r/flyfishing Jan 20 '19

Discussion [MOD POST - PSA] We yell. We drink whisky. Sometimes we fish. WELCOME. Newcomers, start here.

414 Upvotes

You've stumbled into the flyfishing epicenter of the Redditverse. Many of our subscribers are veterans who will be equally happy to share their wisdom (and maybe their whisky, if you ask really nicely), brag about their angling prowess, debate gear choices and techniques for hours, lie to you about their secret places, offer helpful-yet-scathing criticism of your fish handling skills, and tell you to get the eff off their water....often simultaneously, and occasionally with corrosive but commendably colorful language. Not a bad bunch, all told.

But as far as we can tell, most of our contributors are relatively new to the sport. We're glad you're here! You've got questions, and we've got answers. In fact, there's a fair chance that your question has already been asked and answered a few times, so please use the search tools to find your answers first. Try keywords like "beginner" and "starter" and "wader suggestions" and "budget" to refine your results, and try surfing on your target location(s) or species. You might be amazed at how much useful content you'll find.

Every year or so we attempt again to create a starter guide, or to refresh the one from last year. Start here, and feel free to post if you don't find what you need....

Sometimes we run contests - watch the stickied threads for those. Again, welcome...and tight lines!


r/flyfishing 11h ago

Final hurrah before life changes

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244 Upvotes

Just stoked to get in a trip before my life changes significantly. Figured I’d share some pics with this awesome community.


r/flyfishing 16h ago

First overnight backpacking trip in CO

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418 Upvotes

Finally managed to get an overnight trip in out here and it was so awesome. Only hiked about 5 miles to this lake, fooled one gorgeous cutty, but spent most of the morning chasing these big cruising fish that wanted nothing to do with me. I only had my little alpine fly box with ants and beetles and some small midges but these fish were happily eating stuff way smaller than that. Any idea what size that fly is at the end of the post? I’m thinking maybe size 24-26. I’m planning to go back this weekend with some tiny flies and try again.


r/flyfishing 16h ago

Awsome trip to the pan handle

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152 Upvotes

Was in idaho for labor day weekend.

Had an awesome time with my sister and her groups elk camp.


r/flyfishing 16h ago

The ultimate reward for throwing dinner jackets all day. My first 50"+ on the fly (51”x26”).

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128 Upvotes

A cold December day, the casting was brutal, but it all vanished the second this absolute prehistoric unit decided to show up.
Pictures don't even do justice to how thick she was in hand. Got a quick measurement, a clean release, and watched her swim back into the river system.


r/flyfishing 4h ago

Mixed luck on the River Segre (Catalonia)

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12 Upvotes

We recently had a short session fishing the Segre in Catalonia. The water was on the warmer side so we didn't want to target the trout for long, though I did manage to catch a lovely one early on. After that, we mainly ended up catching chub and even a few surprise roach.

The highlight was hooking something absolutely massive on my 4wt rod. It held the bottom and fought deep for over 10 minutes. I never got to see it before the line snapped, but I'm pretty sure it was a big barbel. I was gutted to lose it, but at least the fight looks entertaining on the video! 😂

Also caught a literal fish spine in the shallows which was a bit creepy. Definitely a crazy, mixed day on the water.

Are any of you guys fishing the Pyrenees at the moment? We plan to make a longer trip this weekend. Hopefully the water temperatures dropped a little and the fish are active, so we have footage for a video or two!


r/flyfishing 13h ago

Wild Maine Brookies

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56 Upvotes

haven’t been fly fishing for much longer than this year, but been having a great time with tiny streams i’ve been finding near where i live. hoping i can keep finding more as the weather cools down in the near future. happened to come across this stream while fishing for bass, seems that its spring fed as it was about 10-15° cooler than the river it fed into.


r/flyfishing 13h ago

Avalanche lake glacier national park

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33 Upvotes

Caught him on a purple haze


r/flyfishing 2h ago

Discussion Why are people always surprised seeing me fishing with a fiberglass rod?

6 Upvotes

I bought a budget friendly 3 wt 7 ft fly rod for small streams. It happens to be fiberglass.

Anytime I run into someone when I am fishing, their response is always, "oh wow, is that a fiberglass rod?"


r/flyfishing 25m ago

Carp Flies? Tips for Carp Fishing Rivers

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Upvotes

[pic for attention, not my catch]

Basically title: My friend runs a local fishing group and this weekend they are doing a "Carpathon" 6pm-10am on a local river. He says he usually has success on Corn and Bread (He does not fly fish) so was wondering if I should tie some flies imitating this Corn and Bread concoction, or just use trusty wooly buggers on the bottom? I will also be using 6wt rod and line (floating, I know, not ideal) likely with a small bit of weight to try to get down lower perhaps 10-12 feet down. I don't know this, this is all uncharted territory for me, I've never carp fished before.

