If you're just starting out in the angling world, we understand that all the various fishing disciplines and technical terminology can be difficult to hook into. Any beginner will be confronted by what seems like a relentless torrent of different reels, fishing rods and terminal tackle to choose from, making your venture into fishing feel like you're swimming upstream before you've even started.
However, one of the most commonly asked fishing questions will actually give you the key to understanding the most popular and the most niche areas of your new passion - and Tidal Drift Fishing will shed light on everything you need to know...
So, what's the difference between regular fishing and fly fishing?
In our latest blog, we'll lay out exactly what distinguishes these two different types of fishing, giving you concise, easy to understand definitions and explanations that you can take with you over the course of your fishing career. We'll also provide you with a little information on the type of equipment you'll need to master these techniques as well!
What Is Regular Fishing?
When we bring up the term 'regular' fishing in Britain and Ireland, we're specifically talking about coarse fishing. This is a highly popular type of angling that revolves around catching rough fish - a collective name that describes fish species that are unappealing to eat or simply not desirable for game fishing.
This type of fishing is enjoyed by the majority of recreational fishing enthusiasts who appreciate angling as a fun, relaxing hobby, and are satisfied casting out to catch any fish species that they can. Coarse fishing is also a great fishing discipline for competitive anglers who try to reel in as much as possible over a specific time period or those who enjoy hunting down a specific species. Coarse fish are usually reeled in using bait and the type of equipment used in coarse fishing includes a spinning and bait fishing line, worms, maggots, sweetcorn or similar bait, a spinning reel and monofilament or braid lines.
When coarse fishing, the species typically caught are: pike, common carp, bream, minnow, Wels catfish, tench, barbel, stickleback gudgeon, dace, rudd, bullhead, gwyniad, roach, ruffe and chub, to name a few.
What Is Fly Fishing?
Fly fishing is an angling technique that makes use of a lure - also known as an artificial fly - to attract and catch game fish in freshwater locations. Typically, fly fishing uses a fly rod, a fly reel, a weighted fly line, and crucially a lure, which is designed to imitate prey that fish find desirable to eat. In Britain, fly fishing is most commonly used to catch trout, salmon and grayling, while the techniques for fly fishing vary depending upon your fishing location, such as a lake, small stream, river or pond.
What's The Difference Between Coarse Fishing & Fly Fishing?
Coarse fishing is without a doubt the most popular type of fishing in the United Kingdom and across Europe, owing to the huge number of fish species the technique allows you to catch. Fly fishing on the other hand is a more niche and mobile discipline that is typically cheaper to get into as it doesn't require as much gear as coarse fishing when you're starting out. Fly fishing is also considered to be a real angling skill that any novice should strive to master.
Both fly fishing and coarse fishing usually take place in freshwater locations. Coarse fishing is focused on catching as many fish as possible whereas fly fishing is a more precise art-form that centres on luring the fish combined with deft casting and the fisherman's skilful employment of angling techniques.