# I finally own a fly rod!!



## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Welp as usual patience paid off! I was over at my neighbors the other day talking about fishing and he gave me his fly rod, said he doesn't fish anymore!!
He said he hasn't used it in about 3 years so should I put new line on it? He has had it in his garage out of the weather and cold.

Now I can get after those pesky river trout!!


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Nice neighbor!..

How does the line look? I say it cant hurt to spool on some new stuff.

Good luck.

Maybe if I'm patient enough my neighbor will give me his camaro.... 8) Heck- I'd probably even put some new oil in it.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

sawsman said:


> Nice neighbor!..
> 
> How does the line look? I say it cant hurt to spool on some new stuff.
> 
> ...


Everybodies got to be a [email protected]#$


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

hoghunter011583 said:


> sawsman said:
> 
> 
> > Nice neighbor!..
> ...


I think that was meant as more of a congratulatory comment than a smart-ass comment...


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## Fishermantony (Apr 16, 2010)

You should replace the float line. After its been sitting a while the line starts to crack and is no good


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## tacokid789 (Apr 24, 2008)

Just curious....what brand rod is it?


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## Nueces (Jul 22, 2008)

If it is a floating line and doesn't have any cracks in it and still floats you don't need to replace it. They can stay in excellent shape if they are not used much, or they can take a beating on the elements.

I would try it out first and see what it does. Worst case, you will have a sinking link! :mrgreen:


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## campfire (Sep 9, 2007)

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fly fishing can be addicting! Read the label carefully and follow the directions closely. :wink: :mrgreen:


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## troutwhisperer (Jan 1, 2009)

LOL!! Campfire speaks the truth


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

UtahHuntingDirect said:


> hoghunter011583 said:
> 
> 
> > sawsman said:
> ...


It was. I really would like the camaro though! :wink:


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

UtahHuntingDirect said:


> hoghunter011583 said:
> 
> 
> > sawsman said:
> ...


Yeah I was joking around, it sounded like I was whinning, I didn't mean it to come off like that!!


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

It is a Shakespear nothing high dollar but better than what I would have gotten! I'm pumped big time!! I tried it out a little bit thismorning and it is not as easy as it looks. the line looks like it is in great shape and floats so I think I'll use it like it is until I get the hang of it. I'm sure I'll be beating the line up at first so I might as well beat up old line!! I'm thinking I will put a new leader, I guess that is what it is call maybe the tippet? It is only about 2 feet long and I've been reading that it should be about 5-7 feet.
I'll be out tomorrow trying to get my first fish on it. 
Now I can use to money I was planning on spending on the rod and get the fly tying kit!! 
Nice neighbor is correct!! I owe him big time!!


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Remember, before you throw a lot of money into fly tying, make **** sure it is something you are serious about doing, because you will spend a lot of money if you really get into it.


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

hoghunter011583 said:


> It is a Shakespear nothing high dollar but better than what I would have gotten! I'm pumped big time!! I tried it out a little bit thismorning and it is not as easy as it looks. the line looks like it is in great shape and floats so I think I'll use it like it is until I get the hang of it. I'm sure I'll be beating the line up at first so I might as well beat up old line!! I'm thinking I will put a new leader, I guess that is what it is call maybe the tippet? It is only about 2 feet long and I've been reading that it should be about 5-7 feet.
> I'll be out tomorrow trying to get my first fish on it.
> Now I can use to money I was planning on spending on the rod and get the fly tying kit!!
> Nice neighbor is correct!! I owe him big time!!


Your leader is one of the most important things when it comes to fly fishing and it's also one of the most neglected aspects of fly fishing. If your leader construction sucks, so will the fishing.

A leader should be about as long as your road in general.

A typical leader construction is as follows:

Fly Line
Butt Section
Leader
Tippet
Fly

The butt section is around 12-18 inches long. It's thicker fishing line ie 25lb line. This is used to help transition the energy from casting the fly line into your leader. If you don't have a butt section, it will be hard to cast properly, especially if there is any wind.

Your leader can consist of anywhere from 5-10 feet of leader material. It should have a taper to it, meaning it's thicker at the one end, that connects to your butt section and tapers to a thinner diameter at the other end. The taper also helps transfer the casting energy and helps you have a smoother cast. You can of course construct your own, but it can cost a lot of money to do it right. It's much easier to just buy some leaders.

The tippet you connect to end of your leader, it can be anywhere from 18 inches or longer. It helps to save your leader as you switch flies out and also is a smaller diameter for the strength compared to regular fishing line so it makes it harder for the fish to see the line but still have good strength. I like to use little rings to connect the leader and tippet, but the blood knot is the most common way.

You connect your fly to the end of the tippet.

Just an fyi, you will see two types of leader and tippet material. Fluorocarbon and regular. Fluorocarbon is invisible to fish so it allows you to use much thicker and stronger line. The draw backs to it is the price and it also sinks so it doesn't work good for dry flies. If you want to use fluorocarbon, go to the bait section and buy 200 yard spools of it for the same price as you would buy 30 yards of it in the fly fishing sections.

Enjoy the new rod


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Three quick tips to casting.

First, don't over cast. Your back cast should stop when the tip of your rod is just behind your head. [2:00 position]

Now the second tip. 
Let the line get behind you before you start your forward cast.
This is usually a 2 count or 1 second.

The third tip is to keep your wrist still. You don't use the wrist action with a fly rod.
Keep your thumb on the top of the rod and start casting.

If your cast ends with the fly line not laying out straight and away from you, you will be doing one or more of these things wrong.

If you hear a snap like a whip, on your cast, you are not pausing between your back cast and forward cast.

Don't use a fly when practicing and don't use a tapered leader either.
Just tie on about 5' to 6' of 8# mono and then add some yarn to the end of the line. The yarn replaces a fly and lets you see where you are casting.

When you have your timing down, you can switch to a tapered leader and fly for casting on the water.

Have fun and tight lines,
Grandpa D.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

lehi said:


> Remember, before you throw a lot of money into fly tying, make **** sure it is something you are serious about doing, because you will spend a lot of money if you really get into it.


HAH I get this same comment about everything I do!! It is funny because it is so true about most hobbies/addictions!!


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

RnF said:


> hoghunter011583 said:
> 
> 
> > It is a Shakespear nothing high dollar but better than what I would have gotten! I'm pumped big time!! I tried it out a little bit thismorning and it is not as easy as it looks. the line looks like it is in great shape and floats so I think I'll use it like it is until I get the hang of it. I'm sure I'll be beating the line up at first so I might as well beat up old line!! I'm thinking I will put a new leader, I guess that is what it is call maybe the tippet? It is only about 2 feet long and I've been reading that it should be about 5-7 feet.
> ...


Thanks!! I've been googling all day trying to find out the answere that you just posted!!


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Grandpa D said:


> Three quick tips to casting.
> 
> First, don't over cast. Your back cast should stop when the tip of your rod is just behind your head. [2:00 position]
> 
> ...


Thanks, now I think I'm ready to get out and start practicing!! Only bad thing is I have to wait until the weekend to start practicing!!


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

hoghunter011583 said:


> Thanks!! I've been googling all day trying to find out the answere that you just posted!!


You bet, just trying to help you become a fishhunter :mrgreen:

I should of added that I prefer buying 7.5 foot leaders. By the time you include the butt section and some tippet, it easily hits 9 feet or more.


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