If you do not put enough thought in it, when buying a fly fishing bag, or any fishing bag for that matter, it can actually cost you a lot in the end. Be sure about what you want, what you want to use it for specifically and also how much fishing gear you want to store in it.

When buying blindly, you might find yourself going back to the tackle shop time and again, buying yet another bag, to try and satisfy your needs. In the end, you would have spend a lot of money, and have a closet full of fly fishing bags, half of witch you will not even use. Here are some pointers for starters to consider, when thinking about buying one of these bags.

What are you going to store in it?

It might be a good idea to make a list of the things that you are planning to store in it. How many fly boxes? How many fly reels or spools? How many spools of leader line? With a list like that, it will be easy to determine exactly how much space you will need in your bag, to cater for all the equipment. The last thing you want, is to have a bag that is way to big for the few things you want to pack, or a bag that looks like a blown up balloon, every time stuffed in all your equipment, and managed to close it by sitting on it, or even putting it in a vice clamp! This could damage your equipment easily and can only end up in a disaster.

What size bag do you need?

Looking at your list of equipment, it is now easier to decide on the right size, your fishing bag needs to be. In the end you might find it worth while, to buy two bags. One big bag to hold all your fly fishing equipment for a whole trip, as well as one smaller bag to use as your day bag. In this smaller bag, you will take the equipment from your big bag and only pack the essentials needed for the few hours you will be spending at the water for a specific day. There is no need to carry a 10kg bag with you, if you’re only going to use one fifth on the equipment in it. Remember .. in the end your experience of the day on the water, is what counts, and having to slump around a heavy bag the whole day, might change it quickly into a bad, back aching experience.

Good bag layout.

Make sure the layout of the bag, is good enough to compliment the size and amount of equipment you want to store in it. Usually the more internal compartments it have, the better. But make sure that the size of the compartments are suited for the specific piece or pieces of equipment you want to store in it. Make sure that your equipment fits snugly into each compartment. If it fits too loosely, you might end up with stuff falling out of the compartments, and ending up leaving a mess inside your bag! A bag with lots of compartments, also makes the different fishing gear much more accessible.

Water resistance.

It might be a good idea to make sure that the bag you buy, is water resistant. Yes most of your equipment that you are going to use for the day, are going to be in contact with the water anyway, but you still need a dry place to store them away when not in use. A wet bag is also prone to early deterioration, and soon you will have a broken, smelly bag, that is of no use.

So there you have it. Some points to consider when buying a fly fishing bag. Do not compromise on anything. You need something that will last, and something that protect your precious fly fishing gear every time you start your next quest for that illusive monster fish.

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