Considering having a go at fly-fishing.

[thefunkychicken 0]

Gday.I've been a "conventional" fisho for some time but after watching an old Rob Sitch & Tom Gleisner series called "A River Somewhere" I'm considering a foray over into "The Dark Side".How do I do this? I will state that I have NEXT TO NO IDEA ABOUT FLYFISHING. I have picked up that the flies are very light and it is the line that does the casting... but my knowledge has a few holes still.Here begins my thousand qestions:What does "weight" refer to? How does is compare to "conventional" line weights?What sort of rod & reel should I start out with? What species should I target?I will have a troll through the posts in the Flyfishing section for info, but any tips/hints/pointers/etc that could be thrown my way would be greatly appreciated.Thanks very much.Cheers.

[MarsOne 137]

I've gotten into it pretty recently...Just bought my first decent outfit, loving it!I started by catching a few redfin and trout in SAFWAA dams - with a $70 7 weight combo I picked up here on S+H. Lord Blackbilly held a fly-fishing day at his property several months back - where newbies were paired up with more experienced fishos. It was here I caught my first fish, after popping the cherry it all came much faster!SAFWAA has fly rods that are up for loan to members - with membership a mere 60 bucks a year it would be a great place to try flyfishing, and also have someone take you out and give you a few pointers. Without it I would've strugged through teaching myself more than I already did.Not trying to shamelessly plug the club, but is sure did help me out!

[thefunkychicken 0]

Thanks, I'll look into that.It certainly appears to be a popular past-time and not as mysterious as first thought.I'll just keep my ears out for any pointers on a first outfit (even if I build the rod myself) and then start learning how to get into it.Thanks for the heads up.Cheers.

[Busterboy 15]

I totally agree with MarsOne. I went to the Fly fishing day, tried it for the first time, liked it, and now I have 2 rods, a 4W & a 6W I've caught trout in dams and on the river and at the moment it's the only fishing I do. :)Try this site for a good view of many questions you may have.http://www.sexyloops.com/beginners/index.shtml

[rangfish 1]

Ive flyfished for two years now and I love it. Like Marsone I flyfish on SAFWAA waters but I also am getting into chasing estuary species with the fly. It is definately worth it and I hope that you will get into it.

[thefunkychicken 0]

Try this site for a good view of many questions you may have.http://www.sexyloops.com/beginners/index.shtml

That website is excellent for a rank beginner. I'm just starting to have a gander at it now.Thanks.

[thefunkychicken 0]

After a bit of trolling through the posts in the Fly Fishing area, I have found out a little bit of information. With information comes more questions, here they are:I think I might start with a 7 or 8 weight outfit at about 9' long. How much will I need to spend on a rod to get a decent bit of gear? ie- not a rod I will outgrow in 5 minutes and have to replace anyway.I will be targeting Mulloway, Bream, ST, Flatties, etc, will a 7 or 8 weight rod do the job?How much should I look to spend on a reel, line and backing to suit the aforementioned rod?What sort of flies should I initially be looking at purchasing to target the species above?Apologies for all the questions, thanks for any hints/tips/suggestions.Cheers.

[Komodo 10]

Maybe tee up a day with mars one reelin rangfish or who ever and come down and have a fish at mineI hold open days but if you come down with a safwaa member you can borow our loan rods for the day and have a try here anytime I'm a bit busy at the mo with work otherwise I'd do it myselfI tried it 10 years ago bought gear never used it, tried 5 years ago never did it again tried this year and do it every week nowIts not really something you learn out of a book. I wouldn't waste severalhundred dollars on gear unless you know you will stick with itHave a day down here, fly fish a bit, have a spin then a bit more fly and break the day up, see if you like itYour $50 safwaa membership would be money well spentIts all about the sharing and bragging anyway

[Rickster 0]

mars one says $60 and you say $50 who's diddling who here lol

[jagger 24]

It's $60 per annum but currently I believe the Membership officer has it set as $56 till the AGM (July ??) either way... awesome value and massive variety of fish, dams, fishing buddies, experience, tuition (if you ask nicely), equipment....anyway I could keep going but you get the picture !! I've paid more than $1000 per year for golf membership and not got anywhere near the joy as I do from SAFWAAJags(SAFWAA Treasurer)

[southie THE BANGA 2,304]

geez only a thousand my boss plays at glenelg and is a member... were talking thousands of dollars a year and the silly thing is that there is a waiting list for it .... ill stick 2 my $700 membership at willunga... but yeh ive only just started to fly fish and i love it... havent popped the cherry yet but its awsome fun... and SAFWAA is a great club... ive met a few good fishing banga buddies along the way and have caught only trout but u have got so many options on places to fish species to target etc etc....

[thefunkychicken 0]

Thanks for the replies you blokes!I'll look into SAFWAA. In the meantime, if you see some bloke tangled around the neck with flyline on the shores of the Onk, Pat, or West Lakes, it'll most like be me.Cheers, thanks, and Merry Christmas.