Fishing Flies Are Attractive, Clever And Individually Chosen

The art of fishing as a sport or a pastime or hobby is very old. So too is the art of fly fishing, where a lightweight lure was used as a replica of a fly and touched on or near the surface water to tempt fish into biting. Fishing flies are an art unto themselves, and come in as many varieties as there are fish.

As far back as 200 A. D., fly fishing was recorded as a sport among men. In one of the first books about fishing, written in the fifteen hundreds, there were instructions on how to make fishing flies. Along with how to make a rod were useful tips on when to use a certain type of fly, depending on the season or the time of year.

A fishing fly used to be called an artificial fly. This is because once upon a time they were made from actual flies captured and used as bait. However, it soon became realized that these flies could be imitated with feathers and bits of fur. It would be very difficult to make a profitable business out of capturing Mayflies and other large insects in order to use them as bait. However, anyone who knows anything about craft supplies knows that feathers and fur can be found very easily. The challenge is in knowing what to use and when.

It's important to do a bit of research or have some experience with fish and their feeding habits before choosing the right fishing flies to use. Some fish like to leap into the air to catch flying prey, while others wait for prey to literally fall down to them. Other fish actually eat vegetation instead of flies, but these too can be lured into striking with the right kind of lure.

Fishing flies can imitate what prey a species of fish is used to. Some are meant to look like crustaceans more than flies, and will imitate things such as underwater shrimp. Some fishing flies will work hard to act like actual flies, and can be 'nymphs', which look like immature fly larvae, or 'emergers', which try to look like flies moving from larvae stage to adulthood.

River fish have different feeding habits and prey styles than lake or ocean fish. In a river, there might still be crustaceans and crabs and the like. However, river fish also enjoy the monopoly presented by spawning fish. A large majority of fish return to the rivers they were born in to mate and lay their spawn. So, many fish consider eggs a part of their diet. In Europe, using fishing flies that look like eggs is frowned up and considered unsportsmanlike. Some fishing flies will imitate the rotting flesh of dead fish instead, since so many species perish after they have lain their eggs.

Dry flies are meant to stay on the surface of the water. The materials they are made from will help them stay buoyant. Fly fishermen will tap the fly on the surface of the water repeatedly, in and around the same spot, encouraging fish to take notice and to eventually strike and bite the fly and hook. Other fishing flies are meant to sink beneath the surface. They will be made of heavier materials that react a certain way as they become wet and drag through the water. Some people say that it is less about imitating fish prey than it is about colour. So it's no surprise that some fishing flies can be very colourful and look nothing like any known insect or bug that a fish might eat. They work and the fish bite just the same.

Fish flies can be ever so diverse. Whether they are designed to imitate a fish's prey or just to catch a fish's eye and cause it to strike by using glaring colours and patterns, artificial flies are exciting to use. They require a skill in creation and crafting that is only matched by the skill of the fishermen using them. Fishing with flies is a great hobby that is often isolated and full of peace. Making fishing flies can be peaceful, as well.