FLY FISHING

Getting The Whole Thing Started

by Kevin Henebry

Photo by Kevin Henbry Monument Falls on the Ausable River.

For the past year or so Adirondack Sport & Fitness has been publishing articles about different aspects of fly fishing. While these have all been useful articles about the who, what, when and where to fly fish, the two big questions in many aspiring fly fisherman's minds are usually, "How do I get started?" and "How much is this going to cost me?" Let's deal with both these questions now so you can get started this season while it's still early.

When I started fly fishing in the late 50's there were no weekend schools or day courses that taught the basics of fly fishing. There weren't many books that focused on fly fishing, and there were darned few other fly fishermen around who would give you some help and instruction. You had to learn on your own, but being nine years old, I had plenty of time to learn.

Since then, our society has evolved into one with a wealth of printed; video taped, computerized and personalized knowledge. We have all the information necessary right at our fingertips. We just need to know which button to push, or book to read to get to that knowledge.

Fly Fishing Schools
Perhaps the quickest and best way to learn to fly fish is to take a course designed and presented by a professional in the sport. These courses are not hard to find, but deciding which one is going to give you the most for your money can be a chore. They range all the way from free, or nominal charge, casting classes that will last an hour or so, to multi-day courses that can run to $1,000.00 or more. Where does the best value lie? Probably somewhere in the middle.

The Internet is a wonderful way to find locations for fly fishing lessons. There are also free circulation magazines and newspapers such as Adirondack Sport & Fitness, Fly Fish America, and Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, which are handed out at various local sport shops and fitness centers and have ads from shops that will offer fly fishing lessons. Call the shops and find out when the courses are, how much they cost, should you bring equipment or will it be supplied, what about meals and lodging for multi-day courses and just what do you get for your money. Answers to these questions should help you decide where you are going to go to learn to fly fish.

At the very least, you should get both dry land and on stream instruction. Most schools will provide loaner equipment, and in fact, I usually prefer for the student to arrive without equipment since they probably don't have a good idea of what they should or shouldn't need or get.

If you're concerned about being in a larger class where the pace of instruction, may not meet your needs, look for a one-on-one fly fishing instruction where it is only you (or you and a spouse, friend, child) and the instructor. These are offered by several shops, and should cost more the some of the large classes.

Should you have the desire to go out and get some equipment, do a little self instruction and develop bad habits on your own, then here are some guidelines that will help you get equipment that might suit your needs.

Equipment For The Beginner
The one comment I hear most often from people wanting to start fly fishing is…"but the equipment costs so much." That is usually coming from someone who has stopped at another sports shop or fly shop and had someone try to sell them the best of everything. It's not necessary to mortgage the house to get good fly equipment.

Like any sport, there is entry-level equipment as well as advanced-level, high-end equipment. There is no reason for a beginner to bust the bank to get a top end outfit to start to learn fly fishing. In fact it makes more sense to start out with entry-level equipment and grow from there.

Please don't equate entry-level with poor quality. There are several manufacturers of fly equipment that market top quality equipment for the beginner at very reasonable prices. St. Croix, Redington and Orvis are just a few of the companies that can equip you with a rod, reel, and line, leader, backing and rod case for under $200. In addition, these companies offer lifetime, or at least 25-year, warranties on the rods and reels in these outfits. If these were low-end rods with a limited life expectancy, the manufacturers wouldn't be offering such generous warranties on these outfits.

Photo by Sherry Henebry The reward for nymphing in pocket waters.

These pre-packaged outfits are the best way for a new angler to get started. You won't have to start out selecting individual components, and trying to judge quality and value. Just go into your local fly shop with confidence, and tell the clerk where you are going to be doing most of your fishing and for what species. Tell him you are looking for a complete packaged outfit with lifetime warranties on the two major components.

As a guide, if you are fishing small, brushy streams for small trout or small bass, a 7-1/2 to 8-foot rod for a 4-5-weight line is a good choice. For larger fish on somewhat larger waters and perhaps fishing a pond or two, and 8 to 8-1/2-foot rod for a 5-6-weight line is recommended. Fishing mostly large streams or rivers such as the Ausable, or Saranac, I'd suggest an 8-1/2 to 9-foot rod for 5-6-weight line. If you'll primarily be targeting shad and striped bass on the Hudson, or bass and pike in lakes, go with a 9-foot rod for 7-8-weight line.

Other Needs For The First-Time Angler
In order to successfully fly fish in any water, you need to have enough room behind you for a clear backcast. With many lakes and ponds that isn't really too much of a problem and where it does exist – a small boat, canoe or kayak is the solution. With moving waters, however, you'll need to step out into the water to have a clear backcast and to most effectively and efficiently cover the water. For this purpose, a good pair of waders is recommended.

When selecting waders, look for breathable stocking foot waders. These require a separate pair of wading shoes, but in the long run you'll find them to be far more comfortable and less expensive then a boot foot wader. Some manufacturers, Hodgman is one that comes to mind, are now producing quality low cost breathable waders. These will run about $100 for a chest high wader or about $90 for a waist high wader. A good pair of wading shoes can be found in the $60 range.

A breathable wader will be much more comfortable to wear over a wide range of temperatures. In colder weather, layer underneath with polypropylene and fleece. Don't wear cotton. In warmer weather, wear just the polypropylene or a pair of quick drying pants made from a material such as Supplex or similar.

A chest high wader will allow you to wade into deeper waters but are usually not necessary. Particularly for someone just starting out in fly fishing. You'll want to concentrate more on your casting and presentation, and little time worrying about going over the tops of your waders. Waist highs are very comfortable, less expensive and will provide you with plenty of depth to freely fish most streams or rivers. Save the deep wading for later in your fly fishing career.

A separate wading shoe may take a bit longer to put on the bootfoot waders; they will give you more support in the water, and will outlast most pairs of waders. When you throw out your worn waders, you won't be throwing out your boots too. As for footing and support, remember most streams and rivers don't have flat bottoms you'll want that extra side support for standing on uneven ground. Most wading shoe manufacturers offer a selection of styles. Select one that suits your needs and budget. Make sure they have felt soles though if you are going to be fishing stony, rocky or boulder-strewn waters.

What More Do You Need?
Other then a few flies and a strong desire to go fly fishing you have most of the essentials. There are other items that you may want to get at a future date; a vest or chest pack, fly boxes, nippers, zingers, hemostats, gloves, polarized sunglasses, a funky fishing hat and lots of other gadgets and toys to add to your fishing pleasure. Probably the next two things I would put on my list of "must haves" would be a good pair of polarized sunglasses and a sturdy wading staff. These are to safety items that shouldn't be overlooked.

First, though, take a good fly fishing course, get your basics and start to practice. All good fly fishermen and women started out as complete novices at one time. The thing that separates them from the pack is talent and practice. Plenty of practice! Fly fishing is definitely a sport where you learn from mistakes, and most mistakes don't mean much more then a missed or lost fish. The best thing about practice though is that in order to do it you have to go fishing. I know its tough but do try to get out practicing more.

Kevin Henebry has been fishing the Adirondack streams, rivers and ponds for over 30 years. He walked away from a successful career in the biotech field to become owner-operator of The Ausable River Sport Shop in Wilmington.

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