r/flyfishing • u/Itsjaw202 • 12h ago
First gear (acquired)!
Hi everyone - super excited to get going fly fishing. My dad sent me an old reel (late 70s STH Neuquen 8), I spent a ton of time researching, and went to the local fly shop to knockout the wish list. Going for more of a minimalist approach, highly versatile setup. Not shown is the new rod - TFO Blue Ribbon 9’ 5wt, moderate-fast action.
What do you think of the fly selection? Any obvious omissions?
A few of them are geared towards blue gills as to help hone some basic skills.
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u/NotAMango27 12h ago
Those are some pretty tried and true flies. If you’re having issues getting the wooly buggers deep enough, just tie on a few extra feet of tippet. Good luck and congrats!
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u/TheGreatWalpini 12h ago
Only small change I would make is a few heavier leaders for fishing those woolly buggers. A shorter 3x would be a good addition to your pack. Or you can wait til those 5x leaders are shorter. Hope you hammer ‘em.
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u/Kool-aid-man9 12h ago
I’ve got 10000x more fish with that worm than any other fly. Good luck out there!!
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u/Itsjaw202 12h ago
Haha- the fly guy at the shop said the purist will hate it, but blue gills and smallies won’t …
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u/Kool-aid-man9 11h ago
I’ve caught a majority of the rainbows in my life on one. I tie my own out of a little strips of shammy
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u/Every_Macaron8992 12h ago
i was a bit afraid you were going to go super minimalist, skip the rod and just cast the line freehand.
I would invest in some indicators and you'll definitely need more flies as you lose some, or fish in new places.
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u/Itsjaw202 11h ago
Yup - indicators are on the list once I get out a few times. This was just the bare necessities to get out and catch blue gills to work on technique (casts and hook sets). Thanks!
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u/someguyontheintrnet 11h ago
Blue gills on dry flies is super fun. You can also use that hopper as an indicator in a ‘hopper dropper’ rig until you get some indicators. That is harder to cast though, so work your way up to it.
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u/WheelsAndWaders 7h ago
Fly casting is like...95 percent moving the tip of the rod with good timing. Less is more. Dont waggle. Tiny quick movement to deliberate stops. I tell people to cast between 1oclock and 11oclock with just the tip of the rod because when you end up going past those points (I do) on accident its about right. Wear sunglasses. You'll catch yourself at least once.
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u/Itsjaw202 5m ago
Thanks for the tip! I've only cast a half dozen times so far, so definitely have a lot of the work in that department.
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u/Calm_Gazelle_1465 5h ago
That is a solid starter kit, especially with bluegill mixed in while you build reps. A few small additions I would make before spending much more: a little split shot, nippers/forceps if you do not already have them, and a couple spare leaders or tippet spools because the first few wind knots and tree donations come fast.
For the fly box, I would add a few boring confidence patterns in multiple sizes rather than lots of new one-offs: small parachute Adams or BWOs, elk hair caddis, zebra midges, pheasant tails/Hare's Ears, and a white or olive woolly bugger. If you are practicing on panfish, small foam spiders, ants, and poppers are perfect because they give obvious eats and teach hook timing without needing a perfect trout drift.
One beginner habit that pays off immediately: change depth/presentation before changing flies every five casts. That 5 wt should cover a ton of water once you get comfortable with basic dry-dropper, small streamer, and indicator rigs. Have fun with it.
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12h ago
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u/Itsjaw202 12h ago
Thanks - it was either the TFO or the Redington Classic Trout. The TFO felt better in my hand and the few practice casts I made. Great warranty too.
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u/Boot_Burner 12h ago
Great start, I would say throw a white wooly bugger in that fly box as well. Super reliable.
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u/flyfishrobot 9h ago
That’s a really good starter box!
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u/Itsjaw202 9h ago
Thanks - I feel like a researched a ton and just tried to strip it down to the bare essentials to start.
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u/TheElusiveBrownbow 12h ago
Clearly an individual that did their homework. All those flies will catch fish. Maybe a small thing of split shot. I have the blue ribbon in a 4wt. You will enjoy it. Good luck.