Fly Fishing

Fly fishing isn’t the cheapest sport in the world when it comes to getting outfitted with all the gear you need.  But the truth of the matter is that when you invest in some quality equipment, you’ll not only enjoy the sport more, but you’ll have better luck catching the fish you dreamed of when you have the right equipment.

Let’s start with clothing.  You can wear anything you want underneath the vest and waders, but these two items of apparel are vital to successful fly fishing.

Vests

Fly fishing requires a lot of parts and accessories.  You’ll have to carry them all with you, and the most efficient way to do this is with a fishing vest.  These vests have many, many pockets where you can stow all your gear like flies, lines, weights, etc.  Here are some things to consider when buying your fly fishing vest:

• What types of weather conditions will you be encountering during your fly fishing trips?  Weather and temperature are both huge considerations when it comes to your fishing vest.  If you will be fishing mostly in warm weather, get a mesh vest that is more ventilated.  For colder weather, get a vest that is big enough to allow for layers underneath so that you don’t freeze!
• When fly fishing, you will probably be doing a lot of wading in water, so you will want a vest with a short waist.  This will keep your equipment above the waterline and avoid damaging it.
• Think seriously about how much you will be carrying with you.  Lots of pockets are great, but if you fill all of them up with unnecessary equipment, you’ll weigh yourself down.  You will, however, want a vest with various sizes of pockets to accommodate the different things you will be carrying with you.
• The pockets in your vest should be easy to open and close.  Ideally, you should be able to get in them with just one hand.  Vests with Velcro to seal them are the best, and look for one with a “D-ring” on the back so you have someplace to hold your net.
• Make sure that you can move easily once your vest is filled with your chosen equipment.  If you are weighed down too much, casting can become difficult.
• Vests come in various colors, and you will want to pick one that blends with the vegetation of the area you will be fishing.  Tan is good for fishing in the West and green will match the foliage of the East.
• Also find a vest with few places where your line can get caught during casting.  Lines and leaders have a nasty habit of getting caught on fly patches, zippers, sunglass holders, and anything else that sticks out on your vest

Just find a vest within your budget that meets the basic guidelines listed above and you should be ready to go.

Waders

Waders are a combination of pants and boots all in one piece that will keep you dry inside while you’re wading in the water.  That’s why they call them waders!  The last thing you want is to have your waders leaking while you are waist deep in a cold Colorado River in November.  What do you look for in a good pair of waders?  Here are a few suggestions:

• Waders can be used for a variety of outdoor activities like duck hunting, goose hunting, and, of course, fishing.  Consider what your primary use of your waders is going to be.  If you fish more than you hunt, then the type, thickness, and color of your waders is going to be important.  Consider what the temperature of the water is going to be when you wear your waders.  That will determine how thick your waders need to be.
• The material of your waders can be very important as well.  Again, you will need to take into consideration why type of weather condition you be wearing them in.  Here are some of the more popular materials:
• Neoprene – This is the most popular material for waders.  It is very durable and can take a lot of abuse.  It comes in many thicknesses, so you can choose the one that will best fit your needs:  3mm or 5mm.  3mm is best for places where it is usually of moderate weather with a few cold days.  This is also a good thickness if you have to walk a ways to get to your fishing spot or if you walk a lot while you’re fishing.  5mm is the choice for colder weather spots or if you want to use your waders for hunting as well.
• Gore Tex – This type of material is relatively new and is a breathable fabric that is comfortable and watertight.  It allows moisture to escape even while in the water.  These types of waders can be worn in the summer time and sweat is not an issue.  They can also be worn in the winter with a pair of sweat pants underneath and the moisture will be released keeping you dry.  These types of waders are also very comfortable and are conducive to walking while fishing.
• Canvas – These are considered “old school” waders and are hard to find anymore.  While they are durable and cheaper than other materials, you will sacrifice comfort, flexibility, and breathability when you choose canvas as a material.  These are generally a good choice for someone starting out in the sport of fly fishing.
• Nylon – This is another good choice for beginners.  They are lightweight and will keep you dry and warm.  However, nylon waders can get quite warm inside because they are not made of a breathable material and when you sweat inside them, you could get quite uncomfortable.  Because of the accumulation of moisture, this could lead to hypothermia in cold weather.
• Rubber – This material was long considered the one of choice among fishermen because the rubber waders are generally cheaper.  But the drop in price for neoprene and Gore Tex has caused rubber waders to drop in popularity.  You will have less flexibility and virtually no breathability with rubber waders, plus they can be cumbersome.
• Getting your waders to fit right is also very important.  If your waders don’t fit right, you will find yourself tiring more easily and growing uncomfortable just a short time into your fishing expedition.  Your waders should provide enough room so that you can wear clothing underneath without being too tight.

  If you order your waders off the Internet, make sure the site has your height, weight, and shoe size.  They should be able to guide you toward the right pair.  If you go to a sporting goods store, take the time to try on the waders.  Do a couple of knee bends and walk around.  Put your foot up on a chair and make sure that they don’t ride up on you.

