A few dumb question for a newbie

[mithrandir]

Hi All,

I have finally decided to try a bit of fluff chucking in the coming year. As a complete newbie to the "gentleman's art" I have some seriously stupid questions.

I have acquired a 7wt fly rod cheaply ( a bit on the heavy side but then I am a novice and thought it best to go strong to cover my inexperience).

I have a couple of matching reels, I was going to load one with floating line and one with intermediate, think that is a sensible approach.

Right, now for the dumb questions.

1. What strength of backing should I use with a 7WT line? ( 20 or 30 lb seem to be the options).

2. What breaking strain leader should I be using? ( I plan on trying out for trout and grayling on the hampshire avon, so I guessed about 4 lb)

3. If I am fly fishing is my coarse license valid or do I have to purchase a game licence?

4. what are the recommended knots for attaching backing to fly line, and leader to line?

5. Is a tippet the same as a leader.

6. what are the best "basic" flies to have in the box on my first few trips, do not really want to spend loads on flies that will sit in a box looking pretty.

7. Is this rod suitable for a bit of saltwater fly fishing, I fancied having a bash at some mullet on a fly.

8. should I be using a bite indicator ( seems to be a small float at the leader junction) or should I just wait for the line to race off?

Well that is all I can think of now, I am sure some of you will know, and maybe offer a few suggestions for thing I have missed.

Thanks

Mike

[Pleccy]

Hi,

First of all a 7wt rod may be a bit too heavy for fishing on rivers for trout and grayling, if you are going to use small flies make sure the rod tip isn't too stiff as this could bend the hooks used for small patterns. You would be far better starting out on stillwaters before moving onto rivers. For stillwaters a floater and an intermediate will be perfect, and when fishing from the bank I rarely use anything faster than a medium sinker (also known as a Di3).

For general trout fishing 20lb backing will be fine, 30lb backing can be used but remember that unless you buy very thin backing it may not fit on the reel. The leader strength depends on what flies you intend to use, however for general fly fishing something around 5-6lb should be adequate, although if you intend to use lures I would consider stepping this up to around 8lb.

You also need to use the right knots, there are two types of leader (or tippet) material used in fly fishing (aside from ordinary monofilament), these are fluorocarbon and co-polymer, each will require different knots. If you use the wrong knot it won't hold and the leader could break. For fluorocarbon I would use the grinner knot and for co-polymer and monofilament the blood knot will be fine. Always remember to lubricate your knots with saliva before tightening them.

For more detail on different knots used in fly fishing and how to attach the fly line to the backing and the leader to the fly line I would recommend this website: http://www.flymartonline.com/article215.html.

Assuming you know the basics of casting you simply retrieve the fly at varying rates using your fingers or you can fish it static under a strike indicator or by watching the fly line for movement.

Whatever you do don't get yourself bogged down with flies, you only need a few basic patterns to get you started and before you buy any I would ask other anglers or the fishery manager for info on the best flies to use for the particular time of year. But for starters I would recommend the following:

Diawl bachs
Cat's whiskers
Black Fritz
Damsel nymphs
Bloodworms (the beaded varieties in yellow and red)
Daddy long legs (this can be fished 'wet' or 'dry')
Blobs (these come in many colours, however orange and yellow are very good)
Bibios

Your rod should be OK for saltwater fly fishing in calm conditions, however to punch out big patterns and when casting into a wind, you will need something much heavier.

For stillwater fly fishing your coarse fishing licence will be fine and comes under the category called non-migratory trout and coarse. For salmon and migratory trout you will need a seperate licence.

When you go fishing make sure you take two very important items with you, a hat and a pair of polarizing sunglasses, these will protect your eyes from flying hooks and will also cut out glare, allowing you to see under the water's surface and into the trout's world.