Whats important and what's not in fly fishing. Things I learned the hard way.

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  • Опубликовано: 6 янв 2025

Комментарии • 73

  • @beckyfrogers
    @beckyfrogers 2 месяца назад +5

    A nuanced approach! The Sunglasses are great, but they also protect your eyes. If your new to the sport, don't forget a hat, a gust of wind can change your day. As far as your rod and you really want to take up fly fishing, go to a fly shop and cast a few before you buy. Reels are important, drag is important, ask anyone who's lost a large fish because the tippet broke. Old guy's who grew up on click-n-pawl are one thing, but if your new to the sport get a good disc drag. Pick your line to your surroundings, if you know your going to fish tight creeks with brush, use a double taper which can lay down a soft dry fly and roll cast when there's no room. If it's a lake or large stream, go with a weight forward. There are so many lines out now it's easy to get overwhelmed, so talk to fly shop. Equipment and gear, a fly box, nippers, hemostats and net are the essentials, how you carry them can be the difference between frustration and joy. Don't buy something with a thousand pockets and zippers, buy something that works for you.I'm not suggesting someone starting out should go and buy a Orvis Pro fly vest, but I do suggest looking at it. Everything on the vest is clean, nothing to snag on, it's set on a centerline, it's neat and organized. I'm not promoting a brand, I'm promoting a point, if theres a zipper or anything sticking out, your tippet can find it and snag which means the fly can. Simms makes a good product and of course Fishpond. Last, but not least, understand your short comings. I'm 65 and I'm not the agile man of my youth, experience has taught me to use a walking stick, stay safe! Take a class, hire a guide, practice, just remember this is supposed to be enjoyment!

  • @garykort
    @garykort Месяц назад +1

    Hi, I'm in northeast alabama right now and enjoyed your information. I've been fly fishing for 60 years and still enjoying everything about it.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  Месяц назад

      always something new to learn, that's why I love it.

  • @Ade24621
    @Ade24621 2 месяца назад +1

    Thank you. 100% correct in every point. The length was perfect. You obviously know the sport inside out and i can only you must be a brilliant teacher. I have a lot of clear mountain streams locally. Beautiful, hard to catch trout in hard to cast locations. Sometimes, i pay for a day on a stocked lake just to catch a few fish. It gives my confidence a boost and, as you say, "gets the catching out of my system." And yes, you will fall... never forget the belt on your waders. Stay safe, enjoy every aspect, and have patience. You will get tangles and knots

  • @Tjk186
    @Tjk186 2 месяца назад +2

    Knowledge is one thing …wisdom from experience is another …thanks for sharing your wisdom 👍🏿

  • @DenisBurke-vb6vh
    @DenisBurke-vb6vh 2 месяца назад

    Becoming a decent or good fisherman first is important. I fished daily and nightly using spinning and conventional gear. You can’t catch fish if you don’t know where they live and fly fishing will be more difficult if you don’t produce and become discouraged. This was before the internet and social media. I met people , fished with other people and even ended up guiding as a second job. I got into fly fishing from watching Flip, Jose and Mark Sosin on ESPN and wanted to catch tropical game fish ( tarpon/snook and striped bass/ bluefish. Bought a cheap cabelas fly rod 8wt and reel and the rest is history. Bought my first fly from Enrico Puglisi at his shop in Little Neck Queens Ny. I learned to cast on my own which was painful and it took a while to catch my first striped bass. Back then there were few people saltwater Flyfishing and wished I had a mentor. Today I use the long wand 90 percent of the time living in SWFL mostly targeting tarpon. Nothing beats a 120 lb fish ripping line through your fingers and jumping 6 feet into the air. It is hard but very rewarding. Thanks for the video.

  • @douglaskerr2680
    @douglaskerr2680 2 месяца назад

    Sending a big thank you to you i was partially taught by my father and self taught on the little manistee in the 90's, so i had 30 years of bad habits to undo. So a few years ago i took several of the free AATU casting classes you were giving at Riverside Park in AA. What a great improvement it made in my fly fishing. So, thanks again. I really appreciated the time you took with us

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      Wow! Thanks alot. Great to hear it was some benefit. I really never know if what I do helps. This encourages me to continue.

