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[ fly fishing gear list ]

There is a huge range of gear available for what is quite a simple task, that is, the delivery of your fly to a position where a fish might eat it.

The basic gear items are listed and described further below:

· Fly Rod · Fly Line · Fly Reel · Leaders · Tippets · Flies

Added to these are a few more items that might be described as essential requisites:

· Fly boxes
· Nail clippers
· Fly floatant
· Line cleaner
· Landing net
· Wading staff
· Hat
· Polaroid sunglasses
· Sunscreen

As well as these items there are tackle stores full of other extras, which if you had them all would necessitate a packhorse or retinue of bearers to help with the carriage thereof. Most are not essential, buy as many as you feel comfortable with, always remembering it is you that has to carry them.

I happily recommend the use of a range of gear made by the Shakespeare Company.
It is both good quality, and reasonably priced.
Briefly the items can be summarized as follows.

fly rods

For beginners I recommend a rod of 6 or 7 weight or a 6/7. Where a rod is marked with numbers with a slash between them, the first number indicates the weight for a double taper line and the latter for a weight forward line. My first choice of a rod is a Shakespeare "Snake River Classic". It a middle of the road rod for price but has excellent casting qualities without being so fast as to risk losing too many fish. If a cheaper rod is desired check out the Shakespeare "Fly Master" or "Pflueger Supreme" rods. Some people will recommend lighter rods, however the 6 or 7 weight will allow you to fish a wide variety of situations as well as windy weather, which is the failing of light weight gear.

fly reels

The main requirement of a reel is that of a line holder, but the very cheapest of reels, while they fit that description, wear out so quickly as to render them useless in a short time. Most reels in the $50 plus range will be good enough but there are two that I believe are very good value, being the Shakespeare "Condex" and "Pflueger". Both have adjustable clutch drags, spare spools, good line capacities, excellent wearing qualities, and are reasonably priced.

fly lines

The function of a line is to provide the weight to deliver the fly to where you want it to go. In real terms you need a line that is very smooth to avoid friction and of a weight that is compatible to your rod. The numbers shown on the rod indicate the line weight required. Shakespeare markets fly lines under the "Worcestershire" brand that are both good value and high quality.

leaders

An essential item to provide separation between the fly line and the fly. Standard length is 2.7 metres. Factory made leaders are machine tapered without joins or you can join various thickness lines together to make your own "knotted leaders". The very cheap tapered leaders tend to be made of soft nylon that is difficult to join to a new tippet. This is necessary when the leader becomes short or damaged and rather than discarding leaders you can easily repair them to extend their life. Tippets are usually hard nylon and will cut through soft leaders at the joining knot. It is therefore better to buy a harder factory made leader to avoid the problem. Shakespeare makes good leaders with the "Worcestershire" brand name.

tippet material

I recommend an angler carry tippets of 4, 6, and 8lb strength. It allows a choice of lines for river or lake applications and to recreate tapers at the end of leaders.

fly boxes

Dry flies should be kept in boxes with enough depth to prevent the hackles being crushed. Wet flies can be carried in foam-lined boxes or wallets. Wet flies may be kept in foam lined boxes or wallets.

nail clippers

Save your teeth. A small pair of clippers attached to your jacket will let you easily clip off flies or trim knots and will be your most used accessory by far.

fly floatant

Gink or a similar product is a good choice.

line cleaner

Casting on water or grass will build up a dirty coating on your fly line. This coating will create friction and reduce casting efficiency; help to wear rod guides and cause a floating line to sink. It is important for these reasons to keep your fly lines clean. Stretch your line out and rub it down with one of the proprietary brands of cleaner or you can give it a good rub down with "303" first, polish it off and then apply the cleaner. "Mucilin" is a good brand and it is economical.

landing nets

These are available in a number of styles including folding and the tennis racquet shapes. Shakespeare makes a floating Bass net that is difficult to beat. Essentially a net should be light, convenient to carry and have a soft woven mesh that will not damage fish.

wading staff

Not considered essential by anyone who has never used one. A good staff makes wading in rivers with slippery rocks and or fast water much easier and safer. I recommend that every stream angler should use one.

hat

Choose one that is light and has a good wide brim. Shade for your face and protection for the eyes is essential to good fishing. A hat will also provide protection to you head from flies travelling at speeds in the hundreds of Kms per hour.

polaroid sunglasses

An essential item. Polaroid's enable you to see better into the water and provide protection from UV radiation and flies. A glare induced headache or a hook in the eye is not the way to remember your days fishing.

sunscreen

Sunburn is dangerous and painful. Avoid it by using a good sunscreen. A word of caution: sunscreen and insect repellants are not good for fly lines. Wash your hands after applying these products.