Saltwater Fly Fishing

Many people who enjoy fishing as a hobby are particularly interested in saltwater fly fishing. This kind of fishing is done mainly at sea but the ocean will do just as well. Of course, there are also the salt water lakes. In ancient times, the Romans discovered that Macedonian fishermen had a special angling technique, which is pretty similar to what we call today fly fishing. The technique became very popular with the Roman soldiers and then spread throughout the empire. In later centuries, saltwater fly fishing was especially popular in Great Britain, but now it’s also popular in North America, Australia and even Japan. Actually, fly fishing goes way back in Japan as well.

Fly fishing involves catching the fish with artificial bait, namely the artificial flies. A special fly rod and a fly line are required. The fly lines are considerably heavier than regular lines, which makes them able to send the light artificial fly directly to the target. This is the main difference between fly fishing and bait fishing: it is the weight of the line that helps carrying the hook through the air, not the weight of the lure or of the sinker. Flies can be as small as a few mm and some of them come as big as 30 cm. the most frequently manufactured flies are between 1 centimeter and 5 centimeters long. Some manufactured baits used in saltwater fly fishing do not even imitate a fly, but a bait fish, which is only natural if you aim to catch fish which live in the ocean or at sea. Some other manufactured attractors do not imitate any living creature. These artificial “flies” are made of plastic, fur, feather and many other materials. The best ones bear a wonderful resemblance to aquatic insects and bait fish.

The casting in saltwater fly fishing is also different: in a forward cast, which is the most common, you will have to throw the fly into the air behind your shoulder, until the line is more or less straight and then use your forearm to whisk it forward. Only beginners point the rod in the direction where they want to throw. Also, it quite important to control the force with which you through, but that comes with years of practice. Dropping the fly onto the water is the most difficult thing about saltwater fly fishing. You want to make the fly land on the surface of the water extremely smoothly and as naturally as possible, which is particularly difficult when there are waves and strong wind. There are many other types of cast: the roll-cast, the single cast, the” false” cast, the curve-cast and so on and so forth. In time, any fisherman is bound to learn them. All that’s needed is practice. Surf the web for more detailed information on this particular style of fishing.