Fly fishing can be practiced in any body of water that holds fish. You NEED to know how to cast a fly rod before you attempt this facet. Casting is the most important part of fly fishing, and it is very frustrating, but perseverance pays off. Have a look here for casting tips:
http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=6571.0 Fighting the fish is also very important:
http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=6572.0Remember, fly fishing is all about "fooling the fish" by imitating what they are eating or provoking them.
How To Select The Right Fly Fishing Tackle For The Right ApplicationFly Fishing, essentially, requires very little tackle, but because we love the sport of angling, we tend to build up huge amounts of tackle, some which will never be used. But thats just part of it! On this page I will describe everything you need to look for when selecting fly fishing tackle for South African waters, what you will need for different fly fishing facets and how to look after your fly tackle and make it last.
In Fly Fishing, all you need is a rod, a reel, line, leader and some flies, but you know its never that simple.
RodsA fly rod, regardless of the brand name, needs to be selected very carefully and should meet your requirements and specifications. You should feel comfortable casting the rod, holding it and you should have confidence in it. Remember just because the rod is an Orvis or a Sage doesnt mean it will be the perfect rod for you. The fly rods casting ability should be assessed personally and see if it suits your style of casting, as each rod is different and the action each rod has will vary.
Fly Rod WeightsOn all fly rods there will be a weight rating above the butt section of the road. This rating basically determines the size of fish the rod can handle and will determine the line weights you can cast, heavier line and heavier fly rods will generally cast further and will do well in windy situations, but it is very tiring. Below is a group of ratings and what sort of application they can be used for.
0-2 Weight Fly Rod generally used for catching trout in small streams, also used for catching smaller species such as Cape Kurper, Vlei Kurper, Catlets, Minnows and other similar freshwater fish.
3 Weight Fly Rod the ultimate small stream weighted rod for catching Trout, Yellowfish,Whitefish, and small saltwater fish species like Moonies, Cape Stumpnose and Mullet.
4-6 Weight Fly Rod all round good rod for Stillwater fishing for Trout, Blue Kurper and Bass. Also a good outfit for Yellowfish, Moggel, Mudfish, smaller saltwater game fish and Grunter.
7-8 Weight Fly Rod perfect for Tigerfish, Barbel, Carp, Barracuda, Garrick, Springer,Kob, Bonefish and other species in that category.
9-11 Weight Fly Rod good weight rod for Kingfish, Yellowtail, Couta, Bonito and Dorado.
12-15 Weight Fly Rod very heavy rod for offshore saltwater fish like Tuna and other pelagics including Sailfish.
In summary I can say when you fish freshwater in South Africa, you will use a 0 to an 8 weight fly rod and when you fish saltwater, a 9 weight fly rod and heavier. Although there are exceptions, it comes down to what you are more comfortable with. For example, I enjoy targeting Garrick on a 5 weight. You will get to the stage where you know what setup you want to use for what application. Also dont forget you can bend the rules a bit here. If you have a 5 weight setup, you can try changing the line to a 4 weigh, or you can go up to 6 or 7 weight line, it often works out that the smaller or larger line works better for you on a different setup.
LinesThere are many brands of fly fishing line, but there are 3 main types, they include: Floating, Intermediate and Sinking. There are variations of the 3 fly lines (Such as extra fast sinking), but there purposes all remain the same. As mentioned above, one can experiment with the fly line weights with the rod paired, but they are the same. For example a 5 weight fly line would normally be matched with a 5 weight fly rod.
Tapered Fly Lines
In these 3 fly lines, there is something called fly line taper, which is similar to a tapered leader but is a bit more complex. Basically fly line taper refers to the differences in the diameters of the line, it is basically an adjustment in the actual fly line. You get 4 main types of tapered fly lines which are discussed below:
Level Line Taper
This line has the same diameter from start to finish, there is no extra weight or any other specifics, it is essentially normal fly line.
Double Line Taper
The Double Line Taper is line that can be used from either end, changed once every year or so. The first few feet and the last few feet have a thicker diameter to the rest of the fly line which is in the middle. It is essentially a reversible fly line.
Weight Forward Line Taper
This fly line is the same except for the first 10 feet or so. The first 10 feet is weighted a bit more which allows for further casting and casting into strong wind.
Shooting Line Taper
This line is a type of weight forward taper, except that the diameter of the line is slightly thinner, and the first 20 or so feet is heavily weighted, more so than then weight forward taper.
Purchase The Right Fly Line
It is important to buy name brand, more expensive fly lines when you select a fly line. They internal lubricants and components make the line perform better, last longer and cast further. It is also important to take into consideration what species you wish to target with the fly line, where you will be fishing and matching the line correctly to your fly setup (Rod and reel).
