New Fly Angler

I want to try and strat fly fishing.  And I have a really dumb ? that you will probably be like well duh.  But explain fly line weights.  And what does this mean to tippets?  I have no idea.  I see rods and lines set up for 2# or 4# or watever.  What is a good rod and line for basic stream trout fishing?  I've never been much into fly fishing but owuld like to start.  What does the line weights break down into in basic lb.s

Thank you

There is no correlation between fly line weight and lb test.  The line weight classification is more of a guideline relating line weight to fly size, fish size, stream/river size, and the method of fishing you choose.  I don't think there is anywhere you will find a concrete chart of line weight vs. type/technique of fishing. The lower the number of line weight the "lighter" the rod will be.  The higher the line weight the easier it will be to cast larger flies, and it will be accompanied by a heavier rod.  For example; a 2 weight is geared towards fishing small water with small flies in anticipation of catching small fish.  On the other hand an 8wt would be for fishing big flies, such as those used for bass and pike, or for casting heavy nymph rigs for salmon/steelhead.  There is much more to it but, this will hopefully give you a general idea of the concept.
 
When selecting a rod for trout, they will broken down into three categories; moderate, moderate/fast, and fast actions.  Since you are just starting out, I am sure you will want a versatille rod.  A moderate/fast action is arguably the best for a variety of situations.  A fast rod is unnecessary for most PA applications, they are not very forgiving and don't cast well until you have a good bit of line out.  In most instances you will be fishing with less than 30ft of line out so a mod. or mod/fast will be your best bet.
 
Like JM said a good all purpose rod would be a 8'6''-9' 5wt.  I prefer a 9' 4wt for my all purpose trout rod.  If you go with a 5wt you can use it for throwing light bass flies and even use it for some PA steelheading.  Like stated above it would be in your best interest to cast a handful of rods at a local shop to see what fits you best.
 
Bottom line, I would look for a 8'6"-9' 4wt or 5wt in a mod/fast action.    

Thanks alot guys this really helped.  What are you opinions on automatic fly reels?

I think you should avoid them like the plague.... automatic reels.

There is a lot to consider when buying a rod and fly line and I suggest you talk to someone face to face who knows what they are doing.... a local shop! Theres WF, DT... triangle tapers, special lines for different temps.

Call fly fishers and see if they have any of the spring classes still open, you would benefit greatly to take one of them... or you can call me ;) .

ORIGINAL: bigcountryhuntr

Ok finally got my set up.  Plueger trion rod 9 foot 5 wt with flueger 1956 trion series reel cortland 333 pro WF 5# floating line and some cortland premier 5x tippet o yeah and some scientific angler 20 lb braided backing.  What is the difference between leader and tippet is leader the line that goes form fly line ot tippet or can oyu just tie tippet onto fly line?  I dunno.  But with first day coming up around here on the 12th im heading to bob's creek and hopefully 2nd or third week ima try and go to the lil j'.  Ok my uncle lives by the oak spring winery like from on 99 north do i exit to find the lil j and maybe a good hole or two.  I just want to find it and hopefully try my luck with the new set up.  ima just stick with eggs and maybe a few maggots or something since i've only fished spin rods until now.  But i will try and use some flies when i can figure out a lil bit on how to cast accurately.  So if you see a guy that looks like a lineman in a camo cowboy hat on swearing that the creek as i snap off a snag just say hey.

Youll be doing yourself major injustace to just fish bait on a fly rod, its not effeciant. As for your tippet question... tippet is leader material, but its the end of the leader. Seeing as you only bought 5x, you better head back to the store and buy a tapered leader thats 9' and ends at 5x. As you start trimming back the line from tying on and losing flies, you can replace the smaller end section with the 5x you bought.

My leader formula looks like this.

34" - 20lb
16" - 15lb
16" - 12lb(I think this is Ox)
16" - 8lb(2x)
14" - 4x or 3x
12" - 5x or 6x
(If I plan to nymph alot, ill take the 5x/6x section away and end with 26" of 4x)

Using bait isnt going to help you learn to cast accurately. I dont wanna sound like a jerk but sounds like you just want to catch fish. If thats the case, do yourself a favor and take the spin rod with you the first day because your prob gonna spend a good amount of time cleaning up leader knots. If you want to learn to cast, go out in the yard this week and try it.

I personally am self taught from casting, tying, leaders, hatches.... it wasnt a quick learning curve. You really need to spend some time with someone who knows the sport or be prepared to read A LOT and watch videos and anglers on stream. Be prepared to approach **** near anyone you see and ask for help. Fly fishing isnt an easy game and so many things can make the difference between catching fish and walking away empty handed.

I wish you the best of luck in your adventure. If I can be of any help let me know. While I cant really dedicate the time to teach you a lot I will share some info with you.

The DH on the Little J is in Bellewood, which is a little north of Altoona and a little bit south of Tyrone.  The rest of the river downstream from there is open to year round fishing as well.  It is not stocked with adult trout like the DH section, it is stocked with fingerling browns.  From Tyrone the whole way down to the mouth is all pretty nice water.  Im not sure how long that stretch is but it has to be close to 15 miles if not more, I think it is all-tackle catch and release, so it is open all year.