FS Digest

Hey guys I’ve always fished using spinners but after coming back from japan I’ve really wanted to learn fly fishing! What do you guys recommend as a good starting kit? And where do you recommend me going?

I live in mount pleasant, South Carolina and I have a kayak!

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by ellomatejuly

FS Digest

It's probably rough to fly fish from a kayak. I've read a very good starter is made by Kastking on Amazon. Just start out in a local river preferably that you can wade. In my experience basically anything will hit a smaller fly including panfish.

Practice in your yard or something until you feel confident. All the weight is in the front of the line.

Unless you're fishing for massive massive species like steelhead and such, I'd to with a 5/6 weight. It's good for everything from panfish to bass/walleye/pike species.

If you don't get a kit, depending on your budget spend more on the rod than the reel. Unless you're hauling in monster fish then the reel is in essence a glorified spool.

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by FailronHubbard

FS Digest

A pike might be trouble with a 5/6. But i would go lighter, a 3/4 is easier to handle.

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by imightlikeyou

FS Digest

Maybe so, but I'm not sure what species he plans to target. I think 5/6 is just the great utilitarian rod for freshwater.

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by FailronHubbard

FS Digest

I've caught more fish on a $40 walmart starter pack than with my Redington gear. Pickup a pre-packaged rig and wade fish

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by bikeandfish

FS Digest

Hell yeah thanks brother!

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by ellomatejuly

FS Digest

Mt Pleasant is a tough place to start fly fishing. Most fresh water is on private land so not accessed easily. That leaves you with a lot of salt water and the fish are tough to find if you’ve never looked. A boat is the recommended means to finding them. But without a boat, there’s a couple of places to put a kayak in and that may be your quickest way into the water. Copahee Sound has an access creek and Awendaw has an access creek. Not sure either are good for fly fishing for red fish. You’ll have to go figure it out. I would advise learning how powerful the tide water is before you decide to paddle out into an inlet or ocean or larger body of water like the Wando or Cooper or inter coastal waterway. The best way to learn is by finding small creeks to mess around in first. Like the 2 I gave you above. There’s a lot to learn and you’ll want to learn it safely. Bring water and a snack in case the tide goes out and you get stranded.

I would buy an 8wt set up. Salt water eats gear so I’d spend more than you want and then make sure you clean it up after each use. Buy wade boots too. Oysters will hurt you if you’re wading. I would also buy wading pants because the red bugs will stick to you and drive you mad if you don’t cover yourself while walking across the flats.

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by flapsfisher

FS Digest

Damn I really appreciate it! Where are you at in Charleston? Would you be down to meet up and go out?

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by ellomatejuly

FS Digest

Find a local fly shop Reds on the fly from a kayak are a challenge and a lot of fun A kayak you can stand and fish from will make seeing the fish and fly casting much easier I use a 6wt 99% of the time I have a 14ft native ultimate very stable kayak Good luck have fun post up pics when you get one

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by chuckH71

FS Digest

To get started, any basic combo starter is enough to get you going. And I highly recommend you take a lesson. Look into local fly shops and I’m sure you’ll find one that offers lessons. It’s just so much better to have a solid jumping off point, and more than anything stop bad casting habits before they start. Also check out ‘the new fly fisher’ videos on YouTube. Really helpful stuff there.

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by Blueguerilla

FS Digest

Good luck! You might be able to find some inlets near Shem Creek that you can do some fly fishing from if you want to try salt water stuff.

You might even be able to rent a SUP (stand up paddle board) from Nature Adventures and take it up some of the inlets.

Maybe try some of the rivers as well, Wando and Kiawah.

I usually just get on Google Maps and scope things out.

As far as gear, I would try a kit set up to get started. If you like it, you can always ditch it and get something better.

If fishwater outfitters is still open, they might be able to give you some better advice about things down there.

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by john_adams_house_cat

Ron620DVS Loc: Guntersville Alabama

Best Fly Fishing Starter Kits (5 Fly Fishing Rod And Reel Combo REVIEWS)

One of the biggest obstacles for beginners to overcome when getting into fly fishing is purchasing the gear. Buying your fly rod setup can be a daunting task. Fret not, for if you are armed with a little bit of basic knowledge the job is simple. With many fly fishing starter kits available on the market targeted towards beginning anglers, hitting the water is only a short order away.

Fly Fishing Starter Kits (Quick List)

Here's a quick list of the top 5 fly fishing starter kits that are mentioned in this article.


https://www.fishingskillz.com/fly-fishing-starter-kit/

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Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

I started with a 5.6 Courtland rod and reel with a weight forward float line. It worked out well for starters and I grew out into a dozen more with various reels. Sage Tand T and StCroix are all part of the arsenal now as well as well as several I custom built. Funny thing is I still go back to the $150 Courtland.