Anyone fly fish? Just picked up a rod

Cluster F

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Anyone around Marlborough fly fish? Been wanting to get into it for a little but. The barrier of entry is a tad different than normal fishing. I have only ever fished for bass and stuff so I’m looking to try to do the same. I really don’t care if I just catch sun fish and stuff at first. I mainly fish from a kayak but does anyone know any spots I might have luck from shore that has enough room for a total newb to try? I still need to set my rod up and I just picked up two flys. I also need to hammer down the basics in my yard. Cabelas had the big horn rod and reel combo for half off so I picked that up.
 
Spend some time in your yard with no hook and just a little fly and practice with a target.

I started fly fishing as a kid and had a lake in my back yard. I worked so hard that I embedded the reel mount into my hand and did not even know it. It took two weeks to heal. By the time I was 16, I could roll cast 50 feet and overhead cast 70.
 
Waiting for the rain to let up so I can mess around. Been watching every YouTube video I can one what I’m supposed to be doing with my hand and my other hand tending the line. Mind blown haha compared to using a bait caster or spin
 
Not sure if they are still available, but many years ago I got a couple of books for Middlesex County called: "Fishing Guide to South Middlesex Ponds" and "Fishing Guide to Middlesex Rivers". The Pond book lists in Framingham the ponds, Farm Pond, Gleason Pond, Learned Pond, Nortons Pond, Sucker Pond, and Waushakum Pond. I never fished any of them, but thought you could check them out since they're in your town. There is always the Charles River, especially along Medfield, Dover, Sherborn, Wellesley, South Natick, etc. It used to be good fishing all along those areas.
As mentioned above, develop some good roll casting techniques as well as regular casting. Roll casting allows you to fish areas where you can't back cast.
 
Practice in the yard watch YouTube videos all good stuff as others have said
Head out to the swift river or you have the Quinapoxet in Holden. Good luck it’s like guns next thing you will have 10 rods and 100’s of flies then you have to get into saltwater fly fishing
 
Get variety of small floating poppers for bass and warm water fishing.
You'll have a blast. A great way to learn.
Wooly buggers are ideal for both bass and trout.
buy a variety box of dry flies, and a few weighted ones.
Pick up a book (or app )on knots, and practice perfecting a couple of the basics.
 
Back home in Tennessee I'd fish my local spring fed rivers for smallies and tailwaters for trout. Occasionally I'd get up in the Smokies to fly fish. Also had some great fishing in the Ozarks and out west.

Not sure when bluegill are on their beds here, but a small cork popper bug or a rubber spider can be dynamite when they are guarding their beds. Big fat bluegill, perfect for the pan. That roll cast can be handy if fishing a pond from the bank, but if from canoe/kayak you'll use a normal cast. Once your accuracy is OK, fish poppers at the edge of where trees drop into at least 3 feet of water.

In larger, somewhat slower rivers you can get some nice hits where moving water goes past cover. Guess I need to get my butt out there- I've been here a few years and haven't fished the Quinnie, which is only a couple miles from my house!
 
Nice! Where did you catch it?
Just a spot in stow. A a lot I know that has a clear area to mess with my cast. I was assuming I would just snag some sun fish. Nice little top water hit. Is it the practice to gently pull the fish in by playing the line in. Or eventually using the reel
 
I was taught how to fly cast and tie my own flies by a man in his eighties when I was around 10-11. Great fun and feeling of accomplishment.
 
Just a spot in stow. A a lot I know that has a clear area to mess with my cast. I was assuming I would just snag some sun fish. Nice little top water hit. Is it the practice to gently pull the fish in by playing the line in. Or eventually using the reel

For pretty much any freshwater fishing, I'm always stripping in the line. You get a feel for whether or not the fish could break your leader if it runs hard, which at that point the line is still between my fingers but I let the fish run with it. Nearly all the time I'm controlling the 'drag' with my fingers if breaking the leader is possible. If a big enough fish to take all the line, then you let it run into the line/backing from the reel. I've only had a couple of monster trout do that.
 
There are a couple of books about MA and NE fishing access. I'll take photos of cover and post later.