  • @waynespringer4328
    @waynespringer4328 2 месяца назад +1

    Mike I liked this video. I too, am a 5ft-7in chubby fly fisherman. I learned to Fly fish on Michigan's Pere Marquette River around 1978. WayneO

  • @rodlawson160
    @rodlawson160 2 месяца назад

    Fantastic video,when I started out I went crazy buying a ton of stuff that I didn’t need and most of which now sits in a cupboard guiltily gathering dust!
    There’s old saying that goes “most fishing tackle shops sell things to catch fishermen rather than fish”is so true!
    Another bit of advice I would give is join a fly fishing club (I’m in NZ so I’m not sure if such things exist in the States but if they do it’s well worth doing)
    failing that the “find someone to fly fish with” is excellent advice,just simply watching an experienced fly fisher can really help you work out where you might be going wrong!

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      Wow NZ ! We have many fishing clubs and two large ones, Trout Unlimited which has a conservation point of view and Fly Fishers International which has more of a fishing focus. Both are great places to learn from "the Old Guys".

    • @HondoTrailside
      @HondoTrailside Месяц назад

      The problem with either of those suggestions is there are many areas where there are a lot more fisherman than fish, particularly salmonids. Basically you are asking people to provide a service for which the going rate is $1000 dollars a day.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  Месяц назад +1

      @@HondoTrailside If you love the sport you give back. There are no shortages of folks who are happy to teach someone new to the sport.

  • @gronthomson
    @gronthomson 2 месяца назад

    Thank you, MIKE! Excellent video and advice. I enjoy ALL of your videos!

  • @Beardedfurflinger
    @Beardedfurflinger 2 месяца назад

    2 words personal preference,I'm self taught & 40 + years fly fishing,your information is spot on & a welcome addition,"Don't" watch a video & think I can do that,it takes time,practice & a big heap of patience,fly fishing is a mixture of art & science,I welcome all new comers with open arms & taught a few,go to a shop,explain your interest & take a class,then above all else don't buy into the need for all the gizmos & gadgets,then start out slow,local pond or creek for bass & bluegill,tight lines 🤙🇺🇸

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      thanks so much for that thoughtful reply. Its really easy to get sucked into the fly fishing industrial complex. Just enjoy it.

  • @roncurrie5426
    @roncurrie5426 2 месяца назад

    Awesome information im almost 60 and self taught i wish i had taken a class when i started but in nova scotia in 1979 they wernt teaching fly fishing on every corner lol but i have learned one thing when it comes to gear the best thing to upgrade is your line. Thanks again from one chubby fisher to another

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      We hear that a lot at our school (TUFFS.org,) People say they wished they had started at the school. I agree the line is very important.

    • @HondoTrailside
      @HondoTrailside Месяц назад

      True, and odd. Because every second corner had a Salmon River on it, and they were fly fishing only. The Atlantic provinces are the only places I have been where you can go into a Canadian tire and find a rack of fly rods. Or where Wal-Mart sells fly tying equipment.

  • @flyfish6473
    @flyfish6473 2 месяца назад

    I'm self taught, 35 yrs ago, and a minimalist, and agree with all your points. I will say though at my beginning, a Dave Whitlock vid helped me with my casting using his hammer analogy. Also, if you have bad eye sight, a clip on the bill of your hat magnifying lens is a must when tying on size 16 and smaller flies.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +2

      I had the magnifier on my cap until I just had it built in to my sunglasses. Getting old sucks!

    • @flyfish6473
      @flyfish6473 2 месяца назад

      ​@MikeMouradian, I'm going to look into Zenni. Thanks for the tip.

  • @DrDitchpickle
    @DrDitchpickle 2 месяца назад

    Great video man! Everything you said rings true.

  • @christopherdouglas-i4u
    @christopherdouglas-i4u 2 месяца назад

    Regards the reel being unimportant , it all depends on where and what you are fishing for . If you're lucky enough to be starting out fishing in saltwater say for bonefish in the Bahamas (my introduction to fly fishing ) a reel with a quality drag is essential . Agree on pretty much everything else you say in the video .Also strongly agree that getting some lessons from a pro re. casting basics is an excellent idea .Better to get a solid foundation from the onset rather than trying to unlearn bad technique later !!

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      absolutely need a good reel drag for bone fish , steelhead..... but that's pretty specialized . this was for people just starting out.

