Where to Find Cheap Fly Fishing Tackle

Whilst there are those who live by the mantra "you get what you pay for", not everyone who goes fly fishing can afford a high tech fishing rod, and even some of those who can take the attitude that a trout doesn't care how much your fishing tackle cost. Some who go fishing in the wilds of Redneckistan even prefer cheap fly fishing tackle on the grounds that they may have to drop their equipment in a hurry if they are besieged by a gang of drunken yahoos with a bottle of Jack Daniels in the one hand and a hunting rifle in the other, and they don't want to buy any tackle that is going to cost too much to replace. In this article, we offer tips on buying good quality but cheap fly fishing tackle.

Cheaper Fly Fishing Tackle by Doing It Yourself

The cheapest fly fishing tackle is, of course, the one you build yourself. To do this, you will need a tapered steel shaft, sheets of graphite fiber encased in plastic resin, epoxy glue such as U-40 (which is specially designed for rod building), the parts to attach to the rod (reel seat, grip and guides) and last but not least, a comfortable work space. First, lay the steel shaft flat on a table. Then, wrap the graphite fibers around it and glue on the reel seat, guides and grips. A detailed guide on how to do this can be found at Wikiversity, a project by the Wikimedia Foundation devoted to how-to guides and other learning resources. Type "Flycatcher" into the search box to find the guide.

Alternatively, there are several books available on constructing your own fishing rod, mostly concentrating on bamboo and cane rods. Titles include Handcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods by Wayne Cattenach and Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-rod by George E. Maurer and Bernard P. Elser

Buying Cheap Fly Fishing Tackle

Not everyone is handy with a work bench, but even if you buy your fishing tackle from a store, you can still find some good bargains. Used fly fishing tackle is generally cheaper than new, but that is a subject for another article. The cheapest way to buy new fly fishing tackle is with a pre-packaged combo containing everything you need to assemble a complete fly fishing setup. For example, the Shakespeare Fly Fishing Rod and Reel contains an aluminum rod, graphite reel seat, fly line, leader, flies and hook keeper all for just under $35. For the beginner, or for those on a tight budget, such a bargain is hard to beat.