Many fly fishermen know that the fishing flies used to catch fish are designed to duplicate the immature and adult stages of aquatic insects such as mayflies, damselflies, caddisflies, dragonflies, stoneflies, midges and others. But many other types of fish food are also represented by flies, including baitfish, leeches, worms, crustaceans and scuds. So the term "fly" is only generic, and it does not refer specifically to flying insects. So, artificial fly fishing flies can deceive fish into mistaking them for the real thing and there are five basic kinds of fishing flies: dry flies, wet flies, nymphs, streamers, and bugs.

The first category, dry fishing flies, float on or in the surface to imitate terrestrial or aquatic insects. Dry fly fishing flies are usually presented with a floating fly line and allowed to drift or float as naturally as possible. Be careful because wind, variable horizontal current speeds, or both of these forces will often cause drag on the fly line, leader, and fly. Drag causes the imitation to move unnaturally, which will most probably scare the fish. But this can usually be avoided by proper presentation and mending of the fly line.

The second category is represented by wet fishing flies. They sink just below the surface, or a bit deeper, and usually imitate aquatic insects swimming, emerging, or egg-laying. On calm water, wet fly fishing flies are usually presented on the far side of where you suspect a fish is swimming. The fly is then allowed to sink to the right depth. Then, with whatever action and speed will imitate the natural insect or small minnow, the fly is retrieved to and past the fish.

Nymphs, the third category, are fishing flies designed to be fished below the surface, including on the bottom, of either calm or moving water. Nymphs give a general or detailed impression of immature aquatic insects. But nymphs also may be used to suggest snails, scuds, leeches, crayfish, worms, and similar foods. Floating, intermediate, sinking-tip, and full-sinking fly lines are useful in various waters to fish nymphs.

The forth category is represented by streamers. These fly fishing flies are usually designed to be fished below the surface to suggest or imitate the small fish, leeches, and so on, that are swimming or drifting in the water. However, streamers are sometimes fished at the surface to imitate the feeding or crippled action of a small fish. Streamers, like nymphs, can be fished with all four fly-line types depending upon the action and the depth desired.

Lastly, there are the bugs. They float on the surface and suggest larger insects, frogs, mice, etc. Bugs are fished with a floating or sinking-tip fly line but you need to use a floating line if you're fishing bugs just at the surface. A sinking-tip fly line, with a 4- to 6-foot leader, allows the fly to be fished at the surface, diving, swimming or surfacing.


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