A discipline of its own
Fly fishing is a universe of its own. Instead of casting a weighted lure with thin line, you cast the line itself — the fly weighs almost nothing. It's art, precision, reading water. In Quebec, it's the technique for brook trout, brown trout and Atlantic salmon.
Essential gear
Rod
- Weight #5–6: river trout
- Weight #7–8: lake trout, bass, big salmon
- Weight #9–10: Atlantic salmon on big rivers
- Action: medium-fast for beginners, fast for experts
Line (fly line)
- Weight 5 line on a #5 rod, etc.
- WF (Weight Forward) — ideal for beginners
- Floating (F) for dry flies and shallow streamers
- Sinking (S) or intermediate for lake and deep streamers
Tippet and leader
- Tapered leader: 9 ft for river, 7.5 ft for lake
- Tippet: 4X–6X by fly size and stealth
The 4 fly categories
Dry flies
Float on surface. Imitate mayflies, caddis, ants. Match the hatch — watch what flies, imitate it.
Nymphs
Imitate larvae underwater. 80 % of trout food is sub-surface — most fish here.
Streamers
Imitate baitfish. The technique for big trout and pike. See our Streamer page.
Emergers
Between nymph and dry — the bug emerging. Killer during a hatch.
Basic cast
- Pickup-laydown: line tight, lift rod straight up
- Backcast: let line unfurl behind (1-second pause)
- Forward cast: push rod forward with acceleration
- Hard stop at 10 o'clock for the line to unroll
- The fly lands last — almost silent
Quebec regulations
- Specific permit for Atlantic salmon (on top of general license)
- Some salmon rivers: fly only, barbless hook, mandatory release
- Always check the zone's regulations before going