Right guys, despite coarse fishing for 40 years, ive never picked a fly rod up in anger. This is about to change.

I have an old 9' rod and just bought a cheap reel loaded with sinking line. Now the line comes with a bit of nylon type stuff at the end which has a loop on it. I presume i need to tie a leader onto this and then tie the fly onto the leader ?

Firstly...would any mono i have at home be ok as a leader and what breaking strain would it need to be if i was fishing for perch in a non snaggy lake...perch could go to 4lb potentially. Also, how long should the leader be ?

There'll be more Q's before i get the fly wet

Ta muchly

Andy

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A bad days fishing is better than a good days working

Welcome to the madhouse. Andy you will get loads of helpful advice on here. I'd keep your leader down to about 12' 6 or 8lb should be sufficient. If it's a braided loop make sure it's attached properly.

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All that glitters, will catch anglers.

Welcome to the forum Andy and to fly fishing. Better late than never.

First off, yes you connect your leader to the nylon loop using a loop to loop connection
Here's a link that also contains most of the knots that you will use
Fly Fishing Knots

If you've never fly fished before and don't have any mates who do, I'd get a book on it and get the basics clear.
Fly fishing is basically quite a simple branch of angling, unfortunately fly fishermen and tackle manufacturers have complicated it infinitely. Compared to fishing a match on the cut on a dank December afternoon - it's a breeze. (Some of the time)

2 things. Your line should (roughly) match your rod rating. In other words a line that is too heavy or too light for your rod, won't cast - well, not very well. So the line you have bought may not be right for your rod.

Secondly, you can't fly fish without being able to cast a fly with some degree of distance and accuracy. Yes, you can teach yourself from books, dVDs and Youtube. Most people on here will recommend that you get one or two lessons from a qualified pro. That will set you back around (roughly) £25-£30 an hour. However, it will get you going quickly and you'll avoid the risk of picking up bad habits that can take you ages to get rid of.

Keep asking questions on the forum, there are some very good and knowledgeable guys on here and they are very generous with their advice

Tight lines

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"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

Hi Andy, if you search on YouTube 'guide in your pocket fly line setup' 5 videos should appear which may help.

I'd link to it but I'm posting from my phone and can't get the URL's from the YouTube iPhone app.

Cheers, Rob.

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Started: 19/09/2010 | First fish: 11/12/2010 | Biggest fish: 8lb Brownie

My first concern, Jevs, would be the sinking line. This is not, IMO, the easiest line choice for a beginning caster to come to terms with. I think it would be better to start with a floating line and progress to the sink tips and sinking lines later as your needs dictate.

As far as leaders, yes you can (and I sometimes do) use plain old mono. If this is your only option, don't let it hold you back. I'd go with about 6-10 pound test and then add about a foot of 3 - 4 lb test to the end before you tie on the fly.

As you progress, you may want to try a tapered leader. These leaders start off very heavy and taper to a very fine tip. They offer some specific advantages that you can find more out about later.

Welcome and good luck.

Grouse

Hi Andy, I think you need to start with a floater, if you know the rod rating
let us know on the forum somebody will have a surplus floater they can let
you have. If the rod is a 6 or 7 I can sort you out with a line.

Thanks for all your help guys. My rod was given to me years ago and it's sat in the shed for at least 20 years. Just looked and there's no markings on it so i guess im going to have to sort out a new rod.

With regards to the fly line. i was always under the impression that a floating line should be used with dry flies or flies/lures that are used at the surface and a sinking like the opposite. Im looking to flyfish lures for perch and other freshwater species at the moment.

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A bad days fishing is better than a good days working

What do you guys think about one of the starter kits from here Yorkshire Game Angling Fly Fishing Outfits

I was looking at one of the mid range kits...about £80-£100.

Also, any suggestions on rod lengths ? Would different rods be used in different water ? Any other pros and cons with the different lengths.

Ta...Andy

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A bad days fishing is better than a good days working

I reckon any balanced outfit is a good starter, and will give you more chance
of success,no point spending too much at first in case fly fishing is not for you.
You can fish most flies on a floater and easier to cast.
Just my opinion, good luck.

Hi Jevs
As I said, it can get a little complicated

Floating lines. It's probably true to say that most trout fishermen will do most of their fishing with a floating line. It's not used just for dries and fishing near the surface and as Grouse says, it's a bit easier to cast with and generally control when you're starting out. With a floating line, you can always add what are called "polyleaders" which are sort of line extensions that sink at different speeds. If you use a fast sinking line in shallow water, you will end up catching the bottom a lot and in deeper water, you will often end up fishing under the fish, who then cant see your fly.

Kits are tricky.
You can end up paying for some gear that you don't need and sometimes the gear can be - well, not best value for money.

£80 - £100 is definitely the budget end for getting all the gear you do need. Most budget rods today are adequate and some even very good value, there are not many real dogs. However there are some. The same goes for reels. Lines are much more important than most beginners realise. Leader materials - mono, copoly, fluoro all have their supporters and to begin with, it's not critical. You've probably already got a landing net - and unless you're wading in deep fast water, a coarse landing net will do fine. Flies, cheapo ones off ebay can be a false economy as they can fall apart easily and they use cheap hooks.

So. I would suggest that you tell us
Your budget
Where you intend to fish mostly - stillwaters, rivers etc and what for
Perhaps where you live, then people can advise as to local tackle shops that'll advise you and see you right - also good waters to fish.

Here's a rod that a lot of people on here recommend, suitable for a beginner and wont break the bank at around £30. The Shakespeare Odyssey range, now the Odyssey XT range, but some of the old Odyssey's are still around on sale.

What you need as well as clothing
Rod, reel, line, leader material, flies
Landing net
Scissors or nail clippers
Eye protection and hat/cap ( a fly lodged in the skull can be painful)
Floatant and maybe sinkant
Forceps for getting the fly out
A priest, even if you intend to fish catch and release, there may come a time where you have to kill the fish because you've accidentally damaged it beyond recovery.
Some sort of fly box.
A fly vest or a fishing bag - or both. (in spite of the cool photos you see in adverts, a fly vest is not essential. A coat with big pockets and a fishing bag/rucksack/tesco carrier bag will do fine)
A needle for clearing out the eye's of your flies.

I think that's it. Enough to be going on with, anyway.

Good luck

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"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.