A Broke Angler’s Guide to Fly Fishing

Fly fishing is expensive, that’s no secret. The question of how expensive is up to you and can vary substantially depending on what you’re in the market for.

Can I afford to be a fly angler?

It’s the question that lingers in everyone’s mind, but no one asks out loud. Gen Z gets a bad rep for many things, but one thing we get right is our largely skeptical views on consumption. Despite being the most “marketed to” generation, we’re minimalist and economically uncertain. Therefore, when we try a new hobby or reconsider the one we love doing, we’re quite likely to think about it differently than previous generations.

The reason for this is multifaceted, but at the core, we’ve grown up in economic uncertainty with small budgets. Inflation has been rampant for as long as we’ve known. Nearly all of us have student loans to pay off. The job market is pretty miserable. And, the idea of owning a home feels like a fairy tale. Therefore, spending large amounts of money on physical products isn’t a priority.

Fly fishing is expensive, that’s no secret. The question of how expensive is up to you and can vary substantially depending on what you’re in the market for. If you’re a beginner, just looking to get into the sport, be ready to spend anywhere from $300 - $600 depending on the gear you decide to buy and the level of quality you’re looking for. As you start to desire higher-performing gear, be ready to pay more.

Here is a rough cost estimate for the basic “need to have” elements of a fly-fishing kit at different price points: