Fly fishing is a type of fishing that involves using an artificial fly. It is different from traditional fishing methods in that fly anglers cast a hook that generally has bits of feather, fur, foam, yarn, or other similar material attached using thread to form what is referred to as a'fly', as opposed to using worms or other bait.

The best known and classic form of fly fishing is what is known as dry fly fishing. The fisherman uses an artificial fly, which he casts so that it will float on the water. The fly will pass over the fish, which will hopefully rise up and bite it. The fisherman then tries to control the fish's attempts to escape, tiring it enough to bring it in to be retrieved from the water with a landing net. Many anglers prefer this type of fly fishing because everything can be seen - the angler casts at a fish he can see, the fly is easily visible on the surface of the water, and he can see the fish take the fly. The only drawback to this is that trout and other fish tend to feed underwater, and therefore are not as likely to come up to take a dry fly.

The second form of fly fishing is what is known as nymph fishing. When the flies lay eggs in the river or lake, the eggs hatch out as nymphs, which make their way to the surface, where they hatch into a fly. Therefore, nymph fishing utilizes imitations of different nymphs that are weighted to stay below the surface of the water. This type of fishing is often considered more challenging, as all the action takes place beneath the surface.

While most types of fish can be caught on a fly, the most common are the trout, salmon, chars, and most game fish. Trout are by far the most popular, since trout feed and live in shallow waters and eat small insects.

Fly fishing has become an increasingly popular sport, and most anglers will agree that it's not just about catching fish. Some anglers would even regard fly fishing as a kind of religion, and most consider it a relaxing pastime that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life. It also appeals to the more environmentally conscious, as it is less harmful to the fish than many other techniques, and most anglers return their catch.

Saltwater flyfishing is done with heavier tackle and typically uses wet flies resembling baitfish. However, saltwater fish can also be caught with "poppers," a surface lure similar to those used for freshwater bass fishing, though much larger. Saltwater species sought and caught with fly tackle include: bonefish, tuna, dorado (mahi-mahi), sailfish, tarpon, striped bass, salmon and marlin. Offshore saltwater species are usually attracted to the fly by "chumming" with small baitfish, or "teasing" the fish to the boat by trolling a large hookless lure (Billfish are most often caught using this latter method).

Saltwater species when hooked cannot be "palmed" with the hand on the reel. Instead, a good saltwater reel must have a powerful drag system. Furthermore, saltwater reels must be larger, heavier, and corrosion-resistant - a typical high-quality saltwater reel costs 500.00 USD or more.

Saltwater fishing may be done from shore, such as wading for bonefish or striped bass, or offshore for larger species from boats of varying size.

Hooks for saltwater flies must also be extremely durable and corrosion resistant. Most saltwater hooks are made of stainless steel, but the strongest (though less corrosion resistant) hooks are of high-carbon steel. Typically, these hooks vary from size #8 to #10 for bonefish and smaller nearshore species, to size #3/0 to #5/0 for the larger offshore species.

Fly rods

Sizes and usage

Fly rods normally vary between 2 m (6 feet) and 4 m (13 feet) in length. Fly rods and lines are designated as to their "weight", typically written as Nwt where 'N' is the number (e.g. 8wt, 9wt, 10wt).

Rods are matched to the line according to weight. The rod's manufacturer will mark on the rod the fly line weights for which a rod has been designed. One-weight (1wt) rods and lines are the lightest; the weight designations increase up to the heaviest readily available rods and lines at 16-weight (16wt).[2] In general, 1wt through 2wt would be in the class used for small trout, and panfish, 3wt and 4wt are popular for small-stream fishing, 5wt is often considered the all-around rod for trout, 6wt and 7wt are used on large rivers and for fishing with streamers, 8wt to 9wt rods and lines might be used for steelhead or salmon in medium rivers, as well as for bass fishing with large flies and as lightweight salt water use, and 16wt rods and lines would be used for pursuing large salt water gamefish under conditions of high wind or surf.

The species pursued, under which conditions, will largely determine the weight of rod selected. Next, it is important to match the line to the weight of the rod. Using too heavy a line on too light on a rod, or vice versa, will dramatically affect casting performance. It may also permanently warp the rod blank. As a rule of thumb, you can safely go one line weight more or less (i.e. using an 8wt or 10wt line on a 9wt rod). There are also rods stamped with a range of weights. For example, a rod may be rated 7-8wt. This indicates the rod is designed for either a 7 or 8 weight fly line. There are also some rods rated for wider ranges (e.g. 8-9-10wt). The drawback to multi-rated rods is that compromises in flexibility or action are made in order to accommodate a wider range of line weights. For example, a rod rated for 8-9 weight line will be slightly stiffer than a straight 8wt but slightly softer than a straight 9wt rod.

