[nomad_archer]

Hi,
I am another beginner here. I am getting back into fishing a bit more after being a casual 2-3 day a year trout/bass fisherman for the last 10 years. I have gotten back into spin fishing this year and have had a great time.

I have been curious about fly fishing, back in college I picked up a shakespeare 3 piece combo and caught several salmon/steelhead in NY. Frankly I am unsure how I caught anything because I have no idea what I was doing. Most of the fish caught were from a very nice fisherman that gave me a fly after watching me struggle. I proceeded to catch numerous fish until one finally broke off taking the fly with him. So with that said I am mainly going to target trout in south central/south east pa. Hopefully, I wont need to spend a significant amount to try fly fishing again.

So what I have equipment wise
8 foot shakespeare 3 piece rod with 10 year old line.
two boxes of flys but I do not know what I have or if/when it would be appropriate to use.

So my questions are:
Though the rod is not much is it appropriate or serviceable for trout?
I am guessing I need to replace the fly line/tippet the rod says #5/#6 fly line - any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
As for fly's have some most were given to me by my uncle, some where purchased but I have no idea if any would apply to trout. So any help here would be appreciated. If I should pick a few new flies then so be it.

Thanks in advance.
Here is what I have:

 

[psychobeagle12]

Looks like a good selection of starter flies to me! As far as the rod, it's not my cup of tea, and honestly IMO the better rod you get the better results. Some may disagree. But it is probably good enough to start with. I started with an eagle claw outfit when I was young and it worked fine, but I like the rods I have now much better. I would say you have a decent starter kit there to get you on the water.

 

[nomad_archer]

That's great to hear. Do I need to replace the fly line that has been on the reel for 10 years? Any recommendations for the type of leader as well?

 

[psychobeagle12]

I use a 7.5' 5x tapered leader for pretty much everything unless I think I'm going to be doing lots of dry flies on a trip, then I'll put a 9ft leader on. I would change the fly line by virtue of the fact that it is so old, but you may also want to attempt to get some cleaning solution and just scrub it up as well. It lasts practically forever if it is not stored in the sun, and with cleaning it may work fine. If you do get new line, I would look for some factory second line of some kind; it's usually cheaper and just as good. I have used Cortland line from Walmart and like it, and on the outfit you have there I personally wouldn't dump out a small fortune on line. I would put the money into a better setup first. Line can run upwards of $75 a pack, but something in the $15 - $20 range is what I would put on that rod. I get all my leaders from Walmart too, the Cortland ones. I usually get three or four tapered leaders, and always keep a spool of 4x, 5x, and 6x tippet in my vest. If you want to fish streamers or big dries keep some bigger tippet sizes as well, it helps with fly turnover. I am hoping someone else who actually knows what they are talking about joins in here soon lol. This is mostly just stuff that works for me, and I think you have a good starting point there. If you are going to use nymphs, I would look into starting with some small strike indicators to help. They do more than show strikes. They also help you keep the fly in the feeding lane and show you how it is drifting, allowing you to get to the fish and present the fly naturally. I'm not sure what else really. The important part from here is getting some time on the water!

 

[nomad_archer]

I think I will try to run the line as it is. Just new leader/tippet. I will save the money on the line in case I really enjoy this so I can put that money towards a new outfit. Maybe the orvis encounter that was recommended in another thread.

 

[pahoytman]

I think you would be good with the rod and reel you have to test your interest.

Psycho gave you some good info on leaders. The fly you have will probably work to start with as long is there is no cracks and it feels smooth to the touch as you run the length thru your thumb and fore finger. A good line cleaner will definitely improve the performance and will can be used in the future too.

Your flies may work that you have, but I am hesitant to recommend that they are consistent trout catchers unless you are fishing for hungry natives.

I will recomment a few of my favorites for trout.

#1: Wooly buggers: Gold beaded in black and olive green.
Rather inexpensive and can be found at Walmart, Dicks, Gander Mountain. I catch my majority of trout on these and they are good for bass too they should cast well with your size fly rod. My favorite method is casting out at 9 & 10:00 and quick stripping them back in in 4 to 6" sequences.

Nymph fishing: Gold beaded prince nymph in size 14. Using a thing-a-mcbobber in the smallest size availabe for a strike indicator. This method always produces for me when nothing else seems to be interesting the trout.

Dry fly fishing: A good floating black ant pattern in size 12 & 14. This is a good generic dry fly to use when you see trout taking flies on top. A royal coachman in size 14 is a good dry fly attractor to use.

There are many other good patterns I could recommend, but to get you started these are my recommendation. I have been mentoring a few fishermen into fly fishing each year and these are the patterns that I have them using. I would say the beaded wooly buggers on the easiest to get beginners to consistenly catching trout.

I am by no means an expert or elite fly fisherman. I just enjoy catching them more on the fly rod over the spinning rod.

Be sure to post a few catch pictures in the fly fishing section when you get a chance to give it a whirl.

Tight Lines

 

[psychobeagle12]

Oh yeah, ant patterns are always great! I personally like a good parachute ant. The post makes the bug MUCH easier to see and the ant will ride in the surface film. Drives the trout crazy! And the WBs too are great. Personally the egg patterns always produce well for me, well, almost always. Some use prince nymphs to great effect, I have personally never done really great on them. Personal preference and trout preference at the time I suppose. Also for the woolys if you can find them in a rusty brown color and fish them where there are crayfish in the stream you will kill on them. I saw a small rainbow come out from behind a rock and shoot about six feet across the stream to grab a rusty brown WB one time. I put the cast right behind the rock and started stripping it back to me. The little booger came out and nailed it lol.

