5 Types of Fly Fishing Flies

Although most flies represent water insects, athe oldest form of fly fishing. It dates back to
terrestrial fly is made to imitate a land insect that hasdescriptions of the early Macedonian people.
fallen into the water. The two most commonA nymph is the stage between an egg and the adult in
terrestrials that are imitated for fly fishing are the antthe life cycle of an insect. In fly fishing, flies that
and the grasshopper.resemble nymphs are growing popularity. The nymph
Although there are hundreds of types of flies usedfly is just below the surface of the water. When a fish
for fly fishing, most of them fall into five specificbulges the water without breaking the surface, he is
categories, or types. These types are dry flies, wetnymphing. This means that the fish is eating the natural
flies, nymphs, streamers and buck tails, and terrestrials.nymphs just as they are emerging from their shell. This
The main purpose of the fly is to imitate an insect thatis what a nymph fly imitates.
the fish wants to eat.Streamers and buck tail flies do not imitate any part of
A dry fly imitates a natural insect that is floating on thethe insect's life cycle. These types of fly fishing flies
top of the water. Fish are very sensitive to any motionare much larger and represent small bait fish such
of their water and how currents move the insectsas sculpin minnows. The main difference between
they want for food. In fly fishing, if a dry fly is movingtheses two types of flies is that streamers are tied
even slightly against the current, the fish will havewith feathers, and bucktails are tied completely with
nothing to do with it. The fly may look like somethinghair. Fly fishing that uses these two types of flies
the fish recognizes but it is not acting the same angenerally requires more rod and line manipulation. The
insect would. The fish recognizes it as somethingmovements are supposed to duplicate the motions of
foreign in the water and leaves it alone.the little fish.Â
In fly fishing, a wet fly is imitating a drowned, orBesides these basic five categories of flies, there are
drowning, natural insect and is fished below themany other kinds of flies that are used for fly fishing.
water surface. No one is sure if the wet fly is seenSome of them are a combination of one or more of
as a drowning adult insect or a nymph from thethe basic categories and some do not fit into any
perspective of the fish. Most fly fishermen today seemgroup. The most important thing to remember is that it
to believe that it is seen as a nymph. Because of thisdoesn't matter how the fly looks to you, the fisherman.
less and less wet flies are being sold. Wet fly fishing isIt matters how the fly looks to the fish.