Fly Fishing Gear - Where Should You Go?

FLY FISHING GEAR - WHERE SHOULD YOU GO?

Where do you get the best deal on fly fishing gear? From local fly shops? From specialty online stores selling products from those local fly shops? From big box stores, such as Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, etc?

This is an interesting question because there is no pat answer. Big box stores appear to have the best prices, but this is not necessarily true. Most Major manufacturers, such as Sage, G.Loomis, Scott, Orvis, TFO, Ross, Hardy, Simms, Scientific Anglers, Cortland, Rio and many others have set prices for their products and require their retailers to adhere to those prices. Sometimes a big box retailer will package a product under their own label at a discount, or package it with a brand name rod or reel so that it appears that the buyer is getting a discount on the brand name product when that is not the case. With local fly shops and their own online stores, you know exactly which manufacturer made your rod, reel, etc. and you also know that you are paying the same price for those particular products as those offered by the big box stores. Many times you might actually be paying less because many local fly shops and their online stores run special promotions, such as free shipping, that the big stores rarely do.

Local fly shops are always your best bet when you want flies for the area, local stream knowledge, casting instruction or testing a rod before you buy it. If you don't have a fly shop in your area, or it doesn't have what you need - say saltwater gear in a freshwater location or vice versa - then you should try a local fly shop owned online store. They tend to have a wider variety of manufacturers in many cases, and are run by people with fly fishing experience.

Another advantage of dealing with local fly shops and their online stores is the availability of knowledgeable guides. These are the people on the water all the time. They know which products work and which do not. They are a big influence on the owners of the fly shops as to what products to carry. The local fly shops want their customers to be happy with their purchases so they tend to carry brand name products with excellent warrantees and return policies. These products cover a variety of price points. Top-of-the-line rods from Sage, G.Loomis and Orvis can cost $600-$700, while TFO makes high performance fly rods in the $150-$250 range. The pluses and minuses of each can be explained in detail by the local fly shops.

In summary, I would first look at your local fly shops and their online stores. Their knowledge will prove to be invaluable, and their prices for brand name gear will be competitive with the big box stores. One good online store website is: http://flyfishinganglersandoutfitters.com because it represents one shop specializing in freshwater and the other store specializing in saltwater. The entire fly fishing spectrum is covered.