Fly Fishing Equipment - The Basics For the Beginner

"What fly fishing equipment should I get?" I'm often asked that question by folk who are interested in learning how to fly fish. Sometimes, it seems so complicated. "Is it expensive?" is the second most often asked question.

Let's start with the second question first. While you can spend thousands of dollars on gear, you don't need to nor should you spend more than a couple of hundred dollars if you're just starting out. Depending on what conditions you will be fishing, you might even get away with less than that, too. I recommend that you speak with casting instructor who knows your area and what conditions you'll be fishing in at first. That person will be able to put you on the right track as to the specifics of what gear you should have.

To answer the question about what fly fishing equipment you'll need to get started, here are the basics. You can of course purchase much more, but why not wait before spending lots of money to find out if you'll enjoy the sport in the first place?

A fly rod A reel that will hold the line Line (usually a floating line will do fine if you're targeting small to medium size rivers) 8 lb. test monofilament that you will use for leader material Flies Clippers Sunglasses

Optional equipment when you are starting out:

Waders to keep you dry if fishing rivers A vest or bag to carry gear (and perhaps your lunch and a flask filled with something to drink if you are so inclined) Landing Net

And that's about it. The conditions you will fish will dictate the length of your rod as well as the weight of the line you will be casting. Most beginners can get away with selecting a rod in the 8 to 9 foot range and 5-6 line weight (wt.). Unless you will be after big fish, you can get by with a very inexpensive fly reel. All it does in most cases is hold the line for you. In many situations where the target fish are trout, you likely wont even need to use the drag on your reel. In most cases, tension is applied to the line with your hand.

Although many fly anglers have all sorts of systems for determining the correct leader thickness and taper, don't worry about that for now. Because the lure in fly fishing are very light weight, you are using the weight of the fly line and the ability of the rod to power the line forward when you cast your fly. Therefore, fly line is much thicker than the monofilament used in spinning or baitcast fishing. That's where the monofilament or leader comes in - it is tied to the end of the fly line, generally an 8 foot length is fine, and to the other end of the leader, you will tie your fly.

Although it is fun to tie your own flies, at this point it is probably best to obtain some from someone you know that ties up flies, or purchase them for a shop that sells them. If it is a local shop, they will be able to advise you as to what patterns that will be most likely to entice the fish to hit. At first, stick with nymphs or wet flies. Dry fly fishing can be a lot of fun, but I'd recommend learning to cast and catch fish with a fly rod using nymphs.

Sunglasses are a must when fly fishing! The last thing you want to do is damage your eye with a misplaced cast and a fly stuck in your eyeball. Think safety first, no matter what you are doing. If you have decided to also purchase a pair of waders, make sure you are familiar with the water you will be wading in.

There are a number of resources available to you to help you decide what fly fishing gear is best for you. Read reviews of the gear that is available to you, talk to other fly anglers, and perhaps the best advice of all: Hire a fly fishing instructor for at least a half day. This will help prevent you from forming bad habits that will be difficult to break later on.

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Fly Fishing Only

Fly-fishing, A Fun Sport

Fly-fishing, a fun sport

Fly-fishing is an ancient angling method especially effective in catching trout and salmon. This distinct method of angling uses artificial flies to lure or excite fish. Fly-fishing helps anglers catch the fish easier than the traditional way.

There are two basic forms of fly-fishing, dry flies and wet flies.

Dry flies need coating with floatant in order for it to sit in the surface of the water. Dry flies are mostly effective in upstream and moving water. Dry flies help anglers' spot where fish resides like pools and pocket in streams. Thus, it is easier to detect them and catch the fish.

The use of wet flies is beneath the surface of the water. Wet flies are nymphs, lures and true wet flies. It works as effective as dry flies except that in cases where weeds are many and almost touching the surface, wet flies blends with the weeds and thus may not be as effective as the dry flies.

Fly-fishing was developed in the 19th century, dry fly technique is very effective especially for slower and clearer rivers.

This is because weeds in rich rivers tend to grow closer to the surface, thus traditional wet fly fishing is almost ineffective. Dry fly fishing is thus useful by keeping the fly and the line floating on the surface. This makes fish excited and aggressive; the angler can then spot the location of the fish and in turn catches fish easier.

