need help picking out a new fly rod

[Big Mike]

Just starting to get back into fly fishing and need some help picking out a fly rod.  I mainly trout fish the Niangua in the winter months and Bennet in the catch and release season.  What weight/length fly rod should I get and what type of fly line should I use.  What would be a good starter pack of flies for the areas I fish?   

[fishinwrench]

A 5wt. setup is going to do it all.

Line brand/type is going to depend on which rod you choose.   Faster rods perform best with different lines than slower rods.   Cheap lines are a disaster, they coil up like an old school phone cord and don't float, shoot, and mend well.  Rio Grand (for faster rods) or Rio Gold (for slower rods) is my personal recommendation, but there are others.....you just gotta get to know them. 

Leaders can make or break your experience.....and for that you're just going to have to experiment on your own....and decide. Tippet sizes of 4x, 5x and 6x are all you need.   

Use split shot in sizes BB, 1, and 4 to get your flys down when you need to.

I'm 5'11" and like a 8'6" rod for trout fishing.  If you're 6'3" then you'll probably want a 9 footer....but if you want a well balanced 5wt. in 9ft. you're gonna have to spend some money. Cheap 9-foot 5wt's are tip-heavy beasts that aren't very enjoyable to fish with.   Choose a reel that balances the rod well. 

As for flys..... Woolybuggers in dark earthy colors, and Cracklebacks in sizes #14-10 are where to start.  Don't worry about changing flys until you feel like you've mastered the Woolybugger/Crackleback game !   Because that's going to be your fallback when nothing else is working.  

 

Stay away from the OUTLETS.....Learn to catch fish in fast shallow riffles, slow deeper runs, and slick deep pools.   

[Big Mike]

thanks fishinwrench,  this is great information will help me get started. I am 6'5" so will start looking for a 9 ft 5 wt.  If I can get the gear together by Friday I will give it a shot and report back.

 

 

[jdmidwest]

Find a friend with a few rods and fish them would be a good suggestion also.  Some shops have loner rods or casting areas to try a setup before you buy to make things work best.

But Wrench covered it pretty well.  You say you that you are going to get back into it.  I assume you have been fishing the fly rod in the past.

[fishinwrench]

Learning Flyfishing by starting with TROUT in moving water is likely the reason 99% of people get frustrated and give it up.  Or end up stuck in the outlets with no confidence to go elsewhere .   

 If you start out chasing bluegill or pond bass......and then graduate to TROUT you'll be more likely to stick with it and actually get good at it.   

[tjm]

You think the fail rate is that high?  I would have guessed 30%, but I'm not around that many to know.

I've always done better in moving water than in ponds for most species. Seems to me they are easier to predict in current. I would rather hunt bass than trout on most days.

[Big Mike]

I had a cheap fly rod combo for years and played around with it some in a pond I fish but never really took the time to learn how to fish in it in moving water.  I love to solitude of the river in the winter months and looking forward to learning something new.  

[ness]

13 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Learning Flyfishing by starting with TROUT in moving water is likely the reason 99% of people get frustrated and give it up. 

Hyperbole. But the point about the difficulty of fishing moving water is a good one. 

I have a friend that's been wanting to learn fly fishing for a long time. We finally got some plans together this year and booked two dates. The first was on a small lake and the second was at Roaring River, where he's been fishing for many years. 

He did really well with basic casting at the lake and we were both pretty encouraged. But the Roaring River trip didn't go well, for a few reasons.

First off, he's not in great physical shape and even short walks left him winded which meant we were limited in where we could go. Second, he seemed to reach saturation point pretty quickly and just quit listening. After that, I mostly just shut up and figured he'd either get in the groove or not. He did not. Third, he had fished there many times, knew how to catch fish and just wasn't happy when it didn't come together quickly. After a short while he just quit and sat down. I did catch a few, so maybe that sunk in. But it doesn't seem likely he'll fly fish much going forward.

Probably the best thing that came out of it was our discussion about health and how he'd become so easily winded a few times that I was actually scared for him. That was back in May and the last time we spoke he was down 30 pounds. 

So, maybe I'm better at weight loss advice than guiding. 

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Fly fishing and golf.  Quite possibly the two most demoralizing activities on the planet.  A close third is a fella trying to find “the spot”.  😂

I myself have been blessed since birth in all 3 activities 😆

[Big Mike]

Fishnwrench mentioned wooly buggers and cracklebacks to start with.  I catch quite a few brown trout on the Niangua, would these work also or would something else be better for browns?  I catch most of them on reaction type baits like small jerk baits and spoons.