Basic Fly Fishing Equipment

Fly Fishing is for Everyone

WHEN you come to realise that you like fishing, you then have to discover which aspect you enjoy best...and that will probably be the one you do most often. Everyone should try all the major techniques, but no-one likes every method equally.

Fishermen (and women) used to aspire to fly fishing. Historically, and south of the Scottish border, this branch of the sport was perceived as snobbish. In the early part of this century it was definitely for those people with plenty of time and money.

Things are different these days. Wealth is more wide-spread, the cost has fallen and we fish for fun, not to stay alive. Many fly anglers now return their fish alive to the water, and rules were invented to make the sport more challenging and interesting. That is what fly fishing is all about - overcoming difficulties in a sporting manner. You fish by pure deception using artificial imitations of what the fish are feeding on. You have to learn the enjoyable and subtle art of presenting such ‘flies’ with rod and line.

And then, often quite suddenly, there opens a whole new world of interesting sidelines: you become a naturalist, a creator of fishing flies, or obsessive about perfecting your casting technique.

Some anglers fish one against another, while others prefer to fish alone. There is a niche for most anglers in fly fishing. It’s a mistake to believe that the only species you can catch this way are trout and salmon: many coarse and salt-water fish can provide excellent sport for fly fishers.

Of all the forms of rod fishing, it is probably the most complex and fascinating - a never-ending journey of exploration, a life-long study. The total absorption fly fishing brings can remedy the stresses and strains which accompany modern life. You should get out and try it now...before the fish stop rising!

GAME FISH

The game fish family encompasses salmon, trout and their relatives. They include several well-known fish.

Salmon - often called the king of fish - are born in the upper stretches of rivers and then migrate to the sea. Later in life they return to the rivers of their birth in order to spawn, and that is when they are caught by anglers. The UK’s record rod-caught salmon, caught by a lady, weighed 64 lb.

Brown trout are fish natural to clean rivers and lakes. They have been caught to more than 20 lb and can be tempted on artificial flies. Where it is permitted, they can be caught on metal spinners or juicy worms.

Rainbow trout were introduced to Britain more than 100 years ago and are usually grown on fish farms. They’re stocked into stillwater fisheries to provide sport for anglers, and fish of 30lb+ have been caught.

To Start You Will Need:-

Permission to fish,

for 12 years old and upwards a valid Environment Agency rod licence (England and Wales only),

a 9 or 9½ foot fly rod suitable for the line,

a fly reel,

fly line – AFTM size 7, weight-forward, floating,

50-70 metres of ‘backing’ line,

braided or knotless leader line,

tippet material in 4, 6 & 8lb breaking strains,

A selection of artificial flies.

Optional Items - which you will probably need later on:-

landing net,

priest (if you wish to keep your fish),

polarizing sunglasses to see fish through the water glare,

pocketed jacket or shoulder bag.

One mistake many novice fly fishers make on stillwaters is to hold the rod with the tip well away from the water's surface. The rod tip should always be positioned within inches of the surface to retain close contact with your flies. This reduces missed takes by removing slack line, making sure when you lift into a take the hook goes home quicker.

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