When most people think of trout, they either think of a delicious fish dinner, or fishing. When they think of fishing, they are bound to think of fly-fishing. Fly-fishing for trout is one of the oldest and most widely practiced forms of fishing on earth. But to the novice angler, or anybody new to the sport, getting started fly-fishing can be a daunting process. Even once your rod, reel, line, and everything else is selected and put together, your casts practiced, and your location selected, the hardest part still remains: selecting the fly. There are so many trout fishing flies out there with so many patterns and variations on patters, it can be maddening selecting the right trout fly. Luckily, all flies can be broken down into three basic, easy to understand categories:

• Dry Flies
• Wet Flies / Streamers
• Nymphs

Once you understand these three basic trout fly types, you can judge which fly to use in your unique trout fishing situation. But before we get into more detail about the flies, lets discuss what gets the fly to the fish, your trout fishing tackle.

Fly-Fishing Tackle for Trout

Before you can even cast your fly, you must select what you will be casting it with. This means carefully considering your own unique fishing situation. First, think about what species of trout you will be pursuing, and the average size of the fish. If you live in the eastern U.S. for example, you will most likely be trying to catch small brooke trout, in which case no more that a 4 weight rod is needed. However, if you are lucky enough to live out west or anywhere where large brown trout lurk, as much as a 6 or 7 weight rod may be necessary to catch these larger fish. Along with a properly sized rod, matching your fly reel to the rod is extremely important. A miss matched rod and reel will be off balance and difficult to cast with. When selecting your line, most beginning fly-fisherman enjoy a weight forward floating fly-line. As always, match the line to your rod and reel. Once your rod and reel are selected, consider picking up the following items to improve your time on the water:

• Hemostats for when trout swallow the fly. It's always a shame accidentally killing a fish that's swallowed the hook, to say nothing of losing your fly.
• Consider buying a Fishing Vest, especially if you plan on doing any wading. You will be amazed how convenient they are, and just how much fishing gear they can hold. Fishing vests are also perfect for holding one or more fly boxes.
  
• Polarized Sunglasses are an amazing investment for any fisherman. These special sunglasses cut the glare on water, allowing you to see fish with much greater clarity.
• Leader Sink, a special material used to sink the end of the leader closest to the fly, is great for when trout are extra wary and perfect presentations are a must.

Trout Fishing Flies

The fishing fly is one of the oldest lures used to catch trout, but still remains the most effective. Flies attempt in a large part to exactly mimic the natural forage of trout. Fisherman even go so far as to tye flies in patterns maid especially for one or two streams. This attention to detail is what melts even the wariest trout's inhibitions and gets them to strike. So how do you select the trout fishing flies that will work on your stream? By going over each type of fly and matching them to the insects and other forage that appear in your local fisheries, you can zero in on the correct fly patterns.

• Dry Flies are defined by their ability to float on the top of the water and mimic breeding or drowning insects. Some insects dry flies attempt to copy are adult mayflies, stone flies, and caddis flies, grasshoppers, crickets, and in some forested areas ants. When using a dry fly make sure the first foot and a half of leader closest to the fly is sinking, trout become wary of insects with string coming out of their heads.
• Wet Flies / Streamers, or subsurface flies, largely mimic drowned versions of the insects mentioned above, and in the case of streamers, small fish. These flies are fished just below the surface, some times dead-drifted or retrieved with quick popping motions supplied by the fisherman pulling on the line.
• Nymphs are flies that mimic the immature or larval forms of aquatic insects and small crustaceans. Creatures such as stone, may, and caddis fly larva, crayfish, scuds, dragonfly nymphs, and even earthworms are often represented by these flies. Nymphs are most often dead-drifted by deep stream banks and under trees, mimicking small aquatic prey struggling in the current.