Lip-ripper Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 A few years back I inherited my grandfathers Fly gear. I know absolutely nothing about fly fishing, but have practiced casting and feel ready to give it a try. I took a bunch of pictures of the gear I have and need a couple things from you. First off, from what you see, what species should I target with it? I realize that with fly-fishing, you need specific rods and line weights depending on what you fish for. I think he fished mainly specks, rainbows and possibly bass as well. What do you think? Second, I realize it's older gear. Is it obsolete? If I really want to give this a go, should I get more modern gear? If so, what should be replaced other than the line? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 You definitely don't need modern gear to flyfish... I would guess that's a 6-7wt... Should have no problem tossing a few of those poppers for bass. If you are after small resident stream trout you'll want something a bit lighter (4wt for example) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 As per the label on your rod it's an 81/2' 6-7wt. A good all around rod for both trout and bass. You won't be able to use the lines or the leaders, they'll likely be pooched after all these years. You may be able to rejuvenate the lines a bit by removing them from the reels, stretching them to attempt to remove the memory and cleaning them thoroughly with armour all. The first reel is kind of neat...it's an automatic fly reel. More of a novelty item than anything else. They were mildly popular with the masses when they first came out but never really caught on for obvious reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky or Specks Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 I love the ole automatics.But yes the springs break pretty easily. A 6/7 is a nice beginner combo as it allows you to do most things adequately. For trout it will be nice for chucking streamers. Might be a good time to get it out down at the river mouths with some egg sucking leech patterns. You will definitely need new leaders and tippet though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip-ripper Posted March 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Thanks for the quick replies guys! It's actually the same reel in both pics, I just took a picture of both sides of it. Same with the rod. As for line, does that mean I should buy 6 or 7 weight line for it? Does colour matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky or Specks Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) Without feeling the rod its tough to tell if a 6 or a 7 would be better but err on the heavier side (7) as at least you'll get load but you might have to slow down your casting motion. A WF 6 would probably also work Edited March 13, 2012 by Musky or Specks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nipfisher Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Ryan have some older fly gear here and haven't used it since I was out west 12 years ago. Lets hook up and chuck some flies. PM me and we can go give it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyb Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 I can think of a few ponds to use that gear on I'll bring miy 7-8 and give it an honest go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Thanks for the quick replies guys! It's actually the same reel in both pics, I just took a picture of both sides of it. Same with the rod. As for line, does that mean I should buy 6 or 7 weight line for it? Does colour matter? My mistake. The backplate of that reel sure looks like an automatic, but it isn't. It's a standard single action reel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabluz Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 There is still a lot of fishing action that can be done with that outfit. Especially if you are new to fly fishing. The answers you have already received have been good. The dry flies in the 7th photo are "still-water flies", they lay on the surface of the water. They imitate "spent" mayflies after they have laid their eggs. The trick is to cast them out and let them sit or barely move them. The other flies are wet flies, a couple of streamers and floating bugs. The leaders are probably still ok because they look unused. Give the tippets (thin part) a tug to see if they are still at around their rated strength. The line looks like it is nice and clean. Since it is yellow, it's almost certainly a full floating double taper. Floating fly lines are most often very light in colour. The reel is very nice and will work very well with that outfit. The rod is a fiberglass rod and you will find that the action is just slow enough to easily learn how to fly cast. If you really enjoy fly fishing, you can buy more modern, lighter, faster fly fishing equipment later. For now, you can consider that you have a nice gift that dates back to the mid 70's. It would have even been a perfect beginner's (serious beginner) in those days. Yes....it's for trout, bass and even walleye and panfish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 The leaders are probably still ok because they look unused. Give the tippets (thin part) a tug to see if they are still at around their rated strength. Anything that old from the early to mid seventies is worth keeping as a keepsake, but will have long since lost it's strength. The rod is a fiberglass rod and you will find that the action is just slow enough to easily learn how to fly cast. It's graphite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bondar Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Graphite no way where would you ever get an idea like that ......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabluz Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Anything that old from the early to mid seventies is worth keeping as a keepsake, but will have long since lost it's strength. It's graphite. Then the outfit dates from the early to mid 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Then the outfit dates from the early to mid 80's. The rod does. The reel, line and tippet are most likely early to mid seventies. Have a closer look at the first picture. Edited March 14, 2012 by solopaddler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopheraaron Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Judging by the fly selection he was after everything, I'm not sure about the quality of the reel but it may need to be replaced, definitely replace the line and tippets. With that weight you should be able to take on anything, just not the really strong things like salmon or musky. Also be sure to carefully check the rod for any defects (hairline cracks, thread unspooling, etc...) if you find any you may want to reconsider using it for the same things, you could probably still use it for small trout and panfish if you find any defects, just be careful with it. P.S. If you have to replace anything instead of trashing it you may want to look up it's value online, some of that stuff is pretty collectible. Edited March 14, 2012 by Richmond Hill fisher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now