What You Need to Carry For A Day's Good Flyfishing
One of the great advantages of fishing with a fly rod and fly is that you don't have to carry much equipment.
This means you can travel light and far and wade easily if you need to
In my opinion there are a few things it is essential to carry and all can be put into the various pockets that come with fly vests.
Essential Fly Fishing "Tools" to Carry in Your Fishing Vest
First of all put your
Fishing vest
on then...
1. Rod and reel of course
2. Two fly lines ... one floating and one slow to medium sinking. This means carrying a spare spool to fit the same reel that the main line is wound onto.
3. Range of monofilaments ... there are some nifty cassettes available that allow you to carry 6 different diameter leader materials without taking up too much pocket space. Talking of leaders take another look at the page about leaders and tippets.
4. A box of flies containing nymphs, dry flies and wet flies of various sizes.
5. Brass beads for sliding onto the tippet to provide weight to sink a nymph more quickly especially in cross wind conditions.
6.
Strike indicator ... there are many types available. I prefer the bright pink putty-like material you can see in the image.
7. Fly floatant which is a lquid or gel or spray material that is normally silicone based. Once the fly is treated the fibrous materials are given some water-proofing protection.
8. Silica gel ... a fine dry white powder useful for drying a "dry" fly. Comes in a small jar with a screw lid. Just dip the fly into the jar and shake. Blow off the excess silica gel.
9. Fly and line sink material ... when fishing a dry fly it is good to make the last couple of feet of tippet sink below the surface film.
10. Long nosed forceps attached to a zinger, tied to the inside of the fishing vest.
11. A small towel.
12. A plastic bag if you intend to keep any fish.
13. A lightweight rain protector.
Leader and Tippet Sizes and Diameters
| X factor | Diameter in thousandths of an inch |
| 0X | .011 |
| 1X | .010 |
| 2X | .009 |
| 3X | .008 |
| 4X | .007 |
| 5X | .006 |
| 6X | .005 |
| 7X | .004 |