In fly fishing dry flies come in a variety of forms, including attractor like the Royal Wulff or natural imitators, such as the elk hair caddis, a caddisfly imitation. A beginner would be advised to start with a fly that is easy to see (such as a Royal Wulff) or a mayfly imitation like a Parachute Adams. The ‘parachute' on the Adams makes the fly land softly and naturally on the water and has the added benefit of making the fly very visible from the surface.
It is most helpful for beginners to be able to see the fly is especially helpful to the beginner. The fly should land softly, as if dropped onto the water, and the the leader should be fully extended from the fly line. Because of faster and slower currents often running side by side in a river, the fly can over take or be overtaken by the line, thus disturbing the fly's drift. Mending is a technique whereby you lift and move the part of the line that requires re-aligning with the fly's drift. In this way you extend the drag free drift. The mend can be upstream or down depending on the currents carrying the line or fly.
To be effective, any mending of the fly line should not disturb the fly’s natural drift. In fly fishing it is much easier to learn to mend if you can see the fly.
