Fly fishing: Catching Fish On The Water As Well As Underwater

Fly fishing has been known to fishermen from ancient times and, was used in angling mostly to catch trout as well as salmon; though now-a-days it is used in many different ways to catch gamefish species such as pike, bass, panfish as well as carp. Fly fishing is also used to catch saltwater marine species like the redfish, tarpon, bonefish, snook as also striped bass.

Different Methods

The fly fishing method used to catch fish requires artificial flies to be cast with a fly fishing rod along with a fly line that is heavy enough to let the fly reach its intended target and, it does not matter that the flies used are weightless. For fly fishing, the flies are tied with the help of artificial materials that match in size and color the local insects that help to attract fish. In addition, the fly fishing rods are much longer and lighter than other types of fishing rods and, the fly lines too are heavier than standard fishing lines and, there are some that need to float while others need to sink.

Fly fishing can be either wet or dry and, dry fishing requires the flies to float on the surface of the water and, flies used for this kind of fly fishing are known as dry flies and, they may look like a grasshopper or other insects that attract fish. Wet flies are used to lure fish beneath the surface of the water and are supposed to look like a submerged aquatic creature or an insect that has drowned.

In the US, freshwater fly fishing is very popular and the greatest number of fly fishermen can be found towards the northern parts of the country as well as in Canada. The method employed is to use a long rod that is also light in weight and try out one of several different casts that can be chosen according to the fish that one wishes to catch. The favorite cast would be the forward cast in which the angler whisks the fly into the air and behind and above the shoulder till the line is almost straight and, then forward with the help of the forearm, mostly.

Sometimes the cast may require that the fly not land on the water and this kind of cast is known as ‘false casting’ and, has different usages such as paying out lines, drying a soaked fly or, repositioning a cast. There are casts that include roll cast, the single as well as double haul cast, the tuck cast as also the side or curve cast. Depending on the type of fly and style of fishing, the fly may either float or sink and, presenting the fly is the most difficult aspect of fly fishing because anglers are attempting to cast in order to land the lines smoothly on the surface of the water and, the fly needs to look as natural as possible. Fly fishing is an interesting and novel method of catching different types of fish that has kept fishermen busy over the ages.

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