I was a Backcountry guide in SW MT (Yellowstone) for 3 years in college, and recently relicensed as a MT guide to help him on drift boat trips for a few weeks in August. I don't bother trout fishing in NE. Sorry, just ain't the same. I'll fly over to Pulaski for steelhead and I'm getting into stripers from a sea kayak which scratches the itch. 32" 10# Lake Erie steelhead on the swing with a 6wt trout rod you'll froget all about 8" NH brookies.
 
i've only known a couple of guys who fly fished. holy cow, if you think regular spinning reel fishing is an obsession, fly fishing raises it up several notches above that.
 
Just a spot in stow. A a lot I know that has a clear area to mess with my cast. I was assuming I would just snag some sun fish. Nice little top water hit. Is it the practice to gently pull the fish in by playing the line in. Or eventually using the reel
Generally you use the line unless you get a monster that you need the reel. The majority will be by line.
 
There are a couple of books about MA and NE fishing access. I'll take photos of cover and post later.

I was a Backcountry guide in SW MT (Yellowstone) for 3 years in college, and recently relicensed as a MT guide to help him on drift boat trips for a few weeks in August. I don't bother trout fishing in NE. Sorry, just ain't the same. I'll fly over to Pulaski for steelhead and I'm getting into stripers from a sea kayak which scratches the itch. 32" 10# Lake Erie steelhead on the swing with a 6wt trout rod you'll froget all about 8" NH brookies.

Believe it or not, a few years back I had a section of the Firehole near steaming hot springs all to myself on opening day. Spitting a little snow and rain but not terrible. Killed it with a locally tied realistic caddis fly- beautiful fat rainbows. Didn't see another person until ~11am.
 
Spey casting is another good technique to use with little room behind you. When you start tying your own flies let me know, I can make some material donations.
 
I lived in Yellowstone from March 1 - August 15 in 1995 and wandered around with a backpack and a fly rod for 6 months (same year they released wolves in Lamar Valley, which has been a disaster for Ranchers, but that's another story).

Seven-mile hole for the July 1 opener in a low-snowpack year will literally wear your arm out with 18" - 24' inch braindead-stupid native Cutthroats on 3" Salmonflies, and you'll have the Canyon to yourself, with the 7 mile, 1500' vertical drop hike in, and out if you don't camp there.

Believe it or not, a few years back I had a section of the Firehole near steaming hot springs all to myself on opening day. Spitting a little snow and rain but not terrible. Killed it with a locally tied realistic caddis fly- beautiful fat rainbows. Didn't see another person until ~11am.
 
I lived in Yellowstone from March 1 - August 15 in 1995 and wandered around with a backpack and a fly rod for 6 months (same year they released wolves in Lamar Valley, which has been a disaster for Ranchers, but that's another story).

Seven-mile hole for the July 1 opener in a low-snowpack year will literally wear your arm out with 18" - 24' inch braindead-stupid native Cutthroats on 3" Salmonflies, and you'll have the Canyon to yourself, with the 7 mile, 1500' vertical drop hike in, and out if you don't camp there.

Nice! I'd like to do that sometime. The day I mentioned featured my family sleeping in at West Yellowstone, so it was basically drive-thru fishing for me that day. I did get the kids fishing a creek on a nice sunny day during that trip.
 
If you ha e 2 flies for a 3 hour trip, what will you be doing with the 2:48 you have left after losing your bait?
 
For practice casting, a piece of yarn tied to the end of the leader can simulate the resistance of a small fly. Never cast the fly line with a "bare" line - always have a leader of some sort attached or the fly line will takea beating. Wearing a hat and eye protection while casting can prevent painful lessons.
 
It is too bad you do not live closer to me I would be more then happy to give you a few lessons. There is a lot more to fly fishing then just casting. You need to learn about knots, insects and fish behavior along with types of fly fishing tackle and how to use them. I started fly fishing at the age of 12 and I am 68 now. I have fished for almost all species of fish fresh and salt water with a fly rod. I mostly fish trout and salmon though.
 
Sudbury Reservoir has large selection of species of fish to catch. I know lots of spots from shore. Just look out for the poison ivy!!! Amazing how close fish are to shore .... you don’t need to be able to cast far. As stated: roll casting is your friend. Drop me a pm sometime. CF.
 
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