Must Have Fly Fishing Gear for 2021

New year, new gear, right?

Riiiiigggghhhttt..

At least that’s what your wife says.

Whether you’re just here to dream, or you’re a serious fly fisherman—the top fly fishing gear for 2020 is here. And here to stay it is.

Must Have Fly Fishing Gear for 2020 

We’ve come quite a ways from the days of classic creels and ties tied at the kitchen table. Our list of must own fly gear should give you at least a solid starting point when it comes to laying out the year.

Rods

Moonshine Co. The Drifter Series Fly Rod

Moonshine Rod Co. The Drifter Series Fly Fishing Rod

One of the most popular fly rods on amazon right now, the Drifter Series rod greatly outperforms its price. (Medium action blank).

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If you are a beginner, intermediate or professional fly angler, you could probably use this rod.  Whether it’s a backup or your go to rig, this fly rod is one of the smoothest casting and highest performing rods of it’s price range.  Speaking of which, isn’t very much.

The Drifter Series rod creates mid sized loops and has awesome accuracy from short to mid ranges.  It comes with a rod case and an extra tip section (one is flexible, the other stiffer).  This rod also has a lifetime warranty on it, as long as it’s a manufacture defect.  I personally recommend this rod, especially because it’s easy to control for beginners.

This is a picture of the moonshine co fly rod, drifter series.
Moonshine Co. Drifter Series Fly Rod

Pros:

  • Easy to control
  • Reasonable price
  • Extra tip
  • Accurate from short to mid ranges
  • Moderate – fast action
  • Lifetime warranty

Cons: 

  • Doesn’t have supreme power for long ranges

Sage X Fly Rod

The Sage X fly rod is a great rod to pick for the 2020 fly fishing season.  Especially if you are a veteran of the game, or an intermediate fly angler looking to make the jump to the big leagues of fly rods.  This rod isn’t the cheapest one on the market, but it’s one of the best.

What you will be getting in this rod is an extremely lightweight feel, high quality construction, tight loops, supreme accuracy and power, and precision.  There aren’t a whole lot of fly fishing rods that will compete with this one.  It’s a machine.

Sage makes some of the best fly fishing rods on the planet, and the Sage X is no exception.

Pros:

  • Accurate
  • Tight loops
  • Powerful
  • Quality build
  • Liftetime warranty

Cons:

  • Price
This is a picture of the Sage X, a must have fly rod for 2020.
Sage X

Related: Best Fly Rods Under $400

Reels

2020 is a great year to consider getting a new fly reel.  There are a lot of different reels that you could go with, but here are a couple of my top choices that I would recommend.  Under most circumstances, I wouldn’t recommend getting a super cheap reel as it will probably break right away but there a few that will work well.

Ross Animas Fly Reel

Best Overall Reel (Under $300)
Ross Animas Fly Fishing Reel

The Ross Animas fly fishing reel is the best reel you can get in its price range. It's a lightweight and smooth rig that comes with a lifetime warranty.

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The Ross Animas fly reel is featured on our list of top fly reels for under $300 this year.  It’s a great reel that features machined aluminum, sealed design, lightweight material, and a silky smooth drag system.  The overall reel performs is an awesome build, and is also built in the United States.  There isn’t much to dislike in this reel.

picture of ross animas fly reel
Ross Animas Fly Reel

Pros:

  • Durable
  • Smooth
  • Lightweight
  • Large Arbor
  • Sealed

Cons:

  • Price

Related: Best Fly Fishing Gear Wishlist

Apparel

Moving into the apparel section…

Simms Headwaters Pro Fly Fishing Vest

Simms Headwaters Pro Mesh Fishing Vest

This comfortable fly fishing vest features 20 pockets and a rod holder. Great value for the price.

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The Simms Headwaters Pro Fly Fishing Vest is easily one of the best vests available on the market today.  It comes with top of the line quality and construction, but also has tons of available space to put fly boxes and other fly gear.

It comes with a Simms warranty so the vest is guaranteed going to last.  This is one of the better wading vest that you can buy for fly fishing.

Pros:

  • 20 pockets of storage
  • Durable
  • D-net ring on the back
  • Warranty
  • Breathable/ cool
  • Lightweight

Cons:

  • Price
Picture of Simms Headwaters Pro Fishing Vest, gear that should be owned.
Simms Headwaters Pro Fishing Vest

Related: How To Choose The Right Fly Fishing Vest 

Footwear

Simms G4 Wading Boots

The Simms G4 Wading boots are another pair of elite gear that you should have for fly fishing this year.  These boots are extremely comfortable, waterproof, have excellent ankle support and have premium quality material on the boot for a long lasting pair of boots.  The bottoms are also very grippy to prevent you from slipping on the rocks.

Pros:

  • Comfortable
  • Great build design
  • Lightweight
  • Durable
  • Waterproof
  • Awesome ankle support

Cons:

  • Price
This is a picture of the Simms G4 Wading boots, the best wading boots of the year.
Simms G4 Wading Boots

Related: Best Wading Boots For Fly Fishing 

Waders

Simms Tributary Stockingfoot Waders

Simms Mens Tributary Stockingfoot Waterproof Chest Fishing Waders

Some of my favorite fly fishing waders. They're reasonably priced and do a nice job of keeping the water out.

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These waders made by Simms are going to be some of the best on the market today.  This set features 3 layers of material on the top of the waders, and 4 layers on the bottom.  This provides awesome durability for the pants so they’ll last while also keeping the water out.

The material is breathable and mobile to prevent overheating at the same time.  However, some complaints of these waders is that they don’t have a waterproof pouch on the inside, to place gear.

Pros:

  • High quality material
  • Comfortable
  • Breathable
  • Waterproof
  • Price

Cons:

  • No inside pouch
This is a picture of the Simms Tributary Stockingfoot waders, essential fly fishing gear.
Simms Tributary Waders

Accessories

Jetboil Flash Camping Stove Cooking System

Jetboil Flash Cooking System

This little system is easily one of the best purchases that I've ever made. It heats up water and other liquids in a matter of minutes and is super easy to transport.

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The Jetboil Flash stove is one of the greatest purchases that I have made for heating my water camping.  The material of the cup is designed to transfer heat extremely quickly, and that’s what it does.  It only takes a matter of moments before your water will be heated with this stove.  Seriously.

Pros:

  • Compact
  • Heats liquids very quickly
  • Reasonable price

Cons:

  • If you heat the cup with no water in it, the cup will melt.  (My buddy learned this the hard way).
This is a picture of the Flash Jetboil Cooking System, a must have item for fly fishing and camping.
Jetboil Flash

Yeti 18 OZ Rambler

Yeti 18 oz Rambler

The Yeti brand in itself is very popular. The Rambler is a great way to keep liquids hot or cold for many hours out on the river.

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Need a rambler for that Orvis sling pack? Try the 18 oz (also comes in 30+ oz) Yeti Rambler, perfect for that afternoon trip up the stream.

Not much else to say here, if you know anything about keeping your beverage cold or hot, you know YETI = results.  Pair with your favorite afternoon/pre-evening beverage for best results.

Packs

Orvis Passage Guide Sling Pack

Orvis Safe Passage Guide Sling Pack

If you aren't big into vests, this is the sling pack I would recommend for carrying your gear to the river. It's very comfortable.

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If you are looking for a little trip up the river for some fishing and want a simple pack to store some of your gear, look no further.  This pack features a water bottle holder, storage area for flies and tackle, and a padded sling with D – loops to hold accessories on.

What’s nice about this pack is that when it’s out of use just rotate the pack to your back.  When you need to use the gear inside of the zipper, just rotate it back and grab your flies or water bottle and then send it back again.  Boom! Easy as pie.

picture of orvis safe passage sling pack.
Orvis Safe Passage Guide Sling Pack

Floats

Cumberland Float Tube

Classic Accessories Cumberland Float Tube
$206.68

Float tubes are a fun way to experience fly fishing. If you've never gotten in one, I'd definitely recommend it.

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03/29/2024 12:39 am GMT

If I’m being completely transparent, I’m not a huge fan of float tubes. However, I have fished this one—and I actually like it a lot.  The Cumberland Float Tube is a sturdy piece of equipment, it comes with a PVC bottom and raised seat (love) to keep you high and “dry”.

The tube offers plenty of storage to go with it’s double rod holders.  As far as floats are concerned, if you’re looking for something built to last in an affordable price range this model from Cumberland cannot be beat.

Got yourself some gear, now get on the river!

I hope that this list helped you out in some way or another!  Fishing is always the best when equipment is up to date and ready to go for the season!  Best of luck this season and tight lines!

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