It can also be one of the priciest with the country’s 40 million anglers spending more than $40 billion in retail sales, according to the American Sportfishing Association.
And fly anglers and their wives know their addiction costs even more with reels and rods costing hundreds of dollars apiece. Then there’s fly line, leaders, tippets and all the fly-tying gear.
Luckily most seasoned fly anglers have deep pockets or are poor penny pinchers who have nothing else to do but fly fish.
Being a writer, I can relate to the latter half and have to hunt the bargain bins and sale racks to get most of my fishing gear. I also live in a city that doesn’t have a fly fishing shop, so I do a lot of my shopping online, even if it means browsing (gulp) the Cabellas and Bass Pro Shops of the world.
I do travel a lot, and I always visit the local fly shop and buy at least a dozen flies, a hat or a T-shirt as a souvenir. My wife hates the hat collection I’ve stockpiled, but it feels good to support the shops and the characters that make this the greatest hobby in the world.
The following is a list of fly-fishing links for anglers who don’t have the benefit of a fly shop in their back yard or beginning anglers and penny pinchers who can’t afford the top-end models that just hit the market.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FLY SHOP!
