Fly Fishing Equipment – The Basics For the Beginner
“What fly fishing equipment should I get?” I’m often asked that question by folk who are interested in learning how to fly fish. Sometimes, it seems so complicated. “Is it expensive?” is the second most often asked question.
Let’s start with the second question first. While you can spend thousands of dollars on gear, you don’t need to nor should you spend more than a couple of hundred dollars if you’re just starting out. Depending on what conditions you will be fishing, you might even get away with less than that, too. I recommend that you speak with casting instructor who knows your area and what conditions you’ll be fishing in at first. That person will be able to put you on the right track as to the specifics of what gear you should have.
To answer the question about what fly fishing equipment you’ll need to get started, here are the basics. You can of course purchase much more, but why not wait before spending lots of money to find out if you’ll enjoy the sport in the first place?
- A fly rod
- A reel that will hold the line
- Line (usually a floating line will do fine if you’re targeting small to medium size rivers)
- 8 lb. test monofilament that you will use for leader material
- Flies
- Clippers
- Sunglasses
Optional equipment when you are starting out:
- Waders to keep you dry if fishing rivers
- A vest or bag to carry gear (and perhaps your lunch and a flask filled with something to drink if you are so inclined)
- Landing Net
And that’s about it. The conditions you will fish will dictate the length of your rod as well as the weight of the line you will be casting. Most beginners can get away with selecting a rod in the 8 to 9 foot range and 5-6 line weight (wt.). Unless you will be after big fish, you can get by with a very inexpensive fly reel. All it does in most cases is hold the line for you. In many situations where the target fish are trout, you likely wont even need to use the drag on your reel. In most cases, tension is applied to the line with your hand.
Although many fly anglers have all sorts of systems for determining the correct leader thickness and taper, don’t worry about that for now. Because the lure in fly fishing are very light weight, you are using the weight of the fly line and the ability of the rod to power the line forward when you cast your fly. Therefore, fly line is much thicker than the monofilament used in spinning or baitcast fishing. That’s where the monofilament or leader comes in – it is tied to the end of the fly line, generally an 8 foot length is fine, and to the other end of the leader, you will tie your fly.
Although it is fun to tie your own flies, at this point it is probably best to obtain some from someone you know that ties up flies, or purchase them for a shop that sells them. If it is a local shop, they will be able to advise you as to what patterns that will be most likely to entice the fish to hit. At first, stick with nymphs or wet flies. Dry fly fishing can be a lot of fun, but I’d recommend learning to cast and catch fish with a fly rod using nymphs.
Sunglasses are a must when fly fishing! The last thing you want to do is damage your eye with a misplaced cast and a fly stuck in your eyeball. Think safety first, no matter what you are doing. If you have decided to also purchase a pair of waders, make sure you are familiar with the water you will be wading in.
There are a number of resources available to you to help you decide what fly fishing gear is best for you. Read reviews of the gear that is available to you, talk to other fly anglers, and perhaps the best advice of all: Hire a fly fishing instructor for at least a half day. This will help prevent you from forming bad habits that will be difficult to break later on.
About the Author
Ian Scott is a free lance writer who spends much of his time when not working and writing about a variety of topics, with a fly rod in hand. Follow along with Ian’s regular fly fishing activities.
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Wet Fly Ways $21.67 Studio: Victor Multimedia-05 Release Date: 07/07/2009 Run time: 120 minutes… |
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XL Climax Tippet Rings for Fly Fishing Leaders 40#/3mm $9.95 Connecting the tippet and leaders through the ring will allow you to change the tippet as often as you wish without shortening the leader. These larger 40#/3mm rings are easier to thread than 2mm rings and will accomodate larger sizes of tippet/line, also great in the construction of Euro Nymphing style sighters. No longer will you need to replace leaders when switching from large streamers to a … |
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Climax Tippet Rings for Fly Fishing Leaders 15#/2mm $8.95 Connecting the tippet and leaders through the ring will allow you to change the tippet as often as you wish without shortening the leader. No longer will you need to replace leaders when switching from large streamers to a # 16 dry-fly, just cut off the 2X, tie on some 5X with an Improved Clinch Knot, attach fly, and go fish. Tippet rings are incredibly strong and very light. When attached to your… |
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Tippet Rings Refills for Leaders and Tippets 20 per package – plus a free 10 pack $8.95 Tippet Ring Refills, same size as the Climax 15#/2mm rings we sell – you get 20 per package – the same price as 10, however – they do NOT have the swivel holder that is used in the Climax packages – so if you already own the Climax or you have your own swivels – these are much more cost effective – you get twice as many for the same price. Connecting the tippet and leaders through the ring will a… |
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The New American Trout Fishing. Understanding Trout, Lines and Leaders, Wet Flies Revisited, Predicting Fly Hatches, the New Fly Rods, Much More … |
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Xink Fly Sink $2.86 Xink makes your flies behave better than with lead inside them. They sink faster and tumble more naturally in the current…. |
