Best Gear to Start Fly Fishing in 2023
Beginner’s Guide to Fly Fishing Gear
Fly fishing gear can be expensive and confusing to buy. Fly fishing bags, however, are one of the essential pieces of equipment you must own. Image by Werk Creative.
What gear should you buy? How much should you spend? Do you really need all of it? In this beginner’s guide to essential fly fishing gear, Jones Guides will provide tips on what fly fishing gear you need and how much you should spend.
Fly fishing! It’s beautiful, soothing, rewarding, and gear-intensive! And you’ve decided you want to begin fly fishing! For a sport that’s so simple by design, it is unmistakably complex in regards to the gear required to be successful.
Similar to many sports, the gear you actually need varies a lot from the gear that’s advertised to you. If you’re not careful, you can easily spend thousands of dollars on gadgets and overpriced equipment that, quite frankly, you just don’t need.
There are a few basic pieces of equipment needed to begin fly fishing. In this image, I am wearing the Patagonia Swiftcurrent Packable Waders. Image by Werk Creative.
So what do you need to start fly fishing? A fly rod, a fly reel, a fly line (consisting of backing, the fly line, a leader, and tippet), and some flies. Four things, that’s it.
However, what do you need to be comfortable, efficient, and successful when fly fishing for years to come? The list is a bit longer.
But don’t worry! This beginner’s guide will break down the essentials and provide recommendations on what to buy and how much to spend.
If you don’t hire me as a guide to hold your fishing net and your phone, you’ll need a fishing bag to carry and organize your gear. Image by Rob Hammer Photography.
Let’s start with the basic four essential items needed to start fly fishing and move down the list of gear that, while may not be the bare bones essentials, are required for sustained enjoyment and success as a fly angler.
The first things you’ll need to begin fly fishing are the four basics. These are the barebones, essential gear that’s absolutely required to fly fish and catch a trout.
You will need a fly rod, a fly reel, a fly line, and some flies to begin fly fishing in Colorado. Image by Werk Creative.
Fly Rod, Fly Reel, Fly Line, and Flies – Fly fishing is an angling method using a lightweight lure (called a fly) which is cast with a fly rod outfitted with a specific type of line. Thus, in order to fly fish, you need a fly rod, fly reel, fly line, and flies. Period.
Fly rods range in price from around $75 to over $1,000 however there is generally a sweet spot for the beginner angler, generally around $150-$250. A rod in this price range will be of high quality and will most often come with a lengthy (if not lifetime) warranty.
In Colorado, a 9-foot, 5-weight fly rod will be sufficient for most trout fishing applications. However, I recommend asking your local fly shop what’s best for your rivers and lakes if you are not fly fishing in Colorado.
The fly reel you buy does not have to be the same brand as your rod, but it does need to match the rod’s in order for it to perform correctly. A 5-weight rod requires a 5-weight reel; a 6-weight rod requires a 6-weight reel, and so on.
You must match your fly rod’s weight to that of your reel and fly line in order for your setup to perform at its peak. In this image, Rob Hammer fly fishes in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park with a Scott Centric from Scott Fly Rods. Read the trip report here.
Similar to fly rods, fly reels vary in price from around $50 all the way up to $800 or more. Reels on the lower end of the price spectrum are generally made of plastic and, unfortunately, will break quickly. Don’t buy a cheap reel – you’ll regret it.
I recommend spending a little more money on one made out of metal. Machined reels start around $200 and are the most durable. Nevertheless, a non-machined, metal reel in the $100-$140 price range will generally perform well and last you years if taken care of.
On your fly reel, you will need a fly line that matches the weight and size of your reel, just like how your reel must match your rod. When you buy your reel, your local fly shop will spool the reel with backing (inexpensive line to take up space on your reel, balance the weight of your set up, and give you an “insurance policy” to keep bigger fish on the hook when they decide to run).
A tippet ring holder is a nice piece of gear to have, although it isn’t completely necessary to begin fly fishing. Image by Werk Creative.
The fly shop can also sell you a leader and some tippet to attach to the end of your fly line. The leader and tippet act together as a tapped and more delicate part of your fly line setup which allows a stealthy approach to casting at feeding trout.
Leader and tippet size choices are a very specific topic that will vary from fishery to fishery, season to season, and species to species. That’s why I recommend simply having the discussion with a pro at your local shop to set you up with their recommended sizes.
Dry flies are often part of a well-round fly box for trout fishing in Colorado.
And to top it all off, you’ll need a couple of fly patterns to get you started. The type of flies you will be successful with highly depends on what the trout are feeding on during that time of year. I recommend visiting your local fly shop to get advice on what the trout are feeding on.
For tips on picking the right leaders, tippet, and flies for your specific fly fishing application, shoot me an email at jonesguides@gmail.com and I’d be happy to help!
