The first
thing you must look at is the type of rod and reel you will begin
with. As Merwin says in his excellent book Fly Fishing, and here I
paraphrase, the beginner can start with a basic setup and stay in a
reasonable budget and his skills will not exceed the quality of the
setup for quite some time. However, to begin, some knowledge of
rod materials, length, weight, and reel choices are necessary.
ROD
WEIGHT
Rod weight is the first concept that must be understood. Take a
moment and read the article "Fly
Rods:
Determining Fly Rod Weight".
ROD
LENGTH
Next, read the article on rod length, "Fly
Rods:
Determining Fly Rod Length." Having read this material,
we will assume that the beginner will choose a 6-weight fiberglass rod
in an 8 or 9 foot length. Choose 9' if you are a taller person
and 8' if you are 5'8" or less.
REELS
The next choice is for a reel. First, I suggest strongly that the
beginner choose a package set up so that everything matches. Even
still, it is wise to understand the basic types that are
available. A basic discussion of reel types and considerations
can be found in the article "Fly
Fishing for Beginners - Reels." After reading the article,
again, keep in mind that starting up it is highly suggested you buy a
combo package to begin.
LINE
There
are
actually 3 parts to your line. They are the backing, the fly line,
and the leader. They must match your rod and flies. Here is
a good basic discussion of the types and considerations: Fly-Fishing
Equipment
and Fly-Line Basics. There is also a discussion of tippet
material. This is simply material used to supplement leader that
you lose as you fish due to snags, tangles, and perhaps even a
fish! We will discuss leaders more in the next section when we go
over what you must have to begin the practice of casting.
When it comes time to buy a setup, you have 2 choices. You can
either buy local, or you can buy online. There are real
advantages to buying local. Getting to know the fella's at your
local fly shop can be a huge asset. Fly fishing is a community
that is generally speaking very willing to help the beginner. The
local fly shop is often a great place to begin to get introduced to
that community.
Of course that does not mean you must buy your setup there. You
will have ample opportunity to patronize the locals through purchase of
a myriad of other gear down the road. For the smaller angler
(5'8" or less), I recommend the St. Croix: Triumph Fly Rod Outfit
Model: TK766.2. Find it in the Family-Outdoor Store by
clicking on the link St.
Croix
Setup. For taller anglers, I suggest the Redington
setup which can be found at Redington
Crosswater
Outfitter Model.
Another great online source for gear is BassPro. Follow the link
below to go to BassPro and go to Fly Fishing and rod and reel combos.
Now you have enough gear to begin the process of learning to
cast. This is where you will begin to experience a bit of
frustration. Follow our steps and make your experience a lot
smoother! Follow the link Learning to Fly Cast to
begin.
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