Today, in our third look at fly fishing tackle, we are going to talk about flies.
Whether you buy your flies, or decide to take the plunge and begin to learn about fly tying, the principles are largely the same—try to get as close to what the fish are naturally feeding upon as possible.
There are thousands of fly patterns to choose from, and they vary widely based on the type of fish you are targeting, the style of fishing you are doing, and the natural food available in a particular area.
There are flies that target different lifestyles of various insects around trout streams; flies that will mimic small bait fish and other prey; and even flies that are designed to look like small rodents swimming through the water.
With so many flies to choose from, how does the beginner wade through it all and finally get something on the hook? Let’s look at the two major types of flies and go from there.
Dry Flies And Wet Flies
All of the myriad different types of flies can still be classified in one of two ways—they are either dry or wet.
Dry flies are designed to float on the surface, and are mostly used when fish are actively feeding. Since fish will have to rise to the surface to inhale this type of fly, they are best used when fish are very active, and, when the water visibility is good. They won’t rise if they can’t see it!
Wet flies are designed to be fished underneath the surface, and are best used in deeper pools or when fish are not quite as active. When fish are doing the majority of their feeding subsurface, it is a must to get your fly down to their level. Wet flies are designed to do just that.
To the more advanced fly fisherman, this may seem over simplistic. I disagree. All flies will be fished either below the surface, or beneath it, and this is a great starting place for a beginner fly fisherman to start learning.
Insect Life Cycles And Fly Patterns
Aquatic insects have specific life cycles, and different fly patterns that will imitate them all. Here are the life cycles of most aquatic insects such as Mayflies, Caddisflies, and Stoneflies:
- Egg
- Larva
- Pupa
- Adult
These could be expanded to include a few “in between” stages and look like this:
- Egg
- Larva
- Pupa
- Emerging Adult or Emerger
- Adult
- Egg Laying Adult
Flies that are meant to imitate aquatic insects will imitate them in the various life cycles. But, we know for a fact that fish do not eat only aquatic insects, and therefore, more fly patterns exist.
Terrestrial Insect Flies
Many different types of terrestrial insects live around lakes and rivers, and often, become food for the fish. These include:
- Ants
- Beetles
- Fireflies or Lightning Bugs
- Bees and Wasps
- Spiders (Not technically and insect, I know)
- Grasshoppers
Of all of the insects on that small list, ants and grasshoppers are probably the two most important, though for very different reasons.
Ants are easy targets, and often fall in rivers and lake in large numbers. They represent an abundant and easy meal for the fish below them.
Grasshoppers are equally important, but it is because they are a large food source, and extremely poor fliers. They will often nosedive right into the water and be eaten before they even realize what happens.
After terrestrial insects, there are a few other food sources that fish will key in on.
Other Fly Patterns
Other items on the fishy menu will include:
- Other fish (like sculpin, minnows, and bullheads)
- Leaches
- Crustaceans (crawdads and fresh water shrimp)
- Small Mammals (not usually used for trout)
These are all items that, depending on your area, could end up as the dish of the day in the fish world.
Finding Fly Patterns For Your Area
Remember the most important thing when choosing fly patterns—choose a fly that imitates the fish’s food source, and present it to the fish in the manner it occurs naturally.
This means, if they are feeding on nymphs along the bottom, you choose nymphs and fish along the bottom. You don’t try to strip streamers along the surface. This is what is meant when we say, “Match the hatch.”
Find what they are eating, and imitate it as closely as possible.
See ya on the water…