[Supplicate]

I was digging through my closet earlier today and found a fly rod/reel and assorted accessories that were given to me a few years ago and used once. This spurred me to join up here and try to learn more.

I have been searching for the last hour or so trying to find an answer to this, but to no avail.

So, for cold water fishing in the streams and rivers of Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and Eastern Utah what would be "required equipment" in your vest?

I currently have:
nippers on orvis retractable
three fly boxes
about a dozen flies, mostly the adams/parachute adams

Thank you.

[Wyatt]

Hello Supplicate Welcome to the family,
I'm fairly new to flyfishing so my list is still being refined but I have forceps, nippers, Loon Aquel floatant, spare leaders, 5 rolls of different tippet, 2 boxes of flys assorted for where I going ie; flys for the Poudre around Ft Collins are different then I take for some of the lakes, I also carry a small First Aid kit about the size of small fly box all in a chest pack that I can wear as a fanny pack, I also take a couple of bottles of water if I'm more then a 100 yards from the vehicle.
Wyatt

[Supplicate]

Thanks for the info Wyatt. You probably know the guys I was chatting with today down there in Ft Collins, stopped by St Peters Fly Shop for a while and asked them this exact question.

Walked out of there with a Fishpond Sagebrush vest, two dozen flies for the Reef and the Mile, nippers, tippet, leaders, and hemostats. I'm thinking along the lines of starting out simple and adding items as I learn.

I just need to find a cheaper place to buy flies now!

[Fly2Fish]

More importantly, got to have a can of beer and a cigar .

[Wyatt]

The Guys at St. Peters are great for helping, we have taken casting lessons and a couple of Fly Tying lessons and have went to several tying demos they have there in the winter with some great tyers from all over, and have found tying not being cheaper to start with bythe time you buy everything it is fun and relaxing, I have the wife and daugther both involved with tying and fishing.
Wyatt

[Supplicate]

Originally Posted by Fly2Fish

More importantly, got to have a can of beer and a cigar .

I don't smoke or drink anymore, so I've got that covered. Guess you could say I learned that lesson at a young age

I'm starting to look into a casting class here local. Last time I went out (last summer) I bumed some gear off my girlfriends dad, he made a comment about how I was pretty good when it came to the standard cast but I still tangled it up like you wouldn't believe. Felt bad losing so many flies for him.

[mcnerney]

Supplicate

Welcome to the forum and fly fishing!
Looks like you and I live in the same town. I'm certainly no expert but have been fly fishing for longer than you have been alive. To get started what I would recommend is that you get on YouTube and do a search for "Fly Casting", there are a couple of excellent videos there showing the basics. I think they are titled "Tight Lines--Learning to Fly Cast".
You didn't mention what size rod you had. A 4, 5 or 6 is perfect for this area and make sure the line size fits the rod.
After you view the YouTube videos, I would be more than willing to help you out with your casting. Once we get your casting down your welcome to come fishing with me sometime. I just bought a used drift boat this year and have been fishing the Grey Reef section of the North Platte up by Casper as everything else around here is blown out with spring run off. Hopefully, that will be done in another couple of weeks. Send me a PM when you want me to give you some help with your casting.

Wyatt.......didn't realize you lived so close, we should get together and do some fishing sometime.

Larry

[Supplicate]

Larry,

Thank you for the offer of your help. I'll probably take you up on that later this summer when things are a bit calmer here in town.

For a rod I have a 8'6" 4 piece St Croix 5wt running a Cabela's Prestige reel. Can't really tell you what line I have on there as the whole rig was a gift.

I will be up on Grey's Reef this weekend, hopefully starting Wed, to try out some of the new gear.

By the way, any fly shop here in town you suggest? I've been in the West Laramie Fly Store a lot, but never visited their neighbors shop just up the road.

Thanks

[racine]

Tooo Much Stufff! It seems I trimmed down a few months ago but it's back to it's usual heavy weight. Here goes;[list=1]
2-4 fly boxes
needle drivers
floatant & sinkant
strike indicators
tape measure
licenses
hook sharpener
snakebite kit/TP/Seat Protection
Small can of Picaridin
LED light
Nippers/Thermometer/extra leaders
5 rolls of different tippet
rain jacket in back
fishing net next to wading staff also on back
various zingers for impt. stuff
lead weights
fleece winter gloves or sun gloves
power or cliff bar and other trail mix
flask of good wiskey
water bottle[list=1]
Aspirin/Motrin
small diving or pocket knife
Cell Phone or walkie talkie

[plland]

3-4 fly boxes, separated into nymphs, dries, buggers, streamers and miscellaneous
nippers
forceps (generally only needed for bass b/c they swallow flies)
6-10 assorted leaders
tippet: 2x,3x,4x and 5x
split shot
floatant
nail knot tying tool
camera
little pill box case with yarn strike indicators in it
biostrike strike indicator putty
net hanging on the back

also:
snack for the day, mini LED headlamp, bottle of water, many times I'll bring a lightweight rain jacket (Driducks), and in some circumstances I'll bring a mini survival kit with matches, flint/steel, a film canister full of tinder (vaseline soaked cotton balls), and water purification tablets. In bear country, I'll carry bear mace.

Oh and I finally got a hook sharpener, so maybe I'll start carrying that too.