Reprinted Articles

Fly fishing has been a popular pastime for hundreds of years. The first publication about the sport appeared in the 15th century in England. It included some of the day’s fly patterns and was written by a nun (Juliana Berners).

It is reasonable to assume that fish have been a useful source of food for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, from around 2,000BC, show men fishing from boats. Unfortunately we can not determine if this was for food or just sport. However we do know that the Ancient Romans used fly fishing techniques as it is documented that they used artificial flies.

In fly fishing the artificial fly is attached to a fine line and carefully cast into the water. Fish are drawn to the fly and take it into their mouths whereby the hook penetrates the flesh enabling the fish to be worked ashore. Great skill is involved in using the fly fishing rod, line, fly and cast style to fool the fish into thinking it is suitable food or just making it look so interesting that they have to investigate further.

Queen Victoria did much to promote the early development of fly fishing in the United Kingdom. Her many visits to Scotland helped create tourism to the area and the English upper classes flocked to the region to indulge in fly fishing, stag hunting and other Scottish pastimes.

The 19th century saw something of a boom in fly fishing. Cottage industries worked to supply all of the anglers requirements including hand made rods and reels. Such items were very expensive as it required a certain level of skill and a deep understanding of fly fishing to be able to produce a finely balance rod and reel. So fine was the craftmanship of the period that when such items come up at auction they are enthusiastically fought over by keen anglers of today.

Another item used during the 19th century which is still used today is the fly fishing fly, or, more specifically, the fly pattern. Flies are made from many different materials, during that time they were natural materials such as fur, feathers and horse hair, but today we also use artificial materials. However some of the very earliest fly patterns prove so effective in catching fish that those patterns still remain popular today.

As well as the massive choice of fly patterns used in fly fishing flies there are also different types. The main two types of fly are wet flies and dry flies. Dry flies are used on the surface of the water so that they resemble such things as landing insects or an insect in the process of submerging or emerging from the water. Alternatively a wet fly can be used which is allowed to sink down in to the water to resemble water creatures and small fish in an attempt to attract the fishes attention.

Today the fly fishing industry is huge as the sport is incredibly popular and enjoyed around the world especially in Europe and America. A massive tourist industry has developed with a number of highly popular destinations providing excellent places to enjoy the sport. One of the most popular destinations are the famous salmon rivers of Scotland which have some of the finest salmon runs in the world. With some of the best runs being rather expensive it is pleasing to know that there are cheaper areas resulting in fly fishing vacations for every pocket.

Last 5 posts by Angus MacLeod

• Tweed and the Isle of Harris - July 17th, 2008
• The Isle of Harris and Tweed - July 16th, 2008
• Harris Tweed and the Isle of Harris - July 16th, 2008
• Taking A Hebrides Cycling Tour - July 16th, 2008
• Scotland's Castles, Balmoral - July 15th, 2008

Tags: Fishing