Cortland produce excellent saltwater lines, a classic being the 444 Saltwater Tropical but excellent lines are also available from Orvis, Wullf and others. Remember to clean your line at the end of every day on the water by rinsing it in freshwater and be wary of standing on it, especially if you are fishing on a sandy beach or out of a skiff.

You will need to use good quality backing for saltwater fly fishing. Twenty or thirty pounds saltwater fly line backing is the best choice, Matt Hayes favourite being Cortland. Load your reel with as much backing as you can - at least one hundred metres for bonefish and at least one hundred and fifty metres for tarpon. Saltwater reels are designed to hold several hundred metres of backing and a full line so make sure that you fill them to capacity. If you are unsure about loading the backing on to your reel and about connecting it to the fly line, quality suppliers will do the job for you.