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REE, Betty, Rookie et al,
I'd love to read about your favorite ways to fish those beautiful soft hackles and flymphs in moving water. Quartering up or across & down? Tight Line/swing or dead-drift? With or w/o an indicator? High or low in the water column? With or without weight?
Thanks!!!
PRM,
Most of the wee wets I fish are spiders so I basically fish them as a dry. In the wee wets thread I answered Clay's question this way.
Clay, I start out fishing the spiders and flymphs almost like a dry fly. Upstream cast, allowing the flies to sink a bit. They are tied on light wire hooks so they fish in or just under the surface film. I try to keep the fly line straight between myself and the fly as upstream takes are quite subtle and you can miss a strike. The upstream cast also allows the fibers of the hackle to do it's magical waving about in the currents to imitate life. As the fly goes past me I let out a bit of line to get as long a drift as possible. As the line tightens and starts to swing the hackle usually lays back along the sides of the fly making it look like a nymph. The fly also starts to rise in the water column looking like a nymph going to the surface to emerge, again, imitating life. The takes on the downstream side are solid and often quite violent with the fish almost hooking themselves. When the fly is directly below me, I let it hang there for a bit then make a couple of strips in before recasting the fly. You get a lot of takes "on the dangle". Casting these flies to rising fish is a hoot. Something about spiders that trout can't resist. My go-to fly is usually a dark colored spider.
The flymphs and wets on a heavy wire hook I fish the same way unless the water only allows a downstream swing. I have nothing against fishing down and across, I just like to keep the fly in the water as long as possible.
I don't use weight on the fly or on the leader. If I can't get the fly deep enough with line control with a floating line, I switch to a sink tip or even a full sinking line.
REE
Hi PRM,
When fishing spiders along moving water, like riffles and runs, I like to cast up stream, add an upstream mend or two to get the flies to sink (I tie them on wet fly hooks, but don't add any extra weight). I try to maintain contact with them without imparting any drag and let them drift towards me pull line to maintain that "almost tight line", then as they pass, mend again and start rolling out the line up stream so you can then extend the drift down stream. At a pool, I'll fish the tail out first, and then work up along the near edge, then the far edges, and finally any seams at the head of the pool if there's a bend.
If I'm on a larger river and workind down stream I'll cast up stream, and drift down and swing.
Finally, if there's a rise going on, then I try and find some I've tied on light wire hooks and fish them through the rise, casting like you would a dry fly.
These are really fun flies to fish. I'm not sure there is a wrong way.
- Jeff
HI PRM,
I can't add anything to what has already been posted. The one thing I learned a long time ago was learning everything I could from the people I was fishing with but then develope my own techniques. I guess you might say I would fish outside the box.
One thing I do though that's maybe a little different, Diachii make a 1640 se hook in bronze and also stainless. I have used the stainless to tie spiders and wee wets on when I want the same fly to go a little deeper in the water column without adding additional weight. Just my preference.
I'd like to add that I typically will drop them off of another fly. When dropped off of a dry they tend to float in the surface or just below like an emerger. In the winter when nymphing I'll drop it off of a weighted nymph.
I find that I have success with this method and sometimes.....the spiders get more action than the other flies.
Good evening.
I guess we are all different with different ideas on whats the best way to fish these wets.
Myself, its ALWAYS down stream.
the reason and thinking behind this method is.
It, the wet fly is the first thing the fish will see !
There is no over lineing the fish with the fly line or even the leader, no shadow that may put the fish on guard, there is something wrong.
The wet will flow with the current and all the micro currents in the stream or down into the pool.
It is possible to fish AT LEAST down to 100feet down stream, where fish haven't a clue in the World there is a old fella up stream trying to trick them.
(hooking a fish at least 100 feet away, is a monster thrill to this fella)
When faced with a lake or pond situation,
Allow the wind to act as the current on your fly and line.
"Normally" I do not add weight to my flies.
To achive the sinking I now use a series of what I call Technical leaders, these being,
a fine twisted copper wire or heavy lead wire, something like your T8, a high density material, a fluocarbon type and more AND or sections of all the above to suit the conditions.
Yes it takes time to change leaders.
BUT, have you ever noticed, or are you the Lady or guy that has the same leader all day ?
Why ?
You are happy to change flies during the day
but leader, its the same leader.
May I take the liberty to suggest, your lazy.
Why not change your leader to suit the conditions.
To change its quick and easy, IF you use a loop to loop connection.
Back to getting that fly down and dirty, where it can trick the biggest fish in the stream or lake.
YES, its the little crazy fools that cruise the upper layers of the water ways, (and keep newer fly fishers happy) the bigger lazy fish, (thats why they are bigger) cruise about down deeper or near the bottom, where it is safer)
On the END of my tippet section of my leader,
I add a super soft section of monifilament.
Why, this is to enable my fly to be apart of the main current and the micro currents, where ALL the real creatures that fall into the water will be washed into and out of.
And my friend Mr and Mrs White lips will be expecting them to be washed into and around.
Now if my fly, acts like the real thing, suggests that it could be eaten, most likely it will be.
I cast across and swing down stream.
During the swing,
I stop the line, or pull back a little, enough to make the fly rise slightly.
This is of course a 'Induced Strike' method.
Then when the fish strikes, the line is almost straight, there is almost no need to strike, Mr fish is on, all by himself.
And then feed line again into the drift.
Then at each cast, which reaches out further than the last cast, I add line till the tip of the Floating fly line is almost out of sight, way down the pool or stream, so to speak.
NO, I do not use an indicator.
this is because I do not wish to add anything that may add fear to the fishe's mind.
I instead, watch the tip of the line like a hawk !
OR if fishing at night, (when the bigger Browns come out to play and feed) then its all feeling,
AND I CAN ASURE YOU, you will feel the srike, its more like a mighty whack !
HOWEVER, most fish, seem to accept the wet as the real thing and whack the fly daytime or night time!
And as a result, I think they, the poor things hook themselves, more than me lifting the rod.
Well folks, I guess I am different after all with my thinking,
BUT
Could I suggest you try what the old fella from around the other side of Mother Earth has suggested and you just could be suprised with the results.
Kindest regards to All,
UB