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Hi guys, that is the latest and greatest in fly lines as I need to renew the old one on my Kilwel backpackers fly rod. Now as I haven't learnt yet how to cast a fly a line for a beginner would be good. Some brand names would be good so I know what to look for next I`m in Hunting and fishing and then get out there and learn how to do this.
If I could politely suggest you would be better to ask for someone with some experince in your area to show you the ropes ..even on a back lawn...Trying to teach yourself to fly fish is a prick ...well for me anyway ...better to upskill and reap the rewards than frustrat the shit out of yourself...he / she can point you in the right direction for line weights floating sinking etc for your area and skill level!
Simply differnt rods work best with differnt line weights and differnt waters require a differnt approach to fish it. I am very very very far from being anything but a keen amature, but really suggest getting...yes evening paying for half a day of tuition or guided fishing!
Yep, I think you have hit the nail on the head there, definitely have a look into that and I think there was a guy in Rotorua, the trout man at a camping ground
down there or some of the sports shops may have their resident guru.
I give free lessons for whisky
Stingray is spot on, a bit of guidance from an experienced fly fisherman, will speed you on the way for sure.
A weight forward floating line is probley the most used fly line for most NZ fly fisherman, unless fishing lots of Taupo lakes, then it would be a sink tip or sinking line.
I like the Rio line trout/gold is what I use, and the old Cortland 444 is still a heck of a good floating line, and perhaps a bit cheaper, by the best you can afford, the fly line is the most important part of casting well, outside of techanic. match line to rod weight number. A double taper can be reversed and used from other end once worn, but I find a weight forward line better, as NZ can often have a bit of wind, and its easier to cast with in windy conditions, double taper will generally be a bit better with presentation. this is important with dry fly,
I m thinking of heading to Taupo/Turangi this weekend, so if you down, I can give a few pointers, I am no expert, but catch the odd fish,
If you can find the cash, a half day with a good guide, will be well worth it.
you can buy reasonable (Im buggered if I can tell difference) priced fly lines off trademe.....well better than reasonable, really cheap. guess its like anything if you dont know better anything is ok.
tapered leader is a good investment...far easier than the multi knotted ones I learnt with...and personally 9-12 feet is as much trace/leader I can handle.
I mainly fish 6#floating for most of my lake fishing
been a fly fisher for over 40yrs and believe Cortland fly lines to be the best. If you fish a lot, cheaper lines crack and do not seem to last for me.
I picked up a new Sage weight forward floating line for $45 including shipping from Auckland. It does all my needs well.
I’d agree with the comment re getting a hand, I’ve been fly fishing since I was 5 and I’m still an unco prick.
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I'm definitely behind the times when it comes to fly fishing, but Cortland 444 has always served me well.
I have a 6 weight floating Rio Gold that I am happy to give you for free. It is a line I have used and has a few years under its belt. I think the tip may sink a little but otherwise is in OK condition. The Gold taper is nice for most rod actions and would be good to practice with at least. I think the Back Packer is a short 6 weight?
As far as casting help goes try your local clubs. Most have casting clinic days and there are usually guys willing to help. Im like a lot here. Fished since I was a nipper but still could do with assistance for better casting.
Solid brands for lines are Rio, Scientific Anglers and Airflo. A lot of current lines are quite aggressive tapers with +0.5 weights and may not suit a slower action rods.
I may also have a near new 5 weight Rio Mainstream floater up for grabs too.
Buy a Maxima chameleon tapered leader as well. They are the best there is bar - none !! Tapered to 7 pounds and get some Dragon hybrid line as tippet. Will only cost $11 for a 100mtr spool.
I've found just the run of the mill Fly line that the airflo combos have on them are super easy to cast for a cheaper option .
Otherwise it's gotta be- Rio Gold.
6wt floating she's a dream to cast.
I've had the Airflo Bandit camo fly line and found it wasn't for me so hence going to the RIO gold.
Never looked back since
@homebrew.357 - Being an ex-trout guide and Auckalnder with bit of time on my hands at the moment I'd be happy to help out and also provide a venue on the small paddock at home for a bit of casting practice to get you underway.
PM me and i'll see what i can do...
