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Introduction:

At this point, we have addressed why I believe someone should give fly fishing a chance and basic information on choosing your rod, reel, and line. The next logical step in this fly fishing journey would be to discuss the different types of flies at one's disposal. This may seem intimidating at the beginning, but this tutorial will explain it in a simple and concise way.  

Dry Flies:

Ah yes, the illustrious dry fly. Many people know what a dry fly is and imagine 20”+ trout slowly sipping them off the surface. Even though that is possible, I wouldn’t go around thinking it will happen every day for you. But enough of that, let’s discuss a dry fly. A dry fly is a fly that is designed to, as expected, float and stay dry. The flies themselves will be tied without weight and will have something to make them float. For many flies, they will have what is known as hackle wrapped around them. In very simple terms, the hackle is the thin material, sticking straight out around the fly that is delicate, soft to the touch, and will make it float. If the fly does not have hackle, it will be using something buyout to make it float such as foam. In order to keep a dry fly floating throughout the day, it is often critical to use some type of floatant. My personal favorite is “Gink”, but there are many variations on the market that will get the job done as well. A dry is designed to imitate a full-grown fly that is on the top of the water. 

Wets:

A wet fly is a fly that is not as often utilized in Western trout fishing. Wet flies are typically seen as an old-style fly that is tied with no weight such as a bead head, but they are designed to sink. Wet flies will be fished subsurface, but not at a depth that will be constantly snagging. Wet flies themselves are smaller with thin bodies and a small amount of hackle. Wet flies have their own unique way of fishing which is where you “swing” the fly. Unless it is a specific skill you wish to learn, wet flies are not something that the introductory fly fisher will be using. A wet is designed to imitate a developing/emerging fly under the water. I myself have fly fished for several years and never utilize a wet fly. They can be very effective and still hold true today, but they are seen as an old-style method. 

Nymphs: 

They say that over 90% of a trout’s diet is on nymphs. I do not have any study to back that up, it is more or less a statistic that fly fishers use all across the world. Regardless though, there is no questioning that the highest number of meals in a trouts life comes from nymphs. Nymphs are fished under the water and will be tied with weight so that they sink. Depending on the depth of the water, many nymphs will be tied quite heavy, so that they are bouncing off of the bottom. Nymphs will vary in their presentation, they can be very large such as size 6 or 8, and can also be very small in sizes such as 24. The bigger the number, the smaller the fly. Additionally, some nymphs will be tied with a bulkier appearance and others will appear slender. They vary greatly because they are the main source of food for trout. A nymph is designed to imitate the fly as it is in it’s earliest form floating throughout the water. Except under special circumstances, a nymph will be the most productive fly in someone's box most days. For the introductory fly fisher, nymphs will most likely be the most used fly in their arsenal. 

Streamers: 

Streamers are what many people get excited about and others groan over the thought of them. Streamers are typically larger flies that will imitate a baitfish, sculpin, crawdad, or some other form of protein source in the water. The size on them can vary, but even the smallest streamers will be 1.5”-2” typically, with the largest ones being over 7” and everything in between. Additionally, they can be tied with limited materials or can be very extravagant and take upwards of 30 minutes to tie one fly. With these bigger flies, as expected, many times bigger fish will follow. But the downside of a streamer is in many situations, you will be limiting the number of fish you catch. Because when you are throwing a 5” fly, there will only be a certain number of fish in the water system that is willing to have a go at a fly that large. They are best used when exclusively targeting bigger fish, fishing higher/dirtier water, or when fishing on a rainy/cloudy day. Streamers are very versatile in the sense that they can be fished on the drift, stripping, jigging, just about any technique you can imagine! Later on, I will dedicate more than one blog post to fishing with streamers exclusively that will break down these techniques. 

Terrestrials: 

I have chosen to give terrestrials their own unique section, but this will be very short. Many times people will use the word “terrestrials” but never explain what it actually means. Terrestrials are larger dry flies that imitate specific life forms. Rather than imitating flies, terrestrials are other floating food sources such as Grasshoppers, Beetles, Ants, Spiders, and Crickets. These flies are typically tied bulky and will utilize a material such as foam to make them very buoyant. These flies are often used in the summer months when these bugs will be present and falling into the water. One of the best uses of terrestrials is to have them as the first fly, and then have one or two flies tied underneath them. They excel at this due to their size and ability to float. 

Miscellaneous: 

The final section of flies I will discuss can be viewed as “the rest.” These are flies that are not natural imitations of bugs, they are not streamers and are not always floating. In many circles, these will be known as “trash” flies. Trash flies are highly effective flies, that are typically used to target stocked fish. Even though they are typically designed to target stocked fish, flies in this category have wide use and will be effective when targetting wild fish as well. These flies include squirmy’s (a worm imitation), mop flies (literally a piece of mop material on a hook), egg flies (as the name suggests), and pellet flies (what looks like floating dog food.) Even though these are not all of the miscellaneous flies to be mentioned, you get the basic idea. Every fly you find in the fly fishing world will fall under one of the above categories. Hope this was a help and until next time!