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Every now and again
people get in contact with me about what rod they should buy for the
Kelvin or about tactics they should use.
Well from now on I
will direct them to this page as I say the same thing pretty much every
time. A typical river rod should be about 8 feet long rated for a 4/5
weight Line…that might seem confusing and it is kind of. Essentially
a lighter line is for smaller fish and smaller flies and a high number
is for big flies and big fish. 4/5 is nice and in the middle.
I use a true 8 foot
4 weight - an orvis
superfine troutbum. You will hear people and reviewers talking about
fast and slow actioned rods. Essentially if the rod is more whippy then
we say that has a slow action - if it is stiff we say that has a fast
action. Generally speaking slow action rods cover casting faults (which
is why I like them) as well as feeling absolutley lovely in the hand
when fishing small streams. If you want to take your fly fishing seriously
(and if you do you will never look at a smelly worm again) you will
have to spend a little money on some half decent gear other wise you
will wander along wondering why your casting is poor and really not
enjoying the whole experience of fishing with a fly rod. Without further
ado here is my plan for your eternal happiness..
- Put away your spinning
rod and never touch it again unless you surely “must” spin for Salmon
- it will only be a distraction on your journey!
- You need a new
rod and general overall outfit.. Sportfish do a cracking deal on an
orvis outfit that comes with rod, reel, fly line backing leader and
tippet - you cant go wrong with an orvis…go
and buy it from sportfish now. Make sure you select the first
rod - the 8 foot six for a 5 weight.
- For flies - I use
the same flies I use everywhere FLies
1
Flies 2 . Essentially, some cdc&elks, some comparaduns, some
klinkhammers and some pheasant tail nymphs will do the job. You van
buy them from the GAC or through Flying
Hooks.
- After getting all
that stuff you need to do some reading because if you dont you will
never catch anything or learn how to fish the fly properly…I recommend
this
book. You could even watch a dvd about it as seeing is believeing
- try
this one. You should try and suck up as much information as you
can - The
Orvis Podcasts are another good place to get info on techniques,
- While you are reading
as much info as you can, invest in some casting lessons - contact
this guy and book an hour or two. It is not as expensive as you
might think. Alternatively various fisheries do casting instruction
although it may just be a bloke that can cast that shows you - if
you go with a proper instructer then all your faults will be ironed
out quickly.
- You could also
read a little about
insect life
And that my friend is
how you will become a fantastic fly fisherman! If you do all that you
will thank me in a couple of years, as it will be a couple of seasons
before you really “get it” - I promise you when you do “get it” you will
be amazed!
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