Northwest Fishing Reports

I have plenty of conventional gear, and i'm looking to fish for more finesse species, i.e wild trout, and in bodies of water that conventional setup is not practical in. I just want a setup for trout, and maybe pan fish, bass, etc. but i'm not sure yet if each species needs its own weight, again, i am a newbie to this. So, anything whether it be tips, tricks, gear that is advisable to start with, helps. I would prefer not to spend an arm and a leg for my first setup, and i don't know if its practical, but maybe keep the base setup (reel, rod, line) under $200.

Tight Lines

Id give cabelas a try,they have decent gear for that price(fly fishing isn't cheap,lol). I'd suggest possibly a 5wt rod,you'll get good action even with smaller trout(especially cutthroat) yet if you catch a bigger one it'll still do the work. The biggest I pulled out with my 5wt and a 4lb line was a 24 inch trout,you can check it out on my lake Tye report-and it still did the job,just took a little more time:) I wouldn't get anything too cheap from my own experience. I bought a starters kit for $50 from a local fishing store and had an extremely difficult time getting the line out and thought I just wasn't meant for fly fishing. Few months later I went to a pacific fly fishers just to see how it's done and told them my story,they took me out back with a good setup and few minutes later I looked like I've been doing it for a while,lol. I ended up spending about $500 and ever since then I've been doing pretty well and fly fishing became one of my favorite ways to fish,hope this helps,tight lines!!

... or watch Craigslist and buy used.

For years I've considered making the jump to fly fishing and usually sanity returns before I pull the trigger. I'd usually realize that fly rod leads to flies which leads to new waders which leads to a pontoon boat which results in getting a new car or truck which would eventually lead to a divorce. And I don't like the idea of that last part. Anyways the sanity thing didn't happen this year all because a neighbors friend basically gave me a brand new setup for the cost of the upgrade.

Pacific Fly FIshers has a decent (to me at least) 5wt setup for about $230.00. As I said I got lucky as some guy basically gave me the entire package (Pole, tube, reel, backing, line and tippet. He upgraded the Redington Surge 5/6 reel to a Waterworks Lamson Liquid 4-Reel and I basically paid him for the upgrade. I however had to go back and start the process of buying flies. I'm not going to start making them. That ain't happening. No way... no how.... You can not make me.

But I agree that flyfishing ain't cheap by any standards. I went to Patricks Fly fishing downtown Seattle and oy I could go broke fast if I ever decide to jump to an 8 wt for salmon. They told me for salmon it's not so much the rod you want to spend money on but the reel (another nightmare for another time).

I still stink at casting (by my standards) but I have caught some fish and so far kind of enjoy it.

Besides picking up the basics on Craigslist, I would recommend going to the Classifieds of Washingtonflyfishing.com

There is a ton of stuff coming and going from there. There will be all kinds of levels of quality, as well as I suspect some guys who are selling their first entry level setup, and moving themselves into a better product. That leaves you a chance to jump in on a beginning package. I would start with a 5wt. Depending on where you are located, a great fly shop for customer service is "The Avid Angler" located in Lake Forest Park. Not hard sell at all, but will give you solid advice.

You mentioned, trout, bass, panfish, etc. I would concentrate on just simple trout fly fishing at first. If you get a chance, go up to Rattlesnake lake, outside of North Bend. It has been on fire with the steelhead plant awhile back. Even from shore, if the wind stays down, you should be able to hit some fish. If you had a float tube, you would be in fish all day long via just dragging a fly behind the tube.

Creekside in Issaquah

Any of the local fly shops would love to set you up. You'll spend a lot of money...... Cabelas usually has their prestige setup for around a buck, buck 20. Very nice rod and reel. Pick up an extra spool for the sink line and a couple sink tips and you're ready for action. A decent rod is mandatory for learning to cast, to stiff and you tie lots of knots, too soft and you have a fly in your ear. If you know what to look for, I've picked up a some Chinese reels off the bay for under $20 each and I'd put them up against anything name brand over $250. The Chinese company makes the big names and all their parts. Some darn nice rods too. The only problem with rods is warranty. When you start to move up always buy new with no question lifetime warranty. Tips get broken!
I just kind of futsed around with it till I joined the local club and I can say the best thing I ever did. You learn a lot from everyone, they hold classes and plan outings, it's great and I've met a lot of really nice folks I include in my circle of friends now. I would even say, check them out, join a club first, ask around and you might even find someone to walk you through the whole process and you never know how it will end.

A couple months ago I bought an Echo Carbon which I love. It's a great rod for the beginning fly fisherman. Inexpensive, with a great warranty (which is nice for a 1st-timer manhandling their gear) and they are based in Vancouver, Wa which is great for warranty turnaround. I bought mine at Emerald Water Anglers in West Seattle who I support whole-heartily. It's a great "boutique" style shop that is going to start carrying fly tying materials soon and has an awesome, friendly staff. They have periodic free fly casting classes and in-store events as well. Shop local and support these new fly shops! Personally I enjoy going into Patrick's, but they are on the expensive side when it comes to gathering up all you need for starting out. They are a cool shop that has a long history in Seattle and with Puget Sound fly-fishing.

I would suggest spending more on your rod the first time around than a reel. The reel is a glorified line holder when you begin. They make reels with a decent-enough drag for around a hundred. The rod you buy will inform your casting ability forever while the reel has a much more forgiving learning curve. Get a 9' 5wt...classic all around size for starting out with trout. I'm sure you've seen that fly line is expensive but it should last at least a couple seasons.

I bought a 9ft, 4/5wt hybrid Wright and McGill from Cabelas for around $80, and a 4/5wt hybrid Okuma Sierra reel for around $40. Spooled it with no taper, floating line and haven't looked back. Whole setup was maybe $150 out the door. I've been fly fishing for years and have had other rigs, and still have a 9wt rod for steelhead and salmon that I bust out occasionally. I'd suggest getting someone who knows how to teach to show you. Sure, lots of people know how to fly cast, but if they don't know how to teach someone, it'll be a big waste of time. Keep an eye on the big box stores for sales (holidays). They darn near give fly fishing equipment away.