As fish likely served as the primary source of protein for our ancestors, the act of fishing, in one form or another at least, likely goes back over 40,000 years. Fly fishing itself is an ancient craft, with the first evidence of artificial flies being used to catch a fish appearing near the end of the second century. Ancient Greek Roman author Claudius Aelinaus described Macedonian anglers on the Astraeus River as attaching "red wool round a hook, and fit on to the wool two feathers." It was an exciting discovery and today still remains the earliest account of fly fishing cited.

Of course, things have moved on a little since then. In the early years it was all about mimicking the fly. The techniques involved in casting, and the equipment and technology advancements didn’t come to much later. Fly fishing as we know it today is more likely to have been developed in the 16th or 17th century. This is when the art of casting is believed to have developed as well as the ability to carry the excess line on a stick.

The industry revolution was a pivotal point in the history of fly fishing. Machine engineered equipment not only allowed fly fishing gear to be developed on mass, it also added to consistency of quality. This meant initially fly fishing was often reserved for the wealthy, but thankfully that has changed over the last century. Technical advancements has allowed fishing brands to develop cutting edge, lightweight, fast action gear that not only makes it easier and more efficient but more fun too.