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| Fly rod |
Question:
I am going to buy a 2nd hand rod, it has a 7#9 rating for line, will this make any difference if I use a 5 line on this rod.
Answer:
Yes, it won’t work very well, as the line is far too light to load the rod.
Casting a light line with a heavy rod, is in any case very difficult indeed for a beginner, which I assume you are.
If you wish to fly fish properly, then there is a "formula" which you should follow, as you will otherwise waste a lot of time and money.
The optimum formula is;
Learn to cast, take some lessons from a pro. Or somebody you KNOW!! Can cast properly. (This is of course optional, but will save you a lot of messing about).
Decide which fish you are going to be targeting and where. Tell the pro this, and concentrate on suitable techniques. (If you are going to be fishing small streams, there is no point in learning to belt out a shooting head).
Decide which flies you need. Limit your choice to a dozen flies. (Buy three of each fly you choose).
Buy a few knotless tapered leaders in the size required to cast the flies.
Learn how to tie tippet to these and which tippet to use.
Based on this, and your other considerations (size, weight of flies, techniques to be used), buy a fly-line. (Buy the best line you can afford)
Based on this, buy a rod to suit the line and flies you chose. As long as the rod casts alright, the price is immaterial; there are plenty of suitable "cheap" rods available.
Buy a reel to hold the line. For normal trout fishing (and indeed practically any fishing in the UK) get the cheapest and lightest you can find. It only holds the line, and is not used for fighting fish, and does not have to be anything special. For other fishing, ask the pro what he recommends.
Buy the flies you decided you needed, and a good box to but them in. Make sure the boy has a hole in it somewhere, for attaching to a lanyard. There are a large number of cheap plastic foam-lined boxes available for this purpose. Stick to a small collection of good flies in various sizes, appropriate to the techniques you are going to use. Learn how to use these, and extend your collection if desired. A box full of flies is a fairly useless attribute for most beginners, as they do not know how or when to use them. A small collection will help you gain experience and confidence, without confusing you.
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