Fly Fishing Resources Purchasing Guide

North of Toronto in Vaughan, there is a store so large that it even got the exit off the highway named after it "Bass Pro Mills Drive". What marketing... I have been looking for a well priced outfit (rod, reel, waders and boots) and have recently put a lot of effort into understanding what one should be looking for when purchasing and fly fishing equipment... Side Note: Before I write this, I think you all ought to know that my father defended the art of fly tying this weekend as "Making a Weapon" with which to hunt, rather than what the other folks at the table joked about... "Arts and Crafts for Men" hehehe... OK ok, all is well and good for a few laughs... But Fly Fishing is as much for women as it is for men... I find that women really have the patients to have what it takes in this hunt. Back to the real story here... What do you look for when making a purchase?

Going beyond my teachers, manuals, and the Internet, I decided if I am to make a purchase, I will need to know a lot about what I am getting into... I am planning on using this equipment for many years after I buy it... So I went to a few stores this weekend (Bass Pro and Wilson’s) and looked around, touched things, read the marketing and labels etc. but more importantly, I talked to the people at the store... and this point form list is what I found out...

There is an outfit for us all, and about a million fishing products out there, so it is not what you know, it is asking the right questions of yourself... Here are the right questions to ask...

How much am I willing to spend? ($200 to $2000)
How many years am I going to use the equipment?
Does brand name mean much to me?
Does looking cool matter over catching fish?
What kind of fish will I hunt?
What kind of rivers will I hunt?
Will I hunt in lakes or Saltwater?
What am I used to?
What is the difference in equipment and brand names, and why do they differ?
How will I be traveling to the rivers (for size or make of equipment i.e. 4 pc rods)?

Answering these questions was very important to me, because making a purchase, any purchase is an important decision... whether it be what to eat tonight or fishing equipment, I have grown to believe that we have a responsibility in this life not to take anything for granted. (There are, after all, people starving in a dessert climate at the age of 12 holding a gun somewhere in the world and they don't have the luxury that we do to go hit a nice river and relax in our peace)

In my next Blog, read about what I am choosing and why... when Ontario fly fishing continues...