[coolcheech]

Hello, 1) I'm new to trout fishing and 2) I'm not a fly fisherman (yet).

I just started fishing in June of last year (a little late) in the Catskills, New York. I bought myself some ultra-light spinning gear to get myself started and I do enjoy it.
However, I didn't catch anything last year but what annoys me more is the amount of lures I'm losing. The streams in the Catskills have pretty rocky bottoms and my lures always get snagged. A lot of times I have to cut them and I can imagine it becoming a little costly.
I mostly use the little "Blue Fox" vibrax-spinners, but also some others with felt and feathers. Sometimes I'll run a small length of line above the lure and put a BB-sized sinker on it hoping the lure will float above it, but they still get snagged. The water is pretty shallow so I'll try and cast into a pool and let the current take it over the riffles; or if there is no pool I'll even put a floater on the line so the lure doesn't go to deep. Anyway nothing is working and with the season coming up around the corner I'd like to be prepared this year.

Thanks in advance for the help,
Christian

I was also curious to know if I can use flys on a spinning set-up, or will that get me crucified at the stream?

[BigCliff]

Spinners sink, period. Adding shot will make them sink faster, period.

To reduce your chances of snagging, try to buy spinners that have the hook attached by a split ring. Take the treble hook off the spinner and replace it with a similar sized single hook. Provided its sharp and the right size. it will catch 95% of the fish the treble-equipped spinner would, will hang up much less, and do less harm to the fish you hook.

Another option is to fish flies with a "casting bubble" like this one- Spin Bubble Float Pack or just a small weighted float like this- Bass Pro Shops Weighted Round Foam Floats You'll need 2'+ between the float and the fly, so casting will be a bit goofy, but a float paired with a wooly bugger has caught LOTS of trout.

As long as you're not slingin corn or power-stink-cheese-mallow bits, you're not bein' all that evil. (jk)

[MrEsox]

I use to fish a lot of small streams down in CO and ya lost a few lures there as well. Like it was stated spinners sink, this can be good in deeper holes but thats another thing. I know exactly what your prob is. Any UL reel out there are low in retreave speed. Usually 4.5:1 or in that area. You have to reel a lot faster to keep the spinner going. Holding the rod high can help, but that can be tireing. I found casting with a 6'6" medium rod and a good sized reel (shimano spirex). The langth of the rod I was able to reel slow and actually let the current pull the spinner along and I would reel just enough to keep the line tight. I used a lot of size 1 and 0 mepps, size 2 panther, and any small size spinner I could find. The silver no dressing size 1 aglia was my best. I also used a lot of small cranks like Yo-Zuri Gobi/kilifish and small rapala original floaters. Back to the rod/reel, bad thing is if you reel fast the trout wont come after it. If you reel too slow, or move the lure too slow, it will just bump the rocks. If I could do it over, I'd go with a smaller spinning rod on a ML rod in the 6'6" range. If your able to move the spinner slow and high, your set in shallow water. If your deeper, like holes or areas you cannot wade to, you can reel normal or even let it sink a bit. One great way to get fish in a deeper area is to drift a small spinner over it. Just reel enought to keep the line tight and let the current do the work. Took some nice 20" browns doing that.

[ezamora]

it's very admirable of youse guys to offer spinning help considering this is a fly site.

on the other hand, my buddy and i started fishing together about 5 years ago. we were both taking it up after years of lapse. at that start, i flyfished mainly dry flies, and he was fishing lures like kastmasters and rooster tails, etc. the sierra nevada streams we fished had rocky bottoms and are elatively shallow. sound familiar? he lost many MANY lures and smart guy that he is, noticed my dry flies and line floated over the rocky stream bottoms on top of the water. being silly mountain trout, they are very opportunistic (read: easy) and for our areas, dry fly fishing is perfect.

after taking up fly fishing, he hasn't touched his spinning gear since. he says he dreams of flyfishing for trout now. weird guy, i know...

another approach, besides the tips you've received above, is investing in a pair of inexpensive breathable chest or hip waders and felt soled boots. when you DO get snagged, you can simply go out and retrieve your lures.

eric
fresno, ca.

[coolcheech]

Thanks for the help everyone, I'll surely be taking all your advice. As for fly fishing, I'm know I'll make the switch one day, it just seems like a lot to learn and I've got enough hobbies on my plate right now.

[FrankB2]

Originally Posted by coolcheech

I was also curious to know if I can use flys on a spinning set-up, or will that get me crucified at the stream?

In Pennsylvania, there are some flyfishing only streams, and you can't use
more than a certain length of monofilament. That's not the case with most
streams, hwever.

If you'd like to keep flyfishing for trout simple:
1) Buy a 9 foot St. Croix Triumph 5wt rod from Dick's Sporting Goods. Very
smooth for little money.
2) Buy a Weight Forward floating line, and attach a 9 foot leader.
3) Get a cheap reel to hold your line.
4) Attach an olive Wooly Bugger to the end of your leader, pull 20-25 feet
of fly line out, and flip the bugger up and across the stream.
5) Give a slight tug to set the hook .

You don't have to cast like the guys in "A River Runs Through It" to catch
fish with a fly rod. In many cases, casts are very short and more of a flip. Don't be intimadated by the array of gear available. Flyfishing can be
as simple as you'd like it to be.

[MBWCC]

Originally Posted by coolcheech

I was also curious to know if I can use flys on a spinning set-up, or will that get me crucified at the stream?

Spinning rods/reels rely on the weight of the lure to propel the line during the cast; fly rods/reels rely on the weight of the line to propel the fly during the cast. So, if you put a fly on a spin casting rod/reel you have nothing which will provide the "umph" to get the fly to the target. The above generalization changes somewhat if you start casting weighted flys, or casting weights on the line near the flies (such as used when nymphing).

[ezamora]

Originally Posted by MBWCC

The above generalization changes somewhat if you start casting weighted flys, or casting weights on the line near the flies (such as used when nymphing).

yup, many spin/lure people will fish flies by using one of those clear water-filled floating bubble thingies (it's been so long i forget what they're called) to cast the mono line, with a fly off the bubble.

i can understand having too many things on your plate. welcome. when you're ready, check out the previous posts and ask any questions you may have. this site seems to be great for beginners. most peple who eventually get around to trying flyfishing drop everything else and love it, wondering what too them so long to discover it.


eric
fresno, ca.

[MrEsox]

If you wish to cast a fly on a spinning or baitcasting reel, look into things like a casting bubble. Bad thing about a casting bubble is they are not the most stealthy like fly line is when cast. Usually make a big splash. Other things like drifting with small split shots can work but then again your sinking again. I may be against site rules to say that I've fished with spinning and baitcasters long before I picked up a fly rod. I may even get yelled at admitting that well I had a hard time with a fly rod on the waters I had to fish. Too much tree growth and had a hard time not snagging in a tree so I stayed with the small spinners. Had better luck at some ponds I found and eventually managed to catch a few trout on a dry fly. Since then I've gone to other fish just to try and get some use out of the old fly slinger. Had to adapt and over come, cant wait for this spring and summer. Lastly since you have an UL rod, go ahead and see how far you can fling the fly with it. You may be happy with the casting distance you may get. It sounds bad, but feeding line down the river or across the river on a UL rod you may some great luck with it. And yes I did try that at one time, it was not the best but it did work.

[GeorgeMcFly]

1. start fly fishing
2. start tying your own flies
3. make clousers and other patterns that ride hook up
4. enjoy.