beginner in the world of fly fishing

not to sure about the river ur talkn about but if i was to tell someone what rod to get for a beginner rod you can use for just about everything it would be a 9 foot 6wt.   there are lots of brands out there that have entry level stuff i really think they are all about the same.   as for flies you cant go wrong with wollybuggers,  san juan worm, and some nymps will get you started. 

Never made it to the White, but did fish the Little Red ALOT! The red is an awesome tailwater river. A word of warning about the tailwaters in Arkansas...Watch the river levels. If your in it when they start generating, you can be in trouble without even realizing it. My buddy had to swim across the river when he got caught on the wrong side. They sound sirens before releasing water, but you wont hear them down stream.
A buddy used to fish the White all the time, and said it was different, but the same as the Red. Ozark Angler in Little Rock could probably help you out.

ORIGINAL: doubletaper

take me along. i'll show you the ropes

He will! Then he'll leave right before the big one is ready to eat!

ORIGINAL: harrypelles
Did you write about that on your blog? I seem to remember a story about it...

Yep.

Also, to fairj...I'm not sure how big your water is, but I just picked up a real cheapy of a fly rod, an Eagle Claw Featherlight. It's a 7' 5-6wt. Just got it on the water yesterday, and it's a great rod inside 35-40'. Unless you'll really have to bang casts out there, it's a nice starter option at about $20. I wrote about my first trip with it in my blog (linked in sig). I'll have to take some more pics of the rod and (hopefully) other fish I catch with it!

I got a 7'-9" 3 wt St. Croix Avid and LOVE the thing. MSRP for the 793-4 is, I think, $230. That's a nice chunk of change, but its nothing compared to what they want for mid-grade Orvis, Sage, etc. It's a nice moderate action and a light rod w/ single-foot guides (which I like). I've got it paired up with a Teton Tioga reel that's a little nicer than absolutely necessary, but I wouldn't call it overkill by any means. Its just a nice little reel that matches up nicely with the rod and looks great.

The Red.Fly 2 seems like a solid rod, but I steered clear of a similar setup in a 7 wt for steelhead becuase of the reel. It's a graphite reel that, IMHO, just seemed kinda bulky and klunky for the price. Will it do the job? Probably. Am I willing to pony up with a little more cash for a metal reel? Absolutely.

As far as quality flyline, I've only used a very few. I have Orvis Wonderline on my 5wt. Its a great line. Floats high, low-memory, handles well in cold weather. My biggest gripe with it is that the "welded loop" on my first one came "unwelded". Orvis replaced it, no fuss, and I was pleased with that. The new line also seems good, but its too early to tell as far as the loop. I've only had it out a handful of times, usually favoring my 3 wt.

The 3wt setup is spooled with AirFlo Ridge Line. It got a strong recommendation from a few guys I've met streamside as well as the owner of a local fly shop I frequent. After fishing with it for a few months, I recommend it as well, though I'll wait till I fish it in colder weather before I pass final judgement. In normal (40 degrees and above) fishing conditions, though, it is excellent. Very high floating, low memory, shoots well, lifts of the water easily, lands lightly...the polymers used to make it differ from standard flyline, so it doesnt see the rapid degradation that other lines do in the presence of intense UV rays, bug repellent, sunscreen, etc. It does have a tiny bit of "spray", but any standard leader will have more than this line, and because of the ridges (which aid in shootability), it tends to dirty up faster than other lines, but every 5 or so trips, just run the working portion of the line through a soapy wet paper towel, then a non-soapy one and it's back like new. Even when dirty, it performs well, the only difference is that if you're used to a clean line, it wont float quite as high, it wont be as slick, and the pickup will be a little less smooth.

As far as weights, I guess my advice, like so many, is to try a few. I think a 3 wt is just about ideal for trout around here, as well as panfish, and small bass (15" and under, any larger, and you're just along for the ride till he tuckers out). Trouble is, good luck finding a shop that'll let you borrow a rod for a weekend of fishing. You'll learn to use any setup you use enough, and I think you'd do fine with a 3. The advantage of the 4 is that it does better with the bigger, heavier, bulkier flies than a 3, but I routinely throw #8 weighted buggers with my 3 with no problems that cant be adjusted for in casting style, and if you're going to throw big stuff all day...well, use your 6!

