Fly fishing

[IDVortex]

I've gone fly fishing once, and really loved it. Wife and I are planning a backpacking trip to a high mountain lake, and planning on some more hiking trips to mountain lakes. I really want to get more into it vs casting. So question, what do people suggest for equipment? Especially for backpacking. I'm not going to be spending crazy amounts into it, because I probably won't do it unless hiking. (And my wife would kill me getting the super nice rods and reels after how much I've spent on guns and backpacking gear this year)

 

[jayhawk]

Jerry Warrington: Doing good through fly tying

I’m always inspired by folks who use the sport of fly fishing to spread goodwill & help make this world a better place. Recently, my good friend from Colorado, Terryll, gifted me with a beautiful...

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If looking for flies this guy ties and sells them to help kids with cancer. He’s a great person and sells them at a good price and they’re all the flies you’d ever need

 

[DAOutfitters208]

In the mountain lakes, mosquitoes work well, small stimulators, caddis, etc. Unless it’s a very popular lake, those fish are generally happy to eat what’s thrown in front of them.

Can’t go wrong with an Orvis Clearwater 9 ft 5 wt. It would provide you a lifetime of use and won’t hurt the pocket book. It’s a solid rod that comes in 4 or 6 piece.

Reel doesn’t matter as much, but do not skimp on the fly line, the more expensive stuff is so much nicer to cast.

 

[IDVortex]

In the mountain lakes, mosquitoes work well, small stimulators, caddis, etc. Unless it’s a very popular lake, those fish are generally happy to eat what’s thrown in front of them.

Can’t go wrong with an Orvis Clearwater 9 ft 5 wt. It would provide you a lifetime of use and won’t hurt the pocket book. It’s a solid rod that comes in 4 or 6 piece.

Reel doesn’t matter as much, but do not skimp on the fly line, the more expensive stuff is so much nicer to cast.

When I went fly fishing, that's something I noticed and learned. I tried some generic line. And nice line. It's nicer to cast, and just is nicer to fish with and trick fish I noticed. Lol

 

[Coveyleader]

Get a multipiece rod. I have an 8 piece, and it's great for those hike in lakes. Speaking of which..........Yesterday. Only the brook trout were harmed (8).

 

[Fireflyfishing]

I have the older Orvis backpack rod. I believe it’s a 7 pc 5 wt 9’ rod. Is not a $1200 super fly rod by any means, but it flat out catches fish. Get a decent reel, spin up some line, and have a blast!

You probably want to go with 5 wt floating line and use dry flies for back country lakes.

Giving you this advice is bringing back some memories. I haven’t used that rod in quite some time. I have a drift boat I always use nowadays.

 

[Boarmaster]

If you have a descent fly shop in your area
I would go there and give them a budget and let them put a out fit together for you.
The rod will probably be a 9ft ,5wt , 4 pc model of some kind with an appropriate reel.
If you don't have a good flyshop that previously mentioned Orvis clearwater is a good start.
They probably offer a combo that includes a choice of reels and line. Suggesting an all around fly set up is about the same challenge as it would be if you asked about an all around rifle setup. Its a deep rabbit hole.

 

[Amos Moses]

I’d recommend an echo fly rod as a first. Their warranty is great, or at least it was a few years ago the last time I used it. Fly rods break. Huge difference between a $75 fly rod and a $200 fly rod. Not so much of a difference between $200-700.
For a reel look for a Lamson or anything on sale. Won’t need a stout drag system for mountain lakes.
Rio Gold fly line.

 

[left field]

It's a nearly impossible question to answer. There are hundreds of rods out there and dozens and dozens of fly lines, with a multitude of locations that demand a very specific combination. There are few perfect matches. Now add in your unique casting stroke and you can spend a decade trying to dial something in.

That said, let me answer your question. Best bang-for-your-buck is the Redington Classic Trout in a 5wt. (6wt if you think you'll be dealing with wind.) This is a $150 rod that is often on sale. I have 20 or so rods and my CT 4wt is always in my car.

It is a medium action rod that is very forgiving to a new angler. I pair mine with a Cortland 444 Peach DT line which loads the rod perfectly. It's also an affordable line.

Reel doesn't matter. Pick whatever you can afford and looks good on the rod.

I never feel the need for a rod with more than four sections for backpacking. My rod tubes strap in nicely alongside my pack but I will try and fit two rods in one tube if I can.

Good luck.

 

[Poser]

Alpine lakes will often have quite a bit of willow surrounding the lake so staying on the shorter end of rod length if usually more practical. I use a 4 piece 7.5 foot 4wt rod with 5wt line. I like the way that combo casts. If you're going to seldom fished backcountry lakes, you don't need a very precise or well-dialed in setup or flies as those fish will often eat almost anything. however, I would advise at least a couple of nymphs for when its windy. Alpine lakes will turn on and off like a light switch: you can go from catching a fish every single cast to nothing at the drop of a hat.

 

[Coveyleader]

I’d recommend an echo fly rod as a first. Their warranty is great, or at least it was a few years ago the last time I used it. Fly rods break. Huge difference between a $75 fly rod and a $200 fly rod. Not so much of a difference between $200-700.

That's an Echo rod in the photo above. Flies? I'm not a purist at all, I pretty much use 3-4 and it covers every lake or river I've fished. Caddis, Beaded Wooly Bugger in rust color, pheasant tail nymphs' with and without beads, and grasshopper patterns. A Wooly Bugger striped though a high country lake is like taking candy from a baby. Same for smaller streams. For picky fish, put a big caddis on, tie a nymph on under it, and 95 % of your hits will be on the nymph, your big caddis is your "bobber". That works good in those alpine lakes as well.

