Happy Saturday all!

Going to be on the Taylor river in Colorado in a few weeks. I've never fly fished but figured I give it a go.
Any recs on a good combo set?
On Sierra trading post there is an adamsbuilt 9' 5 wt for $99
Can I re-rig my spinning reels and use those as well?

Thoughts?

Can't help with flies, but panther martins will work well there.

poolct00 said:

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Happy Saturday all!

Going to be on the Taylor river in Colorado in a few weeks. I've never fly fished but figured I give it a go.
Any recs on a good combo set?
On Sierra trading post there is an adamsbuilt 9' 5 wt for $99
Can I re-rig my spinning reels and use those as well?

Thoughts?

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If you are meaning get a fly combo, and then also re-rig a spinning setup for trout- YES, do this! This is a fantastic idea. You can play around with the fly, if you are having trouble, no luck, or get tired- switch over to the spinning reel you have confidence in. Sometimes I catch more on the fly- other days, a micro jig slow rolled right on the bottom does better. Sometimes, they want to chase an inline spinner. Don't tell the fly fishing elitists I told you this- but there is no shame in catching a trout on an ultralight rig. Just make sure to check legal regs, and ensure you aren't in a "fly only" zone.

I haven never used an Adams Built, so can't comment on their quality. Maybe someone else will chime in.

If you are trying to experiment with fly fishing and save $ - Cabela's has several combos for under $100, you might consider as well. You can get a Bighorn on sale right now for $60 (normally $99 or so)- includes rod, reel, backing, and line. Good little rig to wet your appetite. Or a Wind River will probably run you right around $100-120, which is normally worth the extra $ over a Bighorn- but the Bighorn is almost $40 off right now... Good introductory rods to play with for a weekend. I have fished with a Wind River before... its not bad at all, especially for a beginner.

Or best yet, put that money towards a guide if this is your first time, and then you can get a feel for an actual rod, get a lesson, and have a better chance at catching a fish. Then you will know if you like it or not, and can invest in a good setup down the road. Orvis has some affordable good combos for starters. Currently, I'm using a Ross Eddy reel on an Echo Base rod- affordable set up that really does a good job. Struggles in wind, but that is because I got a 2/3wt pack rod more than anything else. You can get a similar Echo combo @ Cabelas (different reel) for $160.

Just my .02

I've said this before, but from my experience on the Taylor River...you should spring for a guide. That water is heavily fished and catch and release, so those fish have a PhD in detecting a fly from a real bug. If your copper John or parachute Adams is just slightly too big or just slightly the wrong color...forget it, might as well be using a rattle trap. Take the money you'd spend on the equipment and get a guide that can make the experience more enjoyable.

That's just my 2 cents. And to be clear, standing in the river and not catching anything, is still a great way to spend a few hours.

chris1515 said:

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I've said this before, but from my experience on the Taylor River...you should spring for a guide. That water is heavily fished and catch and release, so those fish have a PhD in detecting a fly from a real bug. If your copper John or parachute Adams is just slightly too big or just slightly the wrong color...forget it, might as well be using a rattle trap. Take the money you'd spend on the equipment and get a guide that can make the experience more enjoyable.

That's just my 2 cents. And to be clear, standing in the river and not catching anything, is still a great way to spend a few hours.

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This is great advice, from someone who knows the water.

I second the guide recommendation? If your in the DFW area I will loan you a rod and reel to use while your up there to see if you want to take the plunge on buying your own gear.

My dad used to own an old Wright & McGill fly/spin combo. Those were the days right down to the simplicity of using a package of their snelled hooks and a jar of Pautzke salmon eggs.

OP, don't overthink it and get too technical. Cretans like me have been able to catch a few trout here and there out west going DIY with a bit of research thrown in. Hell, you may even catch one on a rattletrap.

SanAntoneAg said:

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My dad used to own an old Wright & McGill fly/spin combo. Those were the days right down to the simplicity of using a package of their snelled hooks and a jar of Pautzke salmon eggs.

OP, don't overthink it and get too technical. Cretans like me have been able to catch a few trout here and there out west going DIY with a bit of research thrown in. Hell, you may even catch one on a rattletrap.

