Welcome to the Forged Fly Fishing Learning Section! Here you can learn the basics of all the equipment you’ll need to start fly fishing and learn more to take that knowledge further. Rest easy, it’s easier than it seems! Patience is a big virtue here. Trust us though, you don’t need ALL the latest or most expensive gear to love this sport. Get quality, but affordable (like Forged!) and enjoy the learning phase… both beginners and experts catch fish!
Fly fishing is a specialized method of fishing that involves using a lightweight artificial fly to catch fish. Unlike traditional fishing, where the weight of the lure or bait propels the line, fly fishing relies on the weight of the line itself to carry the fly to the target. The flies, which are designed to mimic insects, small fish, or other natural food sources, are made from materials like feathers, fur, and synthetic fibers.
The rod, reel, and line should have the same weight rating (e.g., 5-weight rod, 5-weight line, 5-weight reel).
Light rods for small fish, medium rods for average-sized fish, and heavy rods for larger species.
A 5/6-weight rod is ideal for most freshwater species in British Columbia, offering versatility for trout, bass, and similar fish.
Match your reel weight to your rod weight.
Start with mid-range, large arbor, good drag.
(coughs into arm) Forged...
Every reel you should ever own for the remainder of your life should be Forged!!! (ahem) sorry, just match the reel weight to your rod weight! The Fly reel you choose for your rod has two main purposes. The main purposes are to hold your backing and fly line without being too snug or full and provide a good drag should you get into bigger fish and need to apply the brakes on them! Most reels these days are ‘large arbor’ which just means having a larger diameter. This allows you to reel in line faster than older models. When you spool backing and line onto your reel, take care to not fill it too full or it will rub on your reels housing. *Forged Note: This has been negated with our reels, as we’ve added a ‘valley’ on the spool to allow for more backing to be added, thus making the reel have more line capacity. Your reels ‘drag’ are its braking system to disallow a fish to tear line out too quickly once you hook them. These come in different materials, each with their own advantages. Cork, Teflon, Delrin and Carbon Fiber are some of the options out there. Forged Note: For the reels we make at Forged we use carbon fiber, which has a long-life expectancy, excellent heat dissipation and great stopping power. While it’s true that that a reels drag isn’t as important on lower weight reels (1-4), it does come into play the higher weight you go, especially in the 7+ weights. For a beginner, I find it’s better to get a mid-range reel that will last you well into your journey at becoming an expert fly angler. A beginner reel works, but not for terribly long, hence the advice to go a tad higher range than you thought.
Floats, used with floating flies.
Sinks, used with sinking flies.
Floats in back, sinks at tip; for rivers.
The same weight as your rod/reel, and it depends on if you want your fly on top of the water, or below.
Fly line basically comes in three forms: Floating (Dry), Sinking (Wet) and Hybrid (Sink-Tip) and they do what their name implies. They also come in weights 1-10+, and all you must do is match this line weight to your rods’ weight. (ie: 5/6 weight rod, 5/6 weight line)
The Floating line’s job is to sit on top of the water and is used mostly in conjunction with Dry Flies. You’ll find that most models are what’s called “forward tapered”. This means that the front section of the fly line is a little thicker than the back, and this helps you with your casting. The front section of the fly line is the part that you cast with, and this heavier section will cast further than if the entirety of the fly line was the same thickness, or taper. Floating lines are usually lighter colors that make them easier to see on the surface, so you know where it is always.
The Sinking lines job is to sink below the surface, helping get your fly down to the appropriate depth you’d like to it to go. Sinking lines also come in different “Types”, which you can think of as “heaviness.” To allow for different rates of descent, or sink-rate, these lines can be lighter for a slow sink-rate (if you’re fishing a shallow area and don’t want it to sink too quickly) or heavier (for deeper bodies of water where you want to get deeper, faster. Here’s a rundown on the types of Sinking lines.
Intermediate: An Intermediate line sinks at about 1-1.25 inches per second. This fly line is designed for getting and keeping your fly in the 1-4’ depth range.
