Fly Fishing is without a doubt one of the most rewarding angling experiences available. Both easy enough for a novice and challenging enough for a pro.

Get started now. Get involved with other fly fishermen and in your local fly fishing club. Learn to fly cast, first by taking fly casting lessons. Practice fly casting drills, once a week. Read books, and watch videos, to learn about fly fishing, fly casting, tying flies and tying knots. Get everything that you can get your hands on. Visit your local fly shop and buy tackle comfortable to you, and your local waters.

Learn how to tie knots, how to build your own leaders. Learn how to tie the flies onto your leaders, and learn deferent methods of rigging. Learn your local waters, hire a good guide, he will teach you allot. Be patient, with yourself, give the sport a chance. What ever you put into it, is what you will get out of it, and you will discover your fly fishing adventure. If you have been fly fishing in freshwater and never fly fished saltwater from a flats boat, a good start would be to take an advance casting lessons. To learn how to cast to moving targets. Learn how to cast in the wind, to double haul, to cast for distance. Learn how to set the hook, and fight big game fish on fly tackle.

• Fly Rod
• Reel
• Line
• Leader/Tipett
• Fly
• Backing
• Net
• Wading boots
• Waders
• Gotta have a hat
• Forceps

• 19.95 - 1900.00 +
• 14.95 - 495.00 +
• 9.99 - 59.00
• 3.50
• .50- 3.95
• 4.00
• 9.99 - 90.00
• 29.95 - 100.00+
• 49.95 - 250.00+
• 29.95 +
• 2.95 +

Below you will find 3 examples of what is available. (BEST - PRACTICAL - CAN'T GO WRONG)
The rods listed are just those of my opinion. The are hundreds of rods available and every fly fisherman has his/her own opinion on what they prefer.

Fly rods are usually broken down in 5 categories:

• WEIGHT
• FLEXIBILITY
• LENGTH
• OUNCES simply how heavy the rod is
• PIECES most fly rods come in 2 pieces but they are also available up to 8 pieces the 4 piece to 8 piece are for compactibility/traveling.
• MATERIAL

Description:
5-weight, full-flex
7½-foot, 4 1/8-oz., 2-piece rod for 5-weight line. There may be nothing as traditional and rewarding in fly fishing as a crisp cast and a perfect presentation made from an impeccably designed bamboo fly rod. The Adirondack is easily one of the finest 5-weight bamboo fly rods ever produced, with the crisp feel and strength of a swelled butt design with the delicate tip action that casts like a classic split bamboo.

Description:
These five-piece rods with breakdown lengths from 18 to 23 inches will fit into the smallest of areas. Each rod is constructed using a 96% graphite dark green blank with hard chrome double foot snake guides for easier casting and durability. Uplocking reel seat features a maple wood insert with attractive aluminum hardware.

Description:
7-foot 9-inch, 3-oz., 2-piece rod for 5-weight line. Features a taper unlike that of any other rod. It may be the finest small-stream trout rod ever made.

The quarry you pursue also determines the type of fly reel you “need”. If you are pursuing trout, the fly reel usually just holds the line and you really don't need anything fancy. If you are pursuing salmon, steelhead, or any saltwater species, the reel is much more important and you will need to set aside a larger part of your fly fishing budget for a good reel.

Flexability/Actions

Do not confuse fly rod actions with those described on spinning rods— they are two different things. The action of a fly rod refers to how it bends along the blank (its foundation), not the classification of line it is designed to handle, as with many spinning and bait casting rods.

Tip - Flex (Fast Action)
A tip-flex fly rod has a high degree of stiffness and tip action, meaning it bends in the cast only about one-third of the way down the blank. (There are also very fast action rods that bend only about one-quarter of the way down the rod.) A tip-flex rod is able to cast a fly line farther with less effort than mid-flex and full-flex rods because the rod's modulus (degree of stiffness) is greater. However, it is not as accurate as its slower brethren. Tip-flex rods are best employed by more experienced casters, since they aren't very forgiving when it comes to mistakes made during the cast, i.e., reduced efficiency.

Mid - Flex (Medium Action )
The mid-flex fly rod splits the difference between tip-flex and full-flex rods by loading to about the middle of the blank during casting. This action does forgive more than fast action and is therefore used frequently in fly casting instruction for beginners. It is more accurate than the fast action, too, but does not generate the power of the tip-flex rod.

Full - Flex (Progressive Action)
The full-flex rod easily bends just about to the butt when casting. This is the action favored by fly-fishers who target spooky trout in small, tight streams where long casts aren't called for but great accuracy is. Full-flex, also known as parabolic or slow action, is demonstrated by a rod bending progressively more from tip to butt as the load is increased. (When we speak of"loading" the rod we refer to the power of the cast and the weight of the fly line that is in the air beyond the rod's tiptop, plus the weight of the leader, tippet, and fly. So, a full-flex rod will bend more and more as load is increased and power is applied.)

