The gentle sport of fly fishing is one in which anybody can participate. The basic idea behind fly fishing is that you imitate the food items upon which the fish are feeding. "Fly" is a general term used to describe the imitation of the food item used to fool the fish. In the case of trout, the imitation will more than likely represent an insect. There is a large range of different insects that trout will feed upon but their diet can also include small fish.

The fly could represent an airborne insect (also known as a "dry fly") or a subsurface food item (also known as a "wet fly"). Common examples of airborne insects which trout feed upon are mayflies, caddisflies and beetles. Common examples of waterborne (or aquatic) insects which trout feed upon are snails, nymphs and small fish.

You may have seen the rhythmic"swoosh" of a fly line moving back and forth and wondered "what is all this commotion about?". Of course there is a very good reason why the line must be cast back and forth. The first reason is that it allows one to dry the fly before presenting it to the fish (in the case of a dry fly). Secondly, it allows one to generate distance so that your imitation is able to reach the fish. Unlike Lure fishing, the flies used in fly fishing have very little weight and thus the weight of the flyline is required to carry the imitation to the fish.