Fly Fishing Flies 101: Types Of Flies

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There are 2 main types of fly fishing flies:

Imitators – flies that imitate a living creature found in nature (like an ant)
Attractors – flies that don’t imitate anything in particular, but merely attract a particular type of response from fish

More about imitators and attractors.

Here’s a better explanation of imitators and attractors, as described by an avid fly fisherman…

To further break down fly fishing flies, these are the most common:

A dry fly imitates insects that commonly fall or land on the surface of the water.
A wet fly imitates insects that are typically found underneath the surface of the water.
A nymph is a wet fly that imitates the early life stages of insects underneath the surface of the water.
A streamer imitates a bait fish underneath the surface of the water.
A terrestrial is a land-based insect that enters the water on accident.