Fly fishing is a style of fishing, that uses the weight of the line to present the fly. This differs greatly from conventional fishing where you use the weight of the bait or lure to make your cast. Pure forms of fly fishing are done using a fly rod rather than a conventional rod. 

Fishing with flies is an effective method for catching fish in any situation. When fly fishing the angler tries to imitate the natural food source of the fish rather than using non-native live bait such as a worm. Some fly imitations are made to trigger a response and do not represent any particular fly. Flies are fished sub surface to represent an immature specimen such as a pupae or larvae; this is wet fly fishing or "nymphing". They are also fished on the surface to mimic the adult stage; this is dry fly fishing.

There are various ways to present a fly. The most common is with a floating line on the surface of water. Many different methods are becoming increasingly popular; such as sink tip and full sinking lines that allow the angler to present the fly to the fish no matter where it lies in the water column.