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MAGAZINE - JUNE 2013
F
ly
fishing is an angling
method in which an
artificial “fly” is used
to catch fish. The fly is cast
us-
ing a fly rod, reel, and specialized
weighted
line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or “lure”
requires casting techniques significantly different from other
forms of casting. Fly fishermen use hand tied flies that resem-
ble natural invertebrates or other food organisms, or “lures” to
provoke the fish to strike.
Fly fishing can be done in fresh or salt water. North Americans
usually distinguish freshwater fishing between cold-water spe-
cies (trout, salmon, and steelhead) and warm-water species,
notably bass. In Britain, where natural water temperatures vary
less, the distinction is between game fishing for trout or salmon
and coarse fishing for other species. Techniques for fly fishing
also differ with habitat (lakes and ponds, small streams, large
rivers, bays and estuaries, and open ocean.)
In fly fishing, fish are caught by using Artificial flies that are
cast with a fly rod and a fly line. The fly line (today, usually
coated with plastic) is heavy enough to send the fly to the target.
The main difference between fly fishing and spin or bait fishing
is that in fly fish-
ing the weight of
the line carries the
hook through the
air, whereas in spin
and bait fishing the
weight of the lure or
sinker at the end of
the monofilament or
braided line gives
casting distance.
Artificial flies are of
several types; some
imitating an insect
(either flying or
swimming), others a
bait fish or crusta-
cean, others attrac-
tors are known to
attract fish although
they look like noth-
ing in nature. Flies
can be made either
to float or sink, and
range in size from a
few millimeters to 30 cm long; most are between 1 and
5 cm.
Artificial flies are made by fastening hair, fur, feathers, or
other materials, both natural and synthetic, onto a hook. The first
flies were tied with natural materials, but synthetic materials are
now popular and prevalent. Flies are tied in sizes, colors and
patterns to match local terrestrial and aquatic insects, baitfish, or
other prey attractive to the target fish species.
Fish species
Fly fishing is most renowned as a method for catching trout,
grayling and salmon, but it is also used for a wide variety of spe-
cies including pike, bass, pan fish, and carp, as well as marine
species, such as redfish, snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass.
Many fly anglers catch unintended species such as chub, bream
and rudd while fishing for ‘main target’ species such as trout.
A growing population of anglers attempts to catch as many
different species as possible with the fly. With the ad-
vancement of technology and development of stronger
rods and reels, larger predatory saltwater species such as
wahoo, tuna, marlin and sharks have become target species on
fly. Realistically any fish can be targeted and captured on fly as
long as the main food source is effectively replicated by the fly
itself and suitable gear is used.
Methods
Unlike other casting methods, fly fishing can be thought
of as a method of casting line rather than lure. Non-
fly-fishing methods rely on a lure’s weight to
pull line from the reel during the forward
motion of a cast. By design, a fly is too
light to be cast, and thus simply follows
the unfurling of a properly cast fly line,
which is heavier, tapered, and therefore
more
castable than lines used in other types
of fishing.
The physics of
fly-casting can
be described
by the transfer
of impulse, the
product of mass
and speed through
the rod from base
to top and from
the transfer of
impulse through
the fly line all the
way to the tip of
the leader. Be-
cause both the rod