A historical overview of fly fishing

Image source: troutster.com

According to writer William Radcliff’s "Fishing from the Earliest Times" (1921), fly fishing has been around since the first century. Marcus Valerius Martialis is credited by Radcliff as the inventor of the fishing technique. However, the earliest recorded manuscripts of fly fishing belonged to that of Claudius Aelianus in the 2nd century when he wrote about seeing Macedonian anglers fly fishing on the Astraeus River. According to Aelianus, the fishermen used red wool and feathers on their snares.


But it wasn’t until the 18th and 19th century that fly fishing had become what we know it to be today. In fact, toward the end of the 19th century, artificial bait had become the standard in catching bass, trout, and salmon.


In Asia, a form of fly fishing came out of Japan in 1878. Called the tenkara, the technique used a rod, line, and fly, but did not have a reel.

Image source: manmakesfire.com

Fly fishing widely became the method of choice early in the 20th century, with thousands of fishermen swearing by its effectivity in the 1920s.


At around the same time, fly fishing’s popularity on the global stage began to swell. From being perceived as an elitist hobby in Great Britain, it was adopted by the masses. A huge part of its increasing popularity can be attributed to the number of print publications featuring fly fishing.


The name’s David Baer. I’m currently studying at the University of Minnesota majoring in Biology. To stay fit and healthy, I regularly play tennis or go fishing. For more updates like this, visit this page.