Fly Fishing Combo | Fly Fishing Gear For Beginners

As mentioned in my previous post for the beginner fly fisherman I suggest starting with purchasing a fly rod and reel combo available at most big box retailers.There are several companies that make these and I have used just about all of them. While you can buy expensive combos from Orvis, Basspro.com and other big name sporting goods dealers I still prefer the less expensive combos made by Martin and Shakespeare.They are usually available in several different sizes, and weights. We will discuss the specifics to fly rod weight and size in later posts. Typically the fly fishing combo available at your local retailer will be stocked based on the most common size and weight used by fly fishermen in your area so you really can’t go wrong. These rods make it easy for the beginner by using fly line matched to the rod; include the leader and tippet necessary to get started. The fly fishing novice shouldn’t have to be concerned with all the little details involved in getting the correct fly fishing gear but should rather focus on practicing his casting. These types of setups are designed for the starter and are very forgiving to the little mistakes you’ll make when first starting.

There are some disadvantages of using these less expensive fly rods, durability being the biggest. They typically aren’t made as strong or with as high a quality of components as the more expensive brands. So take care to be gentle with your rod when you do get snagged in a tree or weed bed. When your finished flishing with one of these less expensive or used fly rod combos make sure to take the time and clean the rod, reel and line according to the manufactures recommendations. Pay special attention to the reel, as they are the most likely to fail when abused or not kept clean. Don’t just throw your fly rod and reel in the trunk of the car or bed of the truck and forget about it. Inevitability someone will throw something on top of it and crack the rod or damage the eyes.
Well that’s enough about the basic care of your new fly fishing combo for now. I’ll continue posting more little tidbits for the fly fishing beginner as we go on. Next post will focus on the basics of fly-casting to help you avoid making too many bad habits.