jertrap

Thank you to everyone so far that have replied to my query. I do already have a tripod however I do not have a good light for closeup photography.
I guess I would have found that to be my next problem after acquiring the correct lenses.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Neewer ring light. Get the Ttl version.

We’ve had great luck with it, and it was very affordable.

Andy

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

You haven’t indicated the size of your flies (trout or tarpon?), but in any event side lighting will enhance texture, flat frontal lighting can suppress it. For very small objects I often use LED book lights placed low. A plus is, I only need minimal working distance - 15-20mm is plenty. (My ring light alone reduces working distance by about 27mm.) Do some experimenting, and be sure to let us know your setup.

Tex-s

To the OP,

Extension tube sets and reversed lenses can be used easily in conjunction with a focus rail. Others have referred to these set-ups as fiddly, and without the rail they are. I landed a manual focus Olympus (OM) Zuiko 50mm 1.4 lens for 10 bucks. + 8 for a direct adapter to my Canon, +6 for the reverse filter-to-Canon mounting adapter, +15 each for the focus rail and for the extension tube set. Just over 50 dollars and I can shoot any number of still macro shots on a tripod without much need for extra light. Also, the extension tubes do communicate with the camera if using modern lenses, so the aperture does adjust automatically. There was a learning curve, trial and error, witht eh reversed lens or old manual lens set-up, but I actually enjoyed feeling like a mad scientist.....