advice on size of fly rod?

stevoman

well lads. i went to 2 local place's yesterday to look for a new set up as a beginner fly fisher. im a bit confused with what to do so i was going to ask for some of your advice?


In the fist shop i went to, the man said a 9 foot would suit me and he gave me a price on a 9 foot rod and reel for €100.

In the second shop the man told me that i should get an 11 foot rod as the cast is further and also if i am fishing the local river and lake i will want more distance in my cast. we have a great local lake and its very reasonable to become a member and i cant get tangles in anything out there. He gave me a price of €120 for an 11 foot rod, a reel, line and also some flys to get me going. he also told me he would take me out to the lake for an hour or two and give me some lessons. he is adiment not to give me a 9 foot rod but im wondering is that too big to learn with.

any advice would be great.

viper123

Where do you intend fishing?
I don't understand why anyone would recommend an 11ft fly rod unless you are doing short line boat drifting on a lake. A rod that length would just tire you out if you were doing long casting with it all day long. also they'll tent to be quite floppy in action which makes control quite difficult.
The best allround fly rod length to me is a 9.5/10ft with a line rating of about 7. That would cover everything from rivers to lakes and stocked resevoirs.

What it comes down to though is where you intend using it...

stevoman

viper123 wrote: »

Where do you intend fishing?
I don't understand why anyone would recommend an 11ft fly rod unless you are doing short line boat drifting on a lake. A rod that length would just tire you out if you were doing long casting with it all day long. also they'll tent to be quite floppy in action which makes control quite difficult.
The best allround fly rod length to me is a 9.5/10ft with a line rating of about 7. That would cover everything from rivers to lakes and stocked resevoirs.

What it comes down to though is where you intend using it...

TBH i intend in using it on the lake for a couple of months until im comfortable with fly fishing and then im going to fish the river.

Nozebleed

i went down to the lads in southside angling and they had a fly rod and reel for €80! 9ft. i really want to learn how to cast fly...if you're thinking of purchasing you should go have a chat with the guys there. good value.

coolwings

River 8' to 9 1/2' is standard
Stillwater 9 1/2' to 10 1/2 ' is standard
Boatfishing 10' to 13' is used

A 9 1/2 to 10' rod is what you want for general uses.

Lines 3 - 5 are considered light, 6 - 7 considered medium, and 8 or higher are considered heavy.
In a lake you put it down and the fish is moving, moving towards it. The disturbance of putting the line down is not so near the fish when it is put down on the water.
But in a river the trout holds it's place, and you must cast to the fish. Your line falls onto the water in closer proximity to the fish. All wild animals are extremely aware of movements close to them. Wild trout will stop feeding or actually move away from the landing of a heavy line.

So get a 5 or 6 line for river fishing. You will catch more fish.
For stillwaters with exposed shores a 7 line is better at overcoming wind, but it is definitely inferior for fishing over wild fish in shallow rivers where concealment and quietness are very important. I use a 7 for heavy sunk line lake trout lure fishing, a specialist style, and summer salmon.

The compromise for general fly fishing in Ireland is a 6 line, this has been established by thousands of Irish anglers over decades and is well beyond debate.

People who advise otherwise are either making a compromise based on more of one type of fishing than the other, or they are still learning how much these things affect the final catch, or their casting is not perfect and they have observed that a heavier rod and line casts further at their level of experience. But the trout has a big say too.

There is nothing wrong with getting the heavy rod, and getting another light one later. A 5 for the river and a 7 for the lake would be nicer, if the moneyflow covered it. That way you have a really enjoyable and effective tool for each job.

pullandbang

Nozebleed wrote: »

i really want to learn how to cast fly...

Out into the back garden, local green, football pitch etc with rod, reel line and a piece of coloured wool tied to the leader. Practice, practice and more practice. Then when you're finished practicing, practice some more.

Much better than floundering around on the riverbank, snagging every tree, losing your flies and getting frustrated with the whole thing.

Tackleberry.

hi i've been getting into fly fishing over the last 3 years on the corrib and have been surrounded by great lads with great info and realy when i was starting out i was warned to buy the best rod and line i could afford i bought this rod ,
http://www.baumanns.ie/product_info.php/products_id/786?Baumid=72232a53d8a176b645220880c4f7226b
i only payed 150 euro myself but i was told that if i bought a good action rod that the skill of fly fishing would never come as easy than if i bought sh*te rod. tis a great rod.

coolwings

That is the exact same rod I bought my son last season to get started flyfishing on.
Since then he has had fish up to 10lbs on it, and has learned to cast fine, so it has stood up to being tested and used very well..
I also got a spare one for myself while I was at it!

J_Kerr

I'd recommend a 9 foot 5 - 6 weight. Good all rounder for what you encounter in Ireland. I'd really recommend casting lessons form a qualified instructor, the less bad habits you pick up at an early stage the better.