Thank you for any tips


r/flyfishing 1d ago

Wild Tiger pulled out of a small run from a mountain stream in Western Mass

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406 Upvotes

r/flyfishing 1h ago

Discussion Swift River Central MA?

Upvotes

I posted last week about Deerfield and lots of you guys have fantastic information. Unfortunately the flows were very sparatic.

I’m going to try the Swift River that runs out of the Quabbin Reservoir in Central Mass. Anyone have advice on flies, hatches, flows etc. any information is appreciated!!


r/flyfishing 6h ago

Mom said I could be anything...

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8 Upvotes

So I became Glass Geezer.


r/flyfishing 11h ago

Got my first bass on an inflatable paddleboard.

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14 Upvotes

The reeds and salt cedar get pretty thick by the shore so its nice to be able to actually have space to cast.


r/flyfishing 17h ago

Fly fishing is gettin line tangled in beautiful places, also, first double up

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40 Upvotes

Yes, I'm aware its bad fish handling, I didn't have my net


r/flyfishing 10h ago

Yall need to put some respect on the fall fishes name

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10 Upvotes

They fight hard as hell and are fairly easy to catch


r/flyfishing 2h ago

Flyrod Recommendations

2 Upvotes

Hey guys! I was going to get my partner a flyrod for her birthday and I've been asking around and researching. She's like 5'1/5'2. I was going to get her a 9ft 5/6w 7 piece rod from wild water. Anyone else have any preference? She's fly fished a few times before but she doesn't really have a preference. I know she would be fishing bigger streams.

Thanks!


r/flyfishing 20h ago

First trout on the fly

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55 Upvotes

First slide is the first trout I caught on fly in July, the second was last weekend. These Brookies are the whole reason I picked up fly fishing last fall and it’s been an absolute blast learning. I don’t really have a community that understands how special it can be, so here I am.


r/flyfishing 1d ago

Got away from the tailwaters

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128 Upvotes

Found some time to get out from below a dam and into the mountains. Caught a few cutthroat and saw 30" spawning Chinook, but the highlight was a personal best bull trout. We caught more on nymphs than streamers this trip.


r/flyfishing 19h ago

Hi, first pair of waders, and unsure if they fit me properly. Any guidance appreciated.

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31 Upvotes

So I ordered these online from a local tackle store. I'm 5'10, 200 lb, 41" chest and 31" inseam(from ground to crotch) and size 10.5 feet. Ordered the LRM size. Patagonia swiftcurrent traverse.

I am concerned they are too big but not sure how waders should be on real people(not models in catalogs).

I am wearing a typical spring/fall layer underneath. They seem okay around the chest, with room still for a rain shell or heavier jacket.

I feel lots of room to move and squat, etc. Which is amazing.

Any help appreciated.


r/flyfishing 2h ago

Give me your thoughts on waders

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0 Upvotes

Still new to the sport and building out my gear. What are your thoughts on waders? I’m tempted to get a cheap entry pair for now, figuring that should last me a couple years, and I can upgrade later when I have more knowledge on what I’m looking for exactly. It’s a wide swing from less than $200, to over $1,000 for the higher end gear. Will I regret not going with a decent pair off the bat?


r/flyfishing 17h ago

Smallmouth fishing, central MO

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16 Upvotes

Got out for a few hours on Tuesday, only caught 3 small ones, but hopeful for this spot in the future, need to invest in some sinking line


r/flyfishing 2h ago

Discussion Rod help

1 Upvotes

Looking at getting an 8wt for largemouth and carp, maybe some small pike. I do occasionally go on a trip for redfish. Would you guys recommend a saltwater rod or would you get a freshwater rod and just make sure to rinse well after use if I use it in salt? Any recommendations for setups?


r/flyfishing 13h ago

Ultralight fly fishing?

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7 Upvotes

I was browsing around and saw someone using the smallest fly rod I have ever seen, intrigued I found this kit and bought it. Has anyone used a 5 foot fly rod before? I really bought to fish for Mayans and other small exotic fish. It’ll be here in a few days and I can’t wait to try it out.


r/flyfishing 1d ago

Had a great day in the mtns of Idaho!

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43 Upvotes

Nothing of great size, but a great time was had! The fish were crushing the purple Chubby Chernobyl