I’d like to try my hand at fly fishing this summer. (Seriously, in case the Mods are watching.) I know very little.
My grandparents have a place in up state NY near Calicoon, NY and my dad has a place in Pennsylvania (don’t know where, but it’s somewhere near the Dealaware). I know nothing other than I know I could learn to tie the flies (I’ve worked with my hands all my life) and can cast the line (I’ve been lure fishing before – caught myself a couple of nice fish if I don’t say so myself). Also, I just saw A River Runs Through It and think I have that 10 and 2 rhythm down.
Greetings. The short answer is that if you are a total novice and want to have any hope of having a good experience with fly fishing this summer, you should hire a guide who deals with newbies on a regular basis. Many fly shops can hook you up with such a guide, and can rent you the essentials you will need to go fishing.
The long answer is that you’ll need to buy a good deal of equipment to fish – rod, reel, backing, line, leader, tippet, waders or hip boots, something to put your flies and other necessary stuff in, license – and you’ll need to spend a lot of time learning all aspects of the pursuit. I tell the people I’ve taught that casting is about the easiest part, but I have to caution you that it is significantly different from using a spinning rod to hurl bait or lures. For most people, after an hour of two of casting instruction, they can stumble into a river and throw a fly far enough to potentially catch a fish. There is a lot more to learn, however, if one has any hope of consistently catching fish.
Fly tying is another thing altogether. One can get started with a good starter kit, but doing it well and with a minimum of frustration requires purchasing good tools and good materials. One of the things that really “hooks” many fly fishers and tiers is taking one’s first trout on a self-tied fly.
If you really want to do this, buy a book for beginners or check one out of your local library. It will give you information on what you will need to get started. Orvis, Bean, and a lot of other folks publish guides for beginners. You might also want to look into going to a fly fishing school. Many fly shops offer schools over weekends with a combination of classroom instruction and on-stream activities.
If you can find a friend who’s into this and willing to help, that might provide a cheaper alternative (good fly-fishing guides tend to be expensive). I was lucky enough to get a great introduction this way. It’s fair to add that a sufficiently incompetent friend might make the expensive guide look like a bargain.
Googling “Pennsylvania fly fishing” and “New York fly fishing” produces tons of links that will tell you where to fish, and where to go to spend your money on equipment.
Of course it is better to find a friend to teach one for free and the love of fly fishing. However, if he (she?) wants to do it this summer, unless he can turn someone up pretty quickly, he’s going to have to pay for instruction.