Fly fishing is possibly one of the oldest fishing techniques, the first reports date back to the early 1700's. Today fly fishing is a sport most anglers consider to be the most natural, spending time uninterrupted by day to day hassle in waters of steams, lakes, rivers and even oceans just angling for fish.

Its an art...

Many fishers consider fly fishing as an art, making artificial flies that attract the fish by mimicking food and casting a fly line at just the right spot is something that you need to learn and have a talent for.

There is a big difference between casting a line with traditional fishing techniques and fly fishing techniques. With traditional fishing the weight of the bait or lure leads the line in the water. The fly fishing fly is too light to lead the line into the water and it needs to be done a different way. The line is thrown onto the water and the stream sends the fly to the exact place where the angler wants it to be.

There are some fish that are extremely popular for fly fishermen these include the following species:

- Salmon

- Trout

- Pan fish

- Bass

There are of course many other species you can angel for but these are the most loved. Bass for example is considered as a tough catch and this is the reason for its popularity.

Two different kind of fishermen

There are two different kind of fly fishermen, the first is trying to be an expert in one type of fish and learn all the ins and outs of a species, there habits, lures and baits that seem to be the best and fishing spots where they can find the best fishes of their kind. The other kind of fishermen are the ones that consider it as a challenge to catch as many different species. The species they want to catch by fly fishing live in lakes, streams and even the ocean. Fly fishing in the ocean has become more popular the last years, fishing on game fish like tarpon needs just more durable equipment than the gear that is used on streams and lakes.

Casting Techniques Vary By Location

You can compare the method used by fly fishing to cast a line with whipping a rope on the ground if you want to remove a kink in the rope. The rod, and the line attached is lifted over the fishers head and then rolled forward to the targeted place. You need to do this a couple of times until the line comes out far enough to reach this place on the water.

Dry Flies and Wet Flies

With fly fishing there are two different kind of flies that can be used. The dry fly is designed to stay on top of the water and the wet fly that is designed to mimic natural prey and needs to submerge.

Most flies in fly fishing are tied by hand and most are designed to replicate specific insects in different stages, this depends on the time of year.