Rod lengths run from 5 1/2 feet to 16 feet, with 8 1/2 feet or so being most common. The smallest fly rod I have ever come across was a tiny 5 1/2-foot rod owned by my friend John Kingsley-Heath, a retired professional hunter who enjoyed a 30-year career running safaris and doing control work in East Africa. In front of a pleasant fire in a 400-year-old hearth bracketed by two massive tusks of ivory, I slid the dainty travel rod from its cloth and put it together. Sipping a glass of fine, single malt scotch (the British are hoarding all the good stuff, you know), I admired the little rod and assumed it was crafted many years ago to fish narrow streams, most of which are now too filled with pesticides and other run-off poisons from the farms that dot the countryside to hold any trout. Studying the rod in the glow of the fire, I wondered if it would ever feel the weight of a trout again.

Generally speaking and all other things being equal, short rods are less efficient during casting because they are not capable of loading properly in order to throw the line. Seven feet is about as short as I like to go, and I use such short rods only when fishing the smallest of flies in tight quarters, such as fishing a size 20 Pheasant Tail nymph on the West Branch of Maine's Nash Stream (though there are places along this stream where I have desperately wished for a 6-footer). Nor do I like casting a rod longer than 10 feet; I find annoying and frustrating the added weight and wind resistance, regardless of the grade of graphite in the rod's construction. Nevertheless, the bottom line is to use the rod you like best for the situation, not what some outdoor writer says you should like.

When selecting a rod weight, consider the size and strength of the fish you intend to catch, what types and sizes of flies you will use, and the conditions you will fish under (tight mountain streams, broad Western rivers, flats, offshore, farm ponds, big lakes, etc.). For smallish trout on small waters that require delicate presentation, a 1-weight rod will do. Fly-fishing for typical trout or bream, or fishing on mid-sized streams and other waters suggests a 5-weight rod, while a 7-weight is a fine, classic bass rod. A 10-weight rod is great for light tarpon or false albacore, and a 15-weight rod is meant for tuna and billfish. It is fairly easy to pick the right weight; simply remember to choose a rod that can perform properly. Too heavy a rod and the fight will not be enjoyed; too light a rod and the fish will overpower you, resulting in too long a fight and an exhausted fish that may not survive release.

Graphite. Remember that word, because the vast majority of fly rods are made from graphite nowadays. Skip the heavier, clumsy, fiberglass rods. Yes, the latter are much less expensive, but they just don't cast nearly as well— and that means frustration and disappointment. Go ahead and buy yourself a bamboo fly rod if you must. Yes, it will run you between $1,000 and $2,000, but they are lovely and traditional.

Graphite is strong, efficient in the physics sense, and very sensitive, and it has all the other attributes needed to make a good fly rod. Naturally, the higher the grade of graphite, the more expensive the rod. You can buy a decent graphite fly rod for as little as $100 or thereabouts, even less if you catch them on sale.

On May 12, 1874, the founder of The Orvis Company, Charles F. Orvis, was granted a patent on his new Trout Reel. Virtually all fly reels since are based upon the principles that set this reel apart from all others. While materials used to make the first reels (nickel silver and nickel-plated brass) have changed (to aluminum), it is still very evident that Mr. Orvis changed the face of fly-fishing forever.

Today's serious reels are light and durable, and capable of taking tremendous pressure from powerful fish trying to fuse the reel's drag system. Whereas the old adage that describes a fly reel as a place to store fly line still rings true for small, less-than-powerful game fish like blue-gill and many trout, when you intend to fight fish off the reel, like red drum, steelhead, bonefish, and permit, the reel becomes much more important, and the most important aspect of that reel is the drag system it employs.

Regardless of the type of drag system your reel features (disk or ratchet-and-pawl), make sure it functions smoothly (no skipping) from the moment it engages to the moment you land the fish. (Changes in friction applied during a fight will likely cost you the fish.) It must be heat-resistant throughout the fight. When completely disengaged, the drag should be just that— completely disengaged— so that line runs freely off the spool. And the drag adjustment knob must be easily accessed and used, yet out of the way and not cumbersome or awkward. Reels with a palming rim allow the angler to apply additional drag with his palm, a nice touch that can come in handy.

The reel should be matched to the rod for balance. Too heavy or too light a reel for the rod will hinder casting and playing of the fish.

The assorted tapers found today include level (L), weight-forward (WF), and double-taper (DT). There are some specialty lines like the shooting head (SH) line (a short, composite line with a heavy casting section that is attached either to a very thin running line made of monofilament or perhaps to a level fly line), and the triangle taper (TT) line (invented by the late Lee Wulff, it steadily increases in diameter from the tip to the 40-foot mark, where it suddenly tapers back down within eight feet and then runs into the running line). Also, as fly-fishers have become more and more specialized and demanding, tapers designed for fishing certain species have popped up, such as Scientific Anglers' tarpon and bonefish tapers.

The level line is all but useless and should be avoided. They sell because they are inexpensive and people buy them without knowing any better. Weight-forward lines are excellent in that they tend to cast easier because of extra weight in the forward part of the line linked to a running end that is thin. Most fly-fishing situations can be handled with a weight-forward line.

