newbie flyfisherman

[deerslayer]

to flyfishing.

i just picked up a new rods and reel, line and all that good stuff. looking forward to catching my first steelhead this winter.

just looking for tips on casting, reading water, and what kinda of flys to tie/purchase, w/e i may need

rod i baught is a redington crosswater 9' 8wt along with a redington crosswater reel. with 8wt line sinking tip. rod and reel feel balanced pretty good. drag feels really smooth too.

anyway just thought i would stop here and see what everyone thinks of the setup (for a first setup) along with any tips that might be given for a beginer.

thanks alot

[Mokai]

Congrats on the set up..Sounds like a nice combo..

I like to do a 45 degree swing for steelhead..I work this technique in tail outs mostly by casting downstream at about 45 degrees and let your fly swing across back to your side..I start out with short casts and gradually lengthen them working as much of the water as I can comfortably reach...Then move downstream a little and start over again. Good luck and welcome to I-Fish..

Andrew

[BonkBonkBonk]

Ive recently started fly fishing for steelhead too! I think if you picked up a spare spool, and a floating line it would help alot. I started fishing with a sinking line, and had a hard time with it. As soon as I switched to a floating i had alot more fun..plus you can fish drys too..
also, Ive been told by some really good fishermen(Joe Howell comes to mind) that most people overmend..once you get your mend in there, dont keep mending over and over..Im bad at that..other than that, the fly that catches the most fish is the one in the water! have fun!

[cphatts]

It sounds like you have the right set-up. As far as techniques go, there are two basic ones; the wet fly swing (as Mokai describes) or dead drifting with or without a strike indicator (with a floating line). Most guys prefer the wet fly swing during most of the year, but in winter dead drifting is probably more productive as the fish wont move as far for a fly in the colder water.

For flies in the winter, most guys use brighter patterns. A few popular patterns are polar shrimp, babine special, winters hope, and skykomish sunrise.

This board is a good start, but you are going to want to also want to visit a few fly shops, pick up a few good books, and do some internet research as well. Trey Combs has written a few good steelhead books and Dec Hogans newest book Passion for Steelhead is excellent. While these books are geared towards more advanced anglers you will still learn a ton.

Winter steelheading with a fly rod is not easy, so set your expectations accordingly. In the worst case, you will have cut your teeth this winter and be ready for the more active summers next year.

[deerslayer]

thanks for the info and support for a newbie.

my goals for the winter are to just perfect casting and technique. if i hook a few fish then awesome. i'm gonna be practicing on chum :)

just one question, and i hope i didnt make a mistake.

the reel i have is aplastic reel, with a disk drag. (i didnt have enough for a metal frame) so will i be regreting this after a few bigger runs from fish, or even a few bigger fish.

how durable are plastic reels. p.sp. the reel was only 39 dollars, and the one i wanted was 69 dollars. idk how much price reflects flyreels. bit i know you get what you pay for in most cases. but i have three guys tell me that for price you cant beet the crosswater reels and rods. thats the reason i purchased this setup.

anyway thanks again from all you guys.

[Grantspastor]

Good setup! Now just find some good holding water and put the flies in front of their noses. In warmer summer and fall water temps, Steelhead will move quite a ways to pick up a fly. Most of mine come up out of 3-8' of water to take a fly just under the surface. As winter temps cool the water down, they won't move as far. They will also tend to hold in slower water. March is often a great month around here..particularly on the Applegate River for taking winter fish on flies.. Good luck! And don't ignore those Summer fish. The take is pretty dramatic

[AndyK]

Was that you (deerslayer) PTS and I met today in Washington? You let me cast your new rod and it handled quite well!

Only change I would suggest for winter steelhead is to get a multi-tip line.

[deerslayer]

yes that was me. you and pts are some good guys. thanks for all the info.

yeah i noticed at low tide is was hard keeping my flie off the bottom. and actually during high tide too. i really had to strip it alot faster then i liked.

but i did get into a few at low-ish tide. the rod seemed to handle them nice, i felt a little play in the reel though so i think im gonna go purchase a new one.

maybe a little longer stifter rod. cause after a few fish and getting the hang of casting. IM HOOKED!!!

[PTS]

deerslayer, welcome to the fabulous world of flyfishing. The adventure is just beginning. There are so many aspects to flyfishing it's unbelievable. I am sure you will maintain your enthusiasm. I am approaching 60 years of fly fishing and I'M STILL HOOKED.:)