Fly-fishing?

[Littoral]

Any advice or anyone else interested in taking this plunge?
I’ve been thinking about this for a few years and I’m going to get into fly-fishing this year, before March (macks!). I’ve really never done it but I’ve read a lot. I want to be able to fish out of my kayak (as well as wade, of course). I’ve read that negotiating a fly rod in a kayak is pretty easy and I think I"ve sorted out those issues.
What I’m confused about now is what gear to buy. Anybody who's on this forum knows the target critters so that part of the equation is clear. I’m torn between a 7 or 8 weight. The main confusion I have is how much reel I need. The reels are mostly simple but that doesn’t stop the options from going into the three figures. Nope. I’m trying to hold at about $200 for the rod & reel.
Any thoughts (links) on this topic would be much appreciated!

[Tom Keels]

The old saying goes..."When you think you have caught too many fish, take up fly fishing." I haven't caught too many fish yet.

[Sir reel]

One of the tuff things to deal with is the lenght of cast you can make using a fly rod from a kayak. It will take some time to master the back cast without it hitting the water behind you.

[Chalk]

I have read that the 8 would wear you out, if you threw it all day. I used to panfish alot with a flyrod, back before saltwater infiltrated my blood . It was a cheapy two-piece with cheap reel, no drag. I landed several large bass with no problems. I would look for one of those combo deals under $150.00 to see if you like it. Or borrow one, no I don't have one, been wanting one myself. I was looking for a 6-7 weight with a reel that had a drag. Get a reel that has a drag, not one with a palm drag.


Think there might be a fly shop in Apalachicola and Gainesville, not sure of anything closer.

As far as throwing from the yak, the loading of the line on the back cast might be a problem while seated, as Sir Reel stated.

Sounds like fun...

[CSMarine]

Tried it once. Couldn't get the Cajun Thunder to work right with it.

[dstockwell]

Fly-Fishin = to much like work.

[Reel Country]

Littoral,

It can be fun. I try to take my fly rod as much as I can, but it's usually too windy for my lack of experience with it. I do use it a lot at the farm catching bream and small bass.
If you are here in town, I will give you the name and number of a friend who is a licensed Orvis rep. I got my combo for under $200. It's a 7/8. It's just right for beginners.
He set it up for me. Backing, line, etc. FREE Lessons down at Winthrop Park. He will gladly work with you on your form, etc.

[Ken K]

I've been fly fishing freshwater for 35 years. IMO it is just another tool, sometimes it is the right one to use, sometimes it's not.

I would recommend an 8 weight.

[Littoral]

Much thanks to everyone!
I’ve read that the limited capacity of a back casting in a kayak is countered for a few reasons. The piece I read isn’t real long so I’ll copy it here:

… about rods used when fishing from a kayak. Since you are sitting or are standing just a few feet above the water, some find it hard to cast. A solution to this may be trying a longer fly rod. Most anglers opt for the ever-popular nine-foot rod. But if you opt for a ten-foot rod, you will gain more height over the water and will be able to make a cast rather than having your line slap on your casts. You have to weigh the advantage of additional length against losing some of the accuracy you might need.
Something else you may want to try is going with a bigger rod weight. I often find myself using a ten weight when in my kayak. I choose the heavier rod weight so that I can load up quickly because of the line size and I can get my cast out with a minimum of false casting. While others see the heavier rod weight as a bother, I feel it helps you look at the water more (sight-fishing) rather than blind casting. Another way to help get your casts off faster when paddle fishing is using a rod with a bigger line size. What I mean is, if you have an eight-weight rod, try a nine or ten weight line. This will help you load quickly and you will be able to make more casts than if you were throwing that ten weight rod.

My take-away from that is to go to an 8 weight rod but I had been been leaning towards 7 because I always seem to use light stuff like 6# line on undersized spinning reels. I could also go longer in the rod to 9.5', I can't see 10 though. Loading with a step up in line weight is an interesting idea but I need other opinions on whether that's sensible given the attention to rods designed for particular line weights.
The other, and I think more important, counter to limited back casting is that in a kayak you can get much closer to wherever you want/need to fish so you don’t need to back (false?) cast much because you don't need to cast as far -10-30 feet is often enough.

Reel Country
I really appreciate the Orvis rep. offer. Part of my situation is that I'm going to have some credit with Cabelas. That means that I have to go there to get my stuff.
Why am I going to have credit with Cabelas? That's a thread to post soon that will be titled Capricorn (Prodigy) Update. I'll get to that when I can. I'll be looking forward to Kens thoughts on that.

Chalk, I was wondering about the drag issue. (drag, not one with a palm)
I expect that's what I'll do.

The old saying goes..."When you think you have caught too many fish, take up fly fishing." I haven't caught too many fish yet.

That's funny but given my fortunes lately a little close to home.
If pondering aesthetics indicates some other basic need has been met I’m happy to be thinking about pretty things.

[Cranfield]

I love fly fishing and would suggest 8/9 weight rod, with 9 weight line.
A carbon fibre 8 weight, is no heavier than a 7, in my opinion.

Before you discount a 10ft rod, sit on the floor and wave one above your head. I don,t think it will feel noticeably bigger, than a 9ft.

The reel mainly just holds the line, but even the cheapest have a basic drag system.
Spend the money on the rod, not the reel.

You will really enjoy the added dimension it gives to your fishing.

[Littoral]

Thanks Cranfield, my issue with the rod length is about trying to get the fish close enough to me in the kayak. 9ft of rod stretched out behind me is a lot, much less ten. It may not really matter though. I assume carbon fiber is graphite, right?

[dstockwell]

http://www.orvis.com/store/product_choi ... 0&shop_id=





http://www.orvis.com/store/product_choi ... 1&shop_id=

$100 each..

[Redhead]

Check out "The Flyshop" on Thomasville Road just north of Betton Road. They are a full line fly shop. As a saltwater and freshwater flyfisher, who also fishes out of a canoe, go with an 8wt 9 foot rod. Since you would be new to the sport, test the ones at the Flyshop before you buy! When I bought my first saltwater rod I did it on someones recommendation-a $300 mistake. You can get good rods and reels from Cabela's since they carry all the major brands. A good introductory reel is the Scientific Anglers System 2 7/8. It can handle just about everything we have inshore. Tallahassee is lucky in that there is a large group of flyfishers available to help others wanting to get into the sport. There is nothing like hooking a 27" trout, mackerel, or a 28" redfish on a flyrod! Even getting the trashcan slam is fun. Who knows, someone might find you happily catching ladyfish one day.

[Littoral]

Redhead, Ladyfish really are a blast, as long as none of it gets in the boat. I didn’t know about "The Flyshop" & I’ll be there asap. I appreciate the 8 wt. suggestion, especially since you work out of a canoe. The 8 is my likely choice. As to trying out a set-up, can I do that effectively without ever having picked up a fly rod? To some limited degree maybe I can, at least in terms of weight and kayak issues.

[Rogan]

I agree with the 8 wt and 9 ft rod. Look at the combos in Cabelas between $130 and $200. I've found a cheaper rod some times is better than a cheap reel. There are several good combos on the market that will fit the bill just fine that come complete with a hard case. I also like the 3 piece travel rods. Just my .02