I would like to take up fly fishing, and wanted to buy a fly rod and reel. I am a experience fisherman, but not with a fly rod. any suggestions?

 

There's a shop near me that has free classes from time to time, make some calls, if you find something like that you could learn the basics and try out some gear at the same time free of charge. Find a mentor or spend years just getting started.

Fly fising is great - it's a whole different experience, let us know how you like it.

 

I took the solo approach to learning to fly fish. I'm still learning. It's that kind of sport, but If I could do it all over again, I think I would have done the lesson thing. I now have some bad habbits that are difficult to lose that I don't think I would have acquired with direction to avoid them. You miss out on alot when you read up on FF, then try to apply it on the water. Once your practice becomes flawed, it's hard to fix it. Better to have bad practice caught and corrected before it becomes habbit.
Great sport though. You'll love it. A study in entimology to boot. I'm pretty sure that you'll be challenged for progression toward expertise for the rest of your life. Very fulfilling.

I like Fenwick. Fairly priced and good quality. Costco has fly rod and reel combos for cheap that would be good to learn on, and would give you time to decide if you really do want to keep up the effort. I believe the sets they have are of the Martin brand.

The most important equipment, other than line and flies, is the rod. The reel is simply a storage for line. Most of the actual action is with the rod itself.

You can practice at a football field, with a piece of yarn tied to the end to simulate the fly. A ball field or empty golf course gives you a place to practice your cast, presentation, accuracy, and finess without getting tangled up on crud. Also, the grass is gentler on the line.

Whatever you do, DON'T bring your other fishing gear (spinning etc) with you when you are learning your skills on the water with fish sitting there just waiting to take a jump into your frying pan. Stick it out with the fly fishing day you started with or you may get frustrated and fall back on something you are good at (to save your ego). It takes lots of practice but your reward will come full in the long run.

ENJOY!

 

I also like fenwick. Berkley or Sage are other good choices for rods. Daiwa makes a decent reel. Another thing you have to consider is the rod length and weight. Shorter rods for streams with tight trees, longer for wide open places. I like to use a #6 weight rod for Rainbows between 1 and 3 pounds and a #8 weight rod for the Steelhead and other big fish coming up the river, that can be between 5 and 30 pounds..

 

Thanks guys I was thinking of taking a class at the local college, and hey they take field trips!!

 

I started three years ago, bought two outfits.... the best overall was the $150 Cabela's package my companion has! I use a St. Croix 9', 6wt, 4 pc with Orvis reel and line..big $$$ compared to the Cabela's. Why I did not just buy two inexpensive combos you ask? I did. One had defective eyes, so I thought I would upgrade right away. I went through two more rods, I did not care for. A learning experience. I also bought hundreds of $$ in flies. My most used fly by a long shot, the wooly bugger! If I had one fly, that would it. Biggest mistake, litterally, getting in over my head! Best product I found for river fishing, is the folding line tender. My word of caution, you will spend a lot of money, and it is addictive.

 

I got started on a Cabelas outfit. Recomended all the way.

 

It is the best way to catch fish on a warm summer day. Old sneaks and a pair of shorts, wade thru the creek, and watch out for the snappers!
My favorite fly fishing hole is any old creek, some lakes can be fished, but you usually have bushes and trees behind you, and have to worry about drop offs from the shore line.
You need some lessons, not necessarily a pro, but anyone that can keep a fly line in the air and then lay it out flat. How to dress your line, what size flys you can throw, and alot of technical stuff involved here.
Expect to purchasse a vest, you'll need a few things, extra tippets, box o flies, some super glue for securing knots, sewing needles, hemostats, nail clippers, line cleaner or line dressing. etc. etc. it gets complicated.
Don't even think about trying out your new oufit on a windy day, hopefully you will have a few calm days to learn the basics.
The biggest problem with beginners is that they get the leader fouled up alot, because of poor wrist action, when drawing the line out of the water and setting up the back cast, you want to get that line swinging out to your side a bit, then when you bring the line forward, it needs to come straight over your head, otherwise the tippet and fly tends to form little tangles as it makes the turn.
Don't get crazy and spend money on waders, unless you are going to fish in waters you are very very familiar with. Waders Kill, especially the cheap rubber kind that come up to your chest. We had a pro drown here about 5 years ago, had his own tackle store, been fishing for years, but he lost it in an 8 foot pool, drowned.
Good wading shoes..that is another subject.. check out the Orvis sites they have some nice wading boots, or wading shoes. There is felt on the bottom sole, felt helps you on slippery round stones, most of the wading shoes have a secure inner boot that keeps sand and pebbles out also.

PS That first sunfish is going to be more fun than you can imagine on light fly gear!