Quietly this sport is gaining popularity with a lot of people. Fly fishing has evolved and developed from the ancient Greeks into an activity that can be for the whole family.
>If anything people have viewed fly fishing as something that older men did to get away from it all. And it’s been popularized in movies and on TV by characters like Henry Blake from the MASH series, and Katherine Hepburn’s Henry Fonda in the Golden Pond movie. So if you’re interested in fly fishing there are a few things to know about this fascinating pass time. Find out what fly fishing is, how it differs from regular fishing, its cost, and the different types of fishing that you can do.
Fly fishing is very different than just regular ole plain fishing that most of us either know about, do as a hobby or profession or have done in the past with our family. Fishing with a fly is done by the fishermen using a heavy line with a light lure on the end of it. This gives them a better reach when fishing.
On the other hand, with typical spin and cast fishing a lighter monofilament line is used with heavier bait on the end. Why the difference? Fly fishing is done usually on the top of the water, and cast fishing is targeting deeper water fish, or that hunt for their food below the surface.
The lure is different too, as well as the way it is attached. Bait for the fly is most of the time feather or foam. Other types of material can be used too such as cheese bits. Another thread is attached on the end that is light and this makes it as light as a feather, so to speak.
There are two popular ways to do fly fishing too. One is called Dry Fly and it’s the most popular.
To the angler they can see the fish their aiming for, so they throw the line so it rests on the water, so the fish will jump up and bite at it. Often it looks as though they are not giving the fish enough time to bite it, but the continuous motion tricks the fish into believing that it’s really a moving bug. Even though it’s the most famous type of fishing on the fly, it has a drawback. The species of fish that like these types of lures is the trout, and they feed most of the time underwater. However, there are other types of fish like Salmon, and Sockeye that feed for the lures too. The other fly fishing method is to Nymph Fish. The line actually goes under the water and its jerked fast to imitation the baby fly that has hatched on a riverbank.
Fly fishing is different in that you can saltwater or freshwater fish, if you want to fish like this. You can fish this way in almost any part of the world, from Canada, Russia to Wisconsin. Not only is fishing on the fly different from regular fishing in the way to cast, but its typically done with the fisherman standing in the water and constantly moving. Gear for the sport does not require as much either and it’s lightweight too, as compared to cast fishing.
As with any sport or hobby you can go all out with fly fishing, or decide to be cautious on how much you want to spend. To fish on the fly you can usually do it with only four or five basic flys which are the flys for the dry, wet, streamers and poppers. Some tips to help you limit expense are by limiting your hooks which can run $10.00 for a bag of 30, so you can cut down on your fly or bait. Rooster feathers can get a little expensive when a cape of feathers can run a $150.00 dollars. Also, expense can be cut back by using only a couple of colors for your lines such as black or dark brown. As you learn more about fly fishing you can decide if you want to invest more into the sport, or you can just use it as a way to relax or take along some family and friends for an inexpensive time of good fun. No matter how you approach it, make sure it remains an activity that you can recall years later with fond memories for you and all involved.