What gear do I need....

thebassman

thebassman

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
469
Hey guys,

I plan on doing some shopping and am wondering what I am going to have to look into.

What do you have in your vest, chest, lumbar pack? I do not have really anything at the moment....kinda been lacking on keeping my gear in order since it has been a while for me to actually hit the water...

I am thinking I need a thermometer, leader straightener...and other various things.

What would you tell someone who is starting out to buy....?

I thought I would ask here because I might be forgetting things.
 
Things I always make sure to have are, tippet, flies/box, nippers, knife, drying patch, split shot, extra leaders, pliers and hemostats, dry fly floatant. Those are my necessities, that's all I really need.

You should list out what you plan on buying, not really sure on what you already have.
 
lets say I have nothing....cause I really...well...have nothing at the moment
 
Drift boat. :)
 
thebassman wrote:
lets say I have nothing....cause I really...well...have nothing at the moment

some guy wrote this out. maybe its helpful?

A nippers: Nippers. Fancy fishin' talk for something to cut with. You can buy a fancy one, or you can use a nail clipper if you're cheap. I'm cheap, but I still bought a decent nippers with a nail knot tool on top. I find it invaluable.
Hemostats: More than just a roach clip, you will use this to crimp barbs, remove hooks, crush shot, hold your J, occasionally assist in knot tying, etc. I usually use, and lose, the $1 Pakisteel jobs, which are servicable.
Floatant: Helps keep waterlogged flies up top. You can use any number of things, but Gink is cheap and effective. Albolene is way cheaper, and the same as Gink, if you'd rather.
Sinkers: Split shot, soft tung putty, lead, tin, whatever. The putty is nice because you can use as little as you want. The shot is cheaper. Fly fishing usually uses little itty bitty shot sizes, not the Watergremlin stuff you can just buy at a tackle shop.
BobbersIndicators: Bobbers. Thingamabobbers, yarn, foam pinch on, etc etc etc. Some guys don't use them and think they're a crutch. If you're going to make me nymph, I need a crutch. YMMV. I make my own. I told you how to do it, too.
Tippet: You could use fishing line, but just spring for a couple spools of tippet. Here in SEPA, you could live with spools of 4x, 5x, and 6x and never really worry beyond that. Flourocarbon is stupid expensive and doesn't break down when left outside. I never use it, mono is good enough for me.
Glasses: Yes, I've got to spell it out because some people think they won't need them. Some people like me. I'm sold now. Not only that, but when I got a good pair instead of the cheapest polarized glasses I could find, things got better. I accomplished this cheaply with a rad pair of clip-ons for my prescription #OOPS#. I would suggest the little nerd strap that holds them on though. Ever pick $300 worth of glasses out of 4' of cold spring creek all the while wondering if they shift how far they'll float away and if you'll ever see them again? I did. Once. Then I bought the nerd string. If you're picking a shade of lens, let the following guide you: Grey will preserve colour defination, amber will cut the most glare, and yellow will make you look like a #OOPS# but preserve more clarity as the sun slips into shadow.
[size=xx-small]
(note, some guy might be me)[/size]
 
If you did forget something important, you'll likely find out after you hiked a few miles into a secluded spot.
Usually how it worked out for me
 
a plethora of zinggers for the lot of it all
 
So I just got back from the shopping trip and here is a list of what I purchased...

Rio 9ft 7x Leaders
1/2" Multicolor ThingamaBobbers
Nippers
Leader Straightener
Stream Thermometer
zinggers
Gink
5in Forceps
Wind River Gear Medium Fly Box

I also picked up...
white and chartreuse clouser minnow
white and chartreuse popper
and night vision goggles....

also picked up some slick trick magnum broadheads...but thats a different topic.

Am I missing anything...I found some tippet material that I had already so I did not buy that....I need to pick up some shot or the tung putty stuff...
 
If you're fishing for bass/trout, the 7x leaders will be too light. Especially for bass. Unless you're throwing tricos.
 
this is not for bass.....this would be for some trout. I went with 7x just because I always used 2lb test mono when I would use spinning gear for trout in MO. The streams there where fished so much that anything more would spook the fish.....maybe its to light....I will just have to be smart when fighting a fish
 
It can be done, some guys do use it. But I think most guys on here agree that it's unnecessary for our PA trout. Usually, 5X is the thinnest you need to go, sometimes 6X. The 7X leaders will work, but you may lose a bigger fish on it.

