights.
A 9 foot 5/6 weight is an excellent choice to start with, as it can be used to catch smaller fish in both rivers, and still waters while maintaining the back bone to bring larger fish to the net as well.
The weight rating on the rod suggests which weight of line will perform best with that particular rod. For example: a 5\6 weight rod will perform best with either a five weight line or a six weight line.
Fly line in my opinion is just as equally important as the rod you are using.
you should have two lines in your starter kit, a floating line, and an intermediate sinking line, both of which I recommend be weight forward.
A weight forward line is designed with a larger taper at the body, and head of the line to make for easy casting, hence weight forward.
If you choose to only purchase one line to get you started, make it a floating line, as it can be used to fish dry flies on the surface, or by simply adding weight to your leader, or by using weighted fly patterns, you can also successfully fish nymphs, streamers, and the like below the surface. Keep in mind though that adding weight will change the nature of your cast.
If your going to cast line out, your going to have to reel it in. (hopefully with something to tell lies about on the end)
I recommend a reel with interchangeable cassettes which will allow you to quickly change between floating, and sinking lines. Another option is to carry two or more reels along with you, but that will be more difficult to manage in terms of space, and weight to your gear bag.
As with rods, and lines, there are many styles of reels out there to choose from. There are different drag systems, spool diameters, and retrieval systems, and only time will tell which suits you the best.
Personally I prefer a large arbour reel with a disk drag system in most situations.
A large arbour will retrieve more line per turn of your reel than will a smaller arbour, and this faster retrieve you'll cherish when shaking hands with a good strong trout that heads straight for the boat in an attempt to create slack in the line.
A disk drag system I like because it produces a nice even steady pressure when permitting drag, and I can set my drag fairly low for the initial take, and palm drag as needed.
When purchasing a new set up to get you started be sure to shop around, but most likely the best information, and recommendation to fit your budget, you will receive will be from your local pro shop.
In my experience, most staff in these settings are more than eager to share with you their abundant knowledge, so don't be intimidated to hit up your local shop.
Once there you may want to feel them out as to if they have any demo rods for sale.
I didn't have the moohlah to buy myself a Sage during my esteemed career as a pizza delivery driver(Pizza Control Specialist) though I was able to walk out of my local pro shop in Kelowna with a Sage that had been used as a demo rod, and had only about twenty minutes water time before it was carefully reinstituted to its protective carrying case.
I gladly unloaded $89.75 in rolled coin that day, and still that rod is my favourite.
Well there you have it, hope that helps you in to the sweet perils of addiction.
Feel free to contact me with any further questions or comments you may have.
Tight lines to you.
Steven Bullerwell
The reason?.....well I was learning to cast a fly rod of course.
I hit the ground running when I took up fly fishing, I went to WalMart, and bought a stick that would have been better off used to till the garden than to be used in the hands of a beginner.
I got all geared up, rod, reel, and line all for about eighty bills.
I did eventually manage to get line out, but it was excruciating to say the least, with this lacking equipment.
So it is, the purpose of this posting that if you are an eager first timer, you learn from my mistakes, and smooth out the learning curve by getting the correct tools from the outset.
You will find that fly rods come in different lengths, and weights.
A 9 foot 5/6 weight is an excellent choice to start with, as it can be used to catch smaller fish in both rivers, and still waters while maintaining the back bone to bring larger fish to the net as well.
The weight rating on the rod suggests which weight of line will perform best with that particular rod. For example: a 5\6 weight rod will perform best with either a five weight line or a six weight line.
Fly line in my opinion is just as equally important as the rod you are using.
you should have two lines in your starter kit, a floating line, and an intermediate sinking line, both of which I recommend be weight forward.
A weight forward line is designed with a larger taper at the body, and head of the line to make for easy casting, hence weight forward.
If you choose to only purchase one line to get you started, make it a floating line, as it can be used to fish dry flies on the surface, or by simply adding weight to your leader, or by using weighted fly patterns, you can also successfully fish nymphs, streamers, and the like below the surface. Keep in mind though that adding weight will change the nature of your cast.
If your going to cast line out, your going to have to reel it in. (hopefully with something to tell lies about on the end)
I recommend a reel with interchangeable cassettes which will allow you to quickly change between floating, and sinking lines. Another option is to carry two or more reels along with you, but that will be more difficult to manage in terms of space, and weight to your gear bag.
As with rods, and lines, there are many styles of reels out there to choose from. There are different drag systems, spool diameters, and retrieval systems, and only time will tell which suits you the best.
Personally I prefer a large arbour reel with a disk drag system in most situations.
A large arbour will retrieve more line per turn of your reel than will a smaller arbour, and this faster retrieve you'll cherish when shaking hands with a good strong trout that heads straight for the boat in an attempt to create slack in the line.
A disk drag system I like because it produces a nice even steady pressure when permitting drag, and I can set my drag fairly low for the initial take, and palm drag as needed.
When purchasing a new set up to get you started be sure to shop around, but most likely the best information, and recommendation to fit your budget, you will receive will be from your local pro shop.
In my experience, most staff in these settings are more than eager to share with you their abundant knowledge, so don't be intimidated to hit up your local shop.
Once there you may want to feel them out as to if they have any demo rods for sale.
I didn't have the moohlah to buy myself a Sage during my esteemed career as a pizza delivery driver(Pizza Control Specialist) though I was able to walk out of my local pro shop in Kelowna with a Sage that had been used as a demo rod, and had only about twenty minutes water time before it was carefully reinstituted to its protective carrying case.
I gladly unloaded $89.75 in rolled coin that day, and still that rod is my favourite.
Well there you have it, hope that helps you in to the sweet perils of addiction.
Feel free to contact me with any further questions or comments you may have.
Tight lines to you.
Steven Bullerwell