The Fly Fishing Gift Guide: What to Buy for the Angler Who Already Has Everything
Buying a gift for a fly fisher sounds straightforward until you realize that the person you are shopping for has opinions about hook gap sizes and keeps a spreadsheet tracking which pattern they lost the most fish on last season. The good news is that flies are one gift that never misses. Anglers lose them constantly, run low before trips, and always have a pattern they need more of. Here is a guide to buying flies and fly-related gifts that will actually land.
Q&A: Gifting for Fly Fishers
Is it safe to buy flies as a gift if I do not fly fish?
Yes, and more confidently than you might think. Flies are consumable. Anglers lose them to fish, trees, rocks, bad knots, and rivers that collect them without permission. No matter how well stocked a box is, there are always patterns running low. A curated assortment from a quality source lands well with nearly every level of angler, from the person who just started to the guide who fishes 150 days a year.
What is the right budget for a fly fishing gift?
Fly assortment boxes from Redd's Flies range from around 45 dollars for a focused sampler to 100 dollars for a fully loaded trout kit with dozens of proven patterns. For a gift that feels substantial and immediately useful, the 65 to 90 dollar range is a good target. Individual flies run between roughly 1.25 and 8 dollars each, so even a handful of specific patterns makes a thoughtful small gift for someone who already knows what they want.
How do I know which fly box to choose if I do not know what the angler fishes for?
Start with trout. The vast majority of freshwater fly fishers in North America target trout at least part of the year, and a well-curated trout assortment is broadly useful across river types and seasons. If you know the person primarily fishes streamers, a streamer-focused box is a strong choice. If they primarily nymph, a nymph specialist box covers that well. If you genuinely have no idea what they fish, a complete trout kit or mixed assortment is the safest choice because it covers all the bases.
Are fly assortment boxes good for beginners?
They are one of the best possible beginner gifts. A beginning fly fisher standing in a fly shop faced with hundreds of individual patterns has no idea where to start. A curated assortment removes that paralysis and puts a functional, balanced selection of proven flies in their hands immediately. It also saves them from the common beginner mistake of buying six patterns that all do the same thing while missing entire categories they will need.
What else goes well with flies as a gift?
Fly boxes and accessories pair naturally with a fly assortment. A quality fly box gives the angler somewhere organized to put their new patterns. Tippet spools are consumables that serious fly fishers always need more of. Floatant keeps dry flies fishing properly. For a more complete gift, a fly box plus a curated assortment creates something immediately ready to fish. Redd's carries streamside accessories including fly boxes, tippet, and floatant alongside the full fly selection.
Fly Assortments Worth Giving
A loaded box of Perdigon nymphs for the angler who nymphs hard, fishes euro rigs, or spends time on technical tailwater. Perdigons are something anglers can never have too many of.
Built around the dry-dropper setup with foam dries and matching nymphs selected to work together. A strong summer and early fall gift for any angler who spends time on moving trout water.
A mixed streamer assortment covering mini and trophy streamer profiles for anglers who fish meat. One of the most complete streamer gifts available in the shop.
How to Choose the Right Fly Assortment
For the Angler Who Nymphs
The Nymph Specialist Box and Perdigon Sampler are the natural choices. Nymphing anglers cycle through flies faster than most because nymphs spend time near the bottom where rocks, structure, and trout teeth do damage. A well-stocked nymph box is always a welcome addition regardless of how many flies they already own.
For the Angler Who Loves Dry Flies
The Dry Fly Specialist assortment covers the hatch-matching and attractor patterns that surface-focused anglers need. If the person you are gifting spends summer evenings watching rise forms and changing flies every ten minutes, this is the box that covers their most-used patterns in a single gift.
For the Streamer Angler
The Streamer Mixer Box or Mini Meat Box are built for anglers who strip flies rather than drift them. Streamer fishing is hard on flies, both from fish and from constant casting and retrieving. A fresh supply of proven mini and trophy streamer patterns is one of the most practical gifts you can give a dedicated streamer angler.
For the New Fly Fisher
The Complete Trout Box or Huge Fly Fisherman Box give a beginning angler a broad, functional selection across the major fly categories without requiring any knowledge of which specific patterns to choose. Either option sets a new angler up with a box they can build confidence around rather than a handful of random individual flies that may or may not cover the water they fish.
When in Doubt, Ask the Shop
If you have specific questions about which assortment is right for a particular angler, reach out. A good fly shop knows its products and can point you toward the right box based on what the person fishes, where they fish it, and what time of year the gift is for. That is exactly what the Redd's Flies team is there for.
A fly fishing gift does not need to be complicated. Flies are useful, personal, and immediately fishable. A well-chosen assortment says that you paid attention to what the person loves without requiring you to know the difference between a size 18 CDC emerger and a size 20 Zebra Midge. That knowledge belongs to them. The flies belong in the box.