I didn't mean to rain on your parade. lol. That's the only problem I personally found in your list.
 
No raining done....I have never really fished for trout in PA so I just went with what I knew....I purchased three of them and I expect to buy more soon....Being so new I bet I am going to be snagging in trees and whatnot... I will purchase some 5x or 6x next time if these do not work out.
 
If you're a dry fly guy, 5X is definitely the norm. On some streams, you may have to bump it to 6X.

If you nymph, 4X can be used early season, but by May/June 5X is mandatory IMO.
 
thebassman wrote:
this is not for bass.....this would be for some trout. I went with 7x just because I always used 2lb test mono when I would use spinning gear for trout in MO. The streams there where fished so much that anything more would spook the fish.....maybe its to light....I will just have to be smart when fighting a fish

B-man, in FFing, you really can't pick one size tippet and fish it for all flies and methods of fishing. While water clarity and flow is a factor, the size of the fly is a huge factor in selecting your tippet size, ie you can't fish buggers with 7x or midges on 4x. You will have great difficulty casting a large or even a average sized fly and getting it to turn over with a light tippet, and you see that they will spin in the air and twist up your tippet and break off. In the opposite scenario, a heavy tippet will drag a small fly. In addition, fishing weighted nymphs with 7x will also be futile and very frustrating.

A simple formula to use as a guideline for selecting a tippet is to divide the size of the fly by 4 and add 1.

Size 12 / 4 = 3 (+ 1) = 4X
Size 16 / 4 = 4 (+ 1) = 5X
Size 20 / 4 = 5 (+ 1) = 6X

I hardly ever use 7x, only for very small midges. If you buy leaders, I recommend you try a 9' 4x. You can use a 4x tipper for bigger flies and nymphing or tie in a 2' tippet of 5x for size 14- 18 flies. For smaller flies cut back your 5x tippet to 12" or so and tie in 2' of 6x tippet. Unless your fishing midges or tricos (very small flies that hatch in the summer), leave the 7x at home.

HTH






 
You paid for a leader straightener ???
must be nice to be well to do-just kidding.
 
I know there's a lot of debate about leaders on here but I don't overcomplicate things and it works fine for me. Next time pick up some 7.5 foot leaders in 3x and 4x. Get some spools of tippet in 3X through 6x. Attach leader to fly line than blood knot a section of tippet to the leader. A total length of 9' is fine for most situations you will encounter. Shorter is fine for nymphs and streamers. I'm with Pete on the leader straightener. I think I bought one years ago and I have no idea what happened to it. Finger and thumb seems to work fine or find an old piece of innertube or something like that. There isn't a person on this board that doesn't have a piece of equipment that they found to be of little use after they acquired it.
 
So what you are saying is 8x tippet is out of the question??

....kidding...

thanks for all the info guys. I will be ordering a few more leaders and more tippet material....
 
I guess I will throw one of the 7x in my bag and the other one I will put away for when I take a trip back to MO. I plan on picking up a 4x and a 5x leader to start....and 4-6x tippet.

Once I figure out what works and what I like I will then stock up on some of it.

Again....thanks for all the help
 
There are some things you learn in spin fishing that can transfer over to fly fishing and some things you need to ignore and re-learn. Tippet is one that you need to forget about your old ways. Casting a fly is all about the transfer of power. In spin fishing the lure does all the work, in fly fishing its the line and leader. If it's not set up correctly then it won't perform correctly. You want your fly to turn over and land properly. If not then it will be a jumbled mess and you'll get knots.

Afish gave some great info on a general rule of thumb for leaders and tippet size. The reason for that is for the transfer of power. Once you get a little more advanced then you can look into leader recipes, different length and so on, but that's down the road. I would suggest starting with a 7.5ft 4x leader and adding tippet to it. Go out and buy 3x to 6x tippet. I can however catch just about any fish I go after in PA on 4 or 5x. I use shorter and stronger leaders for heavier flies (BIG nymphs and streamers) and longer and lighter leaders for more delicate presentations and potentially better drifts (smaller dry flies). My average leader is probably a 9' tapered leader down to 5x. I can cut off sections and rebuild it from there to fit my needs, or just swap out a different leader for different situations. Don't get TOO complicated on this yet, but know the basics and your casting skills will improve with the knowledge.

Ryan
 
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