Fly Fishing Flies

The first record of fly fishing dates all the way back to the second century. It was created as a method for fishermen to catch salmon, trout, bass, carp, panfish and pike. It has also had a reasonable success rate with snook, redfish, striped bass, redfish, bonefish and tarpon. Every once in a while a fly fisherperson will catch an “off” species like a bream but that is rare and hasn’t ever been done on purpose.

Fly fishing uses a tool known, appropriately as a fly. You see, unlike regular fishing which relies on the weight of a lure to carry the line far out onto the water, fly fishing relies on the wind to carry a lighter line which is usually attached to any one of a variety of fly fishing flies.

Fly fishing flies come in a variety of forms. The original artificial fly fishing fly was invented to impersonate a flying insect and since then it has evolved to incorporate a variety of natural foods that the trout are attracted to. Artificial fly fishing flies can be found looking like crayfish, frogs, mice, leeches, freshwater shrimp, sculpins, crickets and grasshoppers. In addition to the “natural trout prey” variety of fly fishing flies, there are artificial flies that are made to look like creatures that would naturally elicit an aggressive reaction from the various species of salmon and bass (usually). These flies are called “attractors” and are typically used for the top water fish. Some of these are bass poppers. Some are streamers that come with feathered lures and long-tailed hair. The streamers are intended to look like minnows or leeches.

Early on in fly fishing’s history, the fly fishing flies were made for specific species. People could choose from grayling flies, trout flies and even salmon flies. In previous centuries there were even different flies used for dry fly fishing and wet fly fishing. The use of synthetic materials is also relatively new. People who were fans of fly fishing around the turn of the twentieth century (and before that) would have been appalled by the use of synthetics in the making of fly fishing flies. This is still a complicated argument among fishermen because there are still traditional fly types on the market.

Not all flies are meant to be fished in the same way. A dry fly is supposed to be fished on the surface of the water. A wet fly is supposed to be fished under the surface of the water. Dry fly fishing flies usually look like insects while wet flies are made to look like larva, baitfish or a drowned adult insect.

Whatever fly fishing flies you decide to buy make sure you shop around to get the best buy for your money. Of course, there is always the option of creating your own flies with materials that you find at your fishing site. It is not uncommon for people to tie natural materials to their hook with thread and then use that as the line for their fishing trip.