J.W.308
Well-Known Member
Thinking about get a fly rod to fish for bass and bream . Don't know much about them so not sure what weight to get. Any advice for a beginner?
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DaveB
Well-Known Member
No recommendations but I do know perseverance is necessary during the learning stage. May also want to pinch down barbs and maybe even file hook points off. Lot of places require barbless hooks anyway.
Rod length and type play a big role as does your line type, which you change according to variables. There aresome very qualified members here who will chime in for sure.
Once you get it, you'll have a ton of fun.
Rod length and type play a big role as does your line type, which you change according to variables. There aresome very qualified members here who will chime in for sure.
Once you get it, you'll have a ton of fun.
PM sent. For the fishing you are describing, something in 6wt-8wt probably will serve you best.
Big Ben
Well-Known Member
scn":3hacs6dz said:
This ^^^ my go to rod is a 9 foot older than dirt Shakespear fiberglass that belong to my dad with size 8 weight forward (WF) floating line. I don't buy special tippets either, just use a 4 or 6 lb test mono as a leader. Just remember you are casting the line not the lure.
edit..Just remember it's all in the wrist movement not the arm to push the line forward. Been flyfishing for 52 years and had a little practice.
i went with a 6wt for bluegill with an occasional bass and catfish hookup. i use it on KY lake mostly during the mayfly hatch in June and July. its worked out pretty well so far. SCN knows his stuff, as do 7mm08, setterman, buzzard breath and a couple of others and are very generous with info and question answering. if it werent for them id never picked up a fly rod.
the only advice as a 2 summer newb i can give is on leader length and foam spiders or other leggy flies. bluegill hit them hard but those flies will make a twisted mess out of a 9ft leader that comes with an outfit. you have to either use a shorter leader to keep them from spinning as you cast. i usually use a may fly emerger dropper under the spider and can usually catch two at once.
ive watched about every video made on fly casting, lol and this is a good set of videos that answered most of my questions:
https://winstonrods.com/videos/instructional-videos/
lefty kreh has some good videos, but i couldnt do that style very well. orvis has a 12 part series that are pretty good.
it helps if someone can watch and teach you some basic casting.
the only advice as a 2 summer newb i can give is on leader length and foam spiders or other leggy flies. bluegill hit them hard but those flies will make a twisted mess out of a 9ft leader that comes with an outfit. you have to either use a shorter leader to keep them from spinning as you cast. i usually use a may fly emerger dropper under the spider and can usually catch two at once.
ive watched about every video made on fly casting, lol and this is a good set of videos that answered most of my questions:
https://winstonrods.com/videos/instructional-videos/
lefty kreh has some good videos, but i couldnt do that style very well. orvis has a 12 part series that are pretty good.
it helps if someone can watch and teach you some basic casting.
WTM":161adyfx said:
A quick note on the leader twisting: It isn't really caused by the length of the leader. It is due to having too large of a fly for the size of the leader. A good rule of thumb to get the proper "X" size is to divide your fly size by three to get to the "X". As an example, a size 12 fly would equate to a 4X leader or tippet. You can usually go one size above or below the suggested "X" and have it lay out straight with no spinning.
What you did when you shortened your leader was to make it a smaller "X" (and larger diameter) as it usually is a tapered leader that starts big and tapers down to a smaller size at the fly end. It may have been a 4X leader to start, but, when you cut it back, it likely was a 2X or larger when you tied your fly on. You can get the same effect with a standard 9' leader of a larger size (diameter). Adding the dropper also makes the spinning more likely.
Sounds like you are having some fun with it, and that is what it is all about!
ah ok thanks. it was a #10 spider and i figured a 4x tapered leader would work. someone i know told me to shorten it. i used calipers to cut it back to 3x, tied on a tippet ring and a foot of 4x tippet making about 7 feet. so i guess i should have rounded down to 3x for my tapered leader or maybe even 2x.
WTM":rdmgorep said:
The shorter leader is easier to turn over in addition to the spinning issue. Bass and bluegill aren't nearly as line shy as trout, so a short leader like you did is more efficient. Sounds like you have your setup dialed in!
Big Ben
Well-Known Member
Just messing with yall but yall sound like one of the purist flyfishermen with the tippet and tapered leaders. Bluegill are not as picky as those elusive trout. Just get a small spool of 4 lb test line and run about 3 foot off the end of the line, Bluegill don't care...LOL
