Fly Fishing Gear:  What's Handy?

Now that you have all of the basic equipment you need for your fly fishing trips, you're probably interested in hearing about what's not absolutely essential, but what will really make your life a lot easier.  Feel free to use our notes as a checklist for your trip, whether you're heading out to buy the fly fishing gear or if you're heading off to the local river and want to make sure you have everything with you! 

Net

With or without a quick-release lanyard, a net is always helpful to have whenever you're going fly fishing, especially when you're fishing in a place where the currents are strong.  It's a lot easier to scoop up your catch with a net than it is to try and reel it in completely before pulling the hook out of its mouth.  What's more, sometimes lines do break when you least expect them to, especially when you're fighting a trophy fish! 

Pliers

Let us give you a little bit of an equation here, that you should hold true to your heart for the rest of your life, even if you’re not good at math. 

Teeth + skin = ouch!

To save your fingers from snapping jaws, you might just want to carry with you a pair of needle-nose pliers.  These you can safely stick down the throat of a fish to pull the hook free, without risking injuring your hands on their teeth.  You can also use pliers to help tighten knots for your leads and your flies, definitely a bonus if you don't want them washing downstream.

Spare Hooks, Flies, Etc.

While you may have extra hooks and flies (and heck, maybe a spare set of line) in your tackle box, it’s always good to make sure that you have plenty of additional ones, just in case.  If for some reason your line breaks, you’ll lose your hook, fly and leader, which can really make the fishing trip miserable, especially if you’re sure you’d snagged the big one! 

Just be sure that you’re ready to try it again!  When you lose part of your rig, take a time-out, repair your line and tie on another fly.  You’ll be good to go again in no time, and you’ll be glad you kept extras with you! 

Wading Staff

No matter how much you weigh, it's always a good idea to wear a wading belt when you're going to be in the stream, casting away.  However, sometimes the currents can get stronger and before you realize it, you're being knocked over.  To avoid a disaster, if you know that weather is going to turn bad (or if you know there is going to be rain upstream), bring a wading staff.  This can be a heavy branch from which you've removed the leaves or a metal or wooden one you buy commercially. 

But these are just a few pieces of equipment to have on hand…there are lots more that are definitely worth getting your mitts on!