So you want to start fly fishing!

I spent my younger years course fishing and the occasional sea fishing trip when the weather was amicable. Back then, for me, fly fishing represented a more articulate 'version' of the hobby (or sport if you're of the competitive nature). That's not to say course fishing, sea fishing and the myriad of variations between are not advanced or articulated, but fly fishing held a certain Je ne sais quoi - some culmination of waving 30 yards of line around, the delicate presentation and the astounding fly patterns to ponder at the waterside - that made it something special.

And so for the benefit of a friend who responded with a quirky smile when I explained I frequently go of fly fishing on the coast, I felt compelled to write a quite simple introduction the art of fly fishing.

For the web-savvy, here's a shortcut to the rather clinically, but usefully written wikipedia fly fishing entry.