Fly Fishing for Trout: Gear, Water and First Steps

Short answer: a simple setup and a lot of looking

Trout fishing on the fly looks complicated from the outside and is mostly three things: a rod and line that match, a fly that suits the day, and an eye for where the fish are. The first two you can buy in an afternoon. The third takes time on the water, and you can start building it before you ever make a cast.

For the buying part, MidCurrent's beginner gear article describes a basic, well-rounded setup: a 9-foot graphite rod in 5-weight, a simple durable reel matched to the rod, a standard 5-weight weight-forward floating line, a 9-foot leader with 5X tippet, and about 30 yards of backing. It adds nippers with a retractor, floatant for dry flies, a fly box, and a mixed set of flies. Its advice: get a basic, well-rounded setup and do not fret over the details.

The rod, reel and line

Rod weight is the first decision and the 5-weight is the default for good reason. It is heavy enough to cast most trout flies and light enough to cast them softly. Lighter rods, such as a 3-weight, suit small streams. Heavier rods suit large rivers and bigger flies. Our trout fly rods page lists the options on Amazon US, our 5-weight fly rods page covers the default weight, and the what weight fly rod for trout guide goes deeper. If you want a rod, reel and line in one box, see the starter kits.

On lines, Orvis calls the rod's designed weight the starting point: the line weight the rod was designed to cast is the best guide, even though there is gray area in that rule. Floating lines are designed to float on the water and suit dry flies, emergers and nymphs, according to Orvis; sinking lines are rated by how fast they sink. For trout, a floating line is where almost everyone starts. The fly line weight chart guide explains how line weight works.

For the reel, MidCurrent says to choose a simple, durable one that matches your rod and line weight, and notes that drag matters mainly for large fish. See trout fly reels for what is on offer.

How trout use a river

This part gets people fishing sooner than any new rod. A small-stream guide at The Catch and the Hatch says trout need four things from a lie: food access, current relief, cover or protection, and acceptable depth. It adds that trout are most commonly found actively feeding in water two to four feet deep, in current of about one to two feet per second, fast enough to bring food and slow enough to save energy. Fast, shallow riffles without pockets generally do not hold fish.

Features the guide points to:

• Seams: the boundary between fast and slow water, where food concentrates.
• Bubble lines: lines of floating debris that mark the main flow.
• Tailouts: where a pool narrows and slows before the current picks up again.
• Pockets: calm water in front of and beside rocks.
• Undercut banks: fish feel secure there, so work them slowly.
• Drop-offs and troughs: trout often hold just in front of the drop.
• Shade and logjams: shade matters on warm days, and logjams create long downstream seams.

The same guide distinguishes cover from protection: a fish under an overhanging bush has overhead cover but can still be reached from the side, while protection means the fish is genuinely difficult to reach. A useful habit is to look at a pool, name the seam, the pocket and the tailout, and decide where you would sit if you were a trout who liked lunch. (No trout has confirmed this reasoning, but the model works.)

Three kinds of flies

You will meet three families of fly. Dry flies float and imitate adult insects on the surface. Nymphs sink and imitate immature insects under the water. Streamers are larger flies that imitate baitfish and other prey. MidCurrent suggests a mixed set that includes dry flies, nymphs, streamers, wet flies and terrestrials, and I would add that your local fly shop knows which patterns the river wants right now. For specific techniques see how to fly fish a streamer and what is Euro nymphing.

Gear around the rod

If you wade, waders and boots are the second purchase. Our waders page lets you filter by height, foot and fabric; wading boots explains soles. In warm weather you may not need waders at all: see wet wading. A wading belt is worth adding to any wader purchase. For carrying flies and tools, see pack vs vest. The full shopping view is on our trout fly fishing gear page.

Practice and regulations

Check your state's rules before you go: licenses, seasons, tackle restrictions and release requirements vary by water, and I did not open any agency page for this guide, so I am not quoting a rule. A local fly shop or the state wildlife agency's site is the right place. Cast on a lawn first; it is the cheapest lesson there is.

Fish don't read spec sheets. You should.