A banker once ask me what I did for a living. I replied, “I sell flies”. He then asked, “who in the World is
buying flies”. I continued to explain that I didn’t sell house flies, rather fishing flies. From that time on, I
have always tried to add the word “fishing” to flies, or trout flies, flies you fish with, or something to
indicate the difference in house flies and fishing flies.
Flies to catch fish on have been around for hundreds of years, if not longer. Fishing flies are artificial
flies that are used in fly fishing. Fly fishing is a method of fishing. There is a huge difference in fly
fishing flies and other artificial fishing lures and baits. The main difference is flies used for fly fishing
are very light and in many cases, almost weightless. They are cast using a fly rod. Unlike conventional
fishing tackle, fly rods work by casting the weight of the fly line, not the fly.
Conventional fishing tackle rods, such as spinning and bait casting rods, depend on the weight of the
fishing lure or bait to propel the cast. You cannot cast a hook size 16 dry fly on a casting or spinning
rod.
Although fishing flies imitate what their name indicates, they also imitate other types of food fish eat
other than flies. They can imitate crustaceans, baitfish, egg flies, worm flies and many other types of
trout flies. Fishing flies can imitate frogs, fish, shrimp, crabs, mice, and just about any thing fish eat in
fresh and saltwater.
At Perfect Fly, we tie and sell trout flies, smallmouth bass flies, largemouth bass flies, bream flies,
panfish flies, bluegill flies, muskie flies, northern pike flies, salmon flies, steelhead flies, inshore
saltwater flies, offshore saltwater flies, saltwater flats flies, redfish flies, permit flies, bonefish flies, and a lot more different types of fishing flies.
Flies can also be designated as wet flies and dry flies. Sometimes they are classified as nymphs and
dry flies. They can also be classified as adult flies, larvae flies, pupae flies, egg flies, attractor flies,
streamers, and as many other types of flies.
Flies can also be classified as specific imitations of food fish eat and generic flies that imitate a variety
of different foods fish eat. They can also be classified as realistic imitations, semi-realistic imitations,
impressionistic flies, and by many other names.
Copyright James Marsh 2013