# Taken Lessons - Ready to Start Fly Fishing



## vw4fun (May 5, 2009)

Have taken the 101 class at Orvis. (Highly recommend for the beginner). Have taken lesson from Steve Soule (cool guy and highly recommend). Lookin' for a good 8wt fly rod to buy. Reel too. Let me know. Thanks

Cheers,
Ray


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

Ray,

You really should cast several rods before spending the money on one. 10 people will have 10 different opinions on the best rod and they all will be correct.....for them. We all cast differently. Some do better with a fast action, others need something much slower. Price should not be the sole factor. I know people who cast $250 Temple Fork BVK rods much better than $800 Sage ones. 

Besides what you are comfortable throwing, have an experienced fly caster go shopping with you. He/She will be able to see clearly what rods seem to work best. Also, use the same line for each rod. A rod will cast differently with say, a Redfish taper line vs a Bonefish taper.

That said, my personal favorites in an 8 wt are the Sage Salt, Orvis Helios 2 and the GLoomis NRX. Of course for the amount of $$$ each one costs, they'd better be good! I went with the Salt and keep a Sage Xi3 as my second rod. You can find Xi3s on sale for around $400-$500, which is a steal, assuming that is the rod that works for you.

Whatever you decide, let us know!


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

Do you know what kind of rod and line you used in the Orvis 101 class of the casting lessons with Seoule? That could at least get you a starting point on what to look for. I'd at least give Seoule a call back and find out what the action of the rod he had you using was.

Worm Drowner is absolutely correct though. I know it sounds like a hassle, but matching a rod and line to your casting style will save you headaches. I'd try out rods with both a short bellied taper (redfish) and longer taper (bonefish or tarpon) to see what you like. You'll also want to match your setup to the casting situations you expect to be in. I fish the marsh mostly where my shots are relatively close but have to be made quick, so my go to redfish setup is a medium fast rod with a short bellied redfish taper. Quick shots in the 40' range are that setups bread and butter, distance I have to work for. I do have an extra fast rod loaded with a longer bonefish taper line that I can fling way further easier than my other setup however it doesn't have much feel at short ranges so I don't use it much for marsh fishing. Again, try to match your setup for the situations you expect to encounter the most.

As for reels, you'll probably want something with a half decent drag. I personally don't think sealed drags are 100% necessary, but they are nice. I own and use both and other than a little less maintenance on the sealed drag I haven't noticed any performance or durability difference, but maybe more time will tell. For cheap, I think the Allen Alpha III can't be beat. The fit and finish are great and I haven't found a smoother drag at that price point. I've had mine about 3 years now and have put mine up against everything from reds to ling and it still preforms flawlessly. Orvis makes a great reel as well if you can catch a Hydros on sale. Also, check this site

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/fishing-reels~d~188/

They regularly have great deals on some nice reels. That cheeky mojo or Lamson Guru wouldn't be a bad reel.


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## colby6968 (Jan 30, 2013)

*Starting Fly Fishing*

If I were to suggest anything I would say to go with a local guide or a recommended guide from the 2cool group.

This will give you the confidence in fly fishing which can be what you need when finding fish is tough, winds are high, and waters a murky.

I was fortunate enough to get out with a guide my first few times and he took me under his wing and kindly shared the skinny water culture with me. Shout out to Drew Donahough!

The first time you sight cast & land our first red/trout you will immediately become addicted!

I also have to tip my hat to Dave at the Orivis shop, always helpful and have open doors.

My first rod was an orivis hydros and reel, they have deals all the time with fly line especially for the new comers.

Spend the money on a good rod and fly line makes the difference in the long run. The reel isn't that important for inshore unless your planning on big game or jetty fishing.

Cheers to the bug slingers! Good luck!


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

colby6968,

He's already got the guide portion covered. Steve Soule (The Shallowist on here) is one of the best fly fishing guides on this part of the coast.

It sounds like you've found yourself a good one working with old Dave. Anytime I'm near Rockport, stopping by Swan Point Landing is mandatory just to see how he's doing. I'll be there on the 9th for the Redfish Rodeo on the 10th.

Though the reel isn't as critical for inshore fishing, you certainly don't want to skimp on the drag. IMHO, Lamson Waterworks makes one of the best bargains going. I'd hate to have a lousy reel/drag if Mr Jack drops in for a snack! Replacing fly line & backing after getting spooled can be a little expensive!

Tight lines, y'all!


