special from Orvis

[gillman7]

OK, I am getting excited about this again. My dream this year is to backpack the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this fall, just me and my wife for a week or so.

She will go, and I would love to be able to fish a little while we are there. I need to go look this week at some gear. Would a 4-5w be a good rod to start with? About what length, 6 1/2 - 7 1/2'? Like I said, not looking for lunker gear, (yet), and not sure if I should go 2 piece or 4 piece or ?? It would be a bonus to be able to strap to a pack for the hike.

What are some good fall season flies to look at?

 

[J.P.]

OK, I am getting excited about this again. My dream this year is to backpack the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this fall, just me and my wife for a week or so.

She will go, and I would love to be able to fish a little while we are there. I need to go look this week at some gear. Would a 4-5w be a good rod to start with? About what length, 6 1/2 - 7 1/2'? Like I said, not looking for lunker gear, (yet), and not sure if I should go 2 piece or 4 piece or ?? It would be a bonus to be able to strap to a pack for the hike.

What are some good fall season flies to look at?

If I were you I'd go with a 9ft 4pc 5wt.
Wooly Buggers are always a good 'generic' pattern.
As far as dries go, I've had the best luck on BWOs (blue wing olives)

 

[J.P.]

If I were you I'd go with a 9ft 4pc 5wt.
Wooly Buggers are always a good 'generic' pattern.
As far as dries go, I've had the best luck on BWOs (blue wing olives)

Going after wild Trout is gonna' be much trickier than the stockers we have here....Big Browns are tough to fool and very particular about the patterns you're trying to sell...both in detail and in size.
When in doubt, downsize.

 

[dennishoddy]

This is absolutely true!
To me it is very rewarding...everything from the lay of a perfect cast to landing a nice fish.
The esoterics of fly casting are as fulfilling to me as the actual fishing part of it.

That pretty much says it all for me right there.
My main problem with casting was breaking my wrist, and putting line and fly in one big ball. I know now how to correct that, but on occasion I still get absent minded and fall back into bad habits. I found that wearing a long sleeve shirt or jacket with the butt stuck down in the sleeve prevents breaking the wrist over. Kind of like having a splint on your arm. I really enjoyed the part in your tutorial about the final cast, waiting until the line and fly are horizontal to the water, and the laying them down. Thats how its supposed to work.

I still tend to slap the water with the line/fly on occasion, but when it does come together, its pure beauty.

 

[RidgeHunter]

Gillman, I made a typo last night.

I fish an 8'-6" rod most of the time, not 7'-6" although I own both. I find the 8'-6" to be much more forgiving.

I would not go any shorter to start out with. Even a 9' like J.P. said would not be a bad idea at all.
Shorter rods, to me at least, are harder to cast, especially when just starting out.

Another good affordable rod is the Sage Launch series. I alomst bought one as my last rod before I found RDP, I handled the Launch beforhand and like my RDP better, but the Launch is a great rod for the money, gets lots of good reviews.

I have had good luck with Ross Reels, even their cheaper models are satisfactory.

As far as flies, I fish only a handfull of patterns most of the time. Woolly Bugger, sculpin patterns, thread jig, San Juan Worm and other worm patterns, Beetles, Ants, Elk Hair Caddis and alot of terrestrials and Zebra Midges are my main fodder. I LOVE fishing hoppers in warm weather, nothing like a trout just crushing a big ugly bug on the top of the water.
The foam spiders people fish for bluegill with will just drive trout crazy sometimes too, even though a purist would never be caught dead with stuff like that in his box. I don't care, I've caught dozens of trout on foam spiders May-Sept.

Sorry for the misleading rod length typo, this heat is gettin' to my brain!

 

[Flyboy]

Without paying Orvis prices, I'm very fond of my Redington rod. I don't recall the model offhand--I think it's a Wayfarer, but I'd have to check--but it has been very good to me.

For trout, a 5-6 weight is the norm. I went with the 6wt because I get out west from time to time (Snake and Wind Rivers in WY, to name two), so the heaver rod helps cut the wind. I also went with the 5-piece because when I go, I usually fly light aircraft, so the short pack length is very helpful.

