Since these types of flies are fished during a hatch near the surface, what do you do when the fish are feeding on the bottom? Can you still fish them and how?
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Since these types of flies are fished during a hatch near the surface, what do you do when the fish are feeding on the bottom? Can you still fish them and how?
I fish them throughout the water column with weight, heavy hooks whatever it takes. Also I fish them when there is no hatch, all winter lond. At times I will drop a s/h off the back of a big nymph to get it down. As far as fishing methods I'll vary the presentation as to the water flow, depth, etc. But it is usually up and across to give the fly a chance to get where the fish my be holding. I will also use a sinking leader such as Orvis, RIO, or AirFlo sell. To this I attach about a three foot section of tippet, usually 5X
Hi lastchance,
I tie some spiders/soft hackles on heavier gage hooks. This enables them to sink more quickly. Also, fishing them up stream helps them to sink (mending as you do, similar to Warren's article on no indicator fishing this week). If the current is really fast though, they may be held up (or pulled under, hard to say with currents) and using a weighted nymph to get them down helps a lot.
- Jeff
i fish them at all depths. they are after all the most versital flies. Emerger,cripple,nymph drowned dun, diving egglayer
Questions:
Do you swing them even with shot on them?
If using a 2-fly rig, a point fly and dropper, do you place the shot in between the flies?
Do your flies match the size of the bug that is hatching?
1. YesQuote:
Originally Posted by lastchance
2. Sometimes
3. Sometimes
1) yesQuote:
Originally Posted by lastchance
2) no, get too many tangles for me
3) sometimes
I almost always use them in a 2 or 3 fly rig. If i want them deeper the top fly is weighted( tungsten or brass bead in thorax)
I am mindful of the active bugs sizes with color sometimes a little brighter than the naturals,or on somdays if nothing is apparent I will stick to the most prevalent sizes and try 3 different colors and let the fish tell me what they prefer
When it comes to fishing wet flies I concern myself with stream conditions. If the stream is high and has some deep pockets, I fish with an intermediate sinking line. If the water is medium to low I fish with a floating line. I fish exclusively with wet flies almost year round and always carry to reals with me, one with sinking line and one with floating line. When I get to the stream I scout and observe and see what conditions that I am going to face and then make my decision on which line to fish with. Now the type of wet fly fishing I do for the day is dictated by how confident I am in on which wet flies will work. If I am confident in the pattern I select and only fish one. If I am not sure at all then a three wet fly rig will be used until the Trout indicate which fly they like the best. Then at times I know that two patterns will work well and fish a two wet fly rig to see which pattern catches the most fish. You will hear alot of people talk about a wet fly swing which is great but don't forget to allow your fly line at the end of the swing to completely straighten out. Then hold the line for 30 to 40 seconds. I can not tell you how many strikes and Violent strikes that I have had by this method. Hope this helps you out a bit.
Sincerely
Andy Brasko
When a fish is feeding on the bottom, it is usually feeding non selectively. It is sampling the drift to determine food from not food. Since trout do not have hands, it must sample with it's mouth.Quote:
Originally Posted by lastchance
Fish look for object that suggest life. This can be done in two ways. Soft hackles, even when dead drifted have hackles that move suggesting life. So parts of the fly that move suggest life.
The other way if for the fly itself to move. Things that move through or against the current suggest life because only living things can move that way. Things that are not alive must dead drift. So animation can provoke a strike.
If the fish are deep, fish them with weight as you would a nymph, but allow them also to rise up at the end of the drift with a Leisering lift or allow them to swing at the end of the drift.