Fly Fishing Basics - For The Beginner

Fly Fishing can be done in either freshwater or saltwater, and the tackle that you will be using for the specific type of fishing differs greatly. Let me first talk about the different kind of reels that you might be using when you are out fly fishing. In freshwater, the reel doesn’t play as big as part as it might when you are in the saltwater, because most of the freshwater fish are pretty small and don’t run that much, saltwater on the other hand, you will need a stronger type of reel with a good drag system, because saltwater fish tend to run a lot more than the freshwater ones do, mostly due to size. The thing about fly fishing is, you will not be using the reel when you are casting, you are only using the line and the hook and fly that is attached, you are basically just casting the line, which is why its kind of like waving a stick.

 

The fly rod is much longer than the common freshwater or saltwater fishing rod, this is because you need the length when you are casting the line out. They can be anywhere from 7-12 feet long. Fly rods are typically made out of fiberglass and graphite, although there are some fly rods out there that are made out of bamboo, which are expensive and more of a collector’s item than a fishing rod. One of the most important parts of fly fishing tackle is the fly, which is usually a hook with some colorful strings tied together, making it an artificial fly, and they range in many types of colors depending on what type of fish you are trying to catch. There are many types of flies that are out there, and each one is designed to catch a specific type of fish. For instance, if you were out fishing for some trout, you might want to use a fly that resembles a gnat, and the size of the fly would depend on whether you were fishing in freshwater or saltwater, if you were fishing saltwater you would want to go bigger on the fly. Here are the types of flies that are used mostly.

Nymphs – These are underwater flies and they are supposed to resemble immature insects.

Dry Flies – These are flies that float and are supposed to look like adult insect.

Wet Flies – These types of flies have wings, and they imitate adult insects that are underwater

Popping Fly – These can imitate many types of insects, like grasshoppers, injured minnows, or even frogs.

Streamers – imitate minnows

The most common types of fish that are caught when fly fishing are trout, salmon, and steelhead, but there are many others that will be tricked into hitting the artificial fly as well. Below I have placed some videos to show you a little bit of information about fly fishing.

This first video isn't going to teach any experienced fly fisherman anything, but again if you are clueless to what fly fishing is this is a good video to learn what it's all about.