Saltwater fly rods are built to handle powerful fish and to cast large, bulky flies over longer distances or into strong winds. Saltwater fly rods are normally fitted with heavier, corrosion-resistant fittings. The reel seat may also be equipped with a short extension often called a "fighting butt". Rods for saltwater fishing fall into the 8 to 15 weight class, with 12-weight being typical for most larger species like tuna, dorado (mahi-mahi) and wahoo (ono).

Fly lines

The fly line and leader are important parts of fly fishing physics. The line is what is cast since the fly is virtually weightless. Fly lines come in a variety of forms. They may be of varying diameters, contain tapered sections, or be of level (even) diameter. A fly line may float, sink, or have a floating main section with a sinking tip. A modern fly line consists of a tough braided or monofilament core, wrapped in a thick plastic sheath, often of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In the case of floating fly lines, the PVC sheath is usually embedded with many 'microballoons' or air bubbles, and may also be impregnated with silicone or other lubricants to give buoyancy and reduce wear. Fly lines also come in a variety of models for use in specific environments: fresh water, salt water, cold or tropical temperatures, etc.

A fly line is matched to a rod according to weight. Fly lines come in a wide range of numbered sizes (from a thin #0 to a hefty #16) as well as profiles: double-tapered, weight-forward, shooting-head, etc. Most fly lines are 30 yards (27 m) in length, sufficient for sporting purposes, though specialized shooting-head lines with a short, heavy front section and small-diameter backing are sometimes employed for casting long distances or in competitive casting events.

The American Flyfishing Tackle Manufacturers Association (AFTMA) is a trade association responsible for the standardization of many of the lines and rods used today. Line weights are standardized on the weight, in grains, of the first 10 yards (9 m) of the line. Including a small allowance for production variations.

Fly reels

Fly reels, or fly casting reels, with a few exceptions, are really little more than line-storage devices. In use, a fly fishermen strips line off the reel with one hand while casting and manipulating the rod with the other. Slack line is picked up by rotating the reel spool. Even today, the vast majority of fly reels are manually-operated, single-action reels of rather simple construction, with a simple click-pawl drag system. However, in recent years, more advanced fly reels have been developed for larger fish and more demanding conditions. These newer reels feature disc-type mechanical, adjustable drag systems to permit the use of lighter leaders and tippets, or to successfully capture fish that undertake long, powerful runs. Many newer fly reels have large-arbors to increase the speed of the retrieve and to improve drag performance during long runs. In order to prevent corrosion, saltwater fly reels often use aluminum frames and spools or stainless steel components with sealed bearing and drive mechanisms.

Some reels with simple click drags are designed to be "palmed" when a fish runs with the line. Palming allows the angler to add additional drag with a light touch of the palm to the rim of the reel. On some reels, palming is difficult or impossible because the spool is fully skirted. With such reels, the only drag that an angler can apply to the line is with one or more fingers directly pinching the line.

The fly line can be retrieved using either hand. Most modern fly reels can be converted to or from left-hand or right-hand retrieve. Many fly anglers who have come to the sport after spending some years as spin casting anglers are more comfortable with a left-hand retrieve. Right handed "big game" fishers may find the right hand retrieve more efficient. In either case, modern large-arbor reels can be retrieved with fair efficiency using either hand to retrieve.

Fly reels are often rated for a specific weight and type of fly line in combination with a specific strength and length of backing. For example, the documentation supplied with a reel may state that the reel can take 150 yards of 50 pound-test backing and 30 yards of fly line. An angler should be able to "load" the reel with the specified length of line and backing and still have sufficient room between the line and the spool's edge. As well, many modern reels are designed to take interchangeable spools. Such spools can be quickly switched, thus allowing an angler to change the type of line in a matter of minutes.

Fly fishing knots

A few knots have become more or less standard for attaching the various parts of the fly lines and backing, etc, together. A detailed discussion of most of these knots is available in any good book on fly fishing. Some of the knots that are in most every fly angler's arsenal are: the improved clinch knot which is commonly used to attach the fly to the leader, the overhand slip knot or arbor knot which is used to attach the backing to the spool, the albright knot which can be used to attach the fly line to the backing. Often, a loop is added to the end of the fly line using a braided loop or by attaching a monofilament loop to the fly line using a nail or tube knot. A loop can be added to monofilament line using a double surgeon's knot or a perfection loop.[4] A loop can be put in fly line backing using a bimini twist.[5] Finally, a tapered leader can be attached to the fly line using a loop to loop connection. The use of loop to loop connections between the fly line and the leader provides a quick and convenient way to change or replace a tapered leader. Many commercially-produced tapered leaders come with a pre-tied loop connection.

Some traditionalists create their own tapered leaders using progressively smaller-diameter lengths of monofilament line tied together with the blood or barrel knot.

Resources:

XXX

WeGoPlaces.com - Vacation and Travel Planning Made Easy!