Seeking advice from expert fly fisherman/woman

Check your PM

I have just started with this group and wanted to add to this thread for new fly fishers.

Another good and inexpensive way to learn about fly fishing is with a fly fishing club. I belong to CFFU - California Fly Fishers Unlimited in Sacramento. We have monthly meetings with a presentation and at least one outing per month. Classes are taught for beginners, fly tying, fishing knots and similar topics. Meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month at the Conzelman Hall at Howe Ave Park. Entrance to the park is on Cottage Way near Howe Ave. (near Home Depot). Fly casting lessons on the lawn start at 6 pm and the meeting starts at 7 pm. Come check us out as a guest. To join dues are $40 single, or $55 for family.

The web site is www.cffu.org for more info. Other clubs are in Granite Bay, Davis, Stockton etc.

Craig

Hi Malfunction,

You seem to have gotten the itch, that's great. I started fly fishing a few years ago (in the bay area and Sierras) and spend most of my time now in the pursuit.

Looks like you've got some good resources here. I'll add a couple thoughts/learnings from when I got started. You don't have to jump into the high end rods at first, but don't got too cheap either. IMO, there's a bigger difference between a really cheap rod and a mid-tier rod, than the mid-tier to high end. I learned on an older Redington 5wt and I think it's a great entry rod. TFO also makes nice rods. My point, you should be able to find a rod/reel combo with line for around $200, that you'll actually enjoy using for more than just the learning phase.

I'd recommend a 9' 5wt - good all around fly rod for the Truckee, Little T, Lower Yuba, Putah, etc...you'll also be able to throw streamers with it, but learn to cast dries first. Once you get set up, go to your local park and just practice swinging the rod. I like to put a tiny piece of yarn on the end of a leader/tippet, so you can see how your cast plays out. My biggest issue when I first started, was not letting the line load in the backcast. Crucial and probably a common issue.

In terms of dry fly fishing for Bows, that's an awesome goal, but most of your results will come from nymphing. In between trips to the rivers, I'd throw Adams dry fly's at my local ponds and hook up on blue gill. Great practice and fun.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this thought. If you can find a course take. You should also go out with a guide on your first river trip. Worth it for many reasons - They will help you with your casting technique, they will teach you to fish that particular river, which you'll be able to come back to on your own and they should be putting you on the fish. You'll also get to try a few higher end rods in the process.

Hope this helps, PM me if you have further questions.

Josh

p.s. get REAL good and efficient at tying knots. Time wasted on knots, is time not fishing.

Go see Tote.  I don't know him, but any time someone with teaching experience offers to spend a day with you, run there as fast as you can.

Don't buy a rod until you've talked with those folks with experience.  There's more to the first rod than price alone.  You can get the right rod for a lot less than $200 and you can get the wrong rod for a lot more.

Find a fly shop you can trust.  The Fly Shop in Redding is pretty darned good.

And finally, don't do it!  Walk away while you're still sane and not hung on your next fly fishing fix.  There's still time...

Haha thanks everybody, this was an old post I made back on August of 2016 and since then I have been to classes and even caught fish fly fishing. I definitely appreciate all the feedback though

Take that fly rod and go after some shad!  Shad are a blast on the fly.

Yes, shad and fly rods are made for each other!!!!