Does anybody have any tips or advice you could give me on fly fishing? I've just gotten into it and don't know very much about the sport. My grandpa was nice enough to give me one of his 9' G-Loomis rods and paired it w/ a Orivs 5/6 reel. It's a really nice set up. I've been out wadin in some local rivers and I'm good at castin and all that good stuff. I just need help w/ fly selection, where to cast, time of the year/time of the day and how it affects the fish, etc.

Also if anybody could recommend some places to fish that are near Boone, that'd be awesome! If possible less than a 30 minute drive.

Thanks for the all info guys,

later!

fly fishing is a art you must learn. i myself am a flyfisherman.

Casting: the only cast you need to know now is the back cast. first you strip out about 8 feet of backing,or fly line from the reel, make sure you have 3 ft out in front, if the leader is the only thing hanging out from the tip top you wont be able to cast. . then you raise the rod, in a quick and smart manner to the 2-3 o clock postion, then snap it forward to the 11 o clock postion. repeat in a quick manner until all the line is out in a starit line ahead of you.

http://www.flyfishingforbeginners.com/Casting/overhead.html

Glad to hear you're getting into fly fishing.  I'm assuming that since you posted in this forum you'd be going after trout with that outfit, but don't neglect the warm water species; bass are my favorite species to fly fish for.  As for advice, I'm far from an authority, but if I may tell you a few things I wish I had really known (or listened to when someone told me) when I started...

-Don't get caught up in the "match the hatch" mentality early on.  It'll drive you crazy, and it develops overtime.  Google "Searching patterns for fly fishing" or something along those lines.  The flies that come up are great because they catch some fish most of the time.

-Searching patterns: woolly buggers and their variations (olive works great, black is excellent too),  the Adams and Elk Hair Caddis dry flies, Hare's Ear and pheasant tail nymphs, a beetle or ant pattern,  and a popper for bass and you can fish in a lot of places.

-Practice casting.  I would guess that a vast majority of the fish I catch are keying in on the fact that the fly was presented the right way at the right time (i.e. a reaction strike by casting a dry fly right under an overhanging bush, or ripping a streamer past a stump) instead of "matching the hatch".

-Finally, get a mentor who can help you out on the stream for a little while.  I learned almost entirely on my own, and it seemed like forever before I felt confident in my ability to catch fish.  A good mentor could cut that time by 2/3 if not more.

-Lastly, practice everything on sunfish.  They're a hell of a lot more forgiving than trout, and you can get plenty of experiences with line management, hook setting on dry flies, nymphs, and streamers, and, quite frankly, a slab of a bluegill on a four or five weight is one of my favorite fly fishing experiences.

I hope this helps.  Fly fishing seems more complicated that it really is by far.

Biggest hurdle is the casting. It's NOT intuitive. Read, watch a video, or better yet, get a lesson or two. It'll save you time and frustration.

As with any fishing, it comes down to control. With fly tackle, this is a real challenge.