My suggestion is time at the park casting is a great investment once you have the basics - I start with usually a 2m piece of wool on the end of a 1-1.5m bamboo stick. This teaches your mind and eyes how to form and watch the loop and it just helps make the connection between the eyes, brain and body.
The rod is not a wand so you don't wave it... think of your fist and wrist as like the stroke of a piston and it needs to be in a plane parralel to the ground. Those two exercises will get you timing, coordination and distance. The three things beginners struggle with..
From there I'd try to understand do you want to dry fly or nymph fish... if the former we'd work on presentation by working with the basics above.
If Nymphing I'd steer you towards perfecting the roll cast (very helpful in tight conditions) and then to Czech of French Nymphing which for NZ rivers is ideal in outcatching your mates and finding heaps of fish you didn't even know were holding there. That then broadens your knowledge about where to fish and from there you have the skillls you need.
I used to spend the fist 1hr to 2 hours with inbound mainly US clients fist looking at what their basic skills were like then either working with them as above or knowing how to best apply them and their skill level to the rivers they wanted to fish. Pretty much am i going to be a Coach or a Spotter was where my head was. at.
As for flylines a bit like rifles theres never just one - but you can get by if you make concessions to what you are asking it to do. The Cortland lines have always provided me with longevity - I have a still perfectly functioning one thats close to 25 years old. Rio great but sometimes colours are more made for US that NZ conditions. Airflow mid range ones always good value and for NZ conditions weight forward covers 90% of our conditions. I use mainly 4 to 6 weight on North Island streams the Tongariro being the only one I'll use a 8 on a windy day.
Finally match your rod to your line... if its a broomstick or a piece of limp spagetti a good line isn't going to solve the underlying issue but theres lots of good starter rods and intermediate rods that sometimes cast better than Sage and Hardy's so follow the result and how it feels to you rather than listen to the pricetag...
my 2c.
Wow [emoji50] I made no sense of that...shows u how much I know about fresh water fishing...Quote:
Originally Posted by southernman
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Oh, I've never seen those leaders. Will have to look out for them as I'm a big Maxima (nylon) fan and have given up completely on fluorocarbonQuote:
Originally Posted by Moa Hunter
Can’t beat the information and the offers on here. God if anyone is giving anything else away for free I’d certainly say thanks and yes please. I have a 6 weight rod someone or the op can have for free. I’ll put up a picture soon, located in Rotorua and can accompany for a fish.
one heck of a good offer there......snap it up and you will be miles ahead of us bums who self taught and have spent the next 30 something years trying to unteach bad habits....Ive heard of chaps being able to get fly line out without a rod,just perfect technique and timing,Ive seen demo by a pro and yip its eye opening to be sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Carpe Diem
Gees, glad I didn't ask what's the best rifle to go hunting with, thanks guys for all the advice, will have to wade through all this. My change of hunting to fishing has come about because of ,left hip op playing up, right hip being a pain, gout in right ankle is a pain, plus hearing aids. So you can see I would be in the poo if I fell anywhere while hunting and can't get up the hills like I youse to, so it`s river and surf fish hunting from my caravan. OK, this is what I've got, fly rod is a Kilwell Costomline 54-93 , 7*9", AFTMA 6/7, Reel is a Olympic 460 . I think the old line is a middle weight one but may be ok to practice with. Isn't old age a bugger.
Attachment 99255,
That get you started, take Carpe Diem up on his offer for a lesson,
You have great saltwater fishing around Auckland, the average kahawai will out fight a trout twice its size, I've caught flounder and plenty of herrings/mullet, trout and the odd pannie snapper, on a small nymph while estuary fishing, good place to learn.
AFTMA american fishing tackle manufacturers association (I think)..... the 6/7 means line wight of either 6 or 7 so yes its middle of range...4-5 being tiny stream and 10-11 being big water or even salt water. those reels are awesome. got one that size and 2 bigger versions.
Hey Guys I've gotten a PM from @homebrew.357 and wouldn't you know it he lives the next suburb over 10 minutes away... So I'll do everything possible to sort him out with a few tips and casting lessons when he's available and a few wee secret tricks and flies as well....
If he agrees I'll post a few we pics for you that may help a few more of you from a distance.
Tight lines and warm barrels guys!
CD.
O god, I can just see the pic`s that are going to be on here, :XD:.
