So today what is the fly-tying component of fly-fishing? Basically it is the use of both natural and artificial materials to imitate anything from a gnat or midge up to a small baitfish. Both fresh and salt-water species can be caught. Today even fish as large as Marlin can be caught on a fish imitation using a heavyweight fly rod and line.
However, mostly fly-fishing is for fresh water fish ranging from Trout and Bass to large Salmon. Salt-water species are also caught using artificial flies include Bream, Whiting and Flathead along with a number of other species.
Once there were basically just two types of flies used to catch fish. There were those that floated and those that sank.
Today there are a variety of classifications divided into 4 main groups that describe in general terms what each fly is designed to imitate and how it is to be fished.
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