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Seconded. It's not hard to catch trout. You really need to focus on good access to a pocket that is likely to hold trout.

chris1515 said:

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I've said this before, but from my experience on the Taylor River...you should spring for a guide. That water is heavily fished and catch and release, so those fish have a PhD in detecting a fly from a real bug. If your copper John or parachute Adams is just slightly too big or just slightly the wrong color...forget it, might as well be using a rattle trap. Take the money you'd spend on the equipment and get a guide that can make the experience more enjoyable.

That's just my 2 cents. And to be clear, standing in the river and not catching anything, is still a great way to spend a few hours.

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This. The Taylor has a lot of really big, and extremely smart fish.

To echo what many have said, actually to shout what many have said, 'If you want to catch fish, Get a Guide!'. New or experienced Fly Fisherman on a heavily fished (or lightly for that matter) Western trout stream will tell you that a guide is the only way to go. You state you are new to fly fishing, so there is no way you can have experienced the difference in fishing with or without a guide. Many of the fly fishermen here will attest to their experiences trying to fish a new water without a guide verses with a guide.

A guide is Worth The Money, if you wanna catch fish, if you just want to play around and have a good time in the outdoors then do so and have a great time.

I do not believe that rerigging a spinning rod and then try fly casting with it will work, not well any way. I stand to be corrected but that is not a good option and really do not see it casting a fly at all. Consider that if that were the case, rerigging a spinning rod to fly we would all be doing it, and I have never seen that done.

If you do get a guide, he may have all the equipment you need and no purchase necessary. If you get hooked on fly fishing that starter combo for under a $100 will very quickly become a garage sale item. You get what you pay for, I would take cupofjoe04's very kind offer to borrow equipment rather than waste the $100, put those bucks toward a guide.

One Note: Western Trout are treated like Gods of the Water, they are NOT treated like bass or pan fish in Texas are treated. Net them, take a picture in the net in the water and quickly release them, picking them up out of the water, spending 10 minutes taking pictures passing the fish around and them throwing them back in is a Big NO NO and may arouse strong feelings if there are other fly fishermen in or near you.

Thanks y'all! Good advice.
Was def planning on getting a guide one day.
The house we are staying in is literally steps fr the Taylor and was thinking about learning to cast a fly and poke around on our off time.
I have no doubt the Taylor fish are smarter than I am a good fisherman!
Besides, I've always been better at fishing than catching

They also make something called a casting bubble that will allow you to cast flies from your spinning rod. I have only seen them used on ponds and lakes, but I don't see why you couldn't use them in a steam also.

I second the get a guide recommendations. Those Taylor river trout do not suffer beginners.

Hire a guide for Taylor, and learn a few things.

Then go up spring creek (flows into the Taylor) and fish that creek. Those fish are easier to catch than on Taylor. S creek is a great stream. Go up until you hit the meadows. Trust me it is great.

Are you staying at Harmels or Three Rivers or someplace else? Just curious.

Spring Creek is a fun place to catch a lot of small little fish from my experience.

Definitely go up to the area behind the dam at Taylor Reservoir. You'll see some absolute monster trout in the water there.

I actually haven't been up there for a few years. But have some great memories of it. I wish I'd have gone to the Black Canyon while I was up there.

We are staying in a house across from three rivers. A bit upriver I think

Be prepared to get sucked in. I started with a Sage starter rod that my brother bought me for doing a favor for him. Within a few years I was building rods, which was a blast. Although I've made others with newer model blanks, my favorite is my Sage XP 5 weight. I hadn't been fly fishing in about 8 years until last summer in Montana, when we were home from Zambia on interpretation assignment. I anticipated the possibility of wind knots and pierced ear lobes, but I think the layoff actually did me some good as I've become much more patient. My XP is still my favorite.

Like the others said, get a guild and learn from those guys.

Have fun.

I stayed at 3 Rivers last week and there is a good trout hole immediately upstream of the raft launch, which happened to be right next to our cabin.

It was my first time to fly fish and I got a ton of hits, but never brought anything in, still a lot of fun though. I talked to the guys in the fly shop and they said not to go too small with the flies, I switched to some larger ones and got a lot more action.

Reddington topo or scientific angler ampere outfits are on Sierra trading post as well for 120