I could use some advice from an experienced fly fisherman please.

[jewestcoast@hotmail.com]

Hello all.
About 3 months ago I was gifted 2 beautiful Fenwick fly rods from a good friend. The models and specs are below:
FF756 7½ foot, 2 piece, 3 oz., 6 weight.
FF84 8½ foot, 2 piece, 4⅛ oz., 5-6 weight.

It is my intention to take a little vacation to Bend and fish in the Deschutes this summer...and may be going in the next week or two. Here is the bad news: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING.

There is a local fly shop here in the Beaverton area called RiverCityFly and I plan on heading down there soon to get some advice.

I am hoping that someone here can answer a few questions before I go.

1. How important is the fly reel? The rods came with 2 reels, a Pflueger Medalist and a SouthBend 1122. Should I be looking at better quality reels?
2. What type (wt.?) of fly line do I need?
3. Do I need to invest in a pair of waders?
4. Has anybody been to RiverCity before and what did they think?
5. Which fly rod should I use for this outing?
6. Should I just stick to casting a worm?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[meluvtrout]

Take all your gear to Rivercity and they'll hook you up. Waders are good investment, buy breathable ones. Take both rods with you just in case. Good luck...

 

[FlyBum]

Well......

1 If the reel will take in the line and put it back on the reel, you'll be Ok
2 If the reel has a line on it already then you may want to get a tapered leader 4x will work for most situations.
3 If the weather is nice, no. Just bring the bug spray and a pair of river sandals.
4 Check it out. There are two really good shops over here that you should pay a visit to for more info.
5 Use the longer stick, but have a backup.
6 DON'T DO THAT!!! The only legal place to fish the D around Bend with bait is Mirror Pond.

Cheers

 

[I <3 <><]

Just want to say, Don at river city is awesome! Great guy! His shop has all the things you will ever need and his prices are good. Im not a pro fly fisherman yet so I will let the other people answer those Q's.

 

[troutdude]

Who is the friend that gifted those rods to you? His name and phone number please! I need a friend like that!!! Those rods are EXCELLANT! They often sell on eBay for $100 - $200 (sometimes more in mint condition)! Yowzah! Fenwicks have been a highly respected standard in the fishing world since the late 1950's.

Yep. Those reels will do fine for you, as long as you have the proper line on them (5 or 6 wt. line for the 5/6 rod, etc).

The longer rod will likely allow you to cast farther. That is good on wider stretches of the river. For narrower passages, you may want to use the shorter rod. So agreed, take both. It's also good to have a spare in case one breaks, reel craps out etc.

Personally, I'd wear good waders for now. There is a still a TON of snow melt and the water is cold. Once the weather warms up, then it won't matter if you wear 'em or not.

Good luck and enjoy your new rods. We look forward to your report when you return.

 

[lilsalmon]

I'm not a pro but flyfishing is my passion......I would say the second rod you listed sucks so you should just give it to me....We just got back from 3 days on the Big D!!!! Sunburnt and happy as flies on peanut butter....hehe. I have never fished around Bend. If you really want some good fishing I would suggest around the Maupin or Madras area....a lot of access and awesome water.....I just successfully caught my biggest trout on the D yesterday....woot woot. By the way....if you want to really do it the right way since your fairly new at this....check out Brian Silvey.....if you have some $$$ to spend it would be well worth it. He is an awesome guide and will show you all you need to know and you will spend the best day ever with him.....IMHO

watch for our post coming soon....

 

[n8r1]

4. Has anybody been to RiverCity before and what did they think?

RiverCity Fly is AWESOME. Don is extremely friendly and helpful to newbies like myself, and will help you out with everything. The only thing is if you show up during busy times you may have to wait a little bit because he is constantly helping customers. If you can sneak over there on a weekday afternoon and there's nobody in the store then you can get Don's undivided attention for as long as you need.

Also, invest in waders.

 

[I <3 <><]

Sign me up for the friend list also! Haha.

 

[Irishrover]

All sound advise from the folks ubove. Thought I might suggest you pick up a copy of the Curtis Creek Manifesto writen by the late Sheridan Anderson. I'll bet they have a copy at the River City Fly Shop. It's a fun read, and does an excellent job of giving you the information to get you going with a fly rod. The best part is the price about $8.00. As far as the Pflueger Medalist reel goes it's a work horse. I have used them for years and doubt I'll ever change. Good luck and enjoy those rods!

 

[Trout]

Wow - you are off to a good start. Bottom line is if you like the outdoors and like catching fish then fly fishing can become a real special connection to both pursuits. However, fly fishing is a bit different than other types of fishing. You would serve your self well to spend a bit of money right upfront to get started right.

- as mentioned take all your gear to RiverCity fly fishing and let Don help get it setup right.

- Buy some breathable chest waders (get the high backs so you can float tube in the future) and some wading boots

- Invest in some casting lessons ASAP this is crucial

- The last step is to get some time on the water with a guide or pro - Maybe Don at RiverCity can hook you up.

I know this sounds like a lot - but either you can flounder around for a year or two (or three or four like I did) or book some time with a pro/teacher and cut your learning curve and frustration to a minimum.

And do pick up The Curtis Creek Manifesto - its a fun read and has a lot of good info.

 

[jewestcoast@hotmail.com]

Thank you to all for the well thought out replies. I have decided to take the week of the 4th off so I have 9 straight days away from work. This will give me some time to visit RiverCity and get some advice and the proper gear.

I also have a proposal and this may sound kind of funky.
If someone that is reading this may have some skills at fly casting and would be interested in getting better at golf I might be able to help. I play to a 4 handicap but have gotten as low as 1.6. Maybe I could show you some fundamentals of the golf swing and you could teach me some basics about fly casting?

Just a crazy idea. I don't expect anyone to respond...
Again, thanks for the responses.

 

[troutramp]

when are you leaving for the Deshutes?