Later developments of fly-fishing made this concept as basis, thus in the latter part of the 19th century, anglers develop love for fly-fishing. This gave birth to fly-fishing, the sport among its aficionados.

Various parts of the United States host fly-fishing sports such as in the waters of Catskill Mountains of New York and the provinces of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, British Columbia, Alberta and California.

Anglers in North America also develop various literatures pertaining to fly-fishing. The sport of fly-fishing and all these literatures gave North America the reputation of being the birthplace of dry fly-fishing, specifically the City of Calgary, Alberta. It is arguably one of the world's best trout rivers, thus it remains to be the epicenter for the Western Fly Fishing in North America.

Various other states in America keeps the growing number of fly-fishers such as Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Arkansas. The growing number of anglers that are drawn to the sport of fly-fishing keeps the popularity at its peak.

Dry or wet fly-fishing, whichever is more effective in the rivers where you fish will help keep the sport exciting. It may not be long that other countries will learn to love the sport and make it a globally loved sport.

How does fly-fishing work?

Fly fishing uses longer and lighter rods; sizes vary from 2m (6 ft) for fresh water and up to 4m (14 ft) for salt water fly-fishing. Weight for fresh water rods are between two to five ounces.

Popular types of casts in fly-fishing follow its variety in situation specifics. Anglers uses common cast when the angler whisks the fly rod forward and back using his forearm and upper arm, the wrist is used to soften the motion.

The rod movement varies from 10 o'clock position to 2 o'clock position without touching the ground. Anglers do this to load the rod tip with energy and to travel the fly line creating distance and control; they call this motion false casting.

False casting needs to be done to excite the fish or make it aggressive enough so that when the fly touches the surface, it will be sure that the area where the fly touches is where most of the fish are located and thus will be easier to spot and catch them.

Whether you are a fly-fishing aficionado for outdoor excitement or having fun with your family, using the proper equipment will help you develop love for the sport. Keep it exciting and enjoy fishing at its finest in most popular fly-fishing locations in the country. There are many locations, thus you will not have a problem in spotting nice locations for you and your family for this wonderful outdoor adventure.

About the Author

Shannon Brown is a native of Colorado and an avid fly fisherman. He has created a new website just for fly fisherman. Stop by and visit him at:
All About Fly Fishing

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Dry Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing For Trout

Fly Fishing for Trout

Fly fishing for trout is the most popular form of fly fishing. Most fly fishing techniques were developed for fly fishing for trout.

Approximately 90% of the trout feed on the bottom of a river/stream or lake; and only come to the surface when there is something large enough to eat. During the summer months, anglers should always be prepared with the right flies to match any circumstance.

Dry Fly Fishing is done with the line and flies that float, using a tapered leader, which is placed between the fly at the end of the leader next to the line. Even though most of the trout feed on the bottom, the number of trout that come to the surface is still enough to keep most anglers very busy. This type of Fly Fishing is considered to be the purest form of fishing.

In some situations anglers wade into the water to fish giving them a better chance. During these months nymph fishing may be more productive. The inactivity of surface insects is less, sending the trout to go deeper to find food. Therefore, nymph flies can be weight at the leader.

When river fishing, trout tend to face upstream in order to watch for food as it gets washed downstream. They tend to stay under trees when there by the bank. When fishing a river start upstream moving very slowly; allowing the fly to drift down stream for a couple of casts. Trout usually shelter behind underwater features out of the current waiting for food.

In cooler water, trout tend to bunch together and may be lured to bite on a streamer fly. Anglers should use a technique of casting out and slowly moving the line from left to right, back and forth to give the fly a more enticing action.

Trout not only like to stay around rocks; they also like weed beds and drop-offs. If the angler should see anything such as these, they should cast ahead of the trout and slowly pull the fly back into the trout's area.

Fly Fishing for trout, is different from cast fishing, where the line on the cast rod is usually already tight; with fly rods there is always some extra line between the index finger, the thumb, and the reel.

So the angler is actually catching the trout while holding the line in their hands, until the trout hits the fly and the angler pulls on the line with the hand that is holding the extra line, to sink the fly hook, at the same time letting the extra line go.

About the Author

To learn how to fly fish for trout go to http://www.flyfishing-for-beginners.com

Fly Fishing For Trout