Dry Flies

• Dry flies float. That is their distinguishing characteristic. Dry fly fishing is the most commonly practiced form of fly fishing, the dry fly itself representing or imitating a surface insect upon which the fish feed. Typically used in a river or stream, the angler casts the line to position the fly in a likely fish-holding spot and lets the surface action of the water carry the fly downstream. The fly stays atop the water much as natural insect would. If presented well, the fish will rise to take the dry fly from the surface.
  
  

Wet Flies

• Wet flies sink. In doing so they represent either an insect that has died, an insect that spends a part of its life submerged, or one that is emergent, or hatching on the bottom and rising to the surface. Wet flies are often cast into an area where insects are emerging in hopes of catching a fish feeding on such insects. They, too, can be made to imitate larger indigenous prey such as leeches or shellfish.
  
  

Streamers and Bucktails

• A streamer is a specialized subcategory of wet fly designed to imitate a minnow or an injured baitfish. Both minnows and injured baitfish are a major food source for game fish year round, not just during "the hatch." Streamers are made larger than the other types of wet or dry flies and their action in the water is initiated by the angler, not by the action of the water. Bucktails, too, imitate baitfish. The difference between streamers and bucktails has traditionally been that the "wings" of the pattern were feathers for streamers and deer hair for bucktails.
  
  

Nymphs

• Nymph fishing is perhaps the most challenging and potentially the most rewarding to the skilled fisherman. Nymphs are tied to imitate aquatic insects that have yet to emerge as adults. They are still in their underwater lifecycle, having yet to attain the adult stage. Any insect observed on the surface of the water is an adult. Nymphs form an important part of the game fish diet, particularly trout. In their attempts to present the flies as naturally as possible, anglers need to observe carefully how the fish are striking the nymphs. Sometimes this means fishing them like a dry fly, other times like a wet fly, and sometimes weighted to reach the bottom of deep holes.
  
  

Terrestrials

• Whereas most flies are made to imitate insects found naturally in rivers and streams, a terrestrial fly is made to resemble a normally land-based insect that has fallen into the water. Common terrestrials that are imitated for fly fishing are crickets, beetles, cicadas, ants and grasshoppers. Typically the angler will apply some action to the fly to simulate a struggling insect, other times motionless flies attract more attention.