If worries about not having the right gear, or knowing what you need to start are holding you back, don't let it.
Whitny put together a quick list of the essentials for getting into the water. Here's what she says:
"You don't need a lot of gear, fancy gear, or expensive gear to get into fly fishing."
Her list of the minimum things to have are:
Fly rod - a good all-around rod is a 9' long, 5 weight rod.
Fly reel - get the same size as your rod. So if you have a 5-wt rod, you want your reel to also be for 5 wt. It can be a range: 5 - 6, 4 - 5, or 4 -5 - 6. Any of those will work.
Fly line - guess what - also a 5 wt! While there are lots of kinds of lines, you'll want to start with a floating 5 wt line.
Leader - you'll want to have a few - probably at least one or two of 3, 4 and 5 weight leaders.
A few rolls of tippet material - again you'll probably want a spool of 3, 4, 5 and maybe 6 wt.
Flies and a fly box - a few flies can get you started. Your local fly shop folks can be really helpful here.
Three essential tools: nippers (to trim knots and cut tippet), forceps or hemostats or fishing pliers (to remove hooks and flatten barbs), and a net with a rubber bag.
And finally, waders and boots if you plan to be wading in rivers and streams or even Puget Sound. In the summer you can get away without waders (called wet wading - you wear quick-dry shorts or pants and either water shoes or your wading boots to give you good stability.)
HOT TIP:
If you're looking to purchase a rod, look for package setups. These typically include the rod, reel, fly line, and a leader. Many rod companies have good starter setups.
We're here to help. And we have the gear.
We know this sounds like a lot, but once you have acquired it, then you have it, and you don't need to get any more. But, if you want to give things a try before making the investment, we can help out.
We can provide:
Rods and reels
A few sizes of wading pants
Flies, flies and more flies
Leaders, tippet and some small tools
Net
If you need to borrow gear, it's important to let us know when you register for the event. This gives us time to get it collected (we house it at our homes), and make sure we can provide what you need.
So c'mon. The fish are waiting. And so are we.
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