 thumbnail|right|300px|fly fishing in a river fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial "fly" is used to catch fish. the fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. casting a nearly weightless fly or "lure" requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting. fly fishermen use hand tied flies that resemble natural invertebrates or other food organisms, or "lures" to provoke the fish to strike. fly fishing can be done in fresh or salt water. north americans usually distinguish freshwater fishing between cold-water species (trout, salmon, steelhead) and warm-water species, notably bass. in britain, where natural water temperatures vary less, the distinction is between game fishing for trout or salmon and coarse fishing for other species. techniques for fly fishing differ with habitat (lakes and ponds, small streams, large rivers, bays and estuaries, and open ocean.) author izaak walton called fly fishing "the contemplative man's recreation".  ==main overview==  in fly fishing, fish are caught by using artificial flies that are cast with a fly rod and a fly line. the fly line (today, almost always coated with plastic) is heavy enough to send the fly to the target. the main difference between fly fishing and spin or bait fishing is that in fly fishing the weight of the line carries the hook through the air, whereas in spin and bait fishing the weight of the lure or sinker at the end of the monofilament or braided line gives casting distance. artificial flies are of several types; some imitating an insect (either flying or swimming), others a bait fish or crustacean, others attractors are known to attract fish although they look like nothing in nature. flies can be made either to float or sink, and range in size from a few millimeters to 30&nbsp;cm long; most are between 1 and 5&nbsp;cm. artificial flies are made by fastening hair, fur, feathers, or other materials, both natural and synthetic, onto a hook. the first flies were tied with natural materials, but synthetic materials are now popular and prevalent. flies are tied in sizes, colors and patterns to match local terrestrial and aquatic insects, baitfish, or other prey attractive to the target fish species. ===fish species=== fly fishing is most renowned as a method for catching trout, grayling and salmon, but it is also used for a wide variety of species including pike, bass, panfish, and carp, as well as marine species, such as redfish, snook, tarpon, [[b
Angling_writers Fly_fishing Fly_fishing_target_species Recreational_fishing