I want to get into fly fishing

[Fish Farmer]

Fly fishing has always fascinated me. Is it more peaceful then regular fishing? I just had the first of 3 surgeries where I had 3 discs in my cervical spine fused. Next surgery is going to be in June early July on my lower back so I don’t have as much pain in my leg and I can walk. Looking to tie flies until I can hit the water. Looking for what is good to get to tie flies and while i’m Down what should I get in the ways of equipment for fly fishing. This way I don’t have a big expense all at once. Thank you

What are you planning to fish for....trout, panfish, bass, pike, bowfin, stripers?

It can be as peaceful as the spot you fish or as hair pulling when those rising fish ignore everything you throw at them.

I've been fishing with fly rods since around 1994 and started with trout which I was fortunate to have good stocked and wild fisheries to get me into the "dry fly" aspect of the sport.

I rarely use spinning gear now except for lake trolling and the occasional striper trip where the wind and conditions make it impossible to fly fish.

I sometimes fish with a very skilled fly angler who ties his own stuff and frankly seeing how he fishes and what techniques and gear is available for fly angling now I can say that sub surface angling is pretty much light weight jig fishing. My buddy weights his traditional streamer patterns, uses jig head and weighted leaders and line. You could accomplish much of the same with spinning gear, long rods and jigs.

[Fishermantim]

Fly fishing can be very relaxing...or very frustrating.
It all depends on what your expectations are.

What species would you target?
Dou you have the right rod, reel, line and lure for that species?
Do you have accessible waters?

As for tying your own flies, I'd wait a little and go for experience casting and fighting fish.
Any knowledge you can obtain would be a plus, as learning anything from scratch can be time consuming.

Hope you have fun and catch fish!

[seamonkey84]

Tying flies won’t save you any money, it’s another hobby in itself with its own startup cost and learning curve. But that said, it’s very enjoyable and satisfying  .
Starting out, and even years down the road, One thing you’ll come to think over and over while your tangled in a pile of lines, why the hell am I doing this?!? Then when you feel how even a 7” trout/gill/bass fights on a fly rod, or figure out how to coax a fish to a fly, it’s all worth it... most days lol. Otherwise my 7-8wt rods double as my trolling rod with sinking line, and one 8wt is just filled with lead core. 
Whip it!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TYdkojxrEsM

[lowaccord66]

Im addicted!

[icejohn]

Just a couple fly fishing fish....nice gill and decent bass....caught about 15 gills and 3 bass on few different flies I tied...lots of fun.

[Raquettedacker]

Way to go john...

[icefisher47]

Beautiful fish, Looking to fish for trout in the beginning. Was checking out you tube videos on casting and fly tying. A lot of information out there. Going to try and tie flies while waiting for my next surgery which hopefully will let me walk without my cane. In the new apartment going to try and set up a small area.

[rgfixit]

I've been watching this thread from the start. Lots of good advice. I can't remember how long I've been flyfishing. Probably started 40 years ago. At this point I have rods from 2 wt to 12 wt. I have a room dedicated to Fly tying and all associated. To boot there's a collection of fly reels and probably 30 or more lines in the accumulation.

Here's my advice.

Get a nice 5 wt , a decent line and  a reel that will hold it. Buy a few flies and poppers and go chase trout or gills or whatever. Cast in your back yard till you feel comfortable. But....get on the water! It's different on the water.

Don't get too wrapped up in tying or casting techniques. Every fly fisher is different. We all cast in our own way. Don't try to emulate anyone or follow others instruction. Get the fly rod in your hand and find out what works for you.

And lastly....buy a wide brimmed straw hat. They're great for holding insect repellent and will keep the flies ( the flies you try to cast) out of your ears.

Rg

[Fish Farmer]

Beautiful fish, Looking to fish for trout in the beginning. Was checking out you tube videos on casting and fly tying. A lot of information out there. Going to try and tie flies while waiting for my next surgery which hopefully will let me walk without my cane. In the new apartment going to try and set up a small area.

Here are some basic flies for trout that are easy to tie and materials are basic and cheap.

For dry flies= comparaduns/haystacks. They can be tied in many colors and sizes, float well and easier to tie than traditional hackle dries. Elk hair caddis, can be tied with same materials/colors as the haystacks, larger sizes can imitate big stoneflies or hoppers.

For nymphs = bead head caddis, hares ear nymphs, brassies.

For streamers =wooly buggers, various sizes and colors, I use a bead head on smaller ones to imitate large nymphs. Small clouser minnows in various colors.