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The art of fly fishing is an ancient art still enthusiastically practiced today. First recorded in the middle ages an interesting book appeared in fifteenth century England. Written by nun called Juliana Berners was an informative publication which included a selection of fly patterns that must have been popular at the time.

Interestingly the first pictures of people enjoying fishing appear around the time of 2,000BC. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly show people fishing with rods and hooks. However it is not known if they indulged in fly fishing. We know that the ancient Romans enjoyed the sport with a variety of documentary evidence showing the use of artificial flies. Whereas the Egyptians most probably fished for food it is highly likely that the Romans practiced it for both gain and pleasure.

Various pieces of equipment are used in fly fishing. The most important items are the artificial fly, rod, reel and line. The fly is fixed to one end of the line with the rest wound onto the reel which is attached to the rod. There is a large element of skill in fly fishing as various fly patterns and fly casts are used to entice the fish to bite. Even landing the fish involves great skill and many fish manage to escape the inexperienced angler.

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.

During the 19th century there were many developments in fly fishing equipment. Small cottage industries developed to meet the demands of the angler. With such things as rods and reels being handmade and requiring great knowledge and skill they were often expensive. Today some of these items are highly sought after and often reach ridiculous prices at auction.

One of the greatest skills of the day was the creation of elaborately designed fly fishing flies. Using such materials as horse hair, feathers and fur, a fly would be crafted to a specific pattern. Some patterns can prove deadly and some of the patterns that proved highly successful at catching fish in the 19th century remain popular to this day.

There are two distinctive types of fly fishing flies, wet flies and dry flies. Wet flies are those types that are allowed to sink into the water. As such flies can often appear, in the eyes of the fish, as small underwater creatures or small fish, they can, if used correctly, be an incredibly effective fly. On the other hand dry flies are those types that are not allowed to sink and remain floating on the surface. Appearing to fish as an insect that has just landed or fallen onto the water, or even looking like an insect emerging from the water, such flies are excellent when used by the hands of a skillful angler who understands how to cast properly.

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.