    • @HondoTrailside
      @HondoTrailside Месяц назад

      It is more complicated now that there are cheap reels that look like a million bucks. But over my career, it was worth splashing out a little on a Marquis or a Ross R, and you have it for life. They still sell for about what I paid for mine, so while you don't get them for free, there is still someone who wants them when you are done. Same thing with vises. I went through an Indian vise, then a Real Thompson A, and then in 1980 I bought an HMH for $112.00, and I still use it today, it looks as good as new, except for the "patina" on the base.
      I have a Billy Pate Tarpon reel I never fished (Eddie Bauer kept going out of business in Toronto). But if I retire to Florida I can break it out and it will be the same experience that the originators had. Every year there is some new super reel, but they don't have any history, and probably never will.
      One new thing is Carp fishing. You can find it in a lot of places, and the larger fish will rip line.

  • @MB-ne8pq
    @MB-ne8pq 2 месяца назад +1

    mmm...I didn't think about buying polarized sunglasses when I started flyfishing about 60 years ago, and haven't ever thought about it since. That's #1 on the importance list??

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      I'm always shocked when river fishermen don't have polarized lenses . I'll hand them a pair and a whole new world opens up.

    • @giovannigaleotti2623
      @giovannigaleotti2623 Месяц назад

      Polarized glasses are an unfair advantage: cheating....😂and I don't like seeing nature through tinted glass. It's possible to learn to read water without them but they are a shortcut.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  Месяц назад

      @@giovannigaleotti2623 also for safety reasons too

  • @soundbwoikilla764
    @soundbwoikilla764 2 месяца назад

    Thanks for the practical advice. I've given this a lot of thought since starting fly fishing and would add the following. The total cost of entry to fly fishing (rod, reel, gear, flies etc) when you add it all up is steep and can be barrier for many (especially if you come from spin fishing where you can buy a rod and reel for $35 at Walmart and catch 5lb bass). Don't believe the hype about having to spend $$$ on anything. The budget stuff (rods, reels, fly lines, flies and most gear) works perfectly fine for trout fishing. I have to disagree about buying your first rod from a fly shop. To them, a beginner rod and reel will be at least a few hundred dollars when in reality a Maxcatch rod/reel for $100 (or less) will be just fine. And before buying a rod, figure out what type of water and size you'll be fishing (and fish you are targeting). Don't automatically get a 9' 5wt rod. If you're on the East coast where there are a lot of small, tight streams, you might be better off with shorter rod. Fishing with an old guy is sage advice, look for a local club or Trout Unlimited chapter, they often have fish with an old guy outings. I could go on.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      Fly shops are good and bad. I know shops that have starter kits and if you want you can trade up. The advice from a local shop will steer you in the right direction and will ask the questions you pose.

  • @feltn78
    @feltn78 2 месяца назад

    Great info! But seriously folks you can have a blast catching any kind of fish where you live. Small mouth bass are every where and great action on a fly rod.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      I bet I fish for small mouth about 60 percent of the time.

  • @mikevdb6386
    @mikevdb6386 2 месяца назад

    Your Belgium namesake would agree with you completely: keep it simple, take lessons, and have fun fly fishing.

  • @ejmacewan8942
    @ejmacewan8942 2 месяца назад +2

    🎉🎉🎉🎉 FASCINATING,,, BALANCED,,, FROM A GUY YOU WANT AND ENJOY LEARNING FROM,,, NOT ONLY A DECENT MAN,, YET EXPERIENCED,’, 🎉🎉 W O W ,,, WE ALL NEED MORE GUYS LIKE MIKE,,, ON RUclips INSTRUCTION,,,, RATHER THAN,,, “” GIVE ME CLICKS AND TYE THIS OR EAT THIS,, ETC,,, PRESENTATIONS”” … THANK YOU SIR,, IVE SUBSCRIBED,, DUE TO YOUR DEDICATION, AND ETHICS 🎉🎉 STAY SAFE,, 😮

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      Wow, Super Thanks....I'm trying

  • @ryanbeebout7676
    @ryanbeebout7676 2 месяца назад

    Great advice.

  • @deckstare
    @deckstare 2 месяца назад

    thanks for the video

  • @wschield608
    @wschield608 2 месяца назад

    This is the first video of yours that I’ve watched and I truly enjoyed it. And yes, I subscribed. 👍🏻Thank you!
    I’m 72 and only took up fly fishing 14 months ago. Yes, I watch RUclips videos, lots of videos. I immediately signed up for fly fishing classes. Even though the classes were 2 1/2 hours away in Indianapolis they were the closest place I could find. You see no one fly fishes around here.
    You mentioned using 3 targets. Are there specific distances you would recommend?

