rockfisherman Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Seeing how Kings and Salmon hit Flys makes me want to explore this avenue of fishing... How much am I looking at for an outfit,flys,line etc? And anything else the seasoned fly fisherman would think i need to know... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pburton Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 You will need around an 8wt rod with a wieght forward floating or sink tip line. Cost .... Get the best gear you can afford all the better rod makers give a lifetime warranty. People get into it and give up quickly, look on the net for a deal, then get some casting instruction. I use floating line and start with 10kg leader and go finer if i need to, and a range of weighted flys if i need to sink them, but mostly i fish on the surface to feeding schools. There are hundreds of flys to choose from, clousers in white/chartruse(bright green) are good as well as smaller "eye" flys. A pair of sissors lets you customise the fly by trimming it to match the bait. Cast at the edge of the school and just let the fly sink, after a few attempts i will try a diffrent retreive fast, slow, jerky,until i hook up. Set the hook by pulling the line sharply, the rods are to soft and fragile to get the hook in, then hang on. Most reels aren't geared so look at the size of the spool of the reel you buy, it affects the line capacity as well as the retreval rate. The great part is with an 8 wt you can learn to throw flys from tiny white bait to a small yakka, but when they are shy and taking tiny eyes its the only way of getting some thing close to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 softprawn is totally right. It really pays off to invest good quality gear, and flyfishing is all about casting, casting and casting. I have a bunch of different rods/reels, but over the years found G-Loomis, Sage and Thomas and Thomas to be my fav's. I had bought a 8wt GLX Loomis rod in Canada, came home for a few months to Sydney, snapped the top section in half stupidly, and went down to a certain well know fishing shop in Condamine St Manly, and got a brand new complete rod and rod tube for about $100 and considering the rod is worth over $1,000 that is total piece of mind. And trust any of us fly guys who tell you that it is worth the extra money. If you want to target missiles like Kings, then you will move up to big and better ballistic species, and this is where an excellent quality reel will pay for itself. There is a huge difference in reels, even though they all look similar. Do the overtime at work, don't hassle the missus for a while, and save your money and you won't be sorry. A good saltwater 8-10wt rod will set you back about $500-$1300, a good reel between $300-$1500. saltwater fly line are about say $70-$130 for a good quality line. Big flies like decievers, streamers and poppers are between $5-$15 each- cheaper online and the more the cheaper. At first you may think it is impossible to cast 30-40 ft, but get a few lessons( very, very important and worthwhile as it is easy to learn mistakes that can be hard to correct)- maybe 6 or so- there are lots of really good guides and casting instructors in Sydney and NSW and for that matter pretty much anywhere. Join a local flyrodders club, those old sea dogs are hard to sidle up to at first but if you are keen they will help you out. Fly fishing is more of an obsession than hobbie. It is very easy to get lost in the bling too- so if you are a gear addict be careful- you have been warned!!!. And be prepared to go down to your local park or field, or even better a local lake or beach and do an hour of casting practice any chance you can. In windy, rainy conditions, blazing hot days etc. Catching Kings, GT's and any decent sized fish on fly is just about more fun than anything else in the world. also you may notice us crazy flyrodders tend to travel around too- that is what it also does to you. When I fall asleep at night I dream of places like the Seychelles, remote rivers in Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, PNG and Bahamas. If I had not gotten into flyfishing I'd be as rich as Greg L...LOL! feel free to PM me, although remember the time difference. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, if you want to check out gear, go online because most of the good stores are online in both Australia, Canada and the US. Most of the top manufactured gear is made in the US. But also some of the best gear for saltwater is made locally by Felty here in OZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingpig Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 What these guys have said is right for them they are guys who love to fish fly. I fish all types of geasr including fly and most of the kings i have caught on fly have been within 15 M of the boat. Sure a good fly rod is nice but if you want to get one then the money is big. I would have said 8wt is way to small. I use a 10wt and then i am out gunned most of the time. I have a gillies 10wt i think it cost just over $100. I use a alvey salt water fly reel sorry i do not know the model but there web site would have one. I am using 10wt intermediate weight forward line. The last 10M is clear it was designed for flats fishing. All up this outfit cost me about $350 and i have landed some good kings on it. I figured that if I liked this i could upgrade later. I like it but have never upgraded this outfit suits me. cheers have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 WOW!! Thanks guys...amazing feedback... I think i will take the first step and buy something affordable, and i look forward to casting flys... PS Does anyone Fly fish off the rocks?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 (edited) So typically what would be the specs on an outfit targetting Kings and salmon, I mean what does 8wt mean???, What sort of drag do these Fly reels produce??... I'm looking into getting fly casting lessons, they're about $100 Edited December 23, 2009 by rockfisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 (edited) Hey Rockfisherman, Good to see a reply and your enthusiasm!, once you start landing good fish you will never forget it. Fly fishing is rather technical, and to put it simply: rods are numbered from 00 to 15/16. Reels are numbered the same but also can "overlap" covering 2 weights eg: 9/10. What you must remember is that a rods first and most important job is cast fly line. Tie an average fly on a normal line then see how far it goes- maybe a couple of feet. Rods "load" and use their energy to throw out the line. It is more involved but what is important is for you to start researching online. Read, read read every night. The more you learn now the easier it will be to wade thru the gear nightmare. What Kingpin said was good advice, especially the 10 wt rod. If you really are only going to try and target pelagics like Kings, then a 10 wt is perfect. I have caught salmon and lake trout up to 70 pounds on an 8wt, but these are long drawn