Fly Fishing Gear

Bite identification is critical to fly fishermen, often we have watched and realised that people have not even noticed bites because of either poor eyesight of poor bite indicators being used. So here is a top tip for bite identification and it will cost you very little!

So you may have spent £20 or you may have spend £75 or more on a fly line, please don’t worry this technique will improve your catch ratios and hook-ups. All you need is a dark coloured permanent marker pen (or light coloured pen if the fly line is dark coloured).

• 4 to 7 weight lines (195 to 265 grains) are designed for trout fly fishermen
• 7 to 10 weight (265 to 400 grains)  are designed for switch, scandi and skagit on single handed rods (see notes below on Switch and Scandi usage)
• 11 to 14 weight (450 to 600 grains) are intended for double handed fly rods

find out more in this blog post

So why have cassette fly reels become so popular over the last few years? To answer that question we have to look at the design of reels and think about the way in which we use fly reels. Traditionally reels were machined from solid steel or aluminium blocks or cast in iron. The seperate parts including drag, spool and reel would then be assembled. The spool having been cast or machined often cost half that of the traditional fly reel! If we look at the way fishermen use their reels it shows why manufacturers have moved to casette fly reels and shows their benefits.

An essential guide.

For General Salmon fly fishing there are a few things to look for in a good reel, here is our recommended checklist of features. Also check out our top tops for salmon fly reel protection.

Today we’ll touch on a number of topics, focusing on Upstream Nymphing, whilst also considering how a pair of polarized sunglasses can make all the difference to your fishing trip, and how getting “that sinking feeling” will make you appear psychic to those less experienced.

We had an opportunity to test the new Wychwood RS Rod in July 2016. Newly released and now readily available we thought we would do a full test of this new range of Wychwood Rods. The flagship RS series are classy, high-end fly rods which offer exceptional performance combined with a super lightweight design and stunning good looks.

One of the most important lessons for us was leader preparation at the river or lakeside. Today you will never find us without a tub of Dick Walker's Ledasink or similar material which removes the surface tension on monofilament to allow them to sink but most importantly to reduce flash and glint off the leader. Before we cast you will find us running the entire length of the leader through the tub of Degreasant or mud at least twice, then we run the line through our handkerchief or cloth. The result is that the chemicals always present on line is removed. If you cannot afford it then use some mud from the banks with water

As with every hobby there are specialist terms to describe the hobby and the items used. Fly fishing has lots of specialist terms that are used to describe it, check our full glossary of fly fishing terms here or see the terms specifically used in relation to flylines here.

Are you thinking of taking up fly fishing? You'll need to make sure you invest in the right fly fishing clothing, rods and materials to have the best chance of success.