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      Great you took classes. Saved you 10 years of frustration. As for the practice... Just put out three things out about 30 feet at 90degrees and 45 degrees and cast to them in a variety of patterns. this help you react quickly

    • @wschield608
      @wschield608 2 месяца назад

      Perfect! Thanks.

  • @smkunder1
    @smkunder1 2 месяца назад

    Just found you and I am excited again. I have been out of fly fishing for several years now. I want to get back into it at 70 years old. What are your thoughts?

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      Great! I think fly fishing is great low impact fishing . I would contact a fly shop or local Trout Unlimited group and get a little instruction and to look over some of your equipment. You might find a friend to fish with too! Rods and lines are so much better that 20 years ago and cheaper too. An older friend has shoulder problems and has moved to Tenkara fishing which is also fun.

  • @SirPraiseSun
    @SirPraiseSun 2 месяца назад

    do people go fly fishing before winter? my hands freeze with the water and windchill and its not even that cold/snow weather yet

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      In Michigan Fly Fishing is a 4 season game, Spring -trout, summer-bass, fall-salmon, winter -steelhead. As I get older I find winter fishing tougher so I tie flies.

    • @williammattos5
      @williammattos5 2 месяца назад +1

      Great video. So much truth here!!!

  • @waynespringer4328
    @waynespringer4328 2 месяца назад

    Oh I forgot to ask about the sun glasses' company? WayneO

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      I get all my glasses at zenni. Com. Very easy and inexpensive

  • @andrewj.karaffa7080
    @andrewj.karaffa7080 Месяц назад +1

    The reel is nothing except a holder and vehicle for your line. I use cheap reels and catch plenty of fish. Think what's practical not what's popular.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  Месяц назад

      Totally Agree, My everyday reel is a cheap $30 reel but if I'm steelheading or Carping or bone fishing a good reel is very helpful.

    • @DougLyons-d8t
      @DougLyons-d8t Месяц назад +1

      It depends on where you fish and what you are fishing for. Bigger rivers where trout have the ability to run and they have any size - you want a good real.

    • @HondoTrailside
      @HondoTrailside Месяц назад

      Sure, no reel in tenkara, and it has some advantages. But what bugs me is people saying don't buy a good reel right away. That is probably the most durable piece of gear you can get. The only cheap reel I bought around '75 that I still fish would be a Phleuger. All the rest, some of which like the 556 where darlings in their day, are long gone. And I don't fish even 25 days a year, let alone 250. I am also extremely easy on my gear.
      Rods I bought even 10 years ago are now out of date. Though oddly glass rods I bought 50 years ago are coming back into style. If you can afford it, good reels will last a lifetime. it is just a false economy not to get good ones.
      Today there is a class of reels beyond. They are works of art that can't be practically justified. They have CNC parts that are all one way this year, and some other way another year. Engineering has not much to do with it. They have massive radius's, to cheat the multiplier restrictions. They come in crazy colours. Nothing wrong with those if you want them. But they are something different. Apparently there is a Drake real now, probably a Diddy reel next, and maybe an Epstein commemorative soon after.

  • @louispreston7374
    @louispreston7374 13 дней назад

    “You talkin to me?”

  • @Stardusted
    @Stardusted 2 месяца назад

    Thank you. Going to share this with lots of folks! I hope they subscribe too.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад +1

      thank you for your support!

    • @Ade24621
      @Ade24621 2 месяца назад

      Great advice, brilliantly said. First time I've seen this guy and subscribed before he had even finished.

    • @MikeMouradian
      @MikeMouradian  2 месяца назад

      @@Ade24621 Thanks so much!

  • @thomasleonard9685
    @thomasleonard9685 Месяц назад

    Ha!!! How do I catch a fish without 6 rolls tippet, 2 nippers, 2 ‘stats, 7 fly boxes, a net, backup nippers, floatant, extra leaders, spare spool…..
    I caught just as many fish when it was simple. The more stuff I get, it just doesn’t help

  • @jennifersontchi1221
    @jennifersontchi1221 2 месяца назад

    you're saying you learned it...on the fly?

  • @HondoTrailside
    @HondoTrailside Месяц назад +1

    The way fly fishing is going you could do worse than use a spinning rod. or at least the spinning reel. It is becoming a mono world, more like flipping or steelheading with roe. Also a lot of non-biodegradable junk left in the water.

  • @mikelundrigan2285
    @mikelundrigan2285 2 месяца назад

    The clothes should be sealed in sturdy plastic bags!