How To Choose The Right Fly

"How To Choose The Right Fly" was originally posted as a fishing article on FishingRecreation.com

I was picking up some flies at Sportsman's Warehouse today and a guy who was brand new to fly fishing asked for some recommendations as to which flies he should get. It's important for beginner fly fishermen to understand the basic types of flies as well as how to fish them. Your goal as a fly fisherman is to try to figure out what the fish are eating, and then try to come up with a fly that matches what the fish are eating as closely as possible.

There are three main types of flies that beginners should be aware of: dry flies, nymphs and streamers.

Dry flies are flies that you fish on the water's surface. If you see fish rising (feeding on the water's surface) than you will likely want to fish with a dry fly. Examples of popular dry flies for trout are the adams and elk hair caddis. Dry flies are great options for fly fishing lakes and streams. When casting out a dry fly allow the fly to drift naturally with the current. If fishing still water, gently cast the fly into an area where fish are present and let it sit, twitching it every once in a while.

Wet flies or nymphs are fished below the water's surface. I fish nymphs about 95% of the time, just because trout feed below the surface so much more frequently. Even when I see trout rising I will often choose to fish a nymph, because lots of the time I will be able to catch more fish that way. Fish your nymphs below a strike indicator or below a large greased up dry fly (dry dropper setup - great for small streams and shallow rivers). When your strike indicator or dry fly goes under the water, set the hook. I prefer to fly fish with nymphs in the moving water of rivers and streams. My favorite nymph flies are the hare's ear, prince nymph and pheasant tail.

For lakes or very slow moving large rivers, streamers are often my fly of choice. Streamers are also great for saltwater fly fishing. Streamers indicate a minnow or a leach, depending on how you fish it. A fly fisherman fishes streamers by making a long cast and stripping the fly in. You can quickly strip a streamer through the water to imitate a darting minnow or slowly creep it across the bottom to imitate a leach.