Harry when went to the neshannock i stopped at the fishing store between grove city and volant they had st croix rods on clearence. I got my self a 8ft 4wt st croix rod which only cost me 99.00 The stores name was (consumer Direct Sports Supplies ) its on veterans rd in mercer

Tank, never been to Consumer Direct. Actually, never heard of it 'till now. Just gave them a call and they are having a great deal on the Croix at the moment, but no 3wt. :-( Thanks for the heads up. I might find myself checking out the remaining 4wt they have at some point though.

Cold, I understand where you're coming from. Should I blindly order something and find myself with a, "This thing sucks" attitude, it's all on me. One man's trash/treasure and all that. I just started about a year ago so I'm not even sure what my preferences really are yet. The fly shop owner in Neshannock doesn't mind letting customers demo-try-before-buy, so I'll probably end up making a trip there first (since I'm there enough anyway ). I'm just asking around right now. I find your opinions valued because of the amount of detail you put in to your reviews. Holds water a little better than someone just saying something like, "Yeah, I like Product X."

the redfly2 you linked is a nice rod... i have a 4pc 5iron
but 4wt is a light as they go... and its a 2pc
i don't like the hardware on the reel seat and the cork and grip aren't perfect for my hand... but the $ was right


my small stream setup is a T3 7'9 2wt... for line i over weighted with 3wt RIO selective trout II (previous had wonderline )
the RIO is one of my favorite lines i have ever cast

if you are going small think about stepping up an line wt.. helps with loading up close and short
don't be afraid to go 2 or 3... and think mid/full flex
my 2 can bang some casts and has handled some nice fish

Good stuff man!

I picked up a cheap Eagle Claw Featherlite fiberglass rod over the weekend to get a taste of what I can expect from a glass rod. Here's the first fish on the bright yellow 7' 5=6wt...

Cream caddis larva...

I've got to get out to a different stream with a better mixture of fish. The clone rainbows are starting to get a little numbing. An occasional brown here and there and a goldie sitting in the same spot every day refusing hundreds of attempts from everyone.

Though, there is about 1.5 miles left of the project water in Neshannock I haven't explored yet. I'm planning on taking a full day this weekend to do just that. Forcing myself to take a step downstream after each and every toss. Unless of course I hit a motherload hole or something...

Very, very slow, low, clear water. Weightless, drift to desired depth, then pulled up and against current near the fish.

ORIGINAL: harrypelles

Well, Cold... I ended up going with another Sage. 7.5 ft. 3wt. Got the wonderline and all I can say is that it's... wonderful! Like it was manufactured from buttah! I've never been able to uncurl a line like I did tonight. I am aware it's not just the line, but the rod too. What a nice combination though.

Got it at the fly shop on Neshannock. Ended up staying at the shop well past closing time testing out rods until I was satisfied. Wasn't even a contest.

I immediately fell in love with the lighter setup. I've been used to the 9 ft 6wt and this lighter one is like tossing around silk undergarments - everything is as smooth as the wind. It's like it was reading my mind! I think a 10 hour day on a small stream for trout will be that much better/easier/"free"er with the lightweight. Although, I did hear a guy talking about is 1wt today... I think I'll be able to restrain myself from that... for now...

Oh yeah, almost forgot... The "second" trout on this rod:


It's a little blury, but from the markers on the rod, I measure it to be between 14"-15". Fun fight with such a light setup. I didn't photo the first catch tonight. I messed around with it a little too long and was afraid of it dying on me while I futzed with the picture.

 
THose are nice rods.
You almost nees one of those little, almost weightless, barstock, skeleton of a reel to balance it all. With a very light reel, that particular rod feels magical.

 new to board also, read it alot though, i will show  you how to catch fish on nymphs, caught over 500 past 2 years, retired so lots of time..let me know, i live in north central pa, lots of nice streams that still have lots of trout..email or reply if interested..release all fish..