The New Fly-Fisherman - First Things First

So, my friend is getting back to fly-fishing. He has not done much fishing of any kind since he was kid in the UK as far as I know.

He has not asked me for my advice but you can bet that I have been thinking about it. The question I ask my self is this. “Knowing what I know now, if I was to go back and start again with the same budget what would I buy?”

A more important question might be, “What would I not buy?”

Face it; if most of us, we grizzled old veterans of the stream, were to total up the value of our fishing gear it would horrify our significant others. What is it that Koos Brandt said,” My biggest fear is that when I die, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it”?

For me now, it all starts with being warm and dry. A typical trouting trip here in the East begins in the pre-dawn darkness and ends with a long walk back to the truck as the sun sets or more often, stumbling through the dark of early evening. Therefore, the very first thing a beginner might want to do before even considering rod, reel and flies is inventory their outdoors wear.

From the pre-dawn to twilight, the day might go through a twenty-degree variance. As often as not, it will go from snow to rain to bright sunshine on any given day in April so buy what you need to be able to dress in layers topped with a wind-breaker or rain jacket.

You should do everything necessary to keep your feet dry and in good condition. If money is no object a pair of stocking foot, breathable waders with a nice, rugged pair of felt soled wading shoes is the nearly perfect choice for almost all Nova Scotian fishing.

In the real world though, get the best you can afford whether it is the traditional Wellingtons, boot foot hip-waders or chest waders. Go for comfort first. That means good ankle support and water resistance. Wet feet will turn a dream trip into an endurance contest.

My progression was from those black rubber boots with the red soles to a pair of inexpensive hip boots, to a pair of good, rugged Helly Hansen chest waders. I stuck with those for years until I finally invested in the breathable waders with separate boots.

In my opinion, these new waders represent as big a technological leap forward as any other aspect of modern fly-fishing including rods made with space-tech materials or the new fly-line formulations.

Here is the thinking. When you are cold and miserable your fishing is lack luster and unfocused. Fish may be rising at your feet but all you want to do is get the heck out of there. When you are dry and comfortable, your ability to focus on your quarry is unimpaired. You can enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. Most of all, you can experience the challenge of wild trout at their wily best without the distraction of that pesky hypothermia.

With all of that out of the way, its time to look at gearing up - next time, The Bare Essentials for the New Fly Fisherman.

What Equipment Do You Really Need to Get Started ?

fishing boot

 My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt

I found myself in a discussion the other day with a friend who was just getting back into fly fishing after many years of being away from field sports. Work and geography can really affect how we choose to spend our precious leisure time.


Anyway, it always seems the question of what rod and reel set-up to start with becomes the focus in these conversations.

I’ve thought about it a lot over the years and my conclusion is that it is better to put your money into those things that will make you comfortable in the field and get by with a little bit less of a rod than to have the best rod and reel combo that money can buy and wet feet or a headache from the glare off the water.

I know it’s not what people want to hear. A discussion of the merits of stocking foot versus boot foot waders just doesn’t play to the peanut gallery.

I remember my first fall salmon fishing trip. The weather was perfect for the business, overcast with some sleety drizzle. The river was high and the water temperature was just above freezing.

There was a huge run of two plus sea-winter fish in and I was catching my share but I was miserable.

My waders had a tiny leak just at the crotch. I had to wade out bellybutton deep to get my cast into the sweet spot. I was wet and cold after the first ten minutes in the river and just got wetter and colder as the day went on.

In all fairness the waders had given me good service for about three years of fishing and duck hunting but I had two young children that needed things more than I needed new waders so I tried to get one more year out of them. There were patches on the patches.

The lesson for me was that the best sport in the world is less than appealing when it becomes an endurance contest.

When I think back on that trip I still shudder at the sheer misery I inflicted on myself. The next time I made the trip I made sure that my gear was in order; starting with my boots.

 Boy, did we ever catch and release a bunch of salmon that day though. It is part of my fall routine now and I look forward to it with pleasure each year. If anyone is curious I’ll talk a bit about the techniques we figured out for hooking up that day. Not everyone had the same success.