out affairs and push the rod to its max. Most saltwater flymen use 8 to 10 or even 12 wt rods. Reels are different to normal reels. A crap quality reel will utilize a cheap and inexpensive and poorly made drag. The best reels use Portuguese cork. Here is some info and links to get you started. The single most important thing to consider when buying a fly reel is to make certain it matches the weight of your line and fly rod this total combination must also be suited for the type of fish you want to catch and your fishing style. The reel becomes part of a balanced system when combined with your fly rod and line. The following are the three main types of drag systems these are the basics and will help you make a better decision on what is best suited for you. Spring-and-pawl – Simplest and most affordable drag system, a spring pushes the pawl into a gear on the reel spool to create drag. As this is the simplest drag system it is a good choice for the beginner. This is best suited for lighter fishing such as trout and pan fish but will also work on larger fish should you want a challenge and are skilled at working a reel by palming, a technique where you press the palm of your hand against the spinning creating more drag on the spool as the fish takes line Caliper – Similar to the brakes on a car, a caliper pad pushes against the braking surface on the spool creating drag and this friction then slows the reel spool. This type of drag system falls between the spring and pawl and disc system, both in how it performs and what it costs. Disc - Found on more expensive reels, a disc drag pushes a large diameter pad against the reel spool's braking surface, the pressure is applied directly which increases control and the overall efficiency of the drag. Cork or synthetic materials such as Teflon are used in disc drag systems and will provide smoother and consistent pressure that can be adjusted more precisely. This will give you a significant advantage over the other drag systems when it comes to fighting bigger more powerful fish http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/sho...ad.php?t=398169 http://www.danblanton.com/dragsyou.html http://www.flylife.com.au/library/articles/29/29.html Reels from the top manufactures like Abel and Tibor are cork. That statement alone says much about cork. Like buying an Audi over a Ford or a Rolex over a Timex- generally with fly gear, you normally get what you pay for. Yes, Kingpin made some good arguments about costs etc. I live for fly-fishing, so for me it is no issue to save hard earned $$$ and buy the best gear. What I get is peace of mind. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive, but it has to work, and work well when you need it. Any poor workmanship and flaws will lose your Hoodlum in less than a blink of the eye. Now I know I often refer to fellow Raider Greg L ( because even though I haven’t met him- this man obviously knows good equipment, and the difference between junk and gold). Most of the more “enthusiastic” Raiders use good quality gear, and that is from Reel to line, hooks etc etc. Have you ever gone and bought Servo bait for Kings, or do you spend time buying quality bait, or collecting your own high quality live bait?. Even decent rats will test you on fly. I used to hate going into a fishing store, or online to be confused and told only the info they wanted me to hear, so I spend hours of time researching anything I buy. And I buy 99.9% of my gear online. In my HONEST OPINION- a good rod that will last a very long time, and serve you well if you look after it will cost about$500 look at Loop, Gillies, Sage, Loomis, South Pacific to start. There are plenty to choose for this price. Reels- about $250 will get you a good saltwater reel. Scientific Anglers make nice larger arbor reels with good drags. Ok, I could bore you with a million pages of info, so if you are keen and want to know or need help, just PM me!. I’ve given you a few links to do some midnight reading, instead of New Idea or FHM....LOL! Hope this helps, and just look at some of the recent giants that were caught in NZ on fly. Image that “ tree trunk” caught on fly- that is a fish of a lifetime on fly. Just total insanity. Matt P.s- I attached some good fish caught by Tibor and Abel reels. Edited December 23, 2009 by Nanook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 My Gawd!!!! I have more questions!! What sort of lines and leaders should I be looking at for targetting Kings/Salmon, also what sort of knots do I need to learn?? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Hey Rocky, Internet as I said in my last post. Lines depend on if you want to have your fly on the surface, just below or deep down etc, rate of sink, and distance casting etc, etc. Again, needs to match rod/reel wt, plus the better lines are made to saltwater specs. Go online and start reading info on some of the better flyline companies like Scientific Anglers, and RIO. You would best be getting a clear tip, or clear line so not to spook fish. Knots are also varied and specific. A general setup of lines and knots goes like this. From reel- you attach backing line ( usually 20 -30 pound line, as much as your reel can hold) with an arbor knot, then flyline to backing using a nail knot, then either tapered bought leader or homemade to flyline using nail or uni or similar, then tippet to leader and tippet to fly. For pelagics you need to learn a few decent knots like slim beauty, or shock tippets like bimini twist etc. All it takes is practice on the sofa infront of an online video or book. There are loads of good knots, and everyone has their favourites. So like I said, you need to just do some google searches, or go to tackle store and buy a cheap book and start reading. If you wan to get lessons, this is usually included. you have a week to learn all this, because I will post an examination for you to fill out next Friday...LOL!, so no more slacking off!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 HaHa ok sweet....I'm on to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 Have a look at this bloke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 OMGX!! Nanook - excellent photos!!!! Awesome!!! Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adjustedpete Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 (edited) OMGX!! Nanook - excellent photos!!!! Awesome!!! Roberta nothing else to say Edited December 26, 2009 by adjustedpete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 26, 2009 Author Share Posted December 26, 2009 Realising I really havnt got access to a boat that often, I've purchased a 6 wt outfit with the intention to target Bream and other species of the like... Cant wait til the weather fines up a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted December 26, 2009 Author Share Posted December 26, 2009 Got myself some Flys.... A couple of Bream Busters and a couple of Seathrew Charlies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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