Hi', Novice. Your question has been pretty well covered; but it doesn't hurt to add a bit. The dry flies mainly imitate aquatic flies at the surface, that need to be there at some time or another; terrestrial flies, like cow dung, moth, hawthorn fly, black gnat, heather fly, daddy longlegs etc that get there by accident; terrestrial beetles, like bracken clock, soldier beetle, shield beetle etc. that also fall on the water accidentally; ants, caterpillars and spiders. Wet flies can copy just about anything that may be found in or below the surface. That includes all the above, plus various larvae and pupae of aquatic flies; larvae of water beetles; corixae etc; all the other invertebrates that inhabit water, like hoglice, shrimps, snails, leeches, crayfish; frogs, tadpoles, fish fry, lampreys etc; and some surprising bits of flotsam, like the fag ends mentioned, fish pellets, even bits of bread (bleached deer hair, stacked and cut to shape) even small mice!!!
Some patterns are very imitative, like Sinfoil's Fry or Walker's Polystickle wet flies. The various nymph patterns, and the Czech and Polish bugs are pretty imitative, but a lot of wets are suggestive of a few different forms of food as opposed to being a copy of a specific item. GRHE and March Brown spider are suggestive of both hoglice and shrimps or fly larvae, for example. This wide diversity gives us the opportunity to 'do it scientifically' or to use the broader approach.
In the end, a lot of anglers go on instinct, on their long experience, or they play their hunches -- and as long as they enjoy themselves, and enjoy a modicum of success, that is all that matters. Talk to the old boys on your fishery, they will probably be delighted to help with identifying what you choose, and on on how to use it. We all have to learn, so no one should mind helping. Cheers, you'll soon sort things out. TerryC
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Wet flys can't get me head round them
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