Fly fishing

Fly fishing is distinguished from other types of fishing most clearly by the type of line used. Rather than standard, thin, and essentially weightless monofilament line used in bait casting rods and reels, fly fishing uses a thin leader so as not to alarm the fish, but then a several millimeter thick, relatively weighty line (there are three main line weights, air bubble filled to float, plain to suspend at any depth or lead core to sink).

The reason for this is that the lures used in fly fishing, flies (light weight lures hand tied to resemble natural foods of fish, usually made of small bits of feather and fur), have negligible weight, and as a result they do not have enough momentum to pull line out if a traditional cast is used. The fly fisherman uses the weight of the line to cast the bait, rather than the other way around.

A fly fisherman slowly releases line with his free hand while keeping the rest of the line aloft in great loops, before laying it down on the water in a smooth line with a flick of his wrist

Fly fishing can be an entertaining and rewarding (if frustrating at times) activity for anglers of almost all ages (save for the very young), and there is a saying that any amount of time spent fly fishing is not deducted from the angler's total lifespan.