Full Sink: A Full Sink Fly line’s purpose is to get your fly down to the desired depth and keep it there. Different manufacturers have different ways of making their lines do this, and it’s marked on the line (or it’s box) to let you know exactly HOW effective it is at this, by its sink-rate(heaviness). Different sink rates could be 3, 5 and 7 inches per second, so you can imagine that a heavier line would have a faster sink-rate.
You’ll notice that the colors of sinking lines are usually darker, such as brown or grey.
Hybrid: Like the name implies, this line is a mix of the previous two, with a certain purpose. The majority of the line is Floating, with the front section being Sinking. These are useful in rivers where you want it to get deeper at the end of your fly line, but not further back else it might drag on the shallow riverbed. Due to the nature of the Hybrid line, they do not get as deep as a full sink line, so I would suggest them primarily for smaller/medium sized rivers.
And like the two types of line that make up the Hybrid, the floating portion is usually brightly colored, with the sinking portion turning dark.
Best for larger fish, larger flies
Best for Medium size fish and flies, ideal for beginners.
Best for small fish and flies, takes a delicate cast!
Nymphs encompass the fly from when it hatches and becomes a larva, to a pupa, to an adult. Essentially, the ‘immature’ form of an insect. As you can imagine they are usually quite small and make up a HUGE part of a fish’s diet.
On lakes these are usually fished down deep and referred to as ‘Chironomids’.
On rivers, they are fished similarly, but the water is moving which brings a new level of skill. Going through the same life cycle, they are referred to as nymphs.
When the fly hatches it becomes a Larva and looks like a tiny worm. From there they transition in their lifecycle as a Pupa. As Pupas grow, they rise in the water column to eventually float on the surface as they wait to break free from their “Pupal Exuviae” (awkward teenager skin) and take flight as an Adult (sometimes referred to as ‘Terrestrials’)
This small fly is usually fished very effectively down deep with an indicator on your leader. It also can be slowly retrieved to the surface with great success.
Here we’re talking about when the insect has hatched from their egg and is growing into an adult under the water. These flies can be used on rivers or lakes, but how you fish them depends on just that. On lakes, they are commonly cast out then retrieved back to you slowly. On rivers, they are commonly ‘dead drifted’ (cast out and left to drift down river with no additional movement). Now, I say ‘commonly, but you can switch it up and see what works as well!
Many nymph patterns you’ll notice have a bead head to them. This helps get the fly down to a depth in the river quickly, to keep it in the ‘strike zone’ as long as possible.
Here are some examples of effective BC nymphs for rivers:
As the name implies, these flies represent the buoyant adult phase of the insect it’s trying to mimic. These are the nymphs that made it to the surface, shed their “Pupal Exuviae” and can now fly. It’s very rewarding casting a dry fly to rest onto the water's surface and see a fish rise and take it. Dry flies are made to float by being tied on smaller hooks with lighter, buoyant animal hair and bird feathers.
Here are some examples of effective BC Dry Flies for lakes and rivers:
Streamers are fished below the surface and imitate larger flies and baitfish such as leeches or minnows. These are normally cast out with a sinking line and retrieved back to you. This is mostly done by ‘stripping’ the line back to you in short, slow movements, imitating whatever prey it is supposed to be. Because these flies are a bit heavier than a nymph or dry fly, you may have to have a tad heavier leader and tippet to aid you in casting.
Here are some examples of effective BC Streamer Flies for lakes and rivers:
*Insert 3 pictures
The rod, reel, and line should have the same weight rating (e.g., 5-weight rod, 5-weight line, 5-weight reel).
Light rods for small fish, medium rods for average-sized fish, and heavy rods for larger species.
A 5/6-weight rod is ideal for most freshwater species in British Columbia, offering versatility for trout, bass, and similar fish.