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Everyone has given great advice. As an owner of several rods and having tried others every Rod has its own feel. Line will add another variable. For me, some rods are a joy to cast, others are work. Beware of the allure and the pressure to buy into a fast action Rod. Maybe your style is that, but I laugh at some of the videos I see and the few that Ive seen live and the casters are working so very hard double hauling and look miserable doing it trying to squeeze out 10 more yards. Good on you if you are a talent that can put a #2 crab on a dinner plate at 80 feet. But you don't need anything like that skill to be effective in our local waters or any water I've been on. I usually know almost immediately if I like a Rod. And it isn't about cost. I Tried a Sage 4wt 9' Xp that I hated. I wanted to like it. I adjusted my cast! But I could never get a feel for it. A cheap old 5wt fenwick I loved. I like my 8wt BvK. I like my 7wt Gary Borger. I don't like my 8wt Axiom. I like my minimag. My neighbor has an orvis encounter that was likable. My brother in law had some cheap combo I liked. Point is you have to get a Rod that fits you. And after spending a lot of time casting, you will get your style and cast and there will be a Rod that fits you. Don't let anyone tell you you have to be a champion caster to fish.


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## SKIFFSTIFF (May 8, 2009)

*Rod choice*

X2 on all of the comment posted.Listen and take them to the bank.We have walked that path before,so do not make our mistakes again.I have had Winstons,Sages,Orvis,Scotts,TFO,some worked and some did not do so well over the last 30 odd years.
SO ,CAST AS MANY AS YOU CAN UNDER AS CLOSE TO FISHING CONDITIONS ALLOW AND BUY THE ONE THAT IS THE EASYEST TO CAST20 TO 40 FT. FOR SIGHT CASTING.
SKIFFSTIFF


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## sjrobin (Oct 1, 2009)

Hi Ray. I sight cast guide the Texas coast and have Loomis, Sage, and Orvis rods you can try. A half day trip would be worth the money just to try the various fly rods out in real conditions. The 2015 HB Pro I use is a pretty good skiff for developing your fly casting skills. PM me if you are interested in a half day trip.


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## vw4fun (May 5, 2009)

Very kind of everyone and thank you all with your recommendations. Good advice. Will either book a fly fishing trip with a guide and/or hit a fly shop soon to try out what they have available. Will follow up with my decision and how it goes.

Cheers,
R


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## Rob S (Jan 8, 2007)

vw4fun said:


> Very kind of everyone and thank you all with your recommendations. Good advice. Will either book a fly fishing trip with a guide and/or hit a fly shop soon to try out what they have available. Will follow up with my decision and how it goes.
> 
> Cheers,
> R


I'm in Bayou Vista and you are more than welcome to come and cast my fly rods. Texas made and a lot of rod for the money. Pm me if you want to come out.

Rob


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

My .02. Something with a little more flex (softer) will help you develop your cast. There is, as most have stated here, a lot of choices and they don't necessarily have to be expensive. Once you get your cast down you can refine your choices to line and rod type, you most likely will want a faster rod and a line taper better suited to your target species and conditions that you like to fish in. Fish with something that is close to what you learned with at first then go for the refinements. I would not worry to much about equipment at first but concentrate on your cast and actually fishing while building confidence in your technique. Try not to make mistakes in casting that you will pick up as bad habits. It sounds like you have some really good instructors, just do what they say.


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Fishsurfer has good advice about getting a rod with more flex. Those rods these days tend to be less expensive too. 

Some other food for thought:

Redfish aren't typically all that selective. If they are aggressively feeding, just about anything will work. and you don't have to be a casting champion to connect. If you can manage to get a fly out 25-30 feet you will get some takes. 

Video yourself casting and compare to some pros that are on youtube. you will see stuff that you can correct. This helped me. I had a little wrist break at the end of my back cast that basically unloaded my rod. 

Don't knock blind casting. Go to any of your favorite haunts and cast for 15 or 20 minutes. Learn to feel the rod load, work on your timing, learn to manage your line. Take a break, fish with your regular gear. Repeat. Its great to practice in the back yard, but its better, IMHO, to do so in real live conditions and you might catch a fish while you do it. 

I have gone from in 2013 to only really making short shots at visible redfish to using the fly rod in almost every place and situation I would have used my bait caster. This past weekend, I waded a semi protected part West Matagorda Bay and a marsh lake in strong wind with my spinning and bait-casting friends and caught as many fish, really a little more, as they did on the hardware. Most of it was fishing structure and not sight casting. I wasn't and don't fish with high dollar gear. I don't think our fishery is as nearly technical as the ones you read about on the various trout streams where dry flies are used and presented in very specific ways. I'm sure I don't have the most technically correct cast. I sure have a blast fly fishing. Sometimes you will want to give it up along the way, the line at your feet or in the water or boat gets tangled, you get wind knots in your leader, You get a fish on with all this line out and it swims towards you and you have no idea what to do. But I find it to be a highly addictive and fun way to fish.


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