An Introduction into Fishing Flies
When gathering the line, the movement of the fly resembles the movement of an insect moving through the water. There are some flies made to be partially submerged (emergers), some that float (dry flies) or those that are below the surface (nymphs, streamers, or wet flies). Each is representative of a certain insect, and of a certain motion of said insect. Emergers represent a wide variety of prey such as larvae, crayfish, carp, etc. Dry flies mimic an insect landing on, skimming, or emerging from the water such as grasshoppers, water-gliders, or stone flies. Wet flies are meant to symbolize swimming minnows or others of the like. Bait is chosen in accordance with the fish one is intending to catch.
In general, flies are categorized as either imitative or attractive. As the names suggest, imitative flies represent a specific individual or group of insects which the fish preys on, and attractive flies do not resemble any common food source but will draw the fish’s attention.
Once a fish bites, the line is drawn in using the technique of collecting the line in the non-dominant hand. Once there is sufficiently little line between the rod and the fish, the rod can be raised up in the dominant hand (index finger always pressing the line to the rod!), and this brings the fish closer. As the fish approaches you, scoop it up using a fishing net and snap some pictures. The index finger of your dominant hand (which will be doing the pressing of the line to the rod) can be covered in protective tape so you don’t end up cutting yourself with the line, especially as the fish tugs on it.
Artificial flies range from size #2 (large) to #22 (very small). As fly fishermen targets hundreds of species around the world, the variety of flies and casting techniques are constantly altered and expanded to match the species targeted. However, the most common techniques are the easiest to master and of course the most widespread, and are the suggested ones for beginners.
Explore posts in the same categories: Fishing + Tackle