How to Set Up a Fly Fishing Rod & Reel

Fly fishing is a form of angling popular with fishing enthusiasts. Fly fishing differs from other types of fishing as fly fishing is done primarily in fast-moving water that would make other forms of fishing difficult. Fly fishing rods and reels also are different, with the rod being longer and the reel used primarily to store line rather than reel in fish.

Things You'll Need

  • Fly fishing rod
  • Fly fishing reel
  • 100 yard spool of backing line
  • 100 yard spool of fly fishing line
  • Leader
  • Tippet
  • Flies
  • Scissors
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Connect the two pieces of the rod, taking care to align the eyelets on both sections of the rod. Fly rods normally contain a screw mechanism that secures the pieces together by twisting the top section into the bottom section. Turn the pieces firmly in opposite directions for a tight fit.

    • 2

      Attach the reel to the bottom section of rod. There will be a small mounting bracket, known as the reel seat, on the handle. Place the protruding end of the reel in the seat and turn it by hand to tighten.

    • 3

      Tie the end of the backing line to the reel spool and turn the handle to load the backing line onto the spool. The amount of backing varies depending on the type of fish you are catching, but a minimum of 100 yards of backing is plenty for most species of fish.

    • 4

      Cut the backing line from the spool once it has been threaded onto the reel, and tie the fly fishing line to the end of the backing, using an Albright knot. Spool another 100 yards of fishing line on the reel, guiding it with your fingers to distribute it evenly along the spool.

    • 5

      Thread the free end of the fishing line through the eyelets on the pole, and tie the larger looped end of the leader to the end of the fishing line. The leader is a small piece of fishing line between the tippet and the line, and will break in case of a snag to prevent damage to the fishing line.

    • 6

      Tie one end of the tippet to the smaller looped end of the leader and tie a fly to the remaining free end. Feed five or six inches of tippet through the round hook on the end of the fly, and wrap the free end of the tippet around itself four or five times, passing the end between the wrapped line sections near the round hook and pulling tight to form a secure knot. Cut the excess tippet away with a small pair of scissors to complete your fly fishing rod assembly.