Looking to jump into the world of fly fishing? Setting yourself up as a new fly fisherman is no small task, it’s an equipment intensive hobby that requires purchasing some new gear as well as a lot of dedication and willingness to learn. If you’re totally new to the sport or if you’ve never owned your own gear and want to get started for real, purchasing a fly fishing starter kit is a great affordable way to dive in!
Starter kits provide you with a fly fishing rod and reel with line already spooled. All you need is some flies and a pair of waders and you’re ready to hit the water. Considering the enormous spectrum for the cost of rods, reels and fly lines, starting out with a complete fly fishing outfit is one way to get a lot of bang for your buck.
Beginners to fly fishing should be focusing on improving their casting, line management and knot tying. Catching fish will come sooner than later, but it’s important for aspiring fly fishermen to learn the dynamics of casting and gain some experience with the equipment in general. While owning a nice quality rod and reel and fishing with more expensive fly lines is no doubt totally awesome, it’s not necessary for beginners to start with top notch gear.
We recommend a moderate-fast action or moderate action rod for beginners. Fast action rods are stiff and designed for casting into the wind and battling stronger fish while slow action rods are more flexy and therefore accurate at close range and great for delicately fishing dry flies and nymphs. Buying something in between to start off is a good way to get the hang of both styles of casting and gives you a versatile fly rod capable of several fishing styles.
Your reel is the least important component to learning how to fly fish. The first and foremost job of your reel is to hold line — that’s it! Yes, it’s important to have a quality drag system if you plan on pursuing powerful species of fish that take a lot of line, but as a beginner it’s certainly not worth spending a lot on a reel. Learning how to cast and actively fish has everything to do with your rod and your fly line — make that your priority if you’re going to pick up fly fishing. Most of these outfits come with a reel that’s nothing special — trust us, you’ll be fine to learn without a top notch reel, worry about that later.
We’ve tracked down five of the best value deals for fly fishing starter kits that are actually worth buying. While it’s not important to own high quality equipment off the bat, you also don’t want to purchase a junky starter kit that you’ll struggle to learn with!