Attachment 99330
Attachment 99331
And I've just been asked that I would like for xmas!!!, ;) :thumbsup:
To be brutally honest regarding the gear you have, that is a 'handicap outfit'. Those limp hanging cock Kilwell hollow glass rods with the giant cant - get - them -apart ferrules are a chore to use and the Olympic narrow Arbour trout loosing -jam -on- the- first -run reels are well made but only good for 1 pounders. Grab some of the other gear on offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by homebrew.357
@Moa Hunter - Sorted mate I gave @homebrew.357 a old CD GHR competition rod of mine I was given as sponsored product a few years back that we tried today with his reel and it cast fine.
I did start with his rod - and we both agreed that maybe the carbon rod might be a bit better for him and it could remain as a backup.
He actually picked up the casting very well and progressed solidly to some distance over the hour I spent with him at the park whilst Mrs Homebrew and the dog walked the outer pahways. We also looked at he rollcast he might employ as we tweaked his technique.
Would love some time on the water with him sometime to get to the next level - another good due that you meet on the forum eh!
CD.
I`m glad I got onto Paul, good pointers and kept me at it till I got it sort of right, then said try this rod with your reel ,nice feel and control , dam good rod. Then he said "It`s yours" well what can you say, thanks heaps Paul, it`s great to meet some of the good guys out there, tight lines mate, Doug.:thumbsup:
now THAT is awesome.....
Good shit. Helpful chap you are..[emoji106][emoji41]Quote:
Originally Posted by Carpe Diem
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That's is a really kind and decent act @Carpe Diem. Hopefully hb357 will keep practicing at home, watching his back-cast to see how the faults there affect the forward cast and next time you see him he might pass the 'blind fold test'Quote:
Originally Posted by Carpe Diem
May the Force guide you, to become an instinctive natural casterQuote:
Originally Posted by homebrew.357
The nasturtiums ( aspersions) that I cast earlier about the Olympic reel are because 1) they are narrow and so the line winds onto the reel in more layers than a wide arbour causing jam-ups at the wrong moment and 2) because the spool rim is enclosed it is not possible to 'palm the reel' when playing a fish. Instead the drag has to be fiddled with and the line run through your fingers, again causing a loss of fish.
Moa hunter...I have used the same reel forever and cant fault them.... you learn from get go to space line with fingers as you wind it in.....same as any reel,garden hose or D8 winch rope they all jam if you dont. as for the drag bit.....set and forget. if you want more drag lift the rod higher so line drags on rings,less point it at fish,too tight of drag has lost many fish and snapped leaders because of it...cant ever say I could blame the reel for loosing a fish...my cockups.log jams,planets un aligned,etc etc but not the reel.... we use the bigger version for trolling a lead line behind the boat......sure makes playing a fish more sporting than using spinning rod and egg beater.
different strokes for different folks I guess.
have an old old procaster fly rod in shed and it is a beauty to cast with,despite the low price tag.
MD I do understand what you have written. I have an Olympic reel my 'gear room' that I don't use anymore. I have lost fish up to at a guess 16 lb from crazy runs with that reel that it cant cope with. Went to a wide arbour reel - problem solved. I fish with basically no drag set - just enough to stop an over-run when stripping. If a fish is in the weeds or round a snag there is resistance and any drag is too much. Now what happens when a fish is hooked near the lift point of a long cast upstream when there is a pile of line in your hand or on the water ?. At that point there is a lot of furious winding and back peddling to get the fish 'on the reel' with no time to dally with how the line lays on. Then said fish makes a scorching run until it gets to the jam and it is released prematurely ...Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
Large and wide. One of the only places this is desirable [emoji23]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...122ebbea82.jpg
Pretty
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OK, With my number 8 wire talents I think I can knock up a winchey thingie for there`s troutey kingies. Could use some old train brake shoes as the clutch to holed back there`s river monsters , few washing machine bits and it would be a goer, pic of the prototype.
Attachment 99664, Just have to fit it on my rod.:thumbsup:
another 'place' being antlers on a stag ??Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwijames
Look boys, It`s like, what you've got is what you use and what you use is what you've got, so when I win lotto I`ll have a think about it but by that time I will probably love my reel and rod. Now just have to find one of those books on trout fishing and surf fishing X spots where I can park my caravan and hear the river or surf rumbling with a cold beer in hand.:thumbsup:
