I'm hoping to start fly fishing soon and have a few questions.

Firstly, can anyone suggest a good rod and reel for a begginer (done fishing but not fly)

Can someone tell me a good seletion of flies to get for salmon, seatrout, brown trout and rainbow trout. In various conditions on freshwater lochs but also an few salt water lochs, the sea and possibly rivers.

Finally, could someone tell me how you decide what fly to pick when fishing, i know (or think i know) it has something to do with the weather but not sure.

Thanks. Aengus.

Hey Aengus,

Welcome to the wonderful world of fly fishing. Folks more knowledgeable than I will give you various suggestions for a rod and reel, though they'll probably ask you for your budget too. In fact, they'll recommend several for those different types of fishing.

As for fly selection, might as well concentrate on the rainbows for the moment since browns are out of season, and its possibly getting on a bit for sea trout and salmon. In the winter for rainbows, you could do worse than having:

- a white/green lure, say a Cat's whisker
- a black/green lure like a Viva or a black cat's whisker
- an olive lure like a big damsel nymph type thing (called a nymph, but nothing like the real thing)
- buzzers
- bloodworms
- pheasant tail nymphs
- hare's ear nymphs
- crunchers

... but everybody will have their own ideas. You got a mate near you to take you out? Oh, and best learn the basics of casting first or you'll just get frustrated.

You'll love it.

Neil

PS fly selection is only half the battle - the other half is how to fish it.

Welcome.I think the 1st bit of advice is don't be to ambitious.that way you will start to catch a few fish and have fun,stick to rainbow trout just now as Browns Salmon and Seatrout are mostly finnished.

Your remit is way to big.you do not know how to cast yet.and your looking for all that info.This is a massive subject with a wonderfull learning proccess,which is a large part of the enjoyment.don't try to rush it.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I'm a relative beginner myself so I would say you're doing the right thing in asking the right people on here!

In terms on kit, you might want to look in the mags. I saw in a couple of them last night that they have a rod, reel, 2 lines, a box of flies and leader material etc for around £60, aimed at beginners.

Whilst this is mostly budget stuff you'll probably want to replace soonish, the rod was a Shakespeare Odyssy, which I believe is a decent enough tool, and there were a large selection of flies which would give you a good starting point.

That way if you can't get on with it, you've not wasted much.

But the best thing you could do is get a casting lesson or two - i scoffed at this being convinced I could teach myself, and to a degree I could. But after 2 lessons it transformed my technique and it was definitely money well spent.

best of luck!

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"Be thankful that we're not getting all the government we are paying for..." Will Rogers

By which he means in 10 years time you will be a master negotiater with your bank manager

Hi,
For a rod outfit, look here - Yorkshire Game Angling Fly Fishing Outfits - they sell many "ready to fish" outfits, from as little as £40! They all include, absolutely everything you need to start fishing, from fly floatant, to a landing net. And for an all round fly rod, I would choose either a 9ft rod (if you are planning on doing more river fishing than stillwater fishing) or a 9.5ft rod (if you are planning on doing more stillwater fishing than river fishing), but both are capable of doing river and stillwater fishing. NOTHING else is required ! And, for the record, I have absolutely NO connection with YGA, I am just a happy customer!
Cheers ,
Alex

This is worth getting.

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Love that. Jim's right, one step at a time, a decent casting lesson or two, and keep your eyes open on here in the classified adds, some good tackle at bargain prices, new isn't always best.
Enjoy youself.
Steven.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Maybe if you give your location somene will offer to take you out for the day, practical instruction gets the message over the quickest, in time you will form your own opinions and find what works best for you.

Casting lessons are a good idea as already mentioned, buy the best line you can afford, then the best rod you can afford, dont be afraid to ask questions learning is the fun part.

Go and see a qualified instructor. Not only will he/she start you off on the right path as regards fly casting but they also will have a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of fly fishing, including answers to your questions above

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once - Lee Wulff