My wife and I are going on vacation later this year, part of which will be spent in Yellowstone.

I am neither an expert angler, nor am I the guy dunking squid at the pier who cranks a spinning reel upside down. However, my only experience with a fly rod is fishing for panfish in lakes, albeit with actual flies. I have never had any formal training, and am eminently capable of forming a knot in the tippet and snapping off flies.

Should I even bother? Part of me is thinking it would be a waste to go there and not at least try, but I also realize that some of the places we'll be hiking in are world-class trout streams and I don't want to embarass myself and potentially spook a whole section of river for others.

Do any of the resorts in the area offer lessons? How difficult is it to learn to cast decently? m2d? Zee? Little help here?

A small Rapala, daredevil, or spinner ought to be just fine for trout. Not worth fly lessons for just a couple of days, that's a pretty in-depth project as I'm sure you're aware. It'd probably be more frustrating than fun.

If you don't mind spending the money take a float trip down the Madson (or any river in the yellowstone area.) I was a very amature angler and my dad had never done it before and we probably brought in about 25 trout combined. Our guide was amazing and knew exactly what spot to troll through. He also was lightning fast to fix whenever we got knots or tangles in the lines.

In a nutshell, get a guide and you should catch plenty.

not hard. i encourage you to tie your own flies, even if its a complete disaster youll always have the flies to remember it by and if you catch one w/ your own fly its soooo satisfying.

Do you really think this improves the fly fishing experience? I've been fishing for about 4+ years now and never even thought to attempt to tie my own flies. I'm just not very coordinated with that kind of stuff and it never seemed appealing to me. You think I'm missing out on part of the sport?

Not to hijack thread but does anyone fly fish in the northeast? The little I've done has been out in the Berkshires (Housatonic) and either I really stink or the trout are a lot smarter here then out west.

does catching and cooking your own fish improve the fish eating experience? imo...yes.

I learned to tie my own flies at an early age because I was a broke young kid and flies are expensive. You don't necessarily need a picture book perfect fly, just get the hackle part straight enough for it to float well, and float upright.

But man, if you're going to a place where most fishermen only dream about, you GOT to try fly fishing! Maybe bring a small spinning rig just in case, but try the flies first.

What are you going to do for a rod? Are you buying one? If you come to Palo Alto I'll teach you how to cast. I think you should try to fly fish. Please don't rent a guide. It's unethical imo.

I actually have one in my possession - it's an old Shakespeare, wound fiberglass ca. 1960s (or earlier) that belonged to my grandfather. I'm not even sure what weight it is (though it's probably 5 or 6, I'd imagine). If I get a little too frisky, it will separate at the ferrule. Sentimental value, though.

If I decide to take it along, I may just check a long cardboard box into luggage because I'll likely pack a photo tripod along with it. If not, then I have a small pack rod (spinning).

I guess I could always try the bubble rig, but that seems so...does "ghetto" apply to fishing?

sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. consider pinching down the barbs on your hooks so it's easier to catch and release.

That's actually a requirement in Yellowstone, I guess. Some of the resources I've been reading even suggest replacing treble hooks on spinners/spoons with single barbless hooks.

If you really wanna fly cast, using a double taper line will make things easier. You're not going to be able to shoot 90ft. of line anyway. A double taper is a great all around, have fun, fly line. Also, if you check your 3 piece rod in a cardboard box, it'll be a 9 piece by the time you get it back. Go buy some thick walled PVC pipe, 2" in dia., and a couple of caps. Glue one cap and wrap the rod in some cloth. Instant rod case for ~ $10.

Carry it on with you. Every time I fly, some moron is carrying on a guitar case, or a wedding dress, or something else that they are not supposed to carry on. Nobody from the airline says anything because they think it's "valuable" or something.

You should learn to fly fish. It is a gentlemen’s sport. Take up Boris's offer or just learn on your own. I'm sure there are websites or simple books that will help you with the basics. Like many things it just takes some practice. Have fun.

-Zeno

Took my wife to flyfish for the first time near Yosemite several years ago. She loved it. She caught several. She was pretty stoked. I took a free flytying class about 20 years ago. It actually is pretty cool catching them on your own flies.

I don't have too much to add but I enjoyed, "Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection" and you will too.

So true.

Tying your own floes definitely adds a new level of satisfaction to fishing. It's really not that difficult either with a few tries.

My dad's a card core fly fisherman. We've fished Alaska, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Mexico, Baja, Caymans, Fiji, Christmas Island, Marshall Islands, Florida, upstate NY, the keys etc. Having a airline pilot for a dad = awesome.

Having a guide def can help but for me part of the enjoyment of fly fishing is being by myself in the water.

I agree with this, my favorite part of fishing is just standing in the middle of a river with a cigar when the sun is rising/setting. I'm very mediocre so I'm used to striking out at this point...

but I think for a first time a beginner would get so frustrated by most likely catching nothing and getting massive tangles and losing flies repeatedly. A guide would pretty much guarantee you getting to catch a few trout.

Guides suck.They put a tremendous strain on the resource and are a massive pain in the ass to other anglers. Put in the time and pay your dues to learn how to fish yourself or learn from family and friends.

I never really gave this much consideration as I've never gone on a "fishing vacation". It's always been a supplemental activity, even after HS when my parents, my grandmother and myself trekked it by car to Alaska. We just figured whatever we'd done over the years in CA would work there (and it did, for the most part).

Do you feel this way specifically about trout streams/rivers, or all facets? Personally, if I found myself someplace that absolutely required a boat, like tidal flats/mangroves, for instance, I might be more inclined to hire someone that knew WTF they were doing.

Saltwater -- guides are often a must
Unless your rafting down a river you don't really need guides on any river/stream

I'm off for some morning fly fishing. I'll give a brief report on my return.

-Zeno

My belief is that if you have hire somebody to help hunt an animal you shouldn't do it. I know I'm preaching here but that's how I feel.