Newbie looking for help
 

Afternoon AO's. I'm very green when it comes to fly fishing. I have an RV located west of Rocky Mountain house. I want to fish Prairie creek and ram river this upcoming season. Again being new to the sport id greatly appreciate any info on where to start with gear. As well are there any anglers here that fish these 2 body's of water that would be willing to put a list together for me as to what flies to purchase. I hate going to buy something that looks good to me and not the fish if ya know what i mean. Better yet if any of you tie your own custom goodies and are willing to sell a kit that would be awesome to.

Looking forward to some advise to get me started

Cheers

I’m not in that area but it’s all pretty much the same bugs anywhere in Alberta. Some of my fav flies are
Dry: stimulator, Caddis, mosquitoes, Adams, humpy
Nymph: copper John, zebra midge, bead head hates ear.
Those are
My fav. All around flies everyone will have a few different ones but generally all the roughly the same kinda shape and size just different patterns to represent the same bugs. I tie all my own so they have all been altered to my liking from what you buy in stores. Either way. Don’t get overwhelmed starting out. Pick a few that people suggest and try them out. My first couple years I used probably 4 different flies and caught lots of fish. Also a good way to start when you first get to a stream is tie a nymph 2-3’ below a dry fly and double your chances. As for gear start simple. 4-5 wt rod with floating line. Have around a 9’ leader and you should be golden. Last which nobody told me about for 2 years. Use floatant on dry flies. Anyways have fun. It’s a blast. Watch lots of videos

What is your budget?

The Echo Base package is about $200---it has a lifetime warranty on the rod. I have fished the Base many times. It is good and functional, but there is certainly better gear. Rods are measured in 'weights' so a 3wt is much smaller than an 8wt, for example. Most people recommend a 5wt as a 'all-for-one' trout rod.

You will need some 9' 4X leaders and a spool of 4X tippet.

I also think it is critical to get a pair of scissor clamps for removing flies and cutting line.

Your flies somewhat change with the season. The mantra 'match the hatch' means you are casting flies that match the insects that are presently hatching. Spending an hour on learning some super basic bug science will help you catch fish. Prairie Creek opens much earlier than Ram River. There are 3 basic types of flies: nymphs, streamers, and dry flies. Dry flies are probably the most exciting---seeing the fish eat the fly off the surface of the water, but fish eat mostly subsurface fare.

Dries: BWO, Chernobyl Ant, Caddis, Griffiths gnat
Nymphs: Pats Rubber legs, prince nymph, copper john
Streamer: woolly bugger, clouser minnow, and rabbit leech (streamers are awesome, but many are not 5wt rod compatible)

Thank you. That’s a lot of great info.
What size flies are recommended? Will the trout eat pretty much any size. Or should I stay on the smaller size.


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I'm jeleous. Your living in some prime trout country. Also, there is a lot more creeks and streams around there that hold fish than those two. Good luck on the adventure as I'm sure you'll be hooked

Polarized sunglasses also are a huge help. Even if you’re not spotting fish it helps you see your flies and read the water. Read up on how to read water. Also it depends on the fly you are using for size. If you pay attention to the bugs when you are fishing you will get to know sizes. Check out a hatch chart for the area you are in and google images of those bugs to see what they look like and sizes. Sometimes big is best and sometimes they will only eat stuff you can barely see. There is a lot to learn that’s why I say just keep it simple off the start and dont get overwhelmed

Welcome friend, to the "where did my money go" hobby. If your just starting out, Once you hit the water, it can be a bit intimidating.
For your fly size, it all really depends on the fish. I've seen a hatch of Size 16 BWO's, and all the fish want are large streamers. Vice Versa.
My opinion is, once you get near the river bank, kick over some rocks, look in the air, and on the water surface. If you see any sort of critters, grab your fly box and look for the closest thing to it. Even if you don't believe that's what it's suppose to imitate, if it looks close to it, use it.
For the flies, as a beginner, I'd suggest nymphing or chucking buggers. It's my opinion, that those will give you a better chance at success.
For Nymphs, I like; Bead Head Pheasant Tails [12-16] / Bead Head Prince Nymphs [12-16]/ Hare's Ear Nymphs (Grey & Green)[12-16] / Copper Johns [12-16]
For Streamers, I lean towards; Micro Leeches (Black-Green-Purple) [10-14] / Woolly Buggers (Black & Green & Purple & Maroon)[8-12] / Bow River Buggers [4-10] / Muddler Minnows [6-12]

If you want to try Dry Flies, there's no one stopping you. However, I would wait until you get the casting down pat, or see a multitude of rising fish, atleast, if you want relative success.

Also keep in mind, with the nymphs, sometimes the fish aren't big fans of the Bead Heads, they get moody, so feel free to go with the regular versions as well. I just like the bead because it helps it to get down a bit quicker.