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Davy Wotton WET FLY WAYS – Line/term/acc/boats $34.95 In this highly-acclaimed video, professional angler and fly fishing instructor, Davy Wotton provides viewers with an introduction to the traditional style of wet fly fishing where multiple flies or a cast of flies are placed on a leader and fished to every quadrant of the stream. Assisted by, Gary Taylor, professional angler and guide, Wotton teaches how the traditional style leads to catching more trout, even under the toughest of conditions on both lakes and rivers. Plus, Wotton discusses the proper wet flies in a cast, what flies to select and for what position in the cast and how to assemble the cast, including the correct knots to use. This is an excellent method for all circumstances; besides trout it&8217;s deadly for bass and panfish, and Wotton has even used this method in saltwater for bones and reds. 100 minutes. In this highly-acclaimed video, professional angler and fly fishing instructor, Davy Wotton provides viewers with an introduction to the traditional style of wet fly fishing where multiple flies or a cast of flies are placed on a leader and fished to |
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White River Fly Shop Leather Leader Straightener – Line/term/acc/boats $4.99 A coiled leader that acts more like a Slinky than leader can hamper your presentation and make for a long day on the water. This lightweight and convenient Leather Leader Straightener is an easy solution for eliminating the coil memory that some leaders display. Simply pull your wet leader through the Leader Straightener and get back to fishing with an uncoiled leader. Attach to vest or pack to keep this useful fishing tool handy. A coiled leader that acts more like a Slinky than leader can hamper your presentation and make for a long day on the water. This lightweight and convenient Leather Leader Straightener is an easy solution for eliminating the coil memory that some lead |
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The Upstream Wet Fly (Hardcover) $64.32 This fascinating and informative book provides a history of the development of wet fly-fishing, particularly the Scottish and North Country schools and their leading protagonists. The Scottish school was led by William C. Stewart, who was the first advocate of fishing and casting upstream. His book, The Art of Trout Fishing More Practically Applied to Clear Water, originally published in 1857, is still one of the most popular and enduring books on the subject. The North Country school was developed principally by Thomas E. Pritt, H.H. Edmonds, and N.N. Lee. North Country spiders are still fished extensively and led to the development of flymphs and other soft-hackle patterns. However, the development of wet fly-fishing was not restricted to the rivers and streams of the north of England and the Scottish border; G.E.M. Skues was one of the few anglers to appreciate the possible application of North Country fishing methods to southern chalk streams and H.C. Cutcliffe wrote about wet fly fishing on the rivers and streams of the West Country. Discover the history of upstream wet fly fishing in this well-researched, accessible book and learn from the masters of this particular art. |
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Fly Fishing Leader Funny Oval Sticker by CafePress $5 Every Fly Fisher’s done it before, now you can wear the tee shirt Don’t get your leader in a wad text with image of a fly fishing leader with a fly lure attached in a tangled mess. Funny Oval Sticker Our stickers are printed on 4mil vinyl using water and UV resistant inks 150; meaning no fading in the sun or bleeding in the rain. Measures 3 x 5 oval. Printed on durable 4mil vinyl. |
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Fly Fishing Leader Funny Infant Bodysuit by CafePress $18.5 Every Fly Fisher’s done it before, now you can wear the tee shirt Don’t get your leader in a wad text with image of a fly fishing leader with a fly lure attached in a tangled mess. Funny Infant Bodysuit Babies love creepin’, crawlin’ and sleepin’ in our super comfy, 100% cotton jersey knit Infant Creeper. Infant clothes shouldn’t be hard to change, so our three-snap bottom helps ease those nasty diaper changes. Great baby stuff for your special little o |
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Fly Fishing Leader Funny Large Mug by CafePress $18 Every Fly Fisher’s done it before, now you can wear the tee shirt Don’t get your leader in a wad text with image of a fly fishing leader with a fly lure attached in a tangled mess. Funny Large Mug Super-size your favorite beverage or just size-up to avoid spills with our hefty, 15 oz. ceramic Large Mug. Large easy-grip handle. When you need more, mug it up. Measures 4.5 tall, 3.25 diameter. Dishwasher and microwave safe. |
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New Zealand Fly Tying: The Ten Thumbed Beginner’s Guide $192.25 Used – You don’t need the dexterity of a brain surgeon to tie flies just as dainty and just as deadly as those in the shops. If you can tie a fly to your leader, you can tie the fly itself — and Hugh McDowell has written and illustrated this book to show you how easy it is. He describes the inexpensive tools and materials you’ll need to get started, and then demonstrates step-by-step the techniques necessary to make: the big lures unique to New Zealand wet flies, dry flies and nymphs the new |
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Trout Rings and Methods: What You Need to Know about Lines, Leaders, Tippets, Shot, Weights, Indicators, and Droppers to Best Rig Your Tackle $12.97 Used – Dave Hughes’s clear and simple instruction and explanation describes 18 trout rigs and 81 methods to fish them. In moving water; rigs and methods for dry flies and emergers, nymphs, wet flies, streamers, and dry flies and droppers; in stillwater: dry flies and sunk flies. Fly fishers learn the specifics of the rig-types of fly line, lengths and tapers of leader and tippet, the flies, and split shot, putty weight, strike indicators, droppers, point flies, and indicators-and the full array |