The double-taper line is an excellent line for fishing across stream currents where mending (moving the line upstream in a flipping motion without disturbing the fly in order to get a drag-free drift) is required. Mending is facilitated by a double-taper line's thin ends and thicker middle (belly). And because the ends are equidistantly thin, you can reverse the line on the reel when one end becomes worn.

The line's weight, the next part of the code, is taken from the number of grains in the first 30 feet of line. This ranges from 1 to 15. A 1-weight line would be used for the most delicate and fine trout fishing on tiny streams for dainty trout, while a 15-weight would be used on marlin, big tuna, and other such game fish.

Finally comes the buoyancy of the line. A floating line (F) floats on the surface because of air cells injected into the PVC coating. An intermediate line (I) is meant to have neutral buoyancy; it sinks a little ways and stops. The sinking lines (S) have powdered lead or some other heavy substance added to the coating to make them sink. The sink rates vary, running from one foot every second to about 10 feet every second. Sink-tip lines (F/S) are lines with a floating belly and a tip section (between 10 and 30 feet) that sinks. As far as line lengths go, they all range from about 82 feet to a little more than 100 feet.

All this means that an AFTMA fly line code reading DT-5-F is a double-taper, 5-weight, floating line. A WF-12-F/S is a weight-forward, 12-weight, sink-tip. A L-7-F is a level, 7-weight, floating line. A WF-9-I is a weight-forward, 9-weight, intermediate line. A WF-6-S is a weight-forward, 6-weight, sinking line.

Choosing a Fly Line

Excerpted from
North American Fly-Fishing
by Bob Newman

In fly-fishing, as in any other type of fishing, you get what you pay for when it comes to fly lines. When you pay $5 or $6 for a fly line, you get about $5 or $6 worth of performance. On the other hand, when you pay substantially more for a line made by reputable, proven manufacturers like Scientific Anglers, Fenwick, Wulff, Orvis, L.L. Bean, and Teeny, you get a line you know you can trust, one that will perform as it was meant to perform. Don't ever skimp on a fly line.

The best line to start with is a weight-forward floating line because it is so versatile. If you will be fishing moving streams and rivers, buy a double-taper floating line. As you learn more about the art of fly-fishing and get into more specific situations, you will need to get other lines. For instance, when fishing fairly well below the surface of still waters, a slow-sinking line is used. If you are in a situation where you have to get the line down faster, like in a moving river, a faster sink rate is required. If you are casting heavy flies into the wind, you may want to opt for a shooting head. When you want the fly to sink but most of the fly line to remain on the surface, like in many salmon and trout fishing situations on rivers and streams, you will want a sink-tip. And when fishing in bright sun and hot temperatures, you could benefit from using a line that is ultraviolet resistant; UV light breaks down the PVC coating on standard fly lines.

When beginning to fly-fish, first consider the species of fish you expect to spend the most time chasing, but remember that tuned angling skills make it possible to catch very big fish on comparatively light fly-fishing tackle. In the Florida Keys, you will be after bonefish, barracuda, tarpon, permit, cobia, and dolphin, among many other species. You will need a 10- to 13-weight for average tarpon and bigger barracuda (an 8- or 9-weight for smaller"ditch" tarpon), but a 6- to 9-weight will suffice for the others, generally speaking. If you intend to pursue blue-gill in farm ponds or small trout in tight streams, use a wispy 1- to 4-weight. Bass and bigger trout anglers find cause for fly rods in the 5- to 7-weight. Inshore fly-fishing for spotted sea-trout, red drum, striped bass, and bluefish sees a 7- to 9-weight on deck. Northern pike and muskie insist upon an 8- to 10-weight.

Right about now you must realize that if you intend to catch many or perhaps even all of these species of fish, you are going to spend some money gearing up. But that's part of the fun, even if it takes years to get there.

Backing is the emergency line separating the fly reel's arbor from the fly line itself. Normally made of Dacron, it fills the reel's spool and gives the fly-fisher plenty (well, usually) of extra line to fight a fish on.

The leader is what separates the fly line from the fly. It allows the fly to act more naturally, doesn't scare nervous fish as easily as a fly line can, and helps to prevent the fly from striking the water so hard that the fish runs off (although in some fishing situations you want the fly to hit hard). Most leaders are made of nylon monofilament; they can come pre-packaged and knotless, or you can construct your own with assorted sections of monofilament of various tensile strengths. They come in many lengths, and today you can find specialty leaders to use for specific situations, like with a wet fly (special wet fly leaders sink along with the fly), toothy fish, or what have you. Most leaders run from 6-15 feet, but in some instances, as when fishing sinking lines in murky or oily water, you may need only a 3-foot leader.

Tippet is a section of special leader added to the end of the leader where you will be tying your fly. It is used to add delicacy or strength to the whole system, depending on what you are fishing for.

Leaders and tippets are rated by an "X" code with a corresponding number. The lower the X number, the thicker the tippet's diameter. The diameter of the leader and/or tippet can be crucial in presentation of the fly. Check the package for the tensile strength.