Best Gift Ideas for Someone That Loves Fly Fishing (From Someone that Loves Fly Fishing)

If you’re looking for a gift for someone that likes fly fishing, this post is for you. We are going to go over some of the best ideas you can come across.

Quick Navigation:
Fly Fishing Flies
Fly Fishing Net
Vehicle Rod Rack
Sunglasses (Polarized)
Guide Book
GoPro/Camera
Smaller Gifts & Add-Ons
Experiences / Fishing Guide Trip

 

Fly Fishing Flies

You can’t go fly fishing without flies. Do you know if your person is tying their own flies, going to local fly shops, or purchasing flies online? If they must tie their own flies, they may not love getting more, but the vast majority of fly fisherman and women absolutely love getting new flies. So what are your options for flies as gifts?

• Monthly Fly Fishing Subscription Box – Postfly makes fly fishing boxes for all types of fly fisherman. Even monthly boxes for those that love to tie flies. Be sure to check them out.
• Amazon Flies (Lots are really bad, so get some good ones) Outdoor Planet does great assorted packs at different price-points. They also come with great waterproof cases for the flies. This is sure to be a great gift. Be aware that there are quite a few very cheap options that most fly fisherman will not like. Avoid packs that are under $.50 per fly unless high quantity.
• Local flies – Go into a local fly shop, tell them where the gift recipient likes to fish, and they can point you to the best flies.

Fly Fishing Net

A good net means a lot to many fly fisherman. Rubber nets are less stressful on fish, but tend to be a bit more expensive. Long handled nets make it easier to net fish, especially for older fly fisherman. If the person that you are purchasing for has a nice net already, this may not be the best bet. Here are some of the most loved nets by fly fisherman:

Fishpond’s Nomad Fly Fishing Net – One of the top nets recommended by tons of the world’s top guides.

SF Fly Fishing Net – High quality, but less expensive

There are honestly, tons of great net options out there. There are three main ingredients to make the best fly fishing net: long handle, rubber net, and wide net opening. We own a net made by O’Pros that we absolutely love. 

 

Vehicle Rod Rack

Does your gift recipient always have their rod in their car in case they need it? Many do…want to know what is even better than always having your fly fishing stuff in the car? It is having it set up and ready to go ON the car. Rod racks on cars are great for trips to rivers where driving from spot to spot is essential, or for local fly fishing when you just don’t ever want to break down your equipment.

There are a few types of options, on top of car, on hood, suction cup, magnetic, or in car fly racks. Be sure to choose what fits their vehicle and needs the best. Below are some of each kind:

• Our all time favorite and top of the line solution from Riversmith: The River Quiver
• On Hood Magnetic (This link has one in suction cup as well for cars that have non-magnetic hoods
  • Another option by a top company: Orvis Sumo Car Top Rack
• On Hood Suction Cup
• Roof Rack Rod Tubes – These are awesome: http://www.flyrodbox.com/ (But super expensive. You can find less expensive options)
  • Another option that actually works well: Ski racks
  • This ski rack actually states they work well for fishing rods.
• In Car Racks – These are only suitable for people with long cars as most fly rods are around 9 feet in length. But check out some of the options.
  • The top notch version
  • Less expensive option

In addition, we had a great solution submitted by a fisherman for a cheap, reliable, universal, and removable rod rack utilizing two inexpensive items on Amazon:

Using these Airhead suction cups to secure one piece of this Booms Fishing rod carrier to the back window with another piece of the Boom Fishing carrier between the front handles, you can easily setup a rod carrier yourself.

 

Sunglasses (Polarized)

A fisherman without sunglasses is almost always blind when staring at the water. Polarized lenses allow fisherman to spot fish, and see the water far better than non-polarized lenses. A nice pair of sunglasses is essential for a long day on the water.

If your fly fishing gift recipient doesn’t have polarized lenses, this is a must get gift. You don’t even have to break the bank, you can buy a pair of inexpensive glasses so that they don’t have to worry about losing or breaking them, or just to experiment with polarized lenses.

Before making a purchase, you should read our complete guide to the best fishing sunglasses.

A Few Options:

• Amazon has endless inexpensive fly fishing sunglasses

As a fisherman, some of my favorites are these brands:

• • Redfins
  • Costa Del Mars
  • Knockarounds (Inexpensive but cool)
  • Shady Rays (Mid level, free replacements, high quality)

 

A Fly Fishing Guide Book For Your Local Area

Now this might be one of the most thoughtful gifts in this list. Fly fishing guides that show off a lot of the local spots, with maps, pictures, technique tips, and top performing flies of the area are absolutely awesome. Not only will it be a blast to look through, it may actually provide them a great resource for future fishing trips. This is an especially awesome gift if they have recently moved into a new area, and have a lot of water to learn about and experience.

How to find a local book? Easy, go to a local fly shop or book store. Even easier, go on Amazon and search “fly fishing guide (insert location).

 

GoPro / Camera

Cameras can really bring out the beauty in an experience, a fish, and help bring to life an incredible memory. While on the more expensive side, someone interested in photography may find a gift like this incredible.

Don’t believe a GoPro is a good gift for fisherman? You’re wrong! We use them all the time:

Underwater shots, scenery shots, action videos, timelapses, you name it. GoPros are a great way for anyone, novice, or videographer, to capture action shots. The latest GoPros have gotten so good, that even novice individuals can capture incredible footage.

Check them out on Amazon

 

Smaller Gifts & Add-Ons

Need a little add-on gift or stocking stuffer? Here are some great ideas:

• Pliers
• Snippers
• Strike Indicators
• Fly Box
• Fly Floatant
• Tippet

For more smaller ideas, check out our complete guide to fly fishing accessories.

 

Experiences

What’s even better than a physical gift? Giving someone an awesome experience. Reach out to local fishing guides, and get a gift card, or schedule a trip! For new anglers, a guide can be hugely helpful, and for experience anglers, guides can be a great way to find new water, learn new tricks, and catch some really beautiful fish. Trips can be scheduled from half days, to multi-day trips depending on timing and budget.