Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing - Nicknamed Bug Wafting By Other Fishermen

Bug wafting - is that what you believe fly fishing is? Certainly the other camps ‘the worm danglers' also known as coarse fishermen and 'dead fish floggers' or sea fishermen consider it so!

There are three distinct fishing disciplines, fly fishing, sea fishing and coarse fishing and could not be more different (and each of those disciplines had many sub-disciplines! including fly fishing for pike, salmon, grayling, sea bass and even species like chub fly fishing techniques, spinning, float fishing or pole fishing within coarse fishing and boat or beach for sea fishing, each category has its' own unique sub-division). 

Fly Fishing is Ancient

Fly fishing is an ancient method of catching fish and uses flies to do so and was documented . Well, we say flies but we could actually use terrestrial or aquatic insects, baitfish or prey as well as umpteen different flies. We aim to replicate nature which is a massive undertaking in its own right. Through the year, season, week, day or hour, there will be different flies or bugs that the fish want to eat.  Get the fly wrong and the fish will literally turn their nose up at it. Get it right and you're on the money!  So we have to do what is known as ‘match the hatch'!

Fly Fishing Flies

The flies are not real flies, they are artificial but made to look really real. You can either make your own / or buy them from a local fly fishing shop or hopefully experts like www.theessentialfly.com. They are made from all sorts of materials - fur like arctic fox, rabbit, hare, deer or moose, feathers like cdc feathers or cul de canard feathers, synthetics or natural materials like wools. They are tied, by hand, to different sizes onto a hook. They can be made to float or sink, again, to match what that creature would normally be doing in nature.

Matching The Hatch When Fly Fishing

Match the Hatch is really simple however his means, study the nature, see what bugs, insects & flies are hatching at that time and do your best to get your fly to be the same. This is the hard bit and a lot of fly fishermen are actually entomologists or wannabee entomologists, forget it you do not need to be, just enthusiastic and observant. The key is simply to observe nature, not be an expert in nature!. But for those of us who are starting out, there is lots of help out there.  An added benefit of fly fishing is that other anglers are nice people who want to help and share their knowledge with beginners - so if in doubt ask.

Fly Fishing - Casting

Your fly has to be tied to the leader, using a good knot (and thats a massive subject in its own right) to your line and cast out.  The aim is to land your fly on the water as though it was a real fly just resting - not being dumped courtesy of a bad cast. This is the real art and people study casting for years to get it right. Its recognised that to get it right and avoid bad habits, it is a good idea to have casting lessons, it can really help as getting timing is the key and correct action makes all of the difference to the cast.  But like any new sport, you have to train and practice practice the practice again!  It is possible to see people practicing their fly casting on a football field (after the match has finished of course!) just trying to get the fly line out and perfect the many different types of casts for the different scenarios you might find yourself in. Fly fishing typically happens on fresh water (that means river or lake) or salt water (that means the sea or sea loch etc). Thanks to that it means fly fishing takes place in beautiful, natural places.

Modern Fly Fishing

Typically fly fishing was always known for catching trout or salmon. Today a lot of people fish for pike, bass, panfish, grayling and carp as well as marine species such as redfish, snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass.  Each species has its own flies like pike flies, salmon flies, carp flies and trout flies. So what do you think? Fancy learning more? This article may be the most basic of its kind, but hey maybe it has wet your appetite a little? There are great fly fishing shops and clubs all over the country, why not give them a ring and meet up with some local anglers and learn a bit more?  Don't be timid, everyone has to start somewhere! Wishing you hours of happiness and many tight lines!