Tackle

Tackle Manufacturers

A list of tackle manufacturers is available on Tackle Manufacturer’s List , alphabetically. Many of the companies on the list have hyperlinks to their specific web pages. You will find sources for reels, rods, float tubes, rod building supplies, waders, sportwear, hooks, fly tying equipment, flies, and fly tying materials.

Hooks

I’ve put together a hook comparison chart for many of the hooks used in tying flies. This chart is a rough rule-of-thumb as many of the hooks are similar but never exact copies. There will be differences in wire thickness, shank length, hook gape, etc. To help in a decision concerning a particular hook, I’ve included illustrations of each of the hooks by manufacturers as well as the sizes available. The following hook manufacturers are available to peruse: Mustad, Partridge, Tiemco, and Daiichi .

Fly Lines

Fly Lines can be either Floating, Sinking, or Sink-tip types. The Fly Line page will give you a basic description of the anatomy of a fly line as well as a description of tapers and density of lines according to AFTMA Standards. I’ve included Scientific Angler, Cortland, Airflo, and Rio as sources of fly lines and have put together specifications of the lines as a comparison table which will also gives you a physical idea as to how those lines relate to specific flyfishing situations.
The Floating line page indicates that type of taper and relative head length to run length for many common lines used in the Sierras. These specifications will give you an idea as to how the physical characteristics determine how a particular line will perform on certain waters.
The Sinking line page gives you a sink rate chart in which many manufacturers attach a sinking class type to the line. However, you will see that this class type varies according to manufacturer.
The Sink-Tip line page shows the sink rates as well as the Sinking Class Type identified with the line. The Sink-Tip being a combination of sinking head with floating running line has a multitude of combinations to determine the type of stream to fish.
With each of these lines a hyperlink is available at the bottom of each page to bring you directly to the manufacturers web page pertaining to each individual line.

Leaders

Leaders have come a long ways from the original cat gut or braided horse hair. You can now purchase leaders for every type of fishing from delicate dry fly presentation to heaving large streamers. Leaders have also been developed for the stillwater fisherman with various sink rates to compliment the sinking fly lines. Check out the leader page for links to the various suppliers. There is also a small section on how to choose the proper leader length you might need.

Rods

I like to make my own rods. So I’ve put together a page with hyperlinks going to various rod blank manufacturers. Everyone has their particular favorite rod and a price range to afford. Remember that just because a rod is priced less than another, does not mean it is a lesser rod in quality. It’s a matter of personal taste.
Rod components such as rod guides vary widely in wearability and structure. The manufacturers I’ve highlighted are Pacific Bay, REC, Fuji, and Hopkins and Holloway. Hyperlinks are available to allow you to go directly to the manufacturers’ web page.
I’ve also shown three rod guide charts used by some well-known rod builders. You can see that guide placement is a rather inexact science with each rod-builder having their own perferences for spacing and guide sizes.

Knots

A Knots page shows five basic knots that should cover most needs.