Fly fishing is our feature topic this week because fly fishing usually involves wading in cold water.
In this heat, cool comfort is more important than catching fish, but there's no conflict because our wading streams are full of all the fish we love to catch. Our coldest streams are, of course, our tailwaters below our big hydropower dams on the White and Little Red rivers. Those, along with the Lake Norfork tailwater, are some of the world's most famous trout waters. Spring River, fed by Mammoth Spring at Mammoth Spring State Park, is an unsung favorite containing trout, walleye, smallmouth bass, Kentucky bass and largemouth bass.
You can also fly fish for bass and panfish on other streams like Kings River, Sylamore Creek, the Saline River, Ouachita River, Caddo River and Spring River.
Those are the playing fields, but this article concentrates on the tools you need to enjoy fly fishing in the state. Fly fishing is not as mysterious or as exclusive as it is made out to be. You only need a rod, reel, line, leader and flies, and a sincere desire and willingness to learn and improve.
FLY ROD
Except for striped bass, you can fish successfully for any fish we have in Arkansas with a 3- or 4-weight rod. You can start with the cheapest rod from a big box sporting goods store, but you will quickly outgrow that rod after you've handled better rods. Save yourself money on the back end by spending more on the front end for a better quality rod that will remain serviceable as your skills improve.
Distinguishing a good rod from a poor rod is subjective. The best advice is to handle a lot of rods before buying. Even a novice can tell the difference between a well-balanced, well-crafted rod over a pool cue. A good rod feels alive in the hand. It flexes in all the right places, and it has muscle in the right places, as well. When you handle a good one, you'll know it.
Save yourself some time by choosing a premium brand like Sage, G. Loomis, R.L. Winston, Orvis, Temple Fork Outfitters and Redington.
For almost all of my fly fishing I use a 4-weight Kildare four-piece rod by Reilly Rod Crafters. Chris Reilly, owner of Reilly Rod Crafters, said the Kildare is his favorite in his expansive lineup. It is definitely a purpose-driven instrument designed to do everything well. One afternoon on the Little Red River convinced me that the Kildare was my lifetime stream rod.
For bigger assignments I use a Cabelas RLS 6-weight outfit that feels and performs like it should cost a lot more than it does.
Before I upgraded, I used an Abu-Gargia 5-weight outfit for decades with great success. I still carry it as a backup. It also feels and performs like it should cost a whole lot more.
The bottom line is to start out with at least a middle quality rod. You will be a lot happier.
FLY REEL
Traditionally, a fly reel was a glorified line storage system. If you were really good, you could manage a big fish by using your palm as a drag. That has changed in recent years as advanced technology has made the reel a valuable fish fighting tool.
The evolution occurred in the early 1990s when fly reel manufacturers added adjustable disc drag systems to their reels. With a properly adjusted drag, you can use your reel to help tame big fish. This reduces your dependence on your rod to neutralize a fish's power, and it also reduces stress on your leader, decreasing the chances of break-offs.
Rusty Pruitt, my frequent fly fishing partner, uses Sage rods with Lamson reels. I use a Sage 2324 reel with my Reilly Kildare and a Cabelas RLS reel with my Cabelas rod. My Abu Garcia rig has an Abu Garcia reel. My next rod will be a Reilly 6-weight or maybe an 8-weight. It will wear an Allen reel. I also have a couple of museum pieces made by Scientific Anglers and Martin. They are merely solutions looking for a problem.
FLY LINE
A weight-forward fly line covers about 95% of all your fly fishing presentations in Arkansas. A weight-forward line is tapered so that it is heaviest toward the terminal end, providing the mass necessary to propel something as light and tiny as a fishing fly.
There are many good brands. I use Rio line on my Reilly Kildare rig. I use whatever Cabelas pre-spooled on my Cabelas rig and have no complaint with it. I use Scientific Anglers line on my Abu Garcia rig. I have also used Cortland line.
Since good line is essential to good casting, I recommend buying high-quality line at the outset. Rio line is expensive, but it really isn't when you amortize it over a period of years. Using better line will help speed your growth toward being a better fly caster.
LEADER
The leader attaches to the terminal end of your fly line. It has a thick butt that tapers down to very thin at the terminal end. Many anglers attach their flies directly to the leader.
A leader should be supple. More important, it needs to be balanced in scale with the fly line. If a leader is too heavy, the fly will not be able to stretch it out to make a proper presentation. Instead, the fly and leader will wad up and collapse in a heap that will make fish laugh at you. Your vest should always have two or three packaged leaders.
TIPPET
The tippet is thin line that attaches to the end of your leader. It is often thinner than the leader. Many fly fishermen don't use tippet anymore, but I do. I attach it with a double uni knot, and I consider it essential to proper fly presentation. Again, tippet must be in scaled balance with the leader and the fly. If you have too much tippet, it will slow down your fly and ruin your cast. It's a trial-and-error exercise, as is fly fishing in general.
Learning is a big part of the fun, but the journey starts with the right gear.