A couple of recent threads have been about which and what best kit to get etc...These threads had developed a bit in to some peoples ideas of what the most important part of your kit is.

So due to rain and poverty induced cabin fever I had a think about what is the single most important part of our kit.

Apart from us the the angler and his ability to understand how to approach his/her given venue I beleive that the single most important part of our fishing kit is a needle sharp HOOK!!!

My reason for this is that the HOOK is the first contact with the fish, without it being sharp it is less likely to penetrate, less like likely to take hold and if it is slightly dull then many takes or pulls would never be more than a take or pull. Without the hook doing its job the rest of the tackle is useless.

Appologies if the post is pointless I am bored stiff.

Decent waterproofs..........................

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A case of cold beer.

I think this is quite interesting, but I guess EVERYTHING is as important to the next, no good having a hook without line. Then no good having line without a rod, no good having a rod without being able to cast it (fly line) I believe the list is endless!!!

and with the rain...well

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PawPrinT
"I'd rather be fishing"

The thread isn't pointless at all, in fact it's an area much misunderstood by many flyfishers. I have my own regard for the most important part of the tackle and in order are as follows:-

1. Most important, the fly. It's what the fish sees, and eats. He is decieved into believing it is food, resulting in a successfull catch. It can be any fly, but it is the single most important part of the setup.

2. the leader. It's the leader and tippet setup, that makes the fly behave in a manner so as to make the fish believe if is food. Correct lerader setup for the conditions at play at any given point in time, will make the difference between a highly productive day, and a mediochre one.
Leader setups are more critical when fishing moving water, than they are when fishing still water, although some still water setups are very leader setup dependent, but in all cases, it's the leader that enables us to make the fly do as it is supposed to.

3. the line. It's the line that enables us to deliver the leader and the fly, and provides us with the mechanism to control the leader, and therefore the fly. Fly lines are very important in that different tapers and float and sink rates will allow us to employ different fishing tactics when they are needed. If we are planning to fish a river, where several different technical casts and line mangment techniques are needed, the right line is very important.

4. The rod. Very important to select a rod for the fishing application. fast rods, and slow rods, have different fishing chracteristics, as do the various lengths of rods, but all they really do, is provide the flyfisher with a toot to deliver the line, leader and fly, to the fish.

5. the reel. Pretty much a line holder most of the time, especially when fishing for trout, but there are times where a good drag is needed.

There are many other items that are very impotant, such as polarised shades, wading stick, net, etc etc, but from a trackle point of view the above in that order is the way i look at it.

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Very well said andreb

I couldnt have said it much better myself!

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PawPrinT
"I'd rather be fishing"

I believe the most important item of tackle to be the leader, simply because it is the weakest link in the chain. Be it the leader material itself, or the knots used, it's probably the one thing that gives us most trouble, looses us most fish. It certainly the cause of a lot of debate on the forum.

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In all seriousness. There isn't one particular part of your tackle that can be singled out as the most important. All the pieces that it takes to fly fish is important. This topic is down right silly!

Well silly or not I did point out that my post may be pointless to some and appologise in advance so you were free no to post to my sillyness.

However I still stand by thought that a very sharp/hook fly is the single most important item of my tackle anyway.

I could have the best rods,lines,tweeds,leaders,reel,venue,watercraft etc but without a hook capable of hooking the Trout, that tackles importance then becomes secondary.

Of course hook/fly is only one part of the equation, the hook/fly still needs to be presented to a fish and then land the fish if it is hooked. However tackle or various quality will still cast to and land a fish in the right hands but I do agree that a high quality well balanced set up will be more efficient.

A Trouts mouth is hard, hooks will soon loose their sharpness after catching a fish or two, they will become dulled from bouncing along silt, being hung on the rings, pinging of rocks etc, they will oxidise from immersion in water and will become dulled after drying off in a fly box/patch. Do you check your hook point often, do you re sharpen it after each fish and each time you use the fly again after it has been stored ?

Tiny little points they may be but I beleive that these attentions to detail help me catch that fish when others may be struggling and on those days when the trout are being finicky and tiny little twitches and pulls are being experienced.