Fly Fishing Advice Needed

I've got a Cabelas 5wt 8ft basic combo with floating line.  I've had fun learning about how to cast with this rod in streams, but I've never caught anything to date on it.  I'd like to try targeting trout with it from the kayak for the heck of it, but dont really know much about it at all. 

Do I need to swap out the floating line if I want to try trolling a fly?  Or can I really just add a split shot or two to get it below the surface? 

Also if I wanted to just do some casting for fish I see jumping.  Keep the floating line, or do I really need a sinking line to target these fish?

Haven't got a clue on what flies to use, but have some wooly buggers and some assorted small flies that came with the kit.  What should I be trying for trolling vs casting?

Thanks for any info!!!

I have a bass pro shops white river 6wt 9ft. Haven't caught trout on it yet but if you just want to hook into something bass ang gills can be easy to catch when they're around.

I use floating line and a seven foot tapered leader, with a small popper or streamer in any bright color will work for BGs. A six incher fight good on my 6wt I imagine it would be great on a five. I've caught bass on large nymph and drogonfly imitations.

Sorry nothin to offer for trout, I am still very new to fly fishing. I am sure some other fly enthusiasts will chime in on this with some good advice.

Trolling typically works better with a sinking line, but honestly trolling with a fly rod isn't much different from trolling with a conventional rod. Only the fight is different due to the reel, and the long bendy rod.

If you're seeing a bunch of rising fish a tactic I've used on lakes before is to use a small stimulator pattern. Cast it into the middle of the rising fish and wait for the take. Other good patterns for this tactic in the Bay Area are Parachute Adams and caddis imitations.

But if you really want to be successful with the fly rod you should head up to the rivers and streams in the Sierra. Moving water forces fish into making a decision instead of giving them time to study your fly. Again, a good "all around" fly for these situations is a stimulator, but MANY other flies will work too. Stimulators are easy to see, which makes them easy for beginners to keep track of in moving water. Just cast them into the seams, keep as good of a dead drift as you can manage, keep the rod tip up, keep your other hand ready to strip as you set  the hook and watch your fly closely. One day it will just click!

Although it seems Eternity is the time it'd take for me to be any good at weilding the magic wand -my stimulators and Mr. Adams evidently like to hangout in tree branches, which stretches the learing curve way out- I'll throw out what others have told me.

Stick with the floating line. Unless someone is going to take ya out and specifically stated that you're going to be dredging deep, it's all ya need to get started. It'll work for trolling or stripping as long as the presentation doesn't need to get down really fast. Still water rarely presents that problem.

Yup; split shot, a weighted fly and/or a longer mono leader will put your fly where it needs to be. Be careful when switching over from a non-weighted offering to a weighed one. I've about killed myself trying to cast because the stroke needed to effectivelly cast is different.

If fish are rising or dimpling the water's surface, you're seeing a hatch. Hopefully, you'll have invested in a couple basic patterns and one of 'em will be right for the job. Get a little wax or some type of floatant. If the fish are too far off for you to reach with a cast and won't move to your fly, I'd suggest stripping  out a bunch of line and paddling to the edge of the hatch. Lay our fly out; don't let it get sucked under water. Carefully pull away from the area. Remember; don't load the line, or the fly will sink and you'll have to start over.

In short time, the fish will return to feeding. If your fly is in the middle of everything, but not getting touched, and ya don't know what's going off, then, I'd go to the same fly but smaller and repeat the presentation. If that fails, then, I make the switch to a different fly and repeat.

The nice thing about throwing to rising fish, under most normal conditions, is: When ya match it, the relults are quick and obvious.

Last thing. The best part about dry fly fishing is ya get to see the take. The worst part about dry fly fishing is ya get to see the take. Resisting to lift too soon, to quickly is tough, for me, anyway, especially if it's a nice fish.

Hope this helps.

Hi Al,
You really do need a sinking line for trolling. There are all types of sink rates, but my favorite is a clear intermediate. You can count it down to get to the depth you want, and keep it there, once you locate the fish. Floating line for fish on or near the surface, generally speaking. I just got a Hobie Revo and took it out last week for the first time, awesome with the flyrod if you install the drive backwards, and fish as if in a float tube. Let me know when your'e available, and we'll go get some. I've got extra lines/flies you can use.
Jim

Al some guys I know that really know what they are doing use Cortland LC-13 it's a lot cheaper than a fly line and gets deeper. some attach to there Fly Line and others just attach it to there backing. You can make sink tips out of it also.

Hi Al I use sinking line we I am trolling for trout I have caught quit a few trout at Del-Valle, a couple in the range 4+ pounds range. I troll with wooly buggers in brown or green sometimes I will put a power-worm as a trailer. The others are right about conventional rods but I like the fight better a lot more fun. just go out and drag one for awhile on one side and on the other side go conventional and have fun with it .

Pat R

Trolling typically works better with a sinking line, but honestly trolling with a fly rod isn't much different from trolling with a conventional rod. Only the fight is different due to the reel, and the long bendy rod.

If you're seeing a bunch of rising fish a tactic I've used on lakes before is to use a small stimulator pattern. Cast it into the middle of the rising fish and wait for the take. Other good patterns for this tactic in the Bay Area are Parachute Adams and caddis imitations.

But if you really want to be successful with the fly rod you should head up to the rivers and streams in the Sierra. Moving water forces fish into making a decision instead of giving them time to study your fly. Again, a good "all around" fly for these situations is a stimulator, but MANY other flies will work too. Stimulators are easy to see, which makes them easy for beginners to keep track of in moving water. Just cast them into the seams, keep as good of a dead drift as you can manage, keep the rod tip up, keep your other hand ready to strip as you set  the hook and watch your fly closely. One day it will just click!

+1 on what Jay says. If you want to troll a fly, using a full sink, intermediate or sink tip will get more hookups because you can fish deeper depths but flyfishing is really about casting. If the trout are on the surface, you will catch more fish casting vs trolling. As far as what to chuck at them, I think a stimulator, parachute adams or royal wulf with a bead head hairs ear trailer would be my choice. Wooly buggers would be my second choice. The hopper/dropper combo is a killer presentation for streams and lakes. I am using an 8 wt 9 1/2' rigged with a SA streamer express for chucking streamers. It is what Ricky recommended, but I still cant cast it very well. It is one of my goals this year to be better at fishing big streamers.

Hi Al,
You really do need a sinking line for trolling. There are all types of sink rates, but my favorite is a clear intermediate. You can count it down to get to the depth you want, and keep it there, once you locate the fish. Floating line for fish on or near the surface, generally speaking. I just got a Hobie Revo and took it out last week for the first time, awesome with the flyrod if you install the drive backwards, and fish as if in a float tube. Let me know when your'e available, and we'll go get some. I've got extra lines/flies you can use.
Jim

I have not tried yet either to fly fish out of my yak; however, have done alot out of a float tube (now my second favorite way to fish next to the yak). When I use the tube, I bring three rods. Each one 6wt, 2 8ft and one 9ft that was special made for me years again when Powell was Performance Ply out of Chico for my tube. One has intermedite, one sink and one floating. I sometimes carry a fourth that is a sink tip. Each rod is different to handle the different line and each is fishing a different fly. oh yes, I can make life too complex. The overall best luck seems to be the sink tip, because you can learn to put it anywhere in the water column. The others you can control the depth more, that is if you know what depth to fish. I use a wooly bugger that I tye that is a bit different. My biggest yet was a 27 inch rainbow from Lake Almanor years ago. I thought about trying this year; however, I am afraid to make the biggest cluster, well you know, in the world around my yak