ReelsFly reels are least important when talking about your main fly tackle. Cheap fly reels do not last very long and have a poor composition and weight to them. If you have a bit of extra money, buy a more expensive reel, it will last longer and perform better. Your fly reel should also match your line weight, not your rod weight. Most fly reels are generally similar in terms of specifications such as drag and gear ratio (There are other kinds of fly reels with higher and automatic gear ratios). Choose your fly reel carefully, and you will be happy and fishing for a long time.
Accessories
After you have sourced your main fly tackle there are many other items to consider.
Leader and tippet
Flies
A landing net with soft material
Floatant for flies and line
Forceps to remove swallowed flies
Line basket (For fast retrieving large amounts of line, mostly for saltwater fly fishing)
Thermometer (To measure water temperature)
Bite indicators
Polarized sunglasses (Believe me these are essential)
Buff (To wear to protect your face and neck from sunburn or cold)
Gum boots, waders and fishing shoes
Split shots to get your fly down to the bottom of deep water quicker
Fly Jacket (Very useful)
Fly Fishing Leaders, Tippets, Tapered leaders & Guidelines
An important part and key to success is your leader. Many anglers do, however, look too much into the dynamics of making and using a leader. Essentially, your leader (Regardless of what you are fishing for) should be tapered. This means that there should be different strengths of fairly rigid line, nylon or fluorocarbon, in your leader. Generally, a rule of thumb that is not set in stone is to have 2 different strengths of leader. A stronger more rigid length of leader tied to the fly line, and then a lighter leader attached to that. Then you have the tippet sections, I normally use one length of tippet. This will be the part of line that is soft, light nylon, where you will tie the fly on to. When fishing for larger fish or when fishing in dirty water, one section of tippet is fine. However, sometimes when fish for fish that are easily spooked or that occur in clear water, more than one section of Tippet should be used (Please read more about fly fishing tippets below). Also know your knots and test them thoroughly.
Now we move onto lengths of leader. Because fly fishing has so many facets, there are some guidelines for leader lengths. Generally if you are fishing a sinking or intermediate line, your leader should be shorter than a floating line leader. A good guideline for this is that it should be about the length of the rod, 8-10 foot. Now with floating fly line, you would generally be fishing fly patterns that would need a better presentation, such as a nymph or dry fly. Your leader in this case can be anywhere from 10 to 18 feet. Lengths are important for different types of fly fishing, but do not over do or under do your lengths, you can use the above numbers as relatively good guidelines.
Where Your Leaders Need To Be Longer Or Shorter?Some exceptions to the rules above apply to different bodies of water. When fishing fast flowing waters in rivers, streams or during a pushing tide in an estuary, a shorter leader should be used, around 8 feet in length. In large Stillwater systems or in slower moving saltwater bays or lagoons, a longer leader of around 15 feet should be used. Normally though, the clearer the water (Especially when freshwater fly fishing), the longer your leader should be.
Tapered Leader Strengths & DiametersAs mentioned above, your tapered leader should be in different strengths or in different diameters. For example, you could have 2 types of 10lb line, but they could both have different diameters. If I had to give you an example of the two different types it would be something like this, remember it goes from strongest to lightest or higher diameter to least diameter. So you would have something like 20lb rigid line attached to the fly line, followed by 15lb and then your tippet, say 10lb. Or, in diameter terms, you would start off with 0.40mm, followed by 0.35mm and then a tippet of, say, 0.25mm. The advantage of a tapered leader is that it absorbs all the shock and sudden movements of the fish, so less pressure is placed on the nylon.
What Is Tippet, And What Do The X Strengths Refer To?Tippet is the last piece of nylon you attach to your leader, on which you tie your fly on to. Generally each strength of tippet will be suitable for 4-5 different weights of flies. If the fly is too heavy for the tippet, your line may part, and if it is too light you might get the correct presentation. Below you will see the X strengths of the tippets, as they are often described. It is in order from weakest to strongest.
9x 1lb
8x 1.75lb
7x 2.5lb
6x 3.5lb
5x 4.75lb
4x 6lb
3x 8.5lb
2x 11.5lb
1x 13.5lb
Then you get the stronger tippets which are designed for big freshwater and saltwater fish, I wont list all of these, but will give you an example, of an all round good size to use to fish for estuary game fish and predatory freshwater fish. 02x(0.13) 20lb.
FliesIt can be difficult in choosing flies when starting out. I have listed the 5 best flies (In my opinion), for different fly fishing facets. Note there are 4 types of flies, dry (Floating) , wet (heavy and sink) , nymphs (designed to imitate hatching insects), streamers (Flies designed to be pulled quickly).
FreshwaterGRHE (White, Olive, Black)
Woolly Bugger (Black, Orange, Olive)
DDD
Stimulator
Fritz (White, Olive)
Pheasant Tail Nymph
SaltwaterCrazy Charlie (Pink, white)
Clouser Minnow (Chartreuse/white, white/red)
Salty Bugger (Pink, Chartreuse)
Fritz (White)
Polar Fibre Mullet (Blue/white)
Please feel free to ask anything else about fly fishing, I will help you as best as I can.
WK
