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[drift]

I have a bunch of questions here.1)What weight of rod is appropiate?2)What type of line/backing do I need?3)Do I start with sinking or floating line?4)What is a good reliable fly.I am thinking of learning but don't really know where to start.thanks

[Sterling C]

I would reccomend getting yourself a 5wt for trout (I'm assuming you'll be fishing lakes).  Don't cheap out on a rod. Cheap rods will only give you bad casting technique which will haunt you later on. I personally like the Sage Launch for the price or the FLI if you have a little more disposable cash. For reels, you don't need anything fancy, I wouldn't even worry about having a disc drag, just something with a good clicker. I know fenwick has some good entry level models for fairly cheap ($60). As for lines I would reccomend a floating line and at least one sinking line. A type 3 should be good all around line. Again I don't reccomend going cheap with lines, the quality of your line can make or break your casting. Also, most tackle shops will provide you with backing to your line if you buy everything as a combo. As for good flies that a tough one, considering I have no idea where you're fishing. Some good starters are doc spratley's, muddlers, bunny leeches, tomb thumbs, elk hair caddis, halfbacks, 52 buiks. I could go on. Mr favorite's for trout would have to be wither chronimids or micro leeches but again this is location and season dependant.

[drift]

I'm in Kitimat and hope to do some fishing in the Terrace area.Thanks for the advice

[newsman]

Hey Biff I can see you need to take one of my cources. First night we cover a bit of the history of the sport which bridges into equipment.

Recomendation: This is different for guys & gals. Did you know that ladies have a different muscluar skeletal structure from us guys. Of cource you did, but the significance of this is not commonly thought about untill it is pointed out to a person. Read Fly Fishing from a Women's Perspective authored dy Joan Wulff.

Equipment: I always recomend guys start with a 6 or 7w rod, anything less will handycap your ability to feel the rod load when learning to cast.  Also start with a medium action rod; a high performance fast action will make learning harder and a slow action rod will be frustating. For Ladies I always recomend starting with a 5 or 6w due to the differnce on bone and muscle structure. between the elbow and shoulder. 

[Sterling C]

Hey Biff I can see you need to take one of my cources. First night we cover a bit of the history of the sport which bridges into equipment.
 

Thanks for the offer but I've already been learning from one of the best. Check out some of my pics, that guys the master.

Newsman, do you not feel that a 6-7wt would be slight overkill for trout. We're not talking about the cariboo.

[sliverbullet]

you need a 4-6 wt witha islander reee jk a nice dragonfly reel is perfectl and a nice pair of waders and a bellie boat and some flies and tippet 6.5 pound is fine

[drift]

thanks again!

[FlyFishin Magician]

I would recommend going to a fly shop and casting rods.  Also - the weight of the rod will depend on your target fish.  If you're flyfishing local lakes - you'll find smaller fish.  If you're looking at hitting the interior (my personal favorite) you'll be into much stronger and larger fish (in general).  Overall - I would suggest start looking at a 6 weight rod for trout.  Also - I would agree that a medium action rod will be easier to learn to cast than a fast action rod.  I find that the medium action rods, like the Sage DS series, cast very nicely and have a "forgiving" timing window.

I started with a 6/7 weight custom built graphite rod given to me by my father.  Nice rod - but a bit on the "slow" side.  Also - I personally found the 6/7 to be a bit on the heavy side compared to my five weight rods.  I then went to an Orvis Silver Label rod (fast action) and I found this rod to be too stiff.  I prefer a fast action rod for salmon fishing as I will need the extra backbone to cast heavy sink tips.  But for trout fishing - this just isn't needed.

My two main trout rods are the Sage 590 VPS and Sage 590 SLT.  I prefer two piece rods as I don't need the travel versions.  I find that these five weight rods are perfect for my target species.  I've landed trout to 5 pounds with no problem.  I've also had fun with those 12 inchers at Alice Lake!  Also - I do lots of chironomid fishing and I find a medium action rod to be ideal as opposed to using a fast action rod.  This is especially true if you're using the sinking line chironomid technique!

As for lines - I'd go with a good quality line.  I use a full floating line on one rod, and a sinking line on the other.  I've got a type III sinking line, but I primarily use my clear intermediate "slime" line on my other rod.

Since you'll likely be using just one rod to start - get a reel and an extra spool or cassette.  You can get an inexpensive "dragonfly" reel and extra plastic cassettes to store your lines.  Then you just change cassettes when you need to change lines.  If you really get into trout flyfishing, you may find that two rods are ideal (I do).  But one step at a time...

As for flies - I like the ones listed by biffchan.  I primarily use sizes 12 - 10 for "trolling" or "searching" patterns - but it depends on what's out there (a little entomology helps here).  As for chironomids - well, the sky's the limit!

Also - I'd recommend reading some books.  I like "The Gilley", "Westcoast Flyfisher", and "Flyfishing Small Lakes for Trout".  You can also try Morris and Chan's Flyfishing Trout Lakes.

Have fun and give me a shout if you want more specific information...

