advice on fly fishing

For the most part in the Sierra you will be fine I think.  The fish up there aren’t very picky.

However, I find I have more luck with spinners… But YMMV… I seem to always catch 2-3x more than fly fisherman in a lot of common scenarios.

Here’s my setup.. my kit only weighs 200g but it’s a real spinning rig.

 
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<tbody>
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<td data-sheets-value=”{"1":2,"2":"rod"}”>rod</td>
<td data-sheets-value=”{"1":2,"2":"St Croix PS56ULF2 Premier Spinning"}”>St Croix PS56ULF2 Premier Spinning</td>
<td data-sheets-value=”{"1":2,"2":"yes"}”>yes</td>
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<td data-sheets-value=”{"1":2,"2":"reel"}”>reel</td>
<td data-sheets-value=”{"1":2,"2":"Bass Pro Shops\u00ae Micro Lite\u2122 Elite Spinning Reel"}”>Bass Pro Shops® Micro Lite™ Elite Spinning Reel</td>
<td data-sheets-value=”{"1":2,"2":"yes"}”>yes</td>
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</tbody>
</table>

Wow, got a bite on my first cast.  Unfortunately I can’t really see what I caught, as the formatting did not come through.

thanks, Matt

I would compare fly fishing with dancing. Some people are able to instinctively apply great body mechanics, and others need plenty of practice. In my case, I spent a week in Bishop splashing around, catching nothing but great views. Big part of it, which was mentioned before, has to do with how discerning the fish are in that area. Sometimes it pays to be observant, have an idea of the type of insects that are flying around that body of water, and pick your fly accordingly.

I’d recommend you start by practicing at home (backyard?) to get your mechanics down and achieve nice, narrow loops when casting. Youtube is your friend. Also, lurk around the webs for info as to types of flies that typically work in the area, and stock a few of each.

As to Tenkara – never used one of those, but have heard wonderful things. I am looking to get one in the next few months as well.

thanks for the feedback Gonzalo. I guess I kind of thought learning would be a YMMV sort of thing.

Still wondering if $110 for a fly rod package at that sort of weight is a good deal or not.

Have you seen the forum on “Fishing and Tenkara?”  Some good advice there.

You have probably read enough to know that Tenkara originated in Japan and really optimized for fishing small mountain creeks and streams.  I have a had mix of luck fishing creeks as well as lakes here in the Rockies.  I don’t always catch fish, but that isn’t always the point of fishing!  I really like the light weight and simplicity of Tenkara and find the rods to be very easy to lash onto the side of a pack and just forget about it until I see a nice spot in the creek.  I still sometimes take my ultralight spinning rig along, too, and it’s nice to be able to do both.

$110 for a Tenkara rod seems reasonable – I can’t read the Massdrop page so don’t know if that includes line, tippet, and flies, which can run you another $30.  I have had excellent service and products from both Tenkarabum and Tenkarausa.  There are other vendors that folks like.

As far as ease of learning, that is just something you will have to practice.  There are some great online videos, but no substitute for just fishing.  I won’t say Tenkara fishing technique is easy, but it is learnable, and the fish don’t care whether you are a master or a hack if they are hungry!

As other posters have said, Tenkara was intended for small streams and should be great for that in the Sierras. The big advantage to spinning gear is much greater casting range, which is useful when you fish some of the larger lakes. Also there’s no backcast, so you can fish where the trees come right up to the edge of the water. I’m a longtime fly fisherman, but I have a small spinning rig for just those conditions.

Jennifer is right, the best training for fly casting is fly casting. Practice for ten minutes each evening at home for a couple of weeks and you’ll learn the basics.

Thanks for the advice.  I think I like the idea of fishing the bigger lakes with my spinning gear as well.  My current rod and reel, which are fairly small, are not fairly light at 14 oz.  Maybe I will just focus my energy on seeing what I can do in terms of a lighter reel for starters.

Matt

Thank you Jenny for the note regarding the fishing and tenkara forum, I did not realize this existed on BPL!  Never looked that far down in the forum links, thanks!!

Matt

I have been fishing the Sierras for about 35 years now.   Mostly Goldens, but caught lots of Rainbows, Brook and a few Browns.  Hiking was a means to the fishing.   Now I have often hiked without fishing gear, because I am getting older and want to do longer hikes and less weight.   I usually regret not taking the fishing gear and usually thankful I don’t take it.   What can I say.   I agree about using spinners in the day time.   If you are willing to fish at the break of day and the waning of daylight, fly fishing can be quite prolific, but not usually large fish.   I like catching and releasing the larger fish and eating one or two of the smaller fish.   You can rig up a spin casting set up with a bubble and a fly at the optimum times and spinners ( Panther Martin and Rooster Tail)   4 lb test line at most.   1/16 or 1/32 ounce lures   yellow with red dots or vice versa.   Some times, anything shiny with a hook might do.   Watch the rules is some areas you are barbless and only a single hook.    Most people I have seen use too big lures or flies or heavy lines and big hooks.    There are certain speeds and retrieves that attract the fish more, but that has to be learned through trial and error.  But some times I can catch fish when others can’t and they are using the same lures.  I think after you catch a few hundred you figure it out a bit.   I started out like most.   No clue.  Some one showed me and I am thankful.