Well, I've gotten the bug... only I haven't started yet. I haven't fished since the late 80s, alot of the 90s being taken up by animal ethics and attempts at being cool around girls. Well, now I'm married and I live in Utah. There's no time for being cool anymore (Utah's not exactly a cure for boredom). Plus, I just watched A River Runs Through It. Fly Fishing is an art... and the resorts are closing... So I'm ready! Anybody have any tips? Alot of my friends are "other" summer sports enthusiasts (mtn. biking, skating, etc.) so I don't have any wise old trainers. ------------------ women love me, fish fear me [This message has been edited by Achebe (edited April 17, 2001).]
I love everything that involves a throwing motion. I'm for godsakes no expert on this, other than considering it one of the hardest things to do with your arm, and pretty expensive. You are basically spooling out a nearly weightless line with a whipping motion. Go buy a whip and practice with that...that is, if you don't already have one. If you use a whip incorrectly it doesn't work, same with fly fishing. That is what is so beautiful about this,,,you either do it right or not, there is no in between. You have a good chance of hurting yourself when you whip incorrectly. Other arm motions that are great to try are throwing a boomerang and lasso-ing a rope above your head. Again, there is no real in between; you either do it right or fail. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited April 17, 2001).]
thanks heypartner! This is truly a beautiful... beautiful activity. It's a pity that I was only bombarded w/ enough fly fishing info to actually consider it this past year visiting Montana. The years lost... letting the fish get bigger. God, it's good to be alive. I'm going down to a few more shops this evening. I also just found a pretty good beginner's resource. ------------------ women love me, fish fear me.
My only tip is watch out for trees. Trust me you don't want to get your fly caught up there. ------------------ Just four left.
If you go to www.dealcatcher.com, you can search for "flooz," and they will give you a link to save 10% off on your flooz (online currency) purchase if you use an Amex card. You can then use that flooz and another dealcatcher coupon (this one for 20%) to save a total of 30% at www.fogdog.com. Anyway, that will make your fly fishing purchases a little cheaper. ------------------ stop posting my damn signature
Cool, thanks Pole. Do you know anything about good pole, hehe, rod brands? I've had two or three different people tell me to pick up the Sage DS2... that it is a great training rod. The thing is is that the package deal (w/ reel, flyline, backing, leader and case) costs $330.00 (it breaksdown into 4 pieces). There's just so much price variation. I think it breaks down fairly well though: 4 piece (instead of 2) so that I can actually camp w/ the thing: $50.00 Reel: $35.00 Flyline: $45.00 Case: $50.00 Leader and backing: $15-20 Rod: ~$130.00 (or the rest) So it's a pretty good deal, I guess. I suppose I answered my own question. ------------------ women love me, fish fear me.
Ahhh, but Achebe, you are not pricing tying your own flies. Only wushes buy packaged flies. You need a tying vise, tools, threads, hooks, flies, tying wax, floss and chenille. The vise can go for $319. But of course, you must buy only genuine Hoffman Hackle...and rooster capes alone go for $60. Sure, if you want to cheat and tell everyone to made your own, you can buy some genuine Rogan of Donegal flies for around $160 per half dozen.
I had a friend that went on vacation in Montanna with her husband. They hired a river guide for an afternoon -- apparently they have a lot of retired people who do this. She was a little concerned about the price before, but said it absolutely made the experience so much better. The guide showed them how and where to fish, how to fix the line, what to throw back, etc. I believe he even provided the gear. She said it made all the difference having someone along to make sure they were successful, instead of winging it and getting frustrated. You might consider doing that the first time, to see how you like it, and what kind of gear you want, etc., before you invest a lot of money. ------------------ Stay Cool...
dc sports is right, achebe. Didn't you hire a guide for your honeymoon to make sure that was successful, too. That helped a lot, I'm sure. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited April 18, 2001).]
The honeymoon guide was obnoxious though. I suggested my old hs wrestling coach, but noooo... we had to have Ms. Frumpy man hater call the fouls. Thanks for the advice dc... I met a guy at one of the fly shops that might introduce me to some of our rivers. Seems like a cool place, the owner wrote a book on Utah's rivers. I also have a couple of friends that seem anxious to learn the sport too, so it should go pretty well. heyp, I tied a fly once w/ my old seamster roommate... for now I'll just buy them. The materials are gross! They have friggin' bunny faces dyed various colors down at the Sportsman's Warehouse! Bunny faces! Ears! Eye sockets! Little ****ing bunny faces!!! ------------------ women love me, fish fear me.
Have fun! I've never been. My guess is if you don't know the difference, the $30 model will do until you get some practice. Save the rest for refreshments. ------------------ Stay Cool...
btw, have any of you guys ever priced rods before? I held a $750 rod yesterday?!? It was right next to a $30 rod that looked like it could do the trick too. ------------------ women love me, fish fear me.
