Fly Fishing Flies
In fly fishing, a fly is the artificial bait to imitate the food a fish might eat in size, color and shape. There are two types of flies: surface flies and sinking flies. You can tell from the name that surface flies float on the surface of the water and sinking flies are usually heavier so they can stay underneath the water. What flies you need to use depends on what fish you will be catching. Here are fly fishing flies.
Surface flies can be broken down into several categories: dry flies, terrestrials, and bugs.
Dry flies are designed to sit on the water surface and imitate adult aquatic insects that fall into the water, such as mayflies, stoneflies, midges, and terrestrials. They are generally used for trout or bass. Some common flies are Hendrickson’s, pale evening duns, Adams, and elk hair caddis. Below is a picture of dry fly.
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Terrestrial flies imitate grasshoppers, ants, beetles and other insects that live on the land and sometimes fall into the water. Twitch these flies to make them look like struggling insects. Below is a picture of ant fly.
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Bugs include poppers, divers, and sliders. Twitch these flies forward little by little to disturb the water and attract fish. They imitate large insects, frogs, or mice. Dahlberg divers and frog imitations are good for bass and northern pike. Below is a picture of bug used in fly fishing.
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Sinking flies are made with heavy or absorbent materials so that they sink. Sinking flies include nymphs, wet flies, and streamers.
Nymphs imitate immature insects that live underwater. So nymphs can be seen as a special form of web fly. Lots of fish, including trout, bass and pan fish, eat nymphs as their daily diets. Nymphs are often the best bet to lure a fish if everything else fails. Pheasant tail nymphs are good in a basic fly box. Here is a nymph used in fly fishing.
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Wet flies imitate immature aquatic insects or sometime insect which have drowned. They are made of materials that become waterlogged quickly and sink, so they look like drowned insects and sometimes baitfish. Try a woolly worm in your fly box.
Streamers imitate minnow or other small fish. Larger predator fish, such as pike, large trout, and bass, are attracted to streamers because they look like baitfish. Retrieve these flies with a jerking motion to make them mimic swimming fish. Muddler or Clouser minnows, woolly buggers, and Mickey Finns are good basic streamers.
One last thing about the flies, keep in mind that a dry fly is a good fly so dry up the flies before storing them. Wet flies have a higher chance of rusting than the flies that are dried off first.
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