As you prepare to spend the day out on the water, properly stocking your fly fishing tool kit will prepare you to catch fish. Beginners often ask what they need to bring when fly fishing. Let's discuss the needs, wants and probably unnecessary tools in fly fishing.

1. Must-Have Fly Fishing Tools

There are a only a few must-have fly fishing tools for your tool kit: nippers or line cutters, and forceps or plyers. There's lots of other tools out there to help with certain situations but the true needs of the sport are summed up in those two types of tools.

Nippers and Line Cutters

A good set of nippers or line cutters are your first priority when building a fly fishing tool kit.  Whether you're changing flies, cutting off a section of tippet, or cutting out a huge knot in your leader, a good set of nippers goes a long way.

Forceps and Pliers

Next, you need something to remove a hook.  A good set of forceps or pliers go a long way in multiple uses on the water.  Whether you're getting a fly out of a fish's mouth (hopefully not out of yourself), holding a fly to tie a knot, or removing a barb from a hook, these tools go a long way in getting things done while you're out fishing.

2. Helpful Fly Fishing Tools

While these tools aren't necessities, they'll help you be more efficient on the water. Whether you need help staying organized, keeping track of equipment, or tying knots, these helpful fly fishing tools are your best friends.

• Tippet holder: Once you start carrying more than 2-3 spools of tippet, they can get lost, broken, and unwound, and it sure does make for some headaches. A good tippet holder helps you keep your tippet spools organized so you know what you have.
• Tippet spool tenders: If your tippet doesn't come with a band, use tippet spool tenders to keep it from coming unwound.
• Tying tool: Many people struggle with knots, but there are various knot-tying resources that can help you learn.  If you need some help on the water, grab a tying tool to help get those pesky knots tight and sturdy.
• Net magnets and retractors: When you're carrying a net there's nothing worse than getting it tangled up, or it's awkward to carry so you leave it on the bank. Keep that net attached and easy to grab with either a net magnet or net retractor.
• Hook sharpeners: You'd be amazed how your hooks get dull after being used throughout the day. Freshen them up with a good hook sharpener.

3. Unnecessary Fly Fishing Tools

There's a ton of tools out there that are probably designed more to catch a fisherman than help you catch a fish. Some of you may have all of these things on you.  One main reason I prefer to avoid many of these things is I don't want anything else hanging off of me to get my line tangled in.  We already have enough trouble with how bad our casts are, we don't need extra hazards with 27 things hanging off of us.  Keep it simple and get out there and fish!

Here are a few unnecessary popular tools to avoid:

• Rod holders
• Leader straighteners
• Fly holders
• Drying patches
• Floatant holders