A common misconception surrounding fly fishing is that it is only a sport for the more affluent members of society. Outsiders often see price tags associated with some of the premium gear and assume that the sport is far beyond their price range. The fact of the matter is that the sport of fly fishing and the selection of gear can be customized to fit nearly any price range, no matter how large or small. This article will focus on the ranges of gear that can be acquired and how the typical angler can shave some of the cost off of their fly fishing arsenal. It will be broken into equipment categories so that you can easily see where your greatest savings can occur. Much of the advice below comes from steps I have taken to slowly enter into this magnificent sport on a not so flexible budget.

Rods & Reels

A glance through the pages of a typical fly gear magazine, a scroll through a rod manufacturer’s web site, or a stroll through a local fly shop can often be enough to send the typical beginning fly fisher’s billfold whimpering away in fear. Their variety usually includes rods that can range from about the $200 mark to over $1,000 for some of the finer instruments. Add the reels into the picture, and you can expect to tack on another $50 for the most basic gear to over $600 for larger more advanced reels. For a beginning fly fisher, a child, or someone who merely wants to experiment with the sport, this can be a huge investment for an unknown future. Is this the only way to begin such a rewarding sport? Absolutely not. That is not to say that a novice outfitted with a premium set up will not fall in love with their equipment and the sport, if the budget allows. For those in the more constrained budget category, there is a much cheaper way to go. A visit to your local discount sporting goods store can offer a great deal at entry level pricing. In fact, you can often pick up a rod/reel combo for $20-$30, complete with line, leader and even a few flies. While this approach is not recommended for selection of a lifetime setup, it is a good way to experiment with fly fishing at an inexpensive price. The only trade-offs are the quality and durability of the equipment, and the warranties that are included. While these “beginner” rod combos are not the highest quality or longest lasting, they are often more than enough to get you familiar with the sport and have enough grit to tackle the smaller fish in most local stock ponds and rivers. With a little tender loving care, these outfits can last a decent amount of time. These are not recommended setups if you are going on a once in a lifetime fly fishing trip, or if you plan to tackle the larger, more strenuous fish. But, with a cheaper outfit, you can test your skills, learn to cast to and catch fish, and get a basic understanding into the addictive sport of fly fishing. It never hurts to start small as you experiment, and gradually work your way to more refined equipment. Once you have mastered the basics, you may want to visit a local fly shop in pursuit of a more substantial rig.

Fly Lines

For those who have followed the advice above, you are already set with a fly line. For those without, the same scenario as above applies. You can usually find inexpensive fly lines at your local discount shops, but quality and selection often suffer. They will suffice well enough to provide an introduction to the sport. At other retailers you can expect to pay between $50 and $70 for a more premium line. Once again, for the novice, entry level equipment will be fine to get you going, and usually boasts a $15-$25 price tag. They usually offer only weight forward floating lines in the discount stores, but these lines are versatile and can serve you well as an all purpose line. If you are targeting a particular species of fish or plan to fish one particular style, it may be well worth it to visit your local fly shop for their priceless advice on line selection. The choice is ultimately yours and may be made more by your pocketbook than your desires.

Leaders

Leaders can be everything from the complex big game and tapered fluorocarbon leaders down to a piece of monofilament tied directly to your fly line. You will have better luck landing a fly softly on the water with a tapered leader, but the most basic leader will still get the fly on the water. Even the more advanced leaders are relatively inexpensive, and can last a long time with proper care and the use of a tippet section. Another option is to learn to tie your own tapered leaders. This is a fairly simple task to master and can save a little money in the process. You can also have the benefit of flexibility when tying your own leaders, as you can easily modify your line to suit your particular fishing situation.

Flies

Selecting flies can seem quite overwhelming when you first begin to fly fish. As you glance at the prices of flies, ranging widely from between about $1 and $20 apiece, the final price tag can grow very quickly. For those who are more cost conscious, the only advice I can offer on buying flies is to start slow and build a selection. If you are a first time fly fisher, choose a few flies that will be effective on a wide variety of fish, like a wooly bugger, and build from there for more targeted fishing. These are usually on the less expensive end of the spectrum and will provide the most bang for your buck. If you become active in the sport and wish to accumulate a large selection, you may want to look into tying your own or get to know someone who does. Either way, it often pays huge dividends to get advice from you local fly shop as to the types of flies that will be most effective in the areas you plan to fish. There are a number of “old stand-bys” that the majority of fly fishers will have in their box. These would be the flies I would start with. Take care of your flies and they should each provide plenty of fishing enjoyment.

Fly Boxes

As you build your arsenal of flies, one thing you will want to purchase is a fly box. The box will keep the flies in much better condition between and during fishing trips. There are a number of fly boxes that are offered at very reasonable prices. There are also a number of well designed and specialized boxes with a hefty price tag. This is where it pays to do your homework. If you are crafty, you can often design your own box by adding a thin foam lining to cheap traditional lure boxes. I have several boxes that I have created that cost less than $3 to produce. You can also visit dollar stores and craft stores to find great values on small storage boxes. Almost anything will work fine, but if you buy or create a box that floats and is waterproof, it can save a great deal of headaches from lost or rusted flies.

Fly Tying

If you happen to take hold of the sport (or if it takes hold of you), you may want to venture into fly tying. You can almost always tie your own flies for much cheaper than you can buy them. There is one catch. In order to begin production of your own flies, you must first acquire a certain amount of tools. You can usually find inexpensive fly tying kits on the internet or in catalogues. As with the “all in one” rod combos, these kits are fine for a beginner who wishes to experiment with tying without a large initial cost, but usually suffer somewhat in quality. Most kits will enable you to learn how to tie a few basic varieties of flies. It may be wiser to visit a local fly shop and build your own kit from scratch with the help of one of the store’s experts. Regardless of the method you choose to obtain the equipment, there are several ways to lower your materials cost once you have the basic gear. If you hunt, you can often use hair, fur or feathers from your bagged game in your fly tying. If you prefer synthetic materials, a great deal of items can be found in local craft stores and local drug stores. Most items are fine to obtain from these locations, such as craft foam, epoxy, synthetic furs, yarn, bead chain eyes, nail polish and a number of other items, and will work well in your tying ventures. With a little creativity, you can find a number of very unique and useful items in a craft store, usually at a very affordable price. But, I would advise against certain other items. For instance, you can usually find a sparse selection of strung hackle feathers at these locations. These feathers are a much lower quality and the cost not much lower than those found at dedicated fly shops or catalogues. Thread is another of these items. You will find that higher quality tying thread from a fly shop will perform much better and break far less often. The lesser materials will work in fly production, but the final results and overall tying process can be much more frustrating with these items. Of course, there are a number of items that can only be found in a local tackle shop or fly tying catalogue, such as hooks, lead eyes, and specialized materials. Selections are often much greater on many items as well. All in all, fly tying can be a rewarding and fairly inexpensive experience if you keep an open and creative eye out. Of course, probably the cheapest way to introduce yourself to fly tying is by taking an inexpensive class through the club, where you will tie many more flies yourself than you can buy with the same money.

Overall, fly fishing is a sport without the boundaries most seem to think. In nearly all regards, it can be done just as easily on a small budget as a large one. If fly fishing is a sport you would like to get involved in or something you already enjoy, all you have to do is learn to adapt your own methods to your own means. Do not let the fear of price tags keep you away from the wonderful sport of fly fishing. Just learn to adjust your equipment selection to a range you are comfortable with. Whether it is a $20 rod and reel combo or a premium four digit setup, the joy you will get from hooking into fish on a fly will be something you can cherish for a lifetime.