You pile your fly fishing gear into the van and head out to a
swiftly moving stream that you know of. You park the vehicle and
head across a pasture. You're glad the owner is a friend of
yours, as you have blanket permission to fish on his land. You
walk down a steep incline to the crystal clear stream, slip on
your thigh waders, fill your fishing vest with various types of
flies and wade into the stream.
When you are in position, the tip of your rod should be in the
four o' clock position with 20 feet (6 meters) of line extended
beyond your rod's tip. Trap the line between the rod handle and
your index finger. To begin the back cast, bend your elbow,
raise your forearm and move the rod tip from four o'clock to
eleven thirty and lift the line from the water. Pause for a
moment at this point to allow the line to extend behind you
before casting the rod forward. Allow the rod to follow through
as the line extends to its full length in front of you. Then
continue to work the line in this manner. Suddenly, as you work
your rod and line, a fish strikes. The fight is on and you
successfully land the fish. You've just learned the art of fly
casting.
Fly fishing is an ancient method of angling. It was primarily
developed to catch trout and salmon. Today, it is still used to
fish these species, but is also used to catch bass, carp, pike
and a wide range of saltwater fish. The difference between
casting and fly fishing is that in casting you use the weight of
your bait, sinker and bobber to propel your cast. In fly
fishing, the weight of the line propels your line forward and
puts your fly into position. The fly cannot do this, as it is
essentially weightless. The goal in fly fishing is to present
the fly gently and to always be in control of it.
When you fly fish, you need special fishing equipment that
includes a fly rod and reel, a special fly fishing line and
artificial or live flies. These are tied onto your hook with
feathers, fur, thread or other materials in colors and sizes
that represent natural prey. The key to successful fly fishing
is balance. The rod, reel and line, as well as the tippet all
have to match in order to have a positive fly fishing
experience.
Rod, Reels and LinesFly fishing rods
are lightweight and long. The line provides the casting weight
and is heavy. It can be of differing density, depending on
whether you want the fly to sink or float. Line is matched to
your rod by weight. Look near the fly rod butt to find out what
line weight must be used. Graphite rods are best because they
can produce any action that you wish to use. If you are a
beginner, buy a basic and moderately priced rod, or borrow one
from a family member or friend.
Flies and Leaders
 
Flies weigh very little. The fly is usually attached to the line
by a leader that is two to three meters in length (6 to 9 feet).
The leader often tapers to a fine end. This is called a tippet.
Tippet size range from 8X, which is the smallest, to 0X, which
is the largest. Tippets are set in units of .001 inches. To
match the tippet to the fly, you must subtract from eleven and
multiply by .001.
For example to find the diameter of a 4X tippet, you would
subtract four from eleven. That equals seven. Now, multiply by
.001. This size would be .007. What if you have a # 18 fly? How
would you calculate tippet size? You would put eighteen over
four and calculate. The answer would be 4.5. Since there is no
4.5 X tippet, you would move to the next largest size, which
would be 5.
Types of Fly Fishing
There are two types of fly fishing - dry and wet. Wet flies
are fished beneath the water surface and are divided into
several types, including live wet flies, lures and nymphs. Dry
flies float on the water surface and are coated with a substance
called, 'floatant' to make this possible.
If you are interested in fly fishing and can't decide which
equipment you need to have a positive fishing experience, ask an
experienced angler for help. This can be a family member,
friend, someone from the local angler's club or a staff member
of the local fly fishing shop. Fly fishing is not as hard to
learn as it appears to be. Have fun and enjoy that big catch.
Fishing
Facts |
