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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 beginning fly fisherman 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 4 parts to your line. They are the fly line backing, the fly line, and the tapered leader, and tippet material. They must match your rod and flies. Here is a good basic discussion of the types and considerations: Fly Line Basics. 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 fly fishing 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. A good entry level rod is the St. Croix Rio Santo Fly Outfits Model: RSK906.4 (9' 0", 6 wt., 4 pc.).

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.

Finally, we have put together a page with all of the basic gear you will need to get started at Basic Gear.

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.