 

[knehrke]

A decent 4-piece 4 weight rod with an aluminum case and a Ross reel will allow you to fish mountain lakes and streams equally. You should cast a few rods to figure out which brand you prefer, but don't feel the need to spend over $250. The Echo Carbon XL, Redington Classic Trout, or Orvis Clearwater fit the bill. You can also think used; if you don't care as much about cosmetics, you can save bank

 

[mstei4]

My wife has an Orvis Encounter combo from a few years ago. Nothing special, not that I’d know what defines that, but we’ve both had a blast with that setup, caught plenty of fish, and for $200 all in I can’t complain.

 

[Dos Perros]

4 piece rod with a lifetime warranty

That should give you plenty of options.

 

[Austink47]

I am in a minority here but I have a pile of rods and almost always take my echo carbon xl 10’ 3 wt. for the type of fishing you are talking about. I find the extra rod helps me keep my backcast high and it roll casts very well. With a 10’ rod a slightly oversized large arbor reel balances well and lets you pick up line in a hurry. The 3wt makes fighting small fish a lot of fun granted it does not buck the wind as well as a 5wt.

 

[RickH]

I spend a lot of time fishing high country lakes and streams during the summer and guided for 30 years. Usually the fish aren't too picky. A 9' 5wt multi-piece rod with a good WF floating line and a 7 1/2' 5x leader with a spool of 5x tippett will get you started. For flies I would have a few dries like royal wulff, stimulators, elk hair caddis, small hoppers, beatles in sizes 12-16. For nymphs a few prince nymphs, hairs ears, both in about a size 14-16 and maybe a small wooley bugger or two. I prefer beadheads on the nymphs so I don't have to carry any splitshot. As mentioned Orvis, Echo, Redington, TFO are a few good brands with good budget rods.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve been using a TFO this summer, it seems like a good rod for the money. Mine was one of the more expensive ones they make and it was like 325.00, I believe they make some for well under 200 dollars.

Remington, TFO, orvis etc make full sets so you wouldn’t need to buy anything else.

For what you’re talking about, the reel isn’t going to do anything other than hold line so don’t spend too much money there.

It seems like most rods from quality makers these days offer good warranties which is nice. I believe that TFO and redington just replace the broken section, price depends on which section.

I broke a 25 year old st croix fluted a few years ago and they replaced it for 50.00.

 

[TaperPin]

Since you’re both newish to fly fishing, the #1 thing that will make the trip more enjoyable is getting your setups as soon as possible and practice casting. I’ve known newbies with $1k setups that pack into a world class set of lakes without practicing, get frustrated with basic casting and quit the first day.

You don’t even need water - use the ugliest fly that someone gave you, or you found hooked to a tree and cut the entire hook off so it won’t snag on anything. I teach kids by putting out a paper plate on a big lawn or park and casting to it. If there’s a breeze, practice casting with the wind at first, but then cross wind and finally into the wind, which only works with slight breezes.

For high lakes it’s better to be able to cast accurately to different rocks on the shore than it is long distances, but distance will improve with practice. Still, brush and trees will be the enemy and you’ll be forced to look over your shoulder to see how to avoid them as you cast. It’s important to get the timing and movement down so you’re not making wind knots in the leader, snapping off flies, or constantly getting tangled up.
If you can’t figure out how to cast, have a friend show you, or go to a fly shop and pay for an hour of time for them to show you what’s going wrong.

One weekend my nephew asked me to line him out and show him how to cast - every night he’d practice on the lawn, I stopped in after a few days to help with the problems he couldn’t figure out, and the next weekend he caught a bigger cutthroat than I ever have on his first day of fishing. Lol

When you’re starting out don’t skimp on leaders - pack at least 4 for each of you and you’ll still come back with short fat stubs. By the best line you can afford, and a line cleaner and conditioner. Reel doesn’t matter.

If you live in a windy state, you’ll eventually gravitate to a moderate/fast or fast action - but to start with it probably doesn’t matter. As others have said, a 4 piece, 5 wt, 9’ is the go-to size for most western fishing. Weight forward floating line designed for trout is easy to find - avoid cheap line like the plague.

I like the flies mentioned above - especially elk hair cadis. Don’t forget fly floatant.

Have fun - sounds like a great time!

 

[JeffP_Or]

I will echo the TFO, Redington, Echo rods for what you are describing - all have cost effective starting points; consider a fast or medium-fast action too as they are generally easier to learn on IMO. Same sources for reels too. For what you are describing reels are simply efficient line holders as already noted - click/pawl or basic drag style is moot.
Good line - look to weight forward; easier to learn with and easier to cast with wind - a common theme on high-mountain lakes. If you have any type of float fishing in store - look for sink tip lines too.
Flies - can't miss with woolly buggers or flash-a-buggers; bead options too. Hares ear, zug bug, caddis imitations, beetles/ants/terrestrials are all winners.
The suggestion for the 10-foot rod might not be too bad - many mountain lakes have brush right to the edge and steep/deep banks and roll casting will be your only option if you don't have a packable float tube or inflatable kayak. I have also used 7-foot rods with success - plus, they work well on the outflow creeks.

 

[roadrunner]

I use an 8' 4 wt Scott for fishing the San Juan in NW New Mexico, have been using it for going on 25 years now.

For most trout applications, any 8-9 foot 4 wt would be adequate.