Question #2...

[5stringharp]

Intro in the newbie section. I am having a difficult time understanding different reel sizes. Would someone please explain why there are different sizes and which are specie appropriate. I do a lot of pond fishing (traditional bait casting equipment) for largemouth, so if I am fishing poppers with my Ross Gunnison #2 should work, right? Also, like to fish for Carp with topwaters. I do not like ultra light fishing, like a rod with the backbone to get the fish to the net without overplaying the fish. Once, I learn how to even hook a fish on the fly, hopefully I will have the right gear to bring them in.

On my trips to Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, would this same reel suffice for trout?

Would a 6wt not make more sense as an all around? Or for a second outfit, does skipping sizes make more sense, like 4, 6, 8?

Does the rod wt and length always go hand in hand with the reel size?

Okay, that is actually 5 questions.

Thank you.

Harp

[WanderingBlues]

Harp, welcome aboard. Your Gunnison would be fine for a 6wt, and if you purchase extra spools, you could probably drop or go up a size (5 or 7). Rod weights and lengths are dependent on what you will be doing. You could have a 10' 3wt for Czech style nymphing on a spring creek for good size trout, or a 6'10" 6wt for lobbing poppers to bucketmouths.

You'll probably end up with a quiver of equipment to cover your uses. If it's bass and some trout in the Rockies, I'd say keep your focus in the 4-6wt zone. My quiver, which is very modest, is a 1wt, 2 lengths of 2wts, 3 lengths of 3wts, a 5wt, 2 lengths of 6wts, and an 8wt. There's guys here with more than that in a single weight. Addicts

[midger]

The Ross G2 is a real workhorse and practically bullet proof. It is ideal for 5-7 weight rods so should suffice well while you are getting up to speed with this "flyfishing stuff". I saw where you stated in your intro that you liked a rod with backbone, so given that and the species you fish for, I'd look at a 7 or 8 weight rod as an addition to the 5 weight you have. No hurry, but you'll find the heavier rod will throw those poppers and larger flies a lot easier than a 5 weight does.

You can get spools for the G2 pretty reasonably on ebay, just make sure to know whether your reel is a pre 1997 or a post 1998 G2 as the spools aren't interchangeable. You can go to ross reels website http://www.rossreels.com/shop/discontinued-heritage-spools.html to figure out which model you have if you don't already know. Others who fish a lot more warmwater can direct you as to which lines you'll need but you can do a lot of fishing with a floating line while you're learning the ropes.

Enjoy your time flyfishing. It's a great sport and you're not too old to start fly tying. Bass poppers can be a lot of fun.

I would see if there are any flyfishing clubs in your area. You can learn a lot at their meetings and even pick up some flyfishing buddies to share your journey. You can also find a lot of info in larger libraries as there are a lot of good books to teach you everything from the hows to the wheres of flyfishing.

[5stringharp]

Thank you for the replies. My Ross is a pre 1997, thanks for the heads up on that one. We make a few trips to Branson and I see there is an Orvis school near there. Anyone have experience with their program?


Harp

[Ants]

Hi Harp,

Even though the question wasn't asked, here is an answer - fly tying!!

I started tying flies since it offered a way to understand fly selection. Here's an easy way to begin an understanding of fly tying and how / why of which flies to use.

Dave Hughes wrote an excellent book called Essential Trout Flies. The book gives tying instructions, but more information is given that will help you select flies even if you don't tie them.

The book presents the only classification of flies (and their variations) and gives fishing tips (that I have found so far). At some point in your fly fishing endeavors, you will come across a fly shop that has a special trout / bass / steelhead / salmon / panfish / etc. variation that you would be foolish not to buy. Dave Hughes book allows you to put this variation in perspective so hype is tempered by reality.

Fly tying - why consider it? Flies are available from under $1 each to over $2-3 dollars. Some tiers are artists and the flies are collectible and go up in value in presentation boxes with proper tier documentation. The majority of the flies are firmly anchored in trees, on underwater obstructions, or in the jaws of fish that are larger than your Tippett size or knot tying capacity. If lost flies are tallied by individual cost, a ka-Ching moment occurs as each one is lost. However, after you invest in a tying vise, and some basics flying materials, any lost fly is ignored as 10-30 cents worth of flying materials.

Fly tying also gives another avenue to gain useful information about catching fish in a new environment.

As far as how many rods and reels you accumulate, check the buying habits of other pleasurable pursuits. Fly fishing won't be any simpler (or cheaper).

Enjoy,

Ants

[5stringharp]

Thanks Ants....good to consider for the learning curve alone. The $$$ saved would be a bonus. Some of the hollow body frogs I use are $10-14 each. I typically fish a 7 1/2' heavy action rod with 65# braid for my frog fishing, so I have a little bit of a hard time imagining the lightline tactics with a fly. Was watching a youtube of a guy catching largemouth with a big ol' popper, pretty cool. Guess that is why I am little confused about reel size and rod weight for different situations.

Harp

[WanderingBlues]

You should PM Lucfish for bass advice. He is the master. My first time out for buckets, he had me dialed in.

[5stringharp]

Nice one, what setup do you use for largemouth?

Harp

[briansII]

On my trips to Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, would this same reel suffice for trout?

Would a 6wt not make more sense as an all around? Or for a second outfit, does skipping sizes make more sense, like 4, 6, 8?
Harp

I personally think it makes more sense to skip a size. If I remember correctly, you have a 5wt now, so going up to a 7wt makes sense. You could still use a 7wt for big water, big fly, big trout, and use it for your warmwater fishing too. IF you do more trout than warmwater, then a 6wt might suit you better. Just keep in mind, the bigger/heavier the fly, as in poppers, or streamers, the easier it is to cast on a heavier line/rod. The old saying, "it takes mass to move mass" applies to heavy, wind resistant flies. For reels, I personally would buy a bigger reel if you go to a 7wt or larger rod. The Gunnison would work, but would be marginal at best. Some of the bass specific lines take up a lot of space. There are MANY affordable reels now. You could get a decent reel, with a spare spool, for around $150 or less.

briansII

[5stringharp]

Thank you Brian. The rod IHave is a St Croix Imperial 1F8656 5/6 wt. Seems like a nice rod? I hve always tried to buy better gear in my baitcasters; Shimano and Daiwa, lots of trial and error over 35 years. I was looking at the Galvin Torques at a shop in Santa Fe, sure did like them.