Fly Fishing History - From Ancient Times To Date
Fly fishing has been in existence since ancient times but the first recorded reference of the use of artificial flies appeared at the end of the 2nd century.
A Roman by the name of Claudius Aelianus wrote about Macedonian anglers on the Astraeus River who snared fish with artificial flies.
He described the flies as being made from red wool and cock feathers attached to a hook.
The rods and the string they used were 6 feet in length and they were quite successful in catching fish.
All through the years, people have been enjoying fly fishing as well as writing about it.
Fly fishing in the modern times originated in the streams of Northern England and Scotland.
Not much was written about it until 1496 when the 'The Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle' was published by Dame Juliana Berners.
The book contains instructions to make rods, line and hooks used in fly fishing.
She also described dressings for different flies used at various times of the year.
The patterns for the fishing fly that she described are still in use today and anglers believe them to be effective for successful fly fishing.
The popular patterns include the Wooly Worm, the Black Gnat, the Whirling Dun and the Stonefly.
Dame Juliana also described the rods used at the time.
The rods were about 18 feet in length and were made of very flexible wood.
The lines were shorter than those used today and were made of hand-braided horsehair.
The line was tied to the tip of the rod and a general rule at that time was that it should not be longer than the rod.
Izaac Walton published his book 'Compleat Angler' with the first detailed writings about fly fishing.
In fact, the two chapters were actually written by his friend Charles Cotton.
The rods and flies described in the book were akin to those described by Dame Juliana.
The description of the lines was slightly different in that the lines were about 6 feet longer than the ones used in the 1400's, although they were still made from horsehair.
The book also described the tapered lines and this was considered to be the first written description of tapered lines.
Fishing line manufacturers began mixing silk with horsehair to make the fishing lines in early 1800.
The first silk line was made during the Civil War.
The silk lines had an oily coating that made them water resistant.
After the invention of silk fishing lines, horsehair was never used, although horsehair lines could be found sometimes in England up to the Second World War.
However, after the first nylon line was manufactured in 1948, most manufacturers started using synthetic materials for the fly fishing line.
The technological advancement and precision engineering helped create an automatically tapered line in 1952.
A Roman by the name of Claudius Aelianus wrote about Macedonian anglers on the Astraeus River who snared fish with artificial flies.
He described the flies as being made from red wool and cock feathers attached to a hook.
The rods and the string they used were 6 feet in length and they were quite successful in catching fish.
All through the years, people have been enjoying fly fishing as well as writing about it.
Fly fishing in the modern times originated in the streams of Northern England and Scotland.
Not much was written about it until 1496 when the 'The Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle' was published by Dame Juliana Berners.
The book contains instructions to make rods, line and hooks used in fly fishing.
She also described dressings for different flies used at various times of the year.
The patterns for the fishing fly that she described are still in use today and anglers believe them to be effective for successful fly fishing.
The popular patterns include the Wooly Worm, the Black Gnat, the Whirling Dun and the Stonefly.
Dame Juliana also described the rods used at the time.
The rods were about 18 feet in length and were made of very flexible wood.
The lines were shorter than those used today and were made of hand-braided horsehair.
The line was tied to the tip of the rod and a general rule at that time was that it should not be longer than the rod.
Izaac Walton published his book 'Compleat Angler' with the first detailed writings about fly fishing.
In fact, the two chapters were actually written by his friend Charles Cotton.
The rods and flies described in the book were akin to those described by Dame Juliana.
The description of the lines was slightly different in that the lines were about 6 feet longer than the ones used in the 1400's, although they were still made from horsehair.
The book also described the tapered lines and this was considered to be the first written description of tapered lines.
Fishing line manufacturers began mixing silk with horsehair to make the fishing lines in early 1800.
The first silk line was made during the Civil War.
The silk lines had an oily coating that made them water resistant.
After the invention of silk fishing lines, horsehair was never used, although horsehair lines could be found sometimes in England up to the Second World War.
However, after the first nylon line was manufactured in 1948, most manufacturers started using synthetic materials for the fly fishing line.
The technological advancement and precision engineering helped create an automatically tapered line in 1952.
