Authored by Neal F. Litherland in Fishing 
Published on 09-14-2009

Fly fishing is a popular sport among anglers, but for those who aren’t entirely sure what it is the sport is fairly easy to explain. Fly fishing isn’t like regular fishing. The fisherman has a pole with a long line, and at the end of it a lure that’s meant to float on the surface of the water like a fly. This fake fly is usually made of string and synthetic fibers which are attached to a hook. Also unlike regular fishing, the angler is attempting to catch a specific fish, and is using the fly to tempt it. However, simple as it might seem on the surface this is actually a fairly complicated sport that involves timing, manual dexterity, and the ability to out last the fish.

First and foremost, it’s a good idea to fly fish from an area that you have stable footing. This can be done while in a lake, in a boat, or on shore. It really depends on what the angler is comfortable with. However, you’re going to be fighting a fish, and possibly a large fish, one on one. Balance as well as endurance is key in this sort of match, so it’s important that the angler be comfortable. This is especially true if they’ll be handling the catching net as well as the pole, but it would be easier if the angler has a friend to net the fish once it’s pulled in.

The next part of the strategy is to check and make sure that the type of fish the angler is going to be seeking out can be caught at the surface. While fish like trout can be easily caught near the surface, other fish won’t come up that far to bite the hook. In cases like this it’s important that the angler have the appropriate fly that will go below the water’s surface. Called a nymph, this lure sinks below the surface to act like fly eggs. The nymph lure will slid down lower and tempt fish that typically won’t reach the surface. This type of fly fishing is considered much more difficult than regular fly fishing, and it will likely require a lot of practice for anglers to get right.

The same is true for blind fishing. Normally when an angler is fly fishing in a lake or stream they can see the fish that they’re aiming for. Blind fishing is when the angler can’t see any fish, but they still suspect that there might be some. Most anglers would prefer not to blind fish at all, but sometimes it can’t be helped. The best bet for anyone to successfully blind fish though is to learn to read the water. Fish will usually be found where fast moving water meets slow, shallow water meets deep, and in other borderlands in the water. This makes open, slow moving water much more difficult to blind fish since there are no currents to read, and it’s a good deal harder to figure out logically where the fish you want could be hiding at.