Difference and examples of fishing classes

[lara4228]

New learning Tutorial

Here goes it...

Different rods, reels, line. Each one performs differently, each one has it maximum strengths and sole purposes or general usage.

I 'generally' understand the line pound test line. Now, there are fly reels, spin cast reels, rods that vary in length, style, weight, etc.

While doing a bit of research on the web, I came across a notion - Freshwater Medium - what does that mean? Or better yet, what would that apply to? I'm not too much of a dummy, I kinda figured out that it pertains to medium weight fish, what would that medium weight fish be? 4lbs? 10lb? 15lbs?

As mentioned, I tried to research it, the internet is full of crap, advertising, and link to links to links just to find....its advertising!

I've been impressed with the wealth of information you gishing guru's have and the variety of techniques each and everyone of you offer. So...here goes it again....

ALL CALL FOR ADVICE, KNOWLEDGE AND EXAMPLES

[ron4blues]

New learning Tutorial

Here goes it...

Different rods, reels, line. Each one performs differently, each one has it maximum strengths and sole purposes or general usage.

I 'generally' understand the line pound test line. Now, there are fly reels, spin cast reels, rods that vary in length, style, weight, etc.

While doing a bit of research on the web, I came across a notion - Freshwater Medium - what does that mean? Or better yet, what would that apply to? I'm not too much of a dummy, I kinda figured out that it pertains to medium weight fish, what would that medium weight fish be? 4lbs? 10lb? 15lbs?

As mentioned, I tried to research it, the internet is full of crap, advertising, and link to links to links just to find....its advertising!

I've been impressed with the wealth of information you gishing guru's have and the variety of techniques each and everyone of you offer. So...here goes it again....

ALL CALL FOR ADVICE, KNOWLEDGE AND EXAMPLES

Wow. . . now this is a question! Or rather, about twenty questions.

Lets tackle the "fly reel" question first.

Fly fishing is a method of angling where the angler uses very lightweight flies constructed of fur, feathers, or the like (synthetic materials are also used) to imitate insects, baitfish, even mice or small birds. Because these flies are so light, the line itself is cast, rather than the fly.

As is the case with other types of fishing rigs, fly rigs come in various sizes and weights for various purposes. A 2 weight rod is very light and used for small streams where you're likely to catch smaller fish. The other extreme is the 14 weight combinations that are heavy enough to fight even the largest fish. Even monster deep-sea fish such as marlin and shark have been landed on a fly.

Essentially with a fly set-up you will have:

Rod: The length of the rod can be anywhere from 5-6 feet long for a #2 set-up to over 15 feet long for a heavy rod or a spey set-up. There are fast rods throwing long casts, slow (also known as soft) rods for more delicate presentation, and medium rods for "in-between" work. Some rods will be heavier to handle heavy fly lines while others will be very light for use with smaller fly lines. If you are contemplating taking up fly fishing and Hamilton Harbour is your main destination, and 8 to 9 foot rod in 7/8 weight is a good starter.

Reel: Unless you're tackling large fish, a fly reel is really just a line holder. If you expect to tangle with bigger fish, a heavier reel with an effective drag is essential. It should be large enough to hold 200 yards of backing and your line if you're going big. A small 2 weight rod really only needs a reel big enough for the line and 20 yards or so of backing.

Fly Line: There are many types of fly line. Each line will carry a designation that describes in general what its characteristics are. There are generally speaking, "level" lines which are the same weight and density along the entire length, "double taper" lines which are heavier and thicker in the center, and "weight forward" lines which are heavier and thicker on the leading end. As implied earlier, lines also come in various weights ranging from up to 14; there isn't a hard and fast rule as to how much a specific line weight actually weighs, as it is actually the density of the line in relation to its diameter that is important. Lastly, each line will be designated as "floating," "sinking," or "sink-tip." To make it more complex, the sinking and sinking tip lines may be rated additionally for how quickly they sink.

Backing: Backing is usually a dacron-type braid. Fly lines are typically only 30 yards long, so if you get into bigger fish obviously you need something extra behind the line. This backing fills up your reel and gives you that extra length to deal with fish that like to run.

Leader: This is usually a tapered synthetic (some guys still use silk) extension. Leaders are usually thicker at the butt section and thinner at the other end to enable a smoother transmission of energy from the line to the fly. These leaders can be anywhere from 3-4 feet to 12 feet or more in length. The various lengths are situational. In very clear low water you might choose the longer leader for dry fly presentation (see below) or a shorter leader for casting to turbulent water with a sub-surface fly.

Tippet: Between the leader and the fly you will want a short length of "tippet" material, usually 12"-18" long. If you're expecting toothy fish you might make this out of heavy monofilament or flourocarbon, perhaps even wire. Smaller or non-toothy fish will require a smaller diameter soft tippet.

The Fly: There are tens of thousands of fly patterns out there and I will not even attempt to describe them all. Generally, flies can be broken into the following categories (with some cross-over):

Nymphs: These flies are designed to imitate or "suggest" the larval, or immature stages of an aquatic insect's life-cycle, and are perhaps the most important fly to have. Below is an example of a nymph.

Wets: Wet flies can imitate or suggest swimming aquatic insects in the adult or emergent phases, small fish fry or drowned adult insects. Most salmon flies are wet flies although salmon flies really do deserve their own category. Below is a wet fly pattern known as a Black Ghost:

Streamers: There are as many types of streamers as there are fish. These flies imitate small bait fish or leeches.