Every reel you should ever own for the remainder of your life should be Forged!!! (ahem) sorry, just match the reel weight to your rod weight! The Fly reel you choose for your rod has two main purposes. The main purposes are to hold your backing and fly line without being too snug or full and provide a good drag should you get into bigger fish and need to apply the brakes on them! Most reels these days are ‘large arbor’ which just means having a larger diameter. This allows you to reel in line faster than older models. When you spool backing and line onto your reel, take care to not fill it too full or it will rub on your reels housing. *Forged Note: This has been negated with our reels, as we’ve added a ‘valley’ on the spool to allow for more backing to be added, thus making the reel have more line capacity. Your reels ‘drag’ are its braking system to disallow a fish to tear line out too quickly once you hook them. These come in different materials, each with their own advantages. Cork, Teflon, Delrin and Carbon Fiber are some of the options out there. Forged Note: For the reels we make at Forged we use carbon fiber, which has a long-life expectancy, excellent heat dissipation and great stopping power. While it’s true that that a reels drag isn’t as important on lower weight reels (1-4), it does come into play the higher weight you go, especially in the 7+ weights. For a beginner, I find it’s better to get a mid-range reel that will last you well into your journey at becoming an expert fly angler. A beginner reel works, but not for terribly long, hence the advice to go a tad higher range than you thought.
Match your reel weight to your rod weight.
Start with mid-range, large arbor, good drag.
(coughs into arm) Forged...
The same weight as your rod/reel, and it depends on if you want your fly on top of the water, or below.
Fly line basically comes in three forms: Floating (Dry), Sinking (Wet) and Hybrid (Sink-Tip) and they do what their name implies. They also come in weights 1-10+, and all you must do is match this line weight to your rods’ weight. (ie: 5/6 weight rod, 5/6 weight line)
The Floating line’s job is to sit on top of the water and is used mostly in conjunction with Dry Flies. You’ll find that most models are what’s called “forward tapered”. This means that the front section of the fly line is a little thicker than the back, and this helps you with your casting. The front section of the fly line is the part that you cast with, and this heavier section will cast further than if the entirety of the fly line was the same thickness, or taper. Floating lines are usually lighter colors that make them easier to see on the surface, so you know where it is always.
The Sinking lines job is to sink below the surface, helping get your fly down to the appropriate depth you’d like to it to go. Sinking lines also come in different “Types”, which you can think of as “heaviness.” To allow for different rates of descent, or sink-rate, these lines can be lighter for a slow sink-rate (if you’re fishing a shallow area and don’t want it to sink too quickly) or heavier (for deeper bodies of water where you want to get deeper, faster. Here’s a rundown on the types of Sinking lines.
Intermediate: An Intermediate line sinks at about 1-1.25 inches per second. This fly line is designed for getting and keeping your fly in the 1-4’ depth range.
Full Sink: A Full Sink Fly line’s purpose is to get your fly down to the desired depth and keep it there. Different manufacturers have different ways of making their lines do this, and it’s marked on the line (or it’s box) to let you know exactly HOW effective it is at this, by its sink-rate(heaviness). Different sink rates could be 3, 5 and 7 inches per second, so you can imagine that a heavier line would have a faster sink-rate.
You’ll notice that the colors of sinking lines are usually darker, such as brown or grey.
Hybrid: Like the name implies, this line is a mix of the previous two, with a certain purpose. The majority of the line is Floating, with the front section being Sinking. These are useful in rivers where you want it to get deeper at the end of your fly line, but not further back else it might drag on the shallow riverbed. Due to the nature of the Hybrid line, they do not get as deep as a full sink line, so I would suggest them primarily for smaller/medium sized rivers.
And like the two types of line that make up the Hybrid, the floating portion is usually brightly colored, with the sinking portion turning dark.
Floats, used with floating flies.
Sinks, used with sinking flies.
Floats in back, sinks at tip; for rivers.
Best for larger fish, larger flies
Best for Medium size fish and flies, ideal for beginners.
Best for small fish and flies, takes a delicate cast!
Nymphs encompass the fly from when it hatches and becomes a larva, to a pupa, to an adult. Essentially, the ‘immature’ form of an insect. As you can imagine they are usually quite small and make up a HUGE part of a fish’s diet.
