Fly Fishing Clothing
The basic three pieces of clothing you will need are vest, footwear, and headgear.
The vest is required in most fly fishing situations. It should fit around your waistor chest and also plenty of pockets to carry your gear. Every pocket should close with a zippers. The vest should have zippered pockets for your fly boxes, clippers, flies, leaders, tippets, various tools, fly fishing line, weights, fly floatants, and any other number of odds and ends. Vests come in two length: regular or short. Regular vests are most frequently used, and short ones are usually when you wade in deeper water. When you go to local shop for a vest, you need to consider its carrying capacity, length, and feel. A fully loaded vest can be heavy, so make sure choosing one spreading its weight across your shoulders.
| This is a typical fly fishing vest | |
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The next thing you need is the footwear. Good footwear is essential for wading. If you fish in rocky streams or slippery conditions, footwear should have felt soles, cleats or some other device.
| This is a pair of footwear for fly fishing. | |
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If you plan to fish in windy conditions, choose a hat with a loop that attaches to the back of your vest, which will save you from losing it. A good hat will also protect your eyes, head and neck from the sun.
If you plan to walk in the water, waders are another essential item for your fly fishing trip. They will keep you warm and dry when wading through the water. There are two types of waders, built-in boots or stockings. Although built-in boots are cheaper, you have to replace the entire set of waders if the boots wear out. So it is better to go for the stocking type because you only need to replace the boot. If you do go for the stocking type, you will also need a pair of gravel guards. They are used to keep small rocks and gravel out of your wading boot.
Waders and Boots
Waders are typically made from rubber, nylon, neoprene, or breathable material like Gore-Tex. Most waders are made out of rubber. Nylon waders are lightweight and great in the summer. But they puncture very easily. Neoprene waders have good insulating properties and not expensive. Breathable wader are very comfortable to wear and very durable too. It come with a higher price tag. Breathable waders usually cost between $250 to $500 or more. But you get what you pay for.
There are two basic types of waders: chest waders and waist waders. Chest waders cover you from your chest to your feet. Thus they can protect you from getting wetting when you wade in deep water. Breathable chest waders are ideal for warmer situation, because they let the body’s perspiration pass though into the outside. Non-breathable waders will keep the sweat inside and make you feel cold and damp. Waist waders only cover you from your feet to your waist which is mostly used in shallow water.
| Chest Wader | Waist Wader |
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When choosing wading boots, consider how comfortable to wear them and the safety they offer. Look for the boots that dry easily without cracking, easy to get on or off and also provide good ankle support. Make sure you choose the boots that are suited to the water you are wading. Felt sole boots work well on wet rocks and also oddly shaped rocks. Slippery rocks may require studded felt soles and sticky rubber soles are good for sandy and pebble streams.
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