What is Involved in Fly Fishing?

While channel surfing you may have caught a glimpse of fly fishing on sports or outdoor channels - with fishermen standing knee- or waist- deep in a body of water, gracefully casting out a line like a slow whip over the water's surface to catch fish. If you were wondering what is involved in fly fishing, it is a very specific type of fishing, in which the fisherman, also referred to as an angler, casts a line with a fake fly on the end, in hopes he can bait the fish with the decoy insect hovering just above the water's surface.

Certainly, fly fishing requires some specific equipment and tools as opposed to a more traditional fishing approach in which bait, such as a worm, is submerged under the surface of the water. Fly fishing rods are longer and thinner, and therefore more flexible, than other fishing rods, and are made of bamboo, care, or synthetic carbon. The fishing line, in this case called the fly line, is coated in plastic to give it enough weight to allow the light bait to be cast out a considerable distance. There are many thicknesses of fly line, as there are fishing lines, but fly lines have many more aspects to them such as whether they will sink or float. Finally, the bait itself is an artificial fly, which can be made from natural (hair, plant leaves) or synthetic materials (plastic, synthetic hair/fur).

While there are many ways to classify artificial flies, the largest division is between wet flies and dry flies. Dry flies are meant to resemble fully-grown, adult insects, and are used by making contact with the water before zipping along or above the surface, with hopes that a fish will mistake it for the real thing and bite. A wet fly is meant to resemble an injured or dead adult insect, or a young insect, and will spend considerable more time submerged in the water than dry flies would. Other terms, categories and types of flies include nymphs, streamers, saltwater, poppers, and lures. Often the fly will be named for the target species of fish, such as trout, salmon, or bass.

Though watching a seasoned flyfisher easily and gracefully casting his line over a river or lake may seem easy, his actions belie what is involved in fly fishing. There are a number of ways to cast while fly fishing and all of them require practice to perfect. If using a dry fly, the angler will desire to whip the fly back over his shoulder, and then forward using just the forearm. The fly will travel considerable distance, thanks to the length and flexibility of the special fly fishing rod, before entering the water - just for a moment -before it is brought back towards the angler to strike the water again. This is considered one of the most difficult aspects, for if the line hits the water near the fly, or the fly strikes the water the wrong way, it won't seem natural to the fish. With a wet fly, the angler will allow the fly to sink below the surface of the water before pulling it back - in order to simulate an injured or immature insect, struggling between the water and the air.

As you can see, what is involved in fly fishing is specialized equipment and much practice to prefect a method of fishing that is as much an art as it is a sport. Regardless, those who do it very much enjoy it, and perhaps the best way to learn more about what is involved in fly fishing is to ask a local angler who is excited and thrilled at the idea of casting his line repeatedly over the water, snaring fish with the clever and graceful decoy of fly fishing.