[abito]

i don't know anyone that i know who use 6 and 7wts for trout anymore. I know in the "olden days" those wts were kind of like the unofficial industry standard wts for trout but with the new technology in rod building, where the rods are twice as light and twice as strong it has made heavier rods for trout obsolete. Most of the people i know use 6 and 7wts for fishing salmon nowadays depending on the rivers they fish.

Like beefchan mentioned a good quality 5wt will be a good starting point for fishing trout in 99% of still water situations in BC. It will be heavy enough to play bigger trout and also light enough to have fun with the little ones. Also a rod you will not need to switch from once you become better at fly fishing.

I personally use my 4wt Sage SLT as my main still water rod and bring out the 3wt SLT when the conditions are right.

Only advantage of a heavier rod might be for a beginner is that they might be a little easier to cast with a heavier line wts but playing any trout on them would defeat the purpose of fly fishing where you want to feel the direct contact and weight of the fish itself.

[Stone]

Thanks for the offer but I've already been learning from one of the best. Check out some of my pics, that guys the master.

Newsman, do you not feel that a 6-7wt would be slight overkill for trout. We're not talking about the cariboo.

So, I'm curious...I've looked over your photos and I'm wondering which ones you're refering to as the ones of the "master"?  Who is he?

Actually, a 6wt is not necessarily "overkill" for rainbow trout.  There are certain other conditions that might merit a 6wt...such as stronger winds, big water, and larger or weighted flies.  In certain rivers that I like to fish, for example, the fish are not too big (14-20"), but sometimes I have to cast a large Titanic Stonefly to them about 50'...and my LT-5 5wt just doesn't like to do that, so I use my BIIx 6wt.

Eventually, you'll end up with a 2wt, 4wt, 5wt, 6wt, 7wt, 9wt...not to mention a decent collection of double handers.  Welcome to the madness. 

[FlyFishin Magician]

Hey abito:

I personally use my 4wt Sage SLT as my main still water rod and bring out the 3wt SLT when the conditions are right.

Wow - a 4 and 3 wt SLT!  Those must be really light.  I find my 5 wt SLT to be light and sensitive - and when a Kamloops bow has taken the fly - what a feeling!  I find the SLT to be much nicer than the VPS.  But my question is - do you find that you can subdue large trout in a reasonable amount time with the 4 wt?  I wonder if you landed that fish you're holding (in your picture) with a 4 wt SLT?  (I know where you got that fish!).

I found that the 5 wt has quite a bit of backbone - more than I thought when I first started casting the SLT in the M&Y shop.  Also - I tried casting the 5 wt XP and I loved it!  But I figured I wanted a more medium/fast action for stillwater fishing.  However, I imagine that the XP would be a fine trout rod!

[abito]

i play my fish hard and have no problems bringing hogs with it. The way i play a fish i can usually bring in a fish alot faster then most people with thier heavier rods.  All my buddies use 3 and 4wts for trout.
I love the SLT for trout because it has enough backbone to play big fish but soft enough on the top half of the rod for chironomid fishing. Less breakoffs with a softer rod for trout where u are using thinner tippets.
Xp is too stiff and fast for effective trout fishing, u will have more break offs with it. Sure it casts like a cannon but why would anyone need to cast 90-100 feet fishing for trout...90% off my fish are caught within 30 feet of the boat.
But for salmon fishing on the beaches or on a river i wouldn't use anything but a rod like an XP where you need to cast longer distances to reach a fish.

I would never buy an XP under a 6wt it just defeats the purpose of that rod.....as i would never buy an SLT above a 5wt.

[FlyFishin Magician]

I know what you mean abito.  I have a 796 XP and I use if for smaller salmon - pinks and coho.  I wouldn't want to target chums and springs with that rod though.  The largest fish I've landed with that rod is a 12ish pound steelhead.  I also managed to land a 10 pound spring a few weeks ago with it.  I find that it feels like it has a sensitive tip - but lots of backbone when you need it.

As for the SLT - it's perfect for stillwater trout fishing.  I agree - I wouldn't bother with an SLT for salmon fishing.

[dennyman]

Well since this individual is fishing up in the Kitimat area, I would throw my support for a six weight fly rod. In that area of the country, it will give him the versatility to fish not only the lakes but to some river fishing too.  Four weight rods are great I use one myself, but for certain situations I find they just don't have the power to turn a big trout in a big river for instance.  I base this on  my own experience on fishing the Bow River in Alberta for a number of years. A person could certainly get a big brown or rainbow to bite, but they would have a heck of time getting the fish into the net.

[luckygirl]

My first rod was a 6wt 4piece Dragonfly, didn't cost too much. I had tried an eight before, but liked the sensitivity of the lighter rod. I also picked up Fenwick reel with the interchangeable cartridges. I feel that it is the most practical way to go.

I also started tyeing my own flies and would recommend the woolly bugger and doc separately, had some success with those. I also managed to get a hold of the stomach from a fish cleaned earlier in the day, opened her up, added water and saw they were eating shrimp.... So I tied a couple of those, sadly no luck.

And make sure you buy some insulated hip waiters, if you are uncomfortable.... you won't be fishing long.

From one newbie to another.