Although fly fishing is a popular practice today, this has not always been the case. Thus, it is an activity whose traces can be found quite far back in history. Many names have contributed to the establishment of the codes of this most popular style of fishing.
The origins of fishing itself
Long before the birth of its branches like the fly fishing itself was perfected between 40 000 and 16 000 years ago. On the other hand, traces of this practice can be found as early as 500,000 years before our era.
This practice will then spread to Greece, where it is a little more perfected. For example, the equipment was refined during this period. The first written reports of this activity will also emerge, especially those dating from the 2nd century AD.
Traces of fly fishing in antiquity
The use of a rod with a line at the end is only one of the fishing styles that existed at that time. Around 3500 BC, there is evidence of the use of various materials, including the fishing net. Egyptian engravings imply that the use of a fishing style close to the fly fishing can be found on site.
Fishing is likely to have been a common practice in the ancient world, with fish being an excellent source of food. However, the trend was towards methods of catching large quantities of fish.
Dame Julyana Berners’ treatise on fishing
Dame Julyana Berners is credited with the publication of “the book of Saint Alban” and “A treatyse of fisshinge wyth an angle” around 1496. The former is a book about hunting in general, including the use of falcons. The second is about fishing, and is therefore much better studied in depth.
Before this author, there were no writings that could best detail the practice of fishing. Here, a great deal of detail is available on the various principles. It also contains the basics that would later give rise to fly fishing.
Developments over time
Fishing has become much more technical over time, and fly fishing has benefited greatly from developments in technology. These include the invention of the fly reel, but also a better understanding of the properties of materials.
Thanks to this, it has become possible to develop rods that are much more efficient. Nowadays, the rules and principles of fly fishing are well established, so as to favour the best performances. A lot of ground has been covered since the cavemen first caught fish.
