Thinking of taking up flyfishing? The good news is that kitting out can be much less expensive than for most other sports. For less than £150 you can get a very good flyfishing outfit - a set-up that out-performs 95% of the outfits in use today... but only if you buy wisely.

In the advice presented here, (J-B) indicates a link to our Jargon-Buster page of plain English explanations of technical terms.

How long does flyfishing tackle last?
Flyfishing lines and nylon leaders (J-B) have limited lifetimes - a line will probably last you between two and five years, and leaders are inexpensive and best replaced every year. But with very little attention the other items in your flyfishing outfit should last a lifetime.

Quality or quantity?
You might have thought that price is a guide to quality. Certainly it is rare to find high-priced tackle that is unusable, whereas more of the so-called 'beginner outfits turn out to be a bitter disappointment. But, just as an example, did you know that it is perfectly possible to pay £500 for an outfit and have no more than a 12 month guarantee? And yet for just £140 you can get a balanced rod, reel and fly line set-up with a 25-year guarantee, giving you high quality of and world-class customer service. As it happens both outfits in this example are a delight to use... but I know which one would give me greatest peace of mind. (Come to think of it, isn't peace of mind one of the main reasons we go fishing?)

Fly fishing does not require a lot of tackle, but whether you decide on a budget outfit or a top-grade set-up it pays go for quality - kit that works well from day one and goes on doing so reliably. You also need a balanced outfit: a fly line that suits the kind of fishing you intend doing, and a rod and reel that are properly matched to that fly line.

So will one outfit do for everything?
The simple answer is yes. And no, of course. It is just possible to fish for wild trout on a moorland stream with the same rod you use for reservoir trout, for sea trout and the occasional salmon. But if small streams become your main interest you will almost certainly wish you had a lightweight brook rod with a light line, fine nylon leaders (J-B) and tiny flies that match the hatch (J-B) of insects. Such an outfit is useless for salmon, but at a push you could fish on lakes and reservoirs for trout, accepting that you would have a real battle on your hands if a five pounder took your fly.

A powerful reservoir rod, on the other hand, would be ideal for grilse (small salmon that run up rivers in summer) and would give you a reasonable chance of landing anything other than a very big salmon. It would, of course, be far too stiff for small stream trout fishing.

So what about a mid-way compromise? That's what most flyfishers are very happy with, at least for their first two or three seasons (and many people find no need for anything more). Such an outfit will allow you to fish on tiny moorland streams, although not with the very smallest of flies and the finest of nylon leaders (J-G); it is ideal for tackling the trout of most stocked trout pools and chalk streams; and it also gives you at least a fighting chance if you go spate river fishing you hook a grilse or a summer sea trout. Don't use it to try for spring salmon and sea trout, which although quite scarce are usually too big and powerful for such an outfit.

A general-purpose flyfishing outfit
Here, then, is a suggested beginners' outfit. Although inexpensive, it has a 25-year guarantee.

Item	Description	Guide Price
Line	WF6F. This is the code for a weight-forward floating line rated AFTMA #6. (This is a shorthand way of saying a 6-weight floater with what is called a weight-forward profile. Confusing? See our Jargon-buster page for more details.) A floating line is the easiest to manage and the one trout fishers use most of the time. Smoothness of surface, freedom from 'reel memory' (J-B), and durability are characteristics of a good quality fly line. More about fly lines...	£30-00
Reel	Orvis Clearwater 5/6 fly reel. The reel is simply a place to store the line; but beware of very cheap plastic reels where so often the mechanism jams just as you are trying to land a really good fish. A good reel will last a lifetime. More about fly reels...	£20-00
Backing	175 yards of 20 lb breaking strain backing (J-B). Backing line should be almost entirely free of reel memory (J-B), particularly if you are casting beyond the length of the fly line itself.	£10-00
Rod	Orvis Clearwater 906 carbon trout rod This 9-foot, 37/8-ounce, 2-piece rod designed to cast a 6-weight line is long enough to allow you to fish over bank-side vegetation but light enough to handle fine nylon leader tippets (J-B) and small flies when 'matching the hatch' (J-B) is necessary. More about fly rods...	£130-00
Rod tube	A strong plastic tube to protect the rod when in transit... the cloth bag alone provides nowhere near enough protection.	£25-00

What else will I need?
Accessories and gamefishers' clothing make ideal Birthday and Christmas Present, so why not drop a few hints... but not too subtle. You will want flies, boxes to keep them in, nylon leaders and tippet nylon, floatant and sinkant (stuff to make flies float and other stuff to make nylon sink)... and  so on. Landing net, waders, fly tying tools and materials - the list is not quite endless and very few are absolutely essential. All you really need are your basic outfit, a few flies and some nylon for making leaders; the rest can come later (or not at all).

Our advice is to keep it simple: a well-balanced rod, reel and line, a nylon leader and seven flies - the Magnificent Seven (J-B) of course - and you are kitted out for flyfishing.

More about leaders...

More about artificial flies...

See our Knots page for hints on assembling your tackle... 

Then all you need is to learn how to use it!
See our Overhead Casting Demo page for guidance on the basics of casting - but if you find it difficult at first I'm afraid neither our demo nor all the video films and books ever produced on the subject will be able to tell you what you are doing wrong. That's why many people consider a Trout Fishing Course to be an essential part of their initial investment in the sport. We agree... but we would say that, wouldn't we?

Email us for advice
We always do our best to answer email requests for help. Replies are usually emailed within a week... and if we don't know the answer we really do admit it. But before emailing us with your question, please check that it is not one already answered on our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

Download our Flyfishing Courses Brochure here:

First Nature
Bwlchgwyn, Rhydlewis, Llandysul SA44 5RE
Telephone: 01239 851952
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