So I got my first fly rod last week. I bought a barely used 9wt Redington Pursuit rod from a friend for dirt cheap and a new 9/10 behemoth reel at his suggestion. I feel like 8wt is the go-to for most people here, and I plan on getting another rod soon so my wife can join, so I’ll make that one an 8.
I’ve been obsessively reading (read: obsessively), watching and google earth-ing for the last couple of weeks and yesterday I finally had the chance to go scout some potential flats and practice casting. I found some great looking spots that should be awesome when the time is right. I finished the day hiking around the point at Folly Beach County Park and hanging out by the little creek casting and getting a feel.
I’m super excited to start this, and if anyone has any advice I’d love to hear any thoughts or opinions. I don’t have a boat (yet), but I am lucky enough to be able to go with a friend usually at least once per week. This will be the first time fly fishing from boat since I was just out of high school and went on a father son trip to Colorado with my dad (and we had a guide then…) so I know it will be some good learning from mistakes. Still, I’m very excited for the future. I feel like such a greenhorn, but I do want to say that the last several months spent on this forum has helped so much. Thanks amigos.
sounds like you got it man. its easy to think yourself working to a goal of one day being good and knowledgeable enough to find and catch tails any time you go out, but honestly right now you are in the midst of some of the most important and exciting part this type of fishing. so much is about scouting, tracking tides, finding flats, the quiet marsh scenery–all by yourself; after all, you’re trying to meet fish, not people. eventually youll see a fish and bungle up your first cast and the fish will disappear. thats part of it, and its crazy exciting. figure out what you did wrong and fix it for the next time. learn something specific from every trip. keep doing what youre doing–searching, looking, walking. every chance you get–from a guy who doesnt get too many living in cola. my only suggestions–get a 10 liter one of these http://www.icemulecooler.com/icemule-classic-coolers/ and throw you some beers in. clip a dry bag to it w/ your keys and tackle. 50$ wading boots from academy. phone in your front shirt pocket bc its cool every now and then to play background music to your own real life fly fishing video, specifically after a buzz kicks in. thats a day to be thankful for.
I’m in a pretty similar situation – I just started fly fishing as well. I wouldn’t worry too much about your 9wt vs. 8wt – the heavier rod will help you punch through the wind and stuff, and there’s not a whole lot of downside other than a slightly heavier landing. One thing that I’ve heard a handful of people say is that you should always skip at least one weight when buying a second combo. I would make your other rod a 7wt, so you have a little more versatility.
I wish that I could give you some advice, but I’m having trouble finding the fish as well. It’s pretty challenging to go from fishing the entire water column with artificials to fishing only the shallowest areas where you can actually sight fish.
You guys just getting started in the fly game might think about hiring a guide for a trip or two. Never a bad idea, and Charleston has some fantastic fly guides. A good guide can help with rigging, casting, fly selection, what to look for, etc… These guys are really good at what they do, and a few trips with a competent guide will cut your learning curve dramatically.
Congrats to you folks just getting into fly fishing. It’s a wonderful way to fish. I still fish with other tackle, but enjoy fly fishing the most.
I had a hard time with learning when I started as there was no one else around that I knew who could teach me, so I had to go it alone.
I made plenty of mistakes. The best thing that I ever did was decide to concentrate on “learning” rather than “catching”. I made every trip a leaning experience, even when I didn’t catch anything. IMO, too many folks put too much effort into “catching” rather than learning & get frustrated when they don’t catch fish. That was me for awhile, but once I learned to cast better & accurately, I started catching. It all goes hand in hand.
Of course, I started with panfish, and progressed to bass & Stripers. Since then I’ve caught numerous fish species with flies & now have no doubts I could probably catch any fish if the opportunity came about.
Thepatten, sounds like you’re doing your research. Be patient with it & as it was with me, learning is going to be more important than catching at this point. However, it’s still fun when it all works & you do catch some fish, and IMO the most satisfying part.
If you’re like most folks, you’ll eventually get the itch to tie your own flies too! That’s a whole different endeavor & addiction in itself!
I’ve been fly fishing for about 50 years now, so would be glad to offer any advice I can. I certainly don’t know everything about it, but can probably help with most questions or possibly head you in the correct direction.
phone in your front shirt pocket bc its cool every now and then to play background music to your own real life fly fishing video, specifically after a buzz kicks in.
ThePatten, the biggest piece of advise I could give is to ignore this nonsensical rambling.
A long long slow walk in the spartina gives you time to think big thoughts and put your mind back into order.
Thanks everyone for all the ■■■■■■■■ and advice. I’ve found several flats, and hopefully at least a few aren’t super popular or well known since they are hidden away. I did go wade a flat two days ago for the first time. Not expecting to find any fish but more so want to be comfortable with the process as much as possible before things warm up. I did stumble upon one red and spooked it because I didn’t see it due to wind on the water. I think I’m gonna get some new glasses too so that should help. It was pretty magical being out there in the silence. I can see why this kind of fishing is so relatively secretive and people are so passionate about it.
My buddy who has just started as well has also started tying his own flies which I can’t wait to do too.
The guys at Lowcountry Fly Shop have been so friendly and helpful. And thank you all for your positive words and encouragement. I really appreciate it.
as to glasses–some like smith chromapop, others costa b/c of the glass. conventional wisdom says amber lens color. sometimes it appears too shaded for me, want to compare a gray tint sometime. if you choose to spend a lot of money on them, leave them with your tackle and only use for fishing. some 50$ sun clouds for other use. otherwise you’ll lose them or run over them. or maybe thats just me and my friends. good luck.
im sure youre adult enough to take anybody’s advise with a grain of calt, mine included. i figure out what i like and do that. my experience is life is shades of gray, rarely black and white. good for you getting out there, awesome you already saw a fish.
my advice is practice,practice,practice,nothing worse than finally getting a shot and blowing the cast. Practice builds skill and confidence, if you have a pond or other body of water to practice in even better.
