Why does Swinging wets works?

[John Rhoades]

My best fishing friend, who is a superb angler, showed me his technique of fishing these types of flies a number of years ago. I'm sure it originated with the extensive Atlantic salmon and steelhead fishing he has done over many years. Using a weight forward floating line, he casts a single fly across or slightly downstream, and imparts a bit of up and down "bobbing" motion to it with his rod tip as it floats along down the river on a tight line, until it is directly below him. Then he either gives the fly a few short tugs, or does several hand twist retrieves, before lifting the fly and recasting.

While that part of his technique is not particularly unique, the fly sizes that he uses are not the norm. He'll often be on the Yellowstone River using a size #6 or perhaps a #8 bead head fly, hooking and landing some impressive sized trout, including a 28" brown a couple years ago.

[hap]

I firmly believe most strikes when fishing wets upstream are missed by most fly fishers... The ratio of known hits and hookups is high enough with swinging flies to maintain interest but surely not the most effective way to catch fish.

My son, while quite young, and I had many days of fishing for grayling where we played with the presentation. The fish are so aggressive it makes little difference how they are fished the strikes will come. Sensing them becomes the difference.

Using flies like Gummie stonefly nymphs works better because they hold the flies longer, increasing the chance of being hooked.

Using indicators increases hookups because fewer takes are missed.

Learning to control the fly, keeping a reasonably tight line, while fishing under conditions where takes are hard to feel will help a great deal also.
art

[WarrenP]

"He'll often be on the Yellowstone River using a size #6 or perhaps a #8 bead head fly, hooking and landing some impressive sized trout, including a 28" brown a couple years ago."

John,

I am interested in knowing more about the flies your friend uses. Are they just a softhackle fly tied much larger? Do they have a tail? Instead of calling them a softhackle fly, would it be more accurate to call them "flymphs"? Any information you can provide would be appreciated. Thank you....

[John Rhoades]

I believe that the technique, fished in the right type of water, may be more important than the specific fly that is used.

It seems to be best when fished in a moderate current flow where the water is approx. 1 to 4 feet deep. It is even better when the bottom has rocks, big and or small, on the bottom.

He often fishes a variant Prince Nymph, with dark brown dyed partridge, but I've seen when a large fly with just a medium olive dubbed body and a partridge hackle worked just as well.

I guess you can call these flies whatever you wish, but I call it fun.

[WarrenP]

John,

Thanks for replying. When I mentioned that maybe they could be called, "flymphs" was more on how they were tied. A flymph would have a tail, dubbed body and a partridge or hen hackle palmered through the thorax area. I intend to try them here on my local waters and was just trying to tie them the way he did. I will come up with something and give them a try as soon as the generation and weather permit it. I feel with hooks as large as he used would make some great smallmouth bass flies.

Have a great New Year!

[CM_Stewart]

I wouldn't get too wrapped up in the argument that insects don't swim across the stream. You look at your wet fly and think it is "an insect." The fish doesn't. The fish sees something that is swimming, and is therefore alive (and is therefore edible) and what is more, is getting away. Drag on a dry fly will kill you. Drag on a wet fly makes it act a lot like a minnow. Trout eat minnows.