Fly fishing diaries | No more antiques

I learned to fly fish using antique fishing gear. My fly rod was made in the 1970s, and my reel (which belonged to my father-in-law) was made in 1958. I've been practicing with my old gear until I was sure this was something I'd be passionate about.

So after a season of fishing, I just bought my first ever, brand-new fly fishing gear. I think it was the perfect birthday present! I chose a 5-wt. Redington Classic Trout fly rod, highly recommended for beginner-to-intermediate fly fishermen. Even better, it was 50% off on an end-of-season sale (thanks, Cabela's). It was such a great deal, even Dave bought one for himself. He's going to like having both a 5-wt. and a 6-wt. fly rod. And while I waited impatiently for our fly rods to arrive, a $25 coupon arrived in the mail from Orvis. I hadn't planned to get a new reel, but this was too good to pass up. So I bought myself the highly-rated (but inexpensive) Clearwater fly reel and an extra spool.

Does new, modern gear make a difference? Stay tuned...