• You will also need to make a decision as to what type of boot and boot soles to get.  Some waders have the boots connected to the wader in one piece.  If you are going to spend most of your fishing and hunting time in cold weather, this type of wader should be your first choice.  They provide the best cold water protection and most are insulated.  This type of wader is also very easy to put on and take off.

  Stocking foot waders are quite popular these days among hunters and fishers.  This is because of their weight advantage.  They are constructed the same way as boot waders but without the built-in boots.  This type of wader has a neoprene sock attached, so you will have to get a separate pair of wading boots.  Be aware that if you pick stocking waders, the possibility of gravel and debris getting into your boots is greater and can cause great discomfort for you.

Chest high waders are the best kind to get so that you can go into deeper water without getting wet.  When you get your waders home, they should be washed off thoroughly.  Wash your wading boots as well.  It’s also a good idea to wash the waders down with a 10 percent bleach solution after you’ve been fishing to kill any possible molds or fish diseases that might be clinging to the material.

Fly Rods

Fly rods and line weights are typically written as Nwt where the n is a number.  For example, you can have 8wt, 9wt, etc.  All rods are matched to fly lines according to weight.  So if you have an 8wt rod, you’ll need an 8wt fly line although you can safely go one number above or below the weight if need be.

It is important to use the correct fly line with the appropriate rod weight or it will significantly affect your casting performance.  It can also warp the rod. 

Some rods are multi-rated (7-8wt, 7-8-9wt, etc.).  The advantage to a rod like this is that you have a variety of fly lines that you can use with the same rod.  The disadvantage is that you will be sacrificing flexibility in the rod itself. 

Selecting a fly rod depends a lot on what type of fish you will want to catch.  Some rods are better suited for smaller fish and bigger fish.  Here is an idea of the weight of rod you will need for certain situations:

• 1-3 Weight:  delicate presentations with small flies, designed for trout or pan fish on small to moderate size waters
• 4-6 Weight:  trout, pan fish, and small bass, 4wt is for delicate presentation, 5wt is good for trout on spring-fed creeks or bigger rivers, 6wt is best on big waters or in windy conditions
• 7-8 Weight:  give extra power to land smallmouth bass, steelhead, and bigger trout in rivers or reservoirs; work best with bigger flies; good for steelhead, redfish, snook, or light salmon fishing
• 9-10 Weight:  good for larger flies and catching salmon and pike; also work good in saltwater with medium-sized fish
• 11 Weight and Up:  this is for the larger fish like tarpon, tuna, billfish

There are basically two types of materials that rods can be made of:  fiberglass and graphite.  There are advantages to either type of material.

Fiberglass rods are durable and generally less expensive.  This is the most common type of material fly rods are made of.  Fiberglass rods are a good choice for beginners because they can be used for a variety of fishing situations.

Graphite or composition rods are lighter and better at casting.  These rods can also handle many type of fishing situations, so it’s also a good choice for beginners as well as experienced fishermen.  Graphite, however, will give you more fighting weight with your rod when it comes to landing your fish.

You can also use a bamboo rod which is what the earliest fly fishing rods were made of.  Bamboo rods can be quite expensive.  These rods offer grace, form, and strength.  They demand a slow or soft casting style that is suited to slow, leisurely fishing.  Beginners should shy away from bamboo rods because they can be a bit difficult to control in certain situations.

Rod lengths can have an effect on casting action.  In general, longer rods give more action while shorter rods are geared for tighter situations such as narrow streams.  Consider the following guidelines:

• Less than 8 foot:  These are short rods and are good for fishing tight areas such as narrow streams with overhanging trees or small ponds with lots of brush
• 8 – 9 feet:  These lengths are good for trout and bass fishing.  The longer length will give more casting range and improve line control.
• 9 feet and longer:  This length is designed for long casts and better ability to manage line.  This size rod is good for open waters and fishing from float tubes.

If you are a beginner, it’s a good idea to start with a pre-packaged combo.  These types of rods will give you a better chance of landing a fish and lead to your enjoyment of the sport.  Look for a 5-6 weight rod and reel in an 8 or 9 foot length.  This type of combo will allow you to fish in all sorts of situations.

Fly Reels

Just like when picking out your wader and rod, when choosing a reel, you’ll need to consider what type of fish you will be fishing for.  You can’t catch a big game fish like a tarpon with a small reel or you’re setting yourself up for some big trouble. 

At one point in time, fly reels were thought of as just storage devices.  In use, a fly fishermen strips line off the reel with one hand, casting the rod with the other, and then retrieving slack line by rotating the reel spool.

Manually-operated fly reels have traditionally been rather simple in terms of mechanical construction, with a simple click-pawl drag system. However, in recent years, more advanced fly reels have been developed for larger fish and more demanding conditions.

Newer reels often feature disc-type drags to permit the use of lighter leaders and tippets, or to successfully capture fish that pull long lengths of line/leader. Many newer fly reels have large-arbor designs to increase speed of retrieve and improve drag performance during long runs. In order to prevent corrosion, saltwater fly reels often use aerospace aluminum frames and spools, stainless steel components and sealed bearing/drive mechanisms.