On lakes these are usually fished down deep and referred to as ‘Chironomids’.
On rivers, they are fished similarly, but the water is moving which brings a new level of skill. Going through the same life cycle, they are referred to as nymphs.
When the fly hatches it becomes a Larva and looks like a tiny worm. From there they transition in their lifecycle as a Pupa. As Pupas grow, they rise in the water column to eventually float on the surface as they wait to break free from their “Pupal Exuviae” (awkward teenager skin) and take flight as an Adult (sometimes referred to as ‘Terrestrials’)
This small fly is usually fished very effectively down deep with an indicator on your leader. It also can be slowly retrieved to the surface with great success.
Here we’re talking about when the insect has hatched from their egg and is growing into an adult under the water. These flies can be used on rivers or lakes, but how you fish them depends on just that. On lakes, they are commonly cast out then retrieved back to you slowly. On rivers, they are commonly ‘dead drifted’ (cast out and left to drift down river with no additional movement). Now, I say ‘commonly, but you can switch it up and see what works as well!
Many nymph patterns you’ll notice have a bead head to them. This helps get the fly down to a depth in the river quickly, to keep it in the ‘strike zone’ as long as possible.
Here are some examples of effective BC nymphs for rivers:
As the name implies, these flies represent the buoyant adult phase of the insect it’s trying to mimic. These are the nymphs that made it to the surface, shed their “Pupal Exuviae” and can now fly. It’s very rewarding casting a dry fly to rest onto the water's surface and see a fish rise and take it. Dry flies are made to float by being tied on smaller hooks with lighter, buoyant animal hair and bird feathers.
Here are some examples of effective BC Dry Flies for lakes and rivers:
Streamers are fished below the surface and imitate larger flies and baitfish such as leeches or minnows. These are normally cast out with a sinking line and retrieved back to you. This is mostly done by ‘stripping’ the line back to you in short, slow movements, imitating whatever prey it is supposed to be. Because these flies are a bit heavier than a nymph or dry fly, you may have to have a tad heavier leader and tippet to aid you in casting.
Here are some examples of effective BC Streamer Flies for lakes and rivers:
*Insert 3 pictures
Larger mayflies, fish eggs, small minnows, leeches,and smaller stoneflies.
Mayflies, caddis flies, smaller stoneflies, small
terrestrials, and micro leeches
Smaller mayflies, caddis flies, and chironomids
You’ll also start seeing hook sizes that say 2X or 3X Long, this is referring to the length of the shaft. See the diagram below to learn the anatomy of a typical Fly Hook
The Eye of the Hook is where the tippet is attached to, and in different styles of hooks this eye could be slanted up, down, vertical with the shank or on different angles, like a jig hook. All have their uses depending on what type of fly is tied on it, or how you are fishing that fly. The diameter of the hook's eye gets smaller as the fly itself does, and this could change what tippet size you use.
The Shank of the hook is where the materials of the fly are tied on to, and this is where we get into different lengths (seen as 1.5X, 3X Long, etc.) depending what type of fly you are tying/using. Dry flies tend to have a shorter, thinner shank while a nymph hook may be curved slightly. A Scud hook can be quite rounded, or a streamer hook could be long and straight.
The Gap on a hook can be quite important, as it is seen to increase the chances of hooking a fish better when they strike. This area of the hook is between the point and the shank and tends to vary slightly between hook manufacturers.
The Barb of the hook is that little sharp piece near the point of the hook whose purpose is to help keep the fish hooked. Barbed hooks are mostly not allowed in British Columbia, and many fly hook manufacturers are offering hooks without barbs on them.
For simplicity’s sake, I’ve compiled a couple knots that are perfect for almost every fly fishing occasion, each with their own specific use. Of course there are more out there to use, but these are my tried-and-true knots that will get the backing and fly line on your reel, the leader and tippet on your line, and the fly tied on. From reel to fly, the knots you’ll need to start out are:
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