In the general sport of fishing, you use lures to catch your fish; however, when you are fly fishing, the word lure only marginally applies. Sure, you are trying to lure the fish to your bait, but when you are fly fishing, you use flies to entice the fish. So when we talk about lures in the sport of fly fishing, we are really speaking about flies.

You see, fish eat bugs. They rely on flies, grasshoppers, and other insects for their food source. When you are fly fishing, you attempt to mimic the look and movement of their food. Therefore, the lure that you are providing them with are called flies.

There are all sorts of fly fishing lures, or flies, that you can use depending on the area you are fishing and the type of fish you want to catch. Most of these lures are available at commercial retail outlets, but you can also make them yourself. The key is to have several different lures available to you so you can adapt to the situation you are fishing in.

Take a few moments when getting on the river or stream to observe the types of insects that are around you. Take a small net like they use for goldfish and skim the top of the water. See what you collect inside and then use a lure that looks like the bugs in the net.

Whatever type of fly or insect that is predominantly in the area is what the fish are feeding on. You’ll catch more fish when you lure them with what they already know are food sources. While most fish will eat whatever they can find, if they are used to seeing may flies on top of the water, they will be more apt to bite than if you dangle a caddis fly over their heads.

Your fly fishing lures should be simple. Regular fishing lures are often huge with all sorts of shiny danglers and bright colors. They, too, are meant to mimic food sources, but the idea of fly fishing is to catch fish using the natural food that is always available. That’s why flies are kept simple looking and small.

You can lure fish to your line using a variety of tools. But when you are fly fishing, lures become one of the most important tools you can have in your arsenal. Using the right lure, or fly, is so important. It can make a big difference between catching a ton of fish or just a few. Choose your lures carefully when fly fishing and reap the benefits!