Tips on Getting your First Fly Fishing Gear
Getting into fly fishing as a beginner can seem overwhelming with so many choices for gear. Fly fishing is often construed as an expensive sport, but it does not need to be. The good news is that you can buy your basic setup cheaper than you think, and the bad news is you’ll have to learn to use it. I’ll save that for another blog.
All you need to get going is a few things. Here is what makes up your basic fly fishing gear and a few tips to follow:
Fly rod
Choose a rod that isn’t too whippy or flimsy. You want it to be somewhat stiff, with most of the bendy action from the middle to the tip. Don’t spend a ton just because you think it’ll help you. You won’t notice the difference. For Colorado, a 5-weight rod is fine and most common. I mostly fish 6-weights. For smaller waters a 4-weight will work.
Fly reel
Unless you’ll be fishing saltwater or for big strong fish, the reel acts simply as a line holder. Do not spend much on this. Its weight should balance with the rod you get, but you won’t notice much difference in the beginning. Go smaller if you have questions. A shop can help you spool the line and the backing (a thinner braided line which lies under the fly line on the reel). Large arbors are nice - they allow for quicker pickup of line when you reel it in.
Fly line
Get an appropriately sized weight-forward floating line. If you get a 5-weight rod, get a 5-weight line. Floating weight-forward is the most common fly line unless you plan to do something special, in which case you can get into a plethora of various types.
Leader
Buy a tapered leader, mono or fluoro – this is the “invisible” connection between your fly line and your fly, tapered from thick (like your fly line) to thin (to tie your small fly to). 5x is the norm around here. 6x is thinner/weaker and used for spookier fish, 4x is thicker/stronger and used for bigger fish, and so on. I don’t carry anything thinner than 6x until you’re really advanced.
Tippet
Tippet is supple fishing line that comes in small spools and is used to replace the thin part of your leader once you start losing flies and cutting it back. Get 3x - 6x spools to begin.
Flies
Don’t buy cheap flies. There’s just a few you need to get started, and they largely depend on what you’re fishing for and what type of water you plan to fish. This is a topic for another blog.
Snips
You’ll use these often to clip line. Cheap is fine.
Pliers
Get ones with flat (not ridged) nose, so you can de-barb your flies, highly recommended when you’re learning to cast a fly rod!
With those items, you’re pretty much ready to head to a local pond and learn to cast, and maybe catch a few panfish or bass while you’re at it. Of course there’s a lot more things you’ll want to get as you grow in the sport, but this will keep you busy for now. Save up your money! Check classified ads, check used gear stores, and check with your friends to find a good deal on used fly gear, which can be plenty good for anyone unless it was abused.