Starting fly fishing means picking one all-around rod, a 5-weight for freshwater or a 10-weight for saltwater, getting an affordable outfit, and practicing your cast. For this How 2 Tuesday I demystify a sport a lot of people make out to be harder than it is. A fly rod is just another tool in the tackle box, another club in the bag, and fly fishing is easy once you understand it. I explain how a fly rod loads with the weight of the line, how rod weights run from zero to fifteen, which all-around rod to buy first, and the resources that will get you casting fast.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
You start by getting one all-around rod and practicing. Decide whether you are mostly a freshwater or saltwater angler, get an affordable outfit, and begin casting in a yard, park, or pond. A fly rod is simply another tool, and fly fishing is easy once you understand it works by loading the rod with the weight of the line instead of the weight of the lure. Get a little instruction, watch some videos, and practice. The most important step is just buying a rod and starting.
It depends on where you fish. Rod weights run from zero, the lightest, to fifteen, the heaviest. For freshwater, a 5-weight is the most all-around rod, handling dry flies, nymphs, streamers, panfish, trout, and light bass work. For saltwater, a 10-weight is the equivalent do-everything rod, great for permit, capable for bonefish and small tarpon. So a 5-weight for freshwater or a 9 or 10-weight for saltwater is where I would start.
A fly rod works the opposite of a spinning rod. A spinning rod or baitcaster is loaded by the weight of the lure, which drags the light line behind it. A fly rod uses the weight of the heavier fly line to propel a virtually weightless fly to the target. You bend and unload the rod like a bow and arrow, and the line carries the fly out. Oddly, a very light fly is easier to cast than a heavy, fast-sinking one.
No. As Lefty Kreh used to say, any rod that costs more than a hundred dollars can cast better than the guy holding it. You can get a whole starter outfit for a reasonable price. It may not be the rod you fish ten years from now, but it gets you into the sport. Look for a rod with a long or lifetime warranty, because beginners break rods, by handling them like a spinning rod or smacking a ceiling fan.
Through a mix of practice and instruction. I am completely self-taught, and hundreds of thousands of people have taught themselves. But twenty minutes with someone who knows how to cast, at a park or field where you are not trying to catch a fish, will jump you ahead. Use YouTube videos, books, and magazines, lean on your local fly shop or a Bass Pro White River Fly Shop, and then practice. The ultimate resource is booking a guide and telling them you are learning.
Yes, a guide is the ultimate resource. Book one and be clear that you are learning to fly fish so they choose a forgiving spot and set you up for success rather than taking you to the hardest, best water. One day with a guide teaches you not just how to flop the fly out there, but which flies to buy or tie, how to work them, and what to do when a fish actually bites. Honesty about your level is what makes that day pay off.
People make fly fishing out to be far harder than it is. To me a fly rod is just another tool in the tackle box, another club in the golf bag. I started my career as a fly fishing guide in Yellowstone and Jackson, taking people from zero to catching a fish within a couple hundred yards of the ramp. I explain why it is genuinely easy in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The simplest way to choose a first rod is by weight. Rods run zero to fifteen, and a 5-weight is the all-around freshwater rod while a 10-weight is its saltwater equivalent. I break down what each weight is good for, from panfish to permit to tarpon, in the episode, so press play in the player above.
You do not need a thousand-dollar rod, as Lefty Kreh loved to point out. Get an affordable outfit with a warranty, then lean on the resources, YouTube, your local fly shop, Bass Pro, and ultimately a guide day. I walk through how to use each one in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Fly fishing is a lifetime sport you will never fully master, and that is the best part. The most important thing is to stop thinking about it and start. Get a rod, practice casting, and take it as far as you want to go.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
fly fishing · fly rod weights · 5-weight · 10-weight · Lefty Kreh · Yellowstone · Jackson Wyoming · bonefish · permit · tarpon · White River Fly Shop · Bass Pro Shops · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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