My favorite rod for a beginner or casual angler is the Orvis Clearwater 9-foot, 5-weight. It is a graphite fly rod made by a reputable company and casts well for beginners and experts alike. To make things simple, this setup can be purchased with a matching reel, fly line, and backing as a complete package from the Orvis website for around $400 out the door (you get a discount when buying all the equipment together in one purchase).
Ok, so you’ve got the bare bones basics. So what do you need now?
Fishing Bag
Waders
Wading Boots
Net
Fly Box
Forceps & Nippers
Can you fly fish without waders and a fly box? You sure can. And instead of owning technical fishing gear, you wade into the river with your Chacos and baggy shorts, and use a zip lock bag to hold your flies? Absolutely!
But I promise you’ll be limiting yourself in the long run, big time.
The above-listed items are the remaining crucial pieces of fly fishing gear you must have to angle in varying conditions and stay organized. Let’s break down these items.
Fishing Bag – You need a fly fishing bag to organize your gear. There are several styles of bags to choose from; however, I recommend a hip bag for many reasons. This style of fly fishing bag is comfortable and typically has the gear carrying capacity for several fly boxes, a water bottle, and a lightweight rain jacket. Further, when you forget to zip your bag shut, it’s harder for your precious gear to fall into the river because of the orientation of the bag’s opening.
How much should you spend on a bag? $150-$200. Tops.
I use a submersible, water-tight hip pack and a carbon fiber fishing net, both from Fishpond. While this gear is top of the line and super durable, less expensive alternatives discussed in this article will do just fine for most anglers. Image by Werk Creative.
Start with something from a reputable company like Fish Pond, Patagonia, or Simms. Just remember it doesn’t have to be their most expensive bag. The one that I have used on multiple occasions is the Patagonia Stealth Hip Pack 11L and it is one of the most affordable fly fishing products that is still of very high quality.
Waders – $800 waders are a big “NO NO” for beginner or casual anglers. But no-name $100 waders made in China are also a big “NO NO”.
We need to start somewhere in the middle. For this piece of essential fly fishing gear, I have two recommendations for waders on the middle-lower end of the price range, both from reputable companies.
The Redington Escape Waders are a go-to product I use with my clients day in and day out. They are affordable and effective for keeping you dry.
If you’d like to have a product that is a little easier to get repaired by the manufacturer when you get a leak (because over time this WILL happen), I advise looking to the Patagonia Swiftcurrent Packable Waders. Patagonia makes phenomenal products and always repairs them quickly and at a small cost to the consumer.
Wading Boots – A wading boot, running shoe, ski boot or set of high heels is one of the most intimate pieces of clothing someone can own… outside a pair of undies. So I always recommend trying them on in a store rather than buying online. For a price conscience boot that will last you years, I recommend the Simms Freestone Boot.
The fit on these wading boots is good for a variety of foot types. Further, these boots are made by a reputable fly fishing company - Simms. These boots were my go-to for several seasons and have around 150 days in them before starting to show serious wear and tear.
Having a net with a rubber bag is crucial for handling the trout as gently as possible. Catch and release trout fishing requires a delicate approach to handling the fish in order to protect the resource. Image by Werk Creative.
Net – The carbon fiber nets are lightweight and sexy. But they are not necessary. A net is a net and they all do pretty much the same thing – help you catch wild trout. But similar to the products recommended above, don’t go cheap, but don’t break the bank. A net with a wooden frame and a rubber bag will do just fine. The rubber bags on today’s nets are crucial for handling fish gently and are easy to repair when it gets torn. A quick Amazon search for something in the $60-$90 range will get you where you need to be.
Watch my video on repairing your rubber fly fishing net here.
I’m a big fan of high-quality, low-cost products such as this fly box from Fish Rubbers. Even Gus the dog approves!
Fly Box - There are myriads of fly boxes on the market of which many are Amazon specials of low quality. Because the overall price point of a fly box is generally under $45, I typically recommend a high-quality product for the few extra dollars it will cost. The Fishpond Tacky Pescador – Magpad will hold 143 flies and has a magnetic strip to help you not lose rogue flies that try to escape the box. I also recommend the Fish Rubbers Fly Boxes as a high-quality, low-cost, Colorado-based small-company alternative to the larger brands.
Nippers & Forceps – Do not let anyone tell you that you need a $200 pair of nippers and $100 forceps. You just don’t.
But similar to waders (you guessed it), never buy the bargain products that fail in their first season. Get something reliable and cost-effective like the Loon Outdoors Essentials Kit. At just shy of $40 for the combo, you get a solid set of nippers and forceps from a great company that will last you many trips to the river.
Conclusion: The above list of products gets you set up for around $1,200, give or take. While this isn’t a small amount of money, it is certainly less than the $2,000-$4,000 you could easily spend for fly fishing gear that a beginner or casual angler, quite frankly, won’t appreciate enough to justify the cost.
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E-mail me at jonesguides@gmail.com with any questions or if you need any fly fishing tips to help you catch more wild trout.
Contact me if you need any fly fishing tips or would like to book a guided trip this season!