Fishing Flies Are Beautiful, Cunning And Individually Chosen
Fishing is a pastime that has been around for a very long time. Any time a necessity such as fishing has the luxury of becoming a hobby, it will change and adapt to different areas and cultures. Fishing flies themselves are made to either imitate flies or to use patterns and colours to lure fish into biting. And the way to make flies depends on the type of fishing to be done.
Fishing flies have been dated throughout history and are written about as early as 200 A. D. In the fifteenth century, they made a brief appearance in one of the first books to talk about fishing as a sport. Along with instructions on how to make a rod, set a line and bait a hook, there were also chapters written about how to make a fly and when to use a certain type of fly throughout the different seasons of the year.
Fishing flies used to be made from real flies but that was in an age when people could afford to chase down Mayflies and other large bugs. Now, they are typically artificial in design and make. The materials used to make fishing flies include feathers and bits of fur. All flies are considered artificial nowadays.
Before choosing a fishing fly, it’s important to know where one is going to be fishing, and what the target type of fish is. Fish eat in different ways and eat different types of prey or food. Some fish don’t eat bugs at all but choose vegetation as their diet. Knowing if the fish in question is a jumper that will leap out of the water to get a fly or is a lurker waiting beneath overhanging trees makes all the difference when choosing the right fishing flies.
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.
Choosing fishing flies depends on where a person is going to fish, and what sort of fish can be expected there. For example, river fish might have a different set of prey or food needs than lake fish. Many fish spawn in rivers and choose the river to die in after spawning. Thus, some flies are called ‘flesh’ flies, as they imitate the rotting flesh of salmon that other fish feed on, for example. Some flies are going to imitate spawn or eggs themselves, which are a food source for some varieties of fish. In some parts of Europe this practice is frowned upon and called unsportsmanlike.
Dry fishing flies stay on top of water and are made from lighter weight materials than those intended to sink. Fishermen using dry flies will tap the same area with the lure several times. Fish watching from beneath will think that a fly is laying eggs or larvae and will eventually strike at the lure. Other heavier flies imitate worms, berries or other bugs that fall or are blown into the water by the wind. Many fishing enthusiasts say it is not about imitation when it comes to flies but about colour and pattern. Fish will strike at things that are colourful and certain fish can apparently be lured into biting by distinct displays of strikes and colour.
People always say in various conversations that there are many fish in the sea. As many fish as there are in the world, there are also fishing flies to match. Creating fishing flies takes as much skill as fishing itself, which is not the passive hobby people think it might be. Sure, it’s nice to see fishermen at peace in their element, but always consider that the successful fisherman has a great degree of skill. Study his lures and it becomes very clear, especially if one looks at his flies.
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