Old boy starting out, needs some advice on kit

[dave4fishing]

Hello,

Firstly, a little about myself. Since the passing of my wife last year, I have been looking for ways to keep myself ticking over. An avid fisherman as a boy, I have decided to learn the art of flyfishing.

I'm a bit baffled by all the gear out there, can someone reccommend a first set of equipment for an old boy.

I live in ashford kent near the Ashford tackle shop so would like to buy locally if at all possible.

Have any of you shopped there? Can you reccommend it?

Many, many thanks. I look forward to your response.

Dave

[fishypaul]

hi dave,first of all welcome to the forum and welcome back to the world of fishing,
i have indeed been in ashford tackle and find them all very helpful another good tackle shop is invicta angling,they to are very good,
i'm sorry i am not a fly fisher so i cannot help you with any recommendations about tackle,hopefully someone will be along shortly who can

[Greenheart]

Welcome to the Forum Dave. The type of tackle you require will depend upon the type of water you are fishing. Steams, rivers or lakes / reservior's. I'm assuming that as you live in Kent, you will probably be fishing Lakes & Reservoirs. For this a 9-10' 7-8# weight rod will cover most situations. You will need a fly reel with a spare spool. Load one spool with a weight forward floating line & one with a weight forward sinking line, rated for the rod, i.e 7 or 8 weight. Don't skimp on line quality. As you gain more experience, you can start to build a collection of lines that have different sinking speeds, but to start a medium sinking line will suffice.You should get a couple of reasonable lines for around £20 each. Reel quality is not too important as a fly reel is primarily used for storing line & not generally used to play the fish. These days you should be able to buy a reasonable carbon rod for around £45 - £ 70. Fly choice will depend on the venue. On larger venues take a look at the catch return book in the lodge. This will normally tell you which flies are catching at the time. Tackle shops are also a good source of advice. A very worthwhile investment would also be a couple of hours casting lessons with an instructor or experienced friend. Good luck It's a great & very addictive hobby.

[sonygeezer]

If money is a bit tight you could try your local Cash Converters I have found some good bargains at my local one. I.E. A like brand new Shimano - Nexave 1000 FB reel which sells new for about £45.00 got it for £4.99 including a spare spool and a reel case.