My Stuff
It is very important that you choose equipment that is well balanced and suited to the particular fishing situation. While a particular fly rod may be used in different situations, its' range of applications is far narrower that a spinning rod. You can take a 6 ½ foot medium action spinning rod spooled with 8 lb. Test monofilament and catch just about anything. You can throw a very small trout spinner or one of the larger bass bugs with little trouble at all. With fly-fishing equipment, you choose the gear with a certain type of fishing in mind. Once more, there is a degree of freedom in the equipments range of applications, but it's not nearly as flexible as the spin-casting rig. The fly rod that I use for very small flies will not work when I want to go bass fishing because the darn thing will not throw my bass bugs. By the same token, my bass rod will throw just about any small trout fly but the presentation would be far less than delicate I assure you.
When I refer to balanced equipment as being sort after, I'm not referring to the center of gravity, but the ability of each component coming together and working as one.
A fly fishing outfit is composed of the following components: Rod, Reel, Backing, Fly Line, Leader, Tippet Material and of course the almighty Fly. This chapter will explore the whole range of equipment options. Although this may seem quite basic, believe me when I tell you, even the frequent angler will learn something new and interesting.
The Hat
Outside of the obvious fact that the hat is used to keep the sun, wind, rain and bugs off the head, I must emphasize that the two most important protective uses of the hat are to prevent a thrown fly (hook) from striking your head and causing injury and the secondary benefit is the hat's ability to reduce eye strain. The hat does this by having a dark earth-tone color to the underside of the brim. This will greatly reduce glare caused by the sun or the suns reflective rays coming off the water. This little fact may not mean much right now, but later on when you've been on the water for much of the day, your eyes will be much less tired
Sunglasses
During times of bright sun-light, the angler has to adapt to these conditions by protecting the eyes from the bothersome glare from the suns direct rays and the reflective surface of the water. Anglers' productive tactics are greatly affected by these two distractions. Particularly when using floating imitations, if the angler can't see the fly being taken, the same angler can't set the hook and the opportunity is missed.
Polarized sunglasses will help prevent this dilemma by cutting down on the glare and other environmental conditions that may interfere with the anglers' ability to see. I would also suggest an adjustable strap to prevent the loss of these protective devices. Yes, I said protective because much like the hat, these glasses will prevent an errant fly from striking the eyes. The best type of these glasses will also have blinders on each side of the glasses.These blinders will prevent any direct sunlight or glare from entering the eyes from either side. These polarized glasses will also allow the anger to see directly into the water without any distraction caused by the sun or the reflective rays. This is a great benefit when the angler is working a subsurface fly downstream and needs the ability to see the fly. Another huge advantage of these types of glasses is when wading the angler must be able to see beneath the surface in order to take the next safe step. The most important feature is the ability to observe the water and pick out the various feeding lies that a fish may inhabit and then cast appropriately to that particular area. All of these advantages can be yours, if you wear your "Polarized Shades."
The Vest
Next to the fly rod, this is the most important item required. Remember that a vest is nothing more than an exterior item of clothing that has a lot of pockets. I suggest strongly that this item be bought in a few sizes larger than your body size. This will allow you to wear enough clothing underneath in order to remain warm during the cooler temperatures of the spring and fall seasons and if you're a fanatic, like myself, in the winter months you'll be glad of this advantage. The vest is what's between you and the vehicle that brought you to the fishing spot. You need a place to carry all the items that you may need in order to have a successful day on the water and not have to venture back to the vehicle in order to get something. A good vest will have enough pockets to carry an assortment of flies, leaders, tippet material, spare reel spool with different fly-line, snacks, license and don't forget that one pocket is for trash
Waiters
Waders are really a must because the use of them will allow you to get into proper casting positions that you just can't do from the edge or shoreline of water. They will protect you in the event of a fall and will keep you warm and dry all day. Waders have come a long way and instead of the heavy, tight fitting rubber designs of yesterday, we now have the newer free-moving and very light breathable waders of today.
The older type is made of rubber and can be hot and heavy after a full days fishing. The newer type are made from nylon, coated with rubber on the outside and neoprene on the inside. These tend to be somewhat lighter, easier to work with and resistant to the rough treatment often necessary to reach secluded fish lies.
These waders come in two styles, stocking foot and boot foot designs. The stocking foot design will require the additional purchase of wading boots and the boot foot design will have the wading boot permanently attached to the waders. The neoprene type is very warm and quite nice during the cooler waters of the early spring, late fall and during the winter months. Because of the weight and the general tightness of these types of waders, they can be restrictive. This characteristic will be a disadvantage in real rough water or places that require a little hiking between bodies of water. These waders can cause you to have a real workout and the moisture trapped inside the waders will get into your clothing, making for a long cold experience until you have a chance to get into some warm and dry clothing and don't forget that you also have to dry out the waders too.
The newer breathable waders have been out for a couple of years now, so the once high prices have come down to our level and can be affordable to most anglers that want them. Breathable waders, of course, all rely on the same principle; which is that of a microporous membrane laminated to various types of fabric. The microporous membrane allows water vapor to be drawn out through the membrane while not allowing the larger molecules of liquid water to enter the membrane. These newest waders are quite light and loose fitting. They are very comfortable and cut fully enough to allow a full range of movements to the angler. So, wading the rough water or climbing the banking to the next upper body of water can be accomplished without stressing the seams or overly stretching the newer laminate.
They also come with double-layered knees, which have drainage openings at both the top and bottom to protect the area that is subject to an unusual amount of wear and tear. Some waders have an added layer of neoprene at the knees, neoprene stocking feet with high-density soles, built in gravel guards and can even have sewn in belt loops for the wading belt.
If you elect to purchase waders that require the additional wading boots, then you will also need to get gravel guards. These gravel guards are simply wide bands of material that prevents the sand or gravel from entering the top of the boot. This protective system prevents the abrasive effects of sand and/or gravel trapped inside the boot. These boots must be sized for the waders being used and don't forget to get them with felt soles attached. These felt bottoms would make negotiating around slippery areas much safer.
While owning a pair of waders is the key to success for the stream fisher, it is also an invitation to forget the dangers of wading in rivers and streams. Many friendly waters in which we wade have hidden drop offs, strong currants, deep pools, algae covered rocks, and other submerged dangers. This is another reason to study the water before using it.
It should be remembered that walking around in the water is not the same as walking on land. Don't take normal steps in waders but instead slide the feet across the bottom while keeping most of your weight on the rear foot until you know you have solid footing with the wading foot. Don't go wading directly across any body of water, instead cross the water in a quartering fashion and always in the up-stream direction. The last point of information is that everyone wading must have on a wading belt. This belt can save your life in the event you should fall. The wading belt will prevent water from entering the waders and filling them with hundreds of pounds of weight. Be safe---very safe and wear the wading belt!
Fly Rods
Ok, here's the big one, Fly Rods. Fly rods come in all sizes, styles, and lengths and are constructed of many different types of materials. Some rods are made of fiberglass, and these are usually of poor quality. Others will have the word graphite on the butt end but the real truth may be that this particular rod is a graphite composite rod and is really made up of a combination of both graphite and fiberglass. This same rod will also have a large portion of the latter. You can spot these rods by looking at the butt end of the blanks diameter; this diameter will be much thicker than the true graphite rod.