 

[nomad_archer]

Thank you for the information so far. I am off to the store for some leaders and tippets.

 

[nomad_archer]

Alright if anyone is still hanging around, I would like an opinion. I think I am going to upgrade my setup, I am heading to the orvis store this weekend. Any advice is appreciated. I am looking at either and 8'6" 5wt orvis encounter or clearwater setup. I dont want to break the bank but I also dont want to get a combo and then be buying again in a year or two for something better. I say this because I recently updated my spinning rod/reel combo from basic ugly stick to a fenwick and I am all smiles and wish I would have done that upgrade a long time ago.

 

[blackpowder]

best I can tell you is, you can never have too many fly rods. I can't help you on the new rods because all of mine fly rods are bamboo. however I did just buy a ross access in a 3wt, 8'6" long for fishing for bluegills. I was out Friday in the canoe, in the big beaver pond behind my house and saw that was going to be a good way to break one of my rods. I got it for fishing out there and for fishing in the pond in my yard and to have on hand for others to use. kind of looking forward to getting it and trying it out to see how different it is than the bamboo. I use 1930's and 1940's pflueger reels on all of the bamboo, but bought one of the "new" plueger medalist for the new rod. will have to see how it works out. good luck on your search.

 

[nomad_archer]

thanks for the encouragement blackpowder. I am going to be taking one of the orvis intro to flyfishing classes in the coming weeks. It should help cut down on the learning curve.

 

[blackpowder]

I'm very lucky that I have a pond in my yard. its loaded with nice bluegills, about a dozen bass and a few crappies and its about 150 feet from my back door. that's usually how I end the day, going out and catching a few fish after a stressful day at work. my sons girlfriend comes over most evenings and fly fishes also. and if the cat is lucky, he gets a small one for a snack!

 

[pahoytman]

Still around, but can't offer much help in selecting your outfit.

I have been using a Fenwick 3 wt. 7 1/2' for almost 40 years now. It's great for the smaller streams that abound in my area. Little light for casting woolybuggers, but I love the lightweight and feel of the rod and am able to fish dry flys, nymphs, and wooly buggers with it.

Took it up to the Juniata one day and was under gunned for the bigger water.

I have a 8 1/2 shakesphere 5wt fiberglass wonder rod that I first started fly fishing with and I now take it to fish the larger streams such as the Juniata.

I've been pondering on buying another fly rod in a 5 or 6 wt. around 8 1/2'. Still window shopping myself.

 

[nomad_archer]

I'm very lucky that I have a pond in my yard. its loaded with nice bluegills, about a dozen bass and a few crappies and its about 150 feet from my back door. that's usually how I end the day, going out and catching a few fish after a stressful day at work. my sons girlfriend comes over most evenings and fly fishes also. and if the cat is lucky, he gets a small one for a snack!

Thats sounds like one heck of a setup right out the back door. I have access to a stocked private bass pond down the street from my house plus lots of streams and etc within 5-10 minutes. I love putting my kiddo to bed and then running down the street to go fishing for the last hour of day light.

 

[blackpowder]

best I can tell you is, you can never have too many fly rods. I can't help you on the new rods because all of mine fly rods are bamboo. however I did just buy a ross access in a 3wt, 8'6" long for fishing for bluegills. I was out Friday in the canoe, in the big beaver pond behind my house and saw that was going to be a good way to break one of my rods. I got it for fishing out there and for fishing in the pond in my yard and to have on hand for others to use. kind of looking forward to getting it and trying it out to see how different it is than the bamboo. I use 1930's and 1940's pflueger reels on all of the bamboo, but bought one of the "new" plueger medalist for the new rod. will have to see how it works out. good luck on your search.

so, I got the new rod,reel and fly line today and put it to work in the pond. I have always been happy with rio avid trout fly line, but the place was out of it and sent me some orvis access fresh water instead to try. what an awesome fly line. very smooth and slides right off the pole with no effort at all. very happy with the outfit as a whole. and the "new" plueger medalist reel is nice, but I really don't see as good of quality as the old ones. it is lighter, but that is about it. I'm still a bamboo guy at heart, but this is a nice extra, fun, modern day rod for pan fish and the occasional bass.

 

[nomad_archer]

Well I took some of the advice here and picked up a new outfit. I took the orvis free intro to fly fishing course this weekend and picked up a 4wt 8'6" clearwater rod, battenkill reel and superfine line. I ran out Sunday evening just before the rain started. It took me 20 minutes to get rigged up as I need some more practice with these new knots. I started with a parachute ant and then changed to a rubber worm imitation just flipping it into a plunge pool and dead drifting. About 30 minutes into my fishing trip with the rain starting to pick and me without a rain coat, I felt a bang, bang, bang in the rod. I picked it up and figured it was the bottom or a fish I couldn't tell with the new rod and all. A few casts later, the same thing and I set the hook and thought I missed the fish the line went dead. Then I started to reel in some some line and then we were off to the races. The fish jumped 3 times made a few short runs. Ended up being an average size stocked rainbow. With spinning gear it feels like just horsing in the fish. It was the most fun trout fight I have had in a long time. This rod is so sensitive which I didn't expect, it was a real treat. I went out mid day yesterday to explore some more stream but didn't get any action. I never realized how small the stream was. Roll casting is difficult with all the over hanging branches. Sorry no pictures of the first fish but it was a seriously heavy rain storm and I went home soaked to the bone and smiling ear to ear. I have a lot to learn and techniques to figure out but I think the spinning rod is going to stay at home for a while.

I also picked up a promo 5wt orvis line it is supposed to be in the access/clearwater range for $19 at the orvis outlet. Its perfectly good line for my other combo rod. You never know when you will need a backup.