For rods, I enjoy my 9'6" 6WT TFO. I did recently purchase the same rod in a 4WT, But haven't worked too much with it yet, so can't say much.
Lines, I'd recommend the Rio Gold WF6W. It can be a tad pricey, but you can beat the snot out of that line, and it'll keep performing.
Hope this helps! Tight lines buddy!

This is great I was going to ask the same. This is awesome reading.

sweet. Thanks so much for the info guys this helps a lot
So far (advise from a friend) I've got an Orvis encounter rod in a 5wt, comes pretty much setup with line and leader. Seems like an ok starter unit. Can pass to my wife or kids later down the road if I really get into this sport. Ive got indicators, leaders, split shots, floatant, tippet. Now im on the hunt for some flies.

The best/worst answer is "whatever size the trout are eating".

Google 'ram river hatch chart'. It is in the Red Deer River Basin: http://bowrivercanada.com/hatch-charts/

Quite honestly, smaller is usually better, but they are more nuanced to fish. Other than green drakes, stoneflies and grasshoppers, I usually do not fish much bigger than a size 14.

I would keep a default of the following flies:
DRIES (you would use these each at a different time of the year---cross reference with the hatch chart)
caddis 12, 14, 16
Chernobyl Ant 8, 10
Grasshopper 6, 8
Blue Wing Olive 16, 18
green drake 10, 12
fur ant 14, 16

NYMPHS (nymphs are less seasonal. Nymphs are always on the menu)
Pats Rubber Legs 8
Hares ear 14, 16
Copper John 14, 16
zebra midge 16, 18
Mayers Leech 10, 12

STREAMERS (streamers are usually for bigger fish, especially bull trout, but tend to need a heavier rod to cast comfortably)
Wooly bugger 8, 10
Clouser minnow 2, 4, 6
Meat whistle 4, 6

I personally would carry big streamers for bull trout, but these streamers are out of 5wt category, better for 6wt or heavier rods (I would use an 8wt).

Flies
 

All the Flies mentioned to you are all great...and can be pricey to purchase. As a starter you probably have not got into the tying portion yet so I would recommend checking out Icky Fly works online. great selection of flies at an excellent price. Flies are of good quality as well.

Right on great info i now have a 5wt and an 8wt where does one find a good selection of clouser minnows and Meat whistle lol never heard of that one before

The inventory on Icky's is pretty low. Lots of out of stock items. I browsed thru the website a week ago and again today. Maybe they are still waiting on new inventory for the upcoming season. I did go e realflies.ca and they have a huge selection and pretty much everything in stock prices where pretty good i thought. Hopefully the quality is ok.

This may seem silly but is there a small hand book of fly patterns for Alberta or foothills etc. Something that fits a pocket it would be nice to have one handy so i can learn and reference from

Oh man, with an 8wt, definitely get some Galloup streamers---sex dungeons, silk kitties, and circus peanuts.

If you are in Calgary, just visit one of the fly shops. Fish Tales will have everything you need. I am sure the other shops are good, Fish Tales has never let me down and they are only a few blocks away, so I almost never go to other shops. There is a price premium to buy in fly shops, but with a purchase, there is usually some advice.

Find Jim McLennan's Trout Streams of Alberta. It is a trade paperback, so slightly bigger than a small handbook, but it is a 'must read' for all aspiring trout anglers. It is filled with great info on the rivers and techniques, as well as hatch charts. If you can somehow get your hands on a copy of Barry Mitchell's "Alberta Trout Highway", you have struck pay dirt on the inside skinny for AB trout streams.

ive ordered the Jim Mclennans trout streams of alberta and wow with a little search on the web Barry mitchells book seems impossible to find. Im headed to Fish Tales in the next couple days for some new waders. Sims does customer orders so im going to try on a few pairs and see what fits properly and order a set. Im going to keep looking for that book though.

I have both of those books mentioned, and I can honestly say, they were worth every penny. Especially Barry Mitchell's book. Paid a small fortune for it, but between the Stories, and the advice he gives, it will definitely make a fellow a smarter and wiser Fly Fisherman. Once you've read both, comparing how they both feel about "Little Brookies" is quite a laugh.
You will not be disappointed.

Bumping an old thread but just so you know, the warranty is not free, there is a $35US fee and we must pay for shipping. I just broke my echo carbon, to replace the rod cost me a total of $76.32 USD, that's practically the replacement cost of the rod. the good news is I only had to send a picture of the rod then another of the rod after I scratched off the echo logo before they would send the replacement. At least I didn't have to send the broken rod in first.

Lots of good advice being tossed in the ring here. My two cents is any rod from Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) is a great investment. Hands down the best warranty program around. $30Cdn no questions asked replacement and as a new comer to the sport it’s not if it’s when.

Be prepared for lots of frustrations but hang in there. One day it will all come together and no trout will be safe

Good luck and tight lines.