Fly Fishing For Trout - The Purists Method

Trout Fishing Flies
If you ever get a chance to go to a fly fishing specialty shop, I highly recommend going; even if you never intend on fly fishing in your life. These shops have in-store fly tying and it is truly an art form. The level of detail and the amount of knowledge needed to tie an effective fly is staggering. Sadly, as we become less engrossed with outdoor activities, fly tying is beginning to become a lost art. There are, thankfully, many books available on how to tie fly's so it won't be delved into in this website specifically.

The Purpose of the Fly in Fly Fishing
The goal of any fly fisherman is to pick artificial flies that are as perfect of imitations of the real thing as possible. This includes how they look, where they are in the water, what stage of development the insect should be in at that time and what the fish enjoy eating. The good fly fisherman:

1. Has done research into what insects are in an area, when they hatch.
2. Has also observed what type of real insects are active and where they are active to try to match their chosen artificial fly to those that are being offered.

The Life Cycle of Insects
To begin working with flies and choosing the right ones, a brief review of the biology of bugs is in order. All bugs are born from eggs and from there they go into one of three cycles to get to maturity.

1-Step Cycle
Insects that mature in this fashion simply hatch as small versions of the adults and begin growing and shedding their skin until they reach adulthood.

3-Step Cycle
Bugs that go through 3 steps go through Egg, Nymph, Adult stages of life. This process is known as simple or incomplete metamorphosis. This type of metamorphosis is almost exclusive to water-born insects, with the nymph stage being a larval stage that is wingless and water bound. The insects look just like adults but without wings.

4-Step Cycle
Insects that go through 4 steps to reach adulthood go through complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa and adult phases. The butterfly is a classic example of this metamorphosis.

Fly Basics
Each type of fly is designed to mimic one of the stages of an insect.

Dry Flies
Dry flies are designed to float on the surface of the water just like an adult insect would. In the early morning or late afternoon, trout will surface to eat the bugs on the surface. If you see bugs on the surface, you will want to try to match your fly as best possible to what is already there. Try to match the color, size and shape as best as possible.

Wet Flies
Wet flies differ from nymphs as they are imitations of full grown adult bugs. That said, they are fished the same way. If you see fish splashing the surface, but no bugs on the surface, chances are there are sub-surface insects, so using a wet fly and a really slow sink rate on your line would be a good combo to get the fly in the right place.

Nymphs
This pre adult insect typically swims around near the surface of the water. In general, trout love nymphs and fishing with nymph flies can be the easiest type of fly fishing you can do.

Find more fly fishing information at http://www.catchmoretrouttoday.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Keegan 

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Saltwater Deep Jigging - Hot New Fishing Method Proven to Entice Trophy Size Fish

Deep jigging is a fishing method that has been practiced around the world, but is just now gaining acceptance from saltwater North American anglers. With the introduction of Shimano's Butterfly® Jigging System, this productive technique of enticing deep water fish continues to lure anglers with the dream of landing the next record-breaking trophy.

It could be the constant jerking, lift-&-wind action required when deep jigging, or the heart-stopping sensation one gets when a fish grabs the lure and begins to tug and pull that leads me to believe this method of fishing will continue to gain in popularity.

Having grown up fishing the fertile grounds of Southern California and Mexico for the past 20 years, I am no stranger to this type of fishing. I just happen to have known this method as yoyo jigging. Anglers from the west coast have been catching fish for decades with what we have been calling yoyo irons, heavy fish-body shaped jigs with slightly curved edges that would flutter from side to side on the drop and depending on the speed of retrieve, come up almost in a spinning motion.

Names like Salas, Tady, Ironman and UFO were popular in this type of lure. Colors in combinations of blue & white, green & yellow, brown & yellow or sardine patterns are commonly found in saltwater tackle boxes throughout Southern California.

Shimano, one of the leading brand name tackle manufacturers, has recently launched its line of Butterfly® jigging rods, reels & jigs with the hopes of introducing anglers to this productive fish-catching technique. Utilizing clever marketing approaches, the company has attempted to take a widely practiced jigging method and attach their brand, Butterfly®, to metal lures, fishing rods, reels and other fishing products as if they recently invented this form of fishing. Do not be deceived, as products from other manufacturers will serve the same purpose in this type of fishing application, usually at a substantial discount.

Recently, I've been trying to experiment with different outfits and jigs to find the perfect combo as my jigging setup. I've been using knife jigs and Butterfly jigs in various gram weights and colors for several different depths and target fish species. What I've found is that regardless of the many actions, speeds and drags of the countless fishing rods and reels that I have fished with, spinning reel combos are by far the best to jig with. The advantage of having the reel hang below the rod makes lifting and jerking the rod easier, as well as helps in maintaining control of the handle during this erratic motion. Also, being able to have the handle on either side of the reel, depending on the angler's preference, outweighs many of the advantages of conventional casting rod & reel combos.

When the fish are slow to bite, fishing can get a bit exhausting. This is another reason why spinning rods and reels should be used when deep jigging. The constant movement and action required to dart your jig in the proper motion is much easier to maintain for longer periods of time with a spinning combo. Also, the smooth functionality, casting friendliness and tremendous fish stopping power of today's saltwater spinning reels are so advanced, that anything else would be overkill. So next time you go on a saltwater fishing charter, tell the captain you would like to try deep jigging with a spinning combo and see for yourself what the commotion is all about.

Find new and used saltwater spinning rods and spinning reels at discounted pricing and begin enjoying the thrills of deep water jigging.

My name is Henry and I have been fishing for over 20 years of my life and hope to continue to do so for the next 30. I have dedicated myself to sharing what I have learned through those years in the hopes of promoting this popular outdoor recreational activity by providing commentary and reviews, video tutorials, fishing forums and more. Come visit my fishing site http://spinningreels.com for more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Yoo 

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