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The sport of fly fishing has long been enjoyed by men. From the middle ages fly fishing publications started to appear and a book by Juliana Berners, who was a nun, covered the topic well and included some of the fly patterns which must have been in use at the time (15th century). Interestingly the first pictures of people enjoying fishing appear around the time of 2,000BC. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly show people fishing with rods and hooks. However it is not known if they indulged in fly fishing. We know that the ancient Romans enjoyed the sport with a variety of documentary evidence showing the use of artificial flies. Whereas the Egyptians most probably fished for food it is highly likely that the Romans practiced it for both gain and pleasure. In fly fishing the artificial fly is attached to a fine line and carefully cast into the water. Fish are drawn to the fly and take it into their mouths whereby the hook penetrates the flesh enabling the fish to be worked ashore. Great skill is involved in using the fly fishing rod, line, fly and cast style to fool the fish into thinking it is suitable food or just making it look so interesting that they have to investigate further. Queen Victoria did much to promote the early development of fly fishing in the United Kingdom. Her many visits to Scotland helped create tourism to the area and the English upper classes flocked to the region to indulge in fly fishing, stag hunting and other Scottish pastimes. The first fly fishing equipment was produced by hand by highly skilled and deeply knowledgeable individuals. By the 19th century a small cottage industry had developed to fulfill the needs of anglers. Handmade equipment is always expensive and finely crafted and superbly balanced rods and reels from that period are still in great demand today and prove very popular items in auctions. One of the greatest skills of the day was the creation of elaborately designed fly fishing flies. Using such materials as horse hair, feathers and fur, a fly would be crafted to a specific pattern. Some patterns can prove deadly and some of the patterns that proved highly successful at catching fish in the 19th century remain popular to this day. Fly fishing flies come in two styles known as dry flies or wet flies. A simple way to describe the difference is that wet flies are allowed to sink while dry flies remain on the surface of the water. Anglers have different preferences on which to use and much depends on various things such as the weather and the area to be fished. Understanding which to use is something which sets apart the beginner and the seasoned angler. Today the fly fishing industry is huge as the sport is incredibly popular and enjoyed around the world especially in Europe and America. A massive tourist industry has developed with a number of highly popular destinations providing excellent places to enjoy the sport. One of the most popular destinations are the famous salmon rivers of Scotland which have some of the finest salmon runs in the world. With some of the best runs being rather expensive it is pleasing to know that there are cheaper areas resulting in fly fishing vacations for every pocket.