by Jeremy Devries

Created on: February 25, 2009

If you have been looking for an equipment list for fly fishing, there is little question that you are a novice. Don't feel bad that you barely know which end of the flyrod to hang onto, we all started at the same spot you are in. As a professional guide, it has become my job to let you in on the industry secrets while not overwhelming you with a bunch of details, nor underwhelming you with generalities. Here is a to the point, concise, easy to understand list of basic fly fishing equipment. It includes fly line, a rod, a reel, a leader and a basic selection of flies.

The most important piece of fly fishing equipment is fly line. After all, you are not casting the rod, and certainly won't be casting the reel. The line is what actually travels through the air to present your fly. For this reason, you should never skimp on the price of fly line, and buy only top of the line! Without exception your fly line should cost between $60 and $90.

Fly line is a braided piece of nylon string with an advanced coating over it. It will look like rubber or plastic, often in colors like chartreuse, yellow, white, tan or buckskin. These colors mean nothing to the beginner, however what is important is that your first fly line should include the letters WF on the box. WF fly lines are the easiest for a beginner to learn to cast with because they are constructed with all the Weight toward the Forward half of the line.

Next when choosing a fly line, you need to know that all fly lines are numbered from 0 to 15 or more. This number refers to the diameter or weight of the line. The larger the number the larger the line. As logic would suggest, the bigger the fish you are trying to catch, the larger the line weight you should choose. For example; 0-3 weight lines are for species up to about 6 pounds, 4-7 weight lines are for species up to about 15 pounds, 8-12 weight lines up to about 50 pounds, and 13+ are specialty lines for gamefish over 75 pounds.

Once you've chosen your target species, and selected a WF line that matches your species weight, you need to select a rod that will match the fly line you've selected. For example, a 5 weight fly rod would most likely be capable of casting lines from 3 to 8 weight. However, any rod you look at will be labeled above the cork as to the appropriate line size. The most common set up is a 5 wt rod, with 5 wt line or an 8 wt rod with 8wt line. As a beginner, match your rod weight to the line weight. Simple.

If you've paid attention and bought a

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