Start Fly Fishing – Equipment
Starting Fly Fishing
When taking up a new hobby, how you start can be the difference between finding enjoyment that lasts a lifetime and an unpleasant experience you don’t wish to repeat. Fly fishing is no different and here you will find how we introduce and advise novice fly fishers through those first steps in the learning process.
Firstly, choose a fishery conveniently located for you. Resist the temptation to start on a river or reservoir. Instead select one of the many good quality small stillwaters. Such venues have plenty of space for casting, plus trout are never too far away, giving you a favourable chance of catching those all important early fish.
Having established where we intend to fish, we can select a small set of fly fishing equipment so you can go fly fishing. Our suggested list for beginners includes the following.
Fly Fishing Starter Kit
- Fly Rod – Rated AFTM 6-7 weight
- Reel – Basic fly reel designed to hold 6-7 weight line plus 75+ meters of backing
- Fly Line – Weight forward 7 floating fly line
- Backing – Spool of polypropylene backing line, connecting fly line to reel
- Leader – Spools of 6lb and 8lb breaking strain line
- Fly Box/flies – See our small selection of flies to get started here
- Priest – Implement for dispatching trout you intend to eat
- Forceps/snips – Combination for trimming line and unhooking fish
- Landing Net – Means of landing your catch quickly and safely
- Floatant/Sinkant – Treatments to make line/flies float or sink as desired
This basic selection is all you need to get started and have tackle that works well, is pleasant to use and flexible for the occasional foray to a river or reservoir once you have built up your experience.
To ensure you start fly fishing the right way, book a day’s tuition with an instructor. Our beginners courses and lessons give you everything you need to start fly fishing.
Tight Lines
Midlands Fly Fishing Team
