If you're attempting to get into trout pond fly fishing and you have never fished with fly tackle, you are most likely overwhelmed with the variety of rods, reels, and fly lines that are available. Don't panic! I will outline for you the basic tackle required for successful trout pond fishing under normal fishing conditions.
Before we delve into the essential fly tackle, I wish to talk briefly about what fly-fishing in ponds can be like. During the course of a fishing season, the angler will be faced with two fishing scenarios: casting the fly, or trolling the fly. For the angler who's interested in catching a lot of trout, casting situations will generally be far and few in between. On the other hand, the vast majority of trout in ponds are caught by trolling.My recommendation is: a 2 piece 9 foot rod, designed for 7 Wt line, and the rod action should be medium or moderate. However, it does not stop here, if you plan to do a lot of casting, make an attempt to select a rod that you know will give you a good casting performance. Look for someone that you know is proficient at casting and try his tackle before committing yourself. If trolling is going to be your sole method of fly-fishing, then any rod with relatively good workmanship should do nicely.
The reel's main function is to hold the fly line and for the angler who enjoys casting to smaller sport fish, any reel should be sufficient. Nevertheless, there are matters to consider when selecting a reel. Here are a few reel features that might enhance your fishing enjoyment. For the angler who is resigned to do mostly casting, two things: a lightweight reel, sufficient capacity to hold the fly line/backing - always have at least 50 yards of backing. Then again, the angler who will do a lot of trolling, three features to look for: a large arbor reel, palming rim, and a drag system. Large arbor reels are nice for the angler who plays his fish from the reel; you get more line retrieve/turn. A spool with a palming rim is also beneficial especially when you're playing a stubborn trout, the angler can add reel drag by applying finger or hand pressure to the palming rim. Your reel should also have an adjustable drag system, light duty, just enough to prevent reel backlash from hard hitting trout when trolling.
What fly line will satisfy the widest spectrum of trout pond fishing conditions? Good question and where does one start? Right here, there is one fly line that every trout pond angler should have, a full sinking line that will allow the angler to fish at depths ranging from less than 5 feet to a max depth of approximately 10 feet. The depth is controlled by the amount of line in the water - more line, more depth. My recommendation is the: Rio Deep 7", full sinking, 7 Wt, with a 7-9 ips sink rate. Start with that line and once you've gotten a good taste of trout pond fly-fishing, you will gradually discover the benefits of some other types of lines.
A good leader for trolling should have a main section approximately 15 feet long with a three foot, 4 lb test (5x) tippet attached. Although, when using very small flies, a smaller (.005) diameter tippet might be required - anything smaller is not recommended unless you do not mind losing a lot of flies.
The above suggestions are intended to be a guide for the angler who has to put his fly tackle together from "scratch." If you have some available fly tackle, use it all, although your fly tackle will not be complete without a comparable fly line to the one mentioned above.