Staring at a fly box full of tiny feathered hooks is confusing. The main types of fishing flies are dry flies, wet flies, nymphs and streamers, and each one imitates a different food source for fish.
This guide sits inside our wider coverage of fly fishing, and it focuses only on what each fly type is for.
| Fly type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dry fly | Floats on the surface to imitate adult insects |
| Wet fly | Fished beneath the surface; imitates a drowned insect or an emerging nymph |
| Nymph | Imitates immature insects that tumble along or lie on the bottom |
| Streamer | Imitates swimming prey such as baitfish, crustaceans and leeches |
| Nymphs in a trout’s diet (still water) | About 90 percent |
The descriptions come from a Flylords beginner’s guide and a Carolina Sportsman column. Writers group and name flies a little differently, and figures can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
How the four basic fly types differ
One outdoors column says fly fishers use four types of flies, each designed to imitate a particular phase of an insect’s life or a particular kind of aquatic life. The basic types are dry, wet, nymph and streamer.
A simple way to remember them is by where they fish in the water, from the top down:
- Dry flies sit on the surface.
- Wet flies and emergers fish in or just under the surface film.
- Nymphs fish low, near the bottom.
- Streamers swim through the water column, often in the middle or deep.
A separate beginner’s guide uses five broader categories: nymphs, wet flies and emergers, dry flies, terrestrials, and streamers. The extra group is covered further down.
Dry flies: imitating adult insects on the surface
A dry fly imitates the adult stage of an insect. One guide says dry flies are tied to imitate insects that are most commonly mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, midges and dragonflies.
They are designed to land gently on the water and float there to attract fish that are keyed in up top. A Carolina Sportsman column lists the basic parts of a dry fly as hackle, wing, body and tail, and names the Adams and the Royal Wulff among common patterns.
Dry flies also make good anchors for dry-dropper rigs. Many anglers tie a thin length of tippet with a nymph or another tiny fly off a larger dry fly to increase their chances of a strike.
Terrestrials: a dry-fly cousin
Some anglers lump dry flies and terrestrials together, but most treat them as different patterns. Terrestrials imitate land-based bugs that have fallen into the water, such as ants, spiders, beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas and crickets.
Nymphs: where most of the feeding happens
Many aquatic insects start as eggs that hatch into immature, wingless larvae and nymphs. A nymph fly is designed to imitate these small immature bugs.
According to a Carolina Sportsman column, nymphs tumble along the bottom or lie on the bottom, and in still water they make up about 90 percent of a trout’s diet. The same column says nymphs are available food year-round, and a fly that copies one has to be a close duplicate, because a real nymph has very little swimming power.
Nymphs are designed to sink and bounce along downstream, either under an indicator or tight-lined with a euro-nymphing set-up. They can be effective in deeper water or when trout aren’t coming to the surface to feed.
Because nymph rigs run a fly on a long, light connection, your leader and tippet choices matter. Our guide to fly fishing leader and tippet covers that side of the setup.
Wet flies and emergers: fishing in the film
Wet flies are wet because they’re fished under the surface of the water. Unlike nymphs, which look like immature aquatic insects, wet flies are typically designed to look like more mature bugs.
A Carolina Sportsman column says a wet fly imitates a drowned surface insect, an emerging nymph or an adult female that goes beneath the surface to lay her eggs. It is usually tied with soft hen hackle instead of stiff rooster hackle to make it more absorbent.
Most wet flies are tied with the feathers and hairs lying down along the hook shank, so the fly slides easily through the water. They can be given occasional tugs to simulate a swimming insect, and they are often used as droppers off dry flies.
Naming varies between writers. One guide titles this group “Wet Flies (Emergers)” and says these flies look like a nymph fly with a hackle wound around them, which moves gently with the current like a nymph’s legs.
Streamers: imitating prey that swims
Streamers are designed to imitate prey that swims below the surface, and they are great for attracting larger predatory fish. Most look like baitfish, but they can also imitate crustaceans like shrimp and crawfish, squid, eels and leeches.
Designs behave differently in the water:
- Some, like the Epoxy Minnow and Sparkle Minnows, are sleek and streamlined to dart quickly through the water.
- Others are articulated to “hang” for a natural, swimmy movement.
- Clouser Minnows and Zonkers are weighted or beaded to get down deep and attract fish through a sporadic jigging motion.
Another guide says streamers can be used for brown trout, rainbow trout or bass in rivers and lakes. Crayfish-style streamers tempt both bass and carp, and it recommends walking them along the lake bottom with slow, crab-like twitches.
That guide also repeats a rule of thumb from fishing guides: lighter-colored streamers work better on sunny days and darker streamers on cloudy days.
Choosing a fly type on the water
Your choice usually starts with what the fish are doing. One guide notes that trout do most of their feeding along the bottom of rivers, but a good hatch will move them to the surface.
- If fish are rising to insects, try a dry fly, or a terrestrial near a bank.
- If nothing is rising, fish a nymph, which works in deeper water or when trout aren’t coming to the surface.
- If you want larger predators, add a streamer.
- If you can’t decide, try a dry-dropper rig with a nymph hanging below.
Whatever you pick, the fly is only as reliable as its connection to your line. Learning a few fly fishing knots is the practical next step once you’ve chosen your patterns.
Frequently asked questions
How many types of fishing flies are there?
Show answer
Most sources list four basic types: dry, wet, nymph and streamer. Some guides split these into five broader categories by adding emergers and terrestrials.
What is the difference between a wet fly and a nymph?
Show answer
Both fish under the surface. Nymphs imitate immature aquatic insects, while wet flies are typically designed to look like more mature bugs, such as drowned adults or emerging insects.
Are terrestrials dry flies?
Show answer
They float like dry flies, and some anglers group them together. Most anglers consider them different, because terrestrials imitate land-based bugs that have fallen into the water, not hatching aquatic insects.
What do streamers imitate?
Show answer
They stand in for swimming prey, mainly baitfish, but also shrimp, crawfish and leeches. That is why they are the usual choice when you are after bigger predatory fish.