For a reel, I have a Teton Tioga that I love. Very smooth disc drag and plenty of line capacity.

I couldn't tell you the cost on that outfit, as it was a gift from my dad, but I know it's not exorbitant. He bought something similar for himself. Now I just need to get him down here from Dayton to come use it.

 

[Glock 'em down]

I never knew you were such an avid fly fisherman J.P.

Damn! You are about as Irish as they come, huh?

 

[J.P.]

That pretty much says it all for me right there.
My main problem with casting was breaking my wrist, and putting line and fly in one big ball. I know now how to correct that, but on occasion I still get absent minded and fall back into bad habits. I found that wearing a long sleeve shirt or jacket with the butt stuck down in the sleeve prevents breaking the wrist over. Kind of like having a splint on your arm. I really enjoyed the part in your tutorial about the final cast, waiting until the line and fly are horizontal to the water, and the laying them down. Thats how its supposed to work.

I still tend to slap the water with the line/fly on occasion, but when it does come together, its pure beauty.

lol
Yeah, I'm actually rather proficient, but I'm always looking to improve...learning new casts,tricks etc.

I was earlier going to suggest as a tip, using a band to strap the rod to your wrist to prevent breaking it, but I think you came up with a cool li'l idea there yourself....hooking the rod under your sleeve. Genius!

I never knew you were such an avid fly fisherman J.P.

Damn! You are about as Irish as they come, huh?

Oh hell yeah....
I mean, I was already born with a fishin' rod in my hand, but after I tried fly fishing...that was it!
I instantly became a fly fishing junkie...and world-class gear whore.

Ha!....you think firearms/shooting is an expensive hobby, just wait until you grab fly fishing by the nards. I mean, it doesn't have to be but like with everything else after you start to get into it and appreciate all of it's aspects you start to realize that good gear really does make a significant difference.
...and sometimes that extra $300 is worth the 2% improvement in your casting technique.
My wife (ex) used to gripe about it too...
"I can't believe anyone would spend $800 on a fishing pole"



Irish?
Yeah...but I don't drink.
(definitely not by choice tho')

Tiocfaidh ár lá

 

[RedTape]

I'm using a 8'6" 6wt rod and it works really well (2-piece). My next will probably be a 9' 5wt. If you plan on packing it around a lot a 4-piece rod is the way to go, and a must if you're backpacking at all.

Don't worry too much about flies. Get a basic variety pack to have some on hand. Call a local fly shop before you go on a trip and ask what the fish are hitting. That has always worked for me. Stop by the shop, talk with the people who live there and buy a bunch of the top 5 flies the fish are going after. Just a week or two can make a difference in their diet, thus making a current fly selection important. That's trout of course.

Here in OK put just about anything on and the bass and panfish will go crazy. Much better than an old Zebco and plug.

 

[J.P.]

I'm using a 8'6" 6wt rod and it works really well (2-piece). My next will probably be a 9' 5wt. If you plan on packing it around a lot a 4-piece rod is the way to go, and a must if you're backpacking at all.

Don't worry too much about flies. Get a basic variety pack to have some on hand. Call a local fly shop before you go on a trip and ask what the fish are hitting. That has always worked for me. Stop by the shop, talk with the people who live there and buy a bunch of the top 5 flies the fish are going after. Just a week or two can make a difference in their diet, thus making a current fly selection important. That's trout of course.

Here in OK put just about anything on and the bass and panfish will go crazy. Much better than an old Zebco and plug.

That's pretty much my take on fly selection as well.....just buy 'em when I get there based on what they are taking.
As far as multi-piece fly rods are concerned, two-piece rods are generally lighter and feel better, but frankly these days the tchnology is so incredible that they are becoming virtually indistinguishable.
Although a 4pc rod might be handier when backpacking, the length of a 2pc rod case can also double as a handy walkin' stick.
I've gone both ways with it and my favorite all time rod is only offered in a 2pc version (Orvis Far and Fine 7'9" slow action 5wt)...but I think unless there is some compelling reason not to my future purchases will all be 3-7 piece rods.