Dries: Dry flies imitate the adult stages of aquatic insects such as mayflies, caddis flies and the like, as they float on or in the surface film of the water. Below is an example of a dry fly known as a Water Walker.

Terrestrials: Perhaps better described as "others" are any non-aquatic creatures that may fall into the water and become fish food, including grasshoppers, bees, mice, small birds and the like. Below is an example:

I mentioned that salmon flies really do deserve their own category. Here's why:

Not all salmon flies are "wets," such as the foam bomber below:

Now I probably have you totally intimidated. Don't be. Fly fishing is a pursuit that you can enter into on a frugal budget with just the basics then learn from there. Neither is it as difficult as it all looks at first. A few lessons and you'll be casting well enough to catch fish.

[FishingAddict]

And here I was, wondering why you were called "Coach"man

[lara4228]

Now I probably have you totally intimidated. Don't be. Fly fishing is a pursuit that you can enter into on a frugal budget with just the basics then learn from there. Neither is it as difficult as it all looks at first. A few lessons and you'll be casting well enough to catch fish.

Coachman,

Not at all am I intimated. Fly fishing will be one aspect of fishing I plan on leanring and enduring once I hone my other fishing (not to sure what it is called ~ cast fishing maybe?)

I once saw a man at the harbour, right before the ramp leading to the Dejardin Canal fly fishing about 7 weeks ago. Road and I were cycling, I had to stop to watch and marvel this type of fishing. It seemed so full of skill, technique, determination, yet easy-going and tranquil, all at the same time. That is what really got me awestruck.

I watched the man cast out about 3 or 4 times before we left. He never caught anything while watching. But he sure did catch me on the fly fishing.

While fly fishing looks and seems to be prototyped as being extremely difficult, I would one day love to learn the art of it.

That'll come in time. Maybe not today nor tomorrow, but in time.

[road.ripper]

Oh great ,,, now we gotta change and set-up to fly fishing .. im going to need a new ( much bigger) tackle box !!!

OH my xmas list is growing...

Road

[fishkid]

As far as freshwater medium goes:

Not too sure why they specified "freshwater". All rods, reels, gear etc can handle freshwater fishing. Saltwater gear on the other hand will always be specified as it is corrosive to many materials over time and would likely destroy rods and reels that are not designed for it.

The "medium" that you saw is referring to the "action" of a particular rod.

All rods are designed for specific types of fishing. If you so chose to, you could narrow rods down into groups as specific as species, size, lures used, retrieval type, fishing depth, underwater features, weed growth etc. Depending on the length (6'6), action (medium), weight (1/4 - 3/8oz), and line test (6-12lb) that you choose, you will get different feels and different amounts of sensitivity to your bait. This allows a person to be able to "see" or visualize what their lures are doing underwater better.

This is all fine and dandy if you have thousands of dollars to spend on rod setups for different situations, but basically, the action of the rod determines how much bend a rod has when it is put under load.

Why does this matter? Your rod does about 90% of the work when you're fighting a fish. If it is too stiff, the fish will have a much easier time spitting out hooks because it is harder for you to keep an even tension on it. You could also break line easier depending on what you use.

If it is too soft or light, fish are much harder to control and get where you want them. The fish dictate much more of the fight on lighter rods. If you ever hear of guys bass or pike fishing on an ultralight rod, this is why.

There's much much more that others here could add to this but I tried to keep it short (kinda).

And Coachman was right, there is about 20 questions in here. lol. You may have opened up a big can of worms with this one.

[ron4blues]

I once saw a man at the harbour, right before the ramp leading to the Dejardin Canal fly fishing about 7 weeks ago.

That was probably me. Do you recall if it was a 2-handed rod?

[lara4228]

That was probably me. Do you recall if it was a 2-handed rod?

The rod was Looong, and so was the the line. I recall seeing two different types of line, orange and another colour.

Probably was you. Are the only person who conisitently fly fishes down there? I remmber him saying that he flies there often.

Fishkid ~ And Coachman was right, there is about 20 questions in here. lol. You may have opened up a big can of worms with this one.

I'm sure I have, but I just want to know more more and more. And I want to hear it from different people. I guess it helps ot have a variety of worms

[lara4228]

Oh great ,,, now we gotta change and set-up to fly fishing .. im going to need a new ( much bigger) tackle box !!!

OH my xmas list is growing...

Road

Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho, Honey, for Christmas THIS year I want.....and......and....

[ron4blues]

If it was me you saw, Lara, I had my spey rod (a specialized rod and not one I'd suggest for beginners). It is a 14 foot long 10 weight rod with a 650 grain skagit line, a specialized weight-forward designed to optimize the roll casts that are typical of spey casting. My line is sort of orange and I would have been using a a shooting head (more specialized stuff), of which I have 6 in various colours. . . I was probably using by black sinking head.

If you want to "try" fly casting I do have an extra rod that I'd be happy to use to teach you and your hubby some of the basics. Just tell me when and where (not the week after Labour Day. . . I'll be in Nova Scotia).

[lara4228]

Coachman that is very kind of you to offer that. Thank you.

I will talk it over with hubby, and *might* take a lesson or two before the summers done. Right now, as you may have been reading, I'm learning "carp" fishing.

Let me try to understand one method before attempting another and overloading my head.

I'll PM you.

ty!