Browsing the weekend’s fly fishing headlines, I came across a quote in a News Leader (Va.) piece that was worth repeating.

The story was previewing Waynesboro’s upcoming Virginia Fly Fishing Festival and had a good line from Beau Beasley. The festival director pointed out two misconceptions about fly fishing: that it’s difficult and expensive.

"Neither is true," Beasley said. "People who come to the festival can see that it's not a hard sport to learn, and that you can buy a $100 fly fishing rod as opposed to a $600 fly rod."

As a penniless writer, I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I’ve written about fishing for a bargain on a handful of occasions. Speaking of which, if you’re looking for a deal this spring in preparation for that next trout fishing trip, here’s my list of the top bargain sites for fishing gear.