Fly reels are generally made of aluminum.  Some cheap reels are made of castings while the more expensive ones are bar stock that is hand turned on lathes.  Pressed reels, while cheaper, don’t have the strength that bar stock reels have. 

A reel is connected to the seat with a long sanded metal object called the reel feet. The feet slide into bands or clips called a reel seat.  All reels are made on one standard so seats on rods will accept any reel. 

A reel has a handle of course which is used to turn the spool. There are several creative designs but most are screwed into the spool, some are machined and attached to the face. Usually in fly tackle we have only one handle, although some designs have two knobs. A handle should be secure, not wiggle and be solidly attached. I have seen a few that barely get the job done. Some have knobs that spin freely, while the handle itself is stationary. Most are metal although some have wood or plastic inserts.

A spool is the part of the reel that holds the line. Attached to the outside of the spool is a small weight that is called a counter balance. This acts as balance so that the spool spins freely and true. In most modern reels, the counter balance is decoration but in older reels, if the weight wasn't there it didn't turn true. This is primarily due to the weight and size of the reel. Think of the counter balance like the weights on your tires.

Spools generally have exposed rims; this is called the palming rim. If you are playing a fish you can cup your hand on the outside of the rim and slow the fish or play it with a palming rim. If you are playing a fish on light tackle with light tippets, this often is a better choice because it doesn't stress the tip of your rod as much or risk breaking the tip of the rod. It also can help you from breaking off the fish when using light tippets.

The arbor is the center of the reel. A large arbor has a large inside center while a regular arbor has a smaller inside center post. Usually large arbor reels are heavier while a small arbor reel is lighter. The main advantage here is that a large arbor makes the line pick up faster and creates fewer coils in the line.

If you don't use a lot of backing when spooling the line, you will pack it in tightly creating lots of coils. When you cast this out, it will cork screw and spin almost any fly into a doughnut. This is one reason for using backing or also to increase the size of the reel as you up the size of the line. If you have a small arbor with little backing, don't leave the reel in hot trunk of your car or you are likely to make permanent sets and coils into the line.

Drags are the part of the reel that creates pressure and prevents the line from free spooling or back lashing. The drag is created in several ways: spring /pawl or disc drag. Click drags are springs that mostly put pressure against a gear and keep it from free spooling. It doesn't create a lot of pressure on the line and mostly is an anti-back lash thing. These reels are noisy.

Disc drags are either pads or gears. In a pad system the drag has a caliper like the breaks on a car, the caliper clamps against a disc and as the pressure increases, the clamp tightens. A gear system uses bearings and gears and a one way clip that controls the amount of pressure against the gears. As the pressure increases, the force increases.

Again, you need to consider what type of fishing you will be doing when choosing your reel.  The larger the fish, the larger the reel you will need.

Fly Lines

Fly lines come in a variety of forms.  They may have varying diameters or tapered section or a level (even) diameter.  A fly line may float, sink, or have a floating main section with a sinking tip.

A fly line consists of a tough braided or monofilament core wrapped in a thick waterproof plastic sheath often made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).  In the case of floating fly lines, the PVC sheath is usually embedded with many “micro-balloons” or air bubbles and may also contain silicone or other lubricants to give buoyancy and reduce wear.

Fly lines also come in a variety of models for use in specific environments.  These climates include fresh water, salt water, cold, or tropical temperatures, etc.

All fly lines are matched to the individual rod according to weight.  Because the fly line and not the lure determine casting, fly rods are sized according to the size of fly line and not the weight of the lure.  Fly lines comes in a wide range of numbered sizes from a small #0 to a strong #16.  They also come in many profiles such as double-tapered, weight-forward, shooting-head, etc.

Most fly lines are only around 90 feet long which is sufficient for sporting purposes.  Specialized shooting-head lines with a short, heavy front section and small-diameter backing are often used for long-distance casting as well as competitive events.

To fill up the reel spool and insure an adequate reserve in case of a run by a powerful fish, fly lines are usually attached to a secondary line at the butt section which is called backing.  Fly line backing is usually composed of braided Dacron or Gelspun monofilaments.  Backing varies in length according to the type of fish.  Seventy-five yards is used for smaller freshwater species and as much as 400 yards is for large saltwater game fish.

All fly lines are equipped with a leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line usually tapered in diameter and referred to by the “X-size” (0X, 2X, etc.) of its final tip section or tippet.  For example, a freshwater trout leader might have a butt section of 20 point test monofilament tapering through 15, 12, 10, and 8-pound test sections and terminating in a 5X tippet.  A fly line is only as strong as its weakest link which is the final tippet section.

Where can you find your equipment?  Many places carry fly fishing equipment.  Local sporting goods stores are a good place to start.  You may want to look on the Internet for a place like Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops.  Orvis is another good place to find your fly fishing equipment.

Some towns and cities have specialty fishing stores as well.  These can be extremely helpful places to go as they will have all the latest information on where to fish, what to look for in certain pieces of equipment, and recommendations on what types of equipment would work best for you.

Now that you have all of this equipment, what do you do next?