Of course! And not just simply "swinging"...but "jumping" an EHC against the current -which requires some practice- is absolutelly deadly when nothing works. I got strikes of big browns lying on the depth or behind bouldes, previously trying to fool them with another flies or on dead drift dries. A walked-and jumping caddis imitation with short strips against the current is in my experience, the most successful way to work a dry fly. Good luck!
Folks, thanks for your replies. I guess I should have said I was wondering about swinging mayflies.
Rand
Never swung mayfly dry's myself, but:
I was on the river with a friend of mine who is new to fly fishing this summer and we got into a great evening PMD Hatch. I was catching a few, but noticed my newbie friend was bringing them in left and right. I was fishing the way I had been taught. Trying to obtain that perfect drag free drift. As I watched my friend I see he is casting up into a big eddy then lifting his rod and moving the fly all over the place on the water. Not sure why, but the fish loved it. His Parachute PMD was skittering all over the water, but the fish were just hammering it. So apparently there are cases where that works. Here is the weird thing. I could never bring myself to try it. I was too ingrained in my thinking that a dry fly, and especially a mayfly dry, must drift drag free. I just couldn't do it. I kept thinking it mush just be a fluke he's catching all those fish with that crazy method and kept right on plugging away with my perfect drag free drifts. So my newbie friend with his wild technique out fished me that day, and I went home humbled.
I have not swung dry flies but I have seen trout refuse dead drift March Brown mayflies and hammer twitched March brown dries
I have probably used the "technique" hundreds of times in my "hunnert +,-" years of fly fishing but I have never heard the term as a "technique". As another earlier poster mentioned , I too tend to do this more often when using a dry and a dry dropper. Although I also have never used Tenkara , the "swing technique" would probably work best with the long rod and easier to manipulate line length. I'll be in Wyoming beating the Snake and others to a froth in about three weeks so I will concentrate on swinging more. I will report..........
Mark
PS: I obviously have given the term "technique" more gravitas than simply an occasional tactic to try as in " well, maybe if I ................"
Rand,
Yes - while at the Michigan Fish-In this year I was fishing with Brad and Jack on a section of the Au Sable. Brad passed along that the fish he was catching were taking BWO emerger patterns as they swung and as they sat dragging at the end of the drift. I tried it with a size 18 BWO tied as a Klinkhamer style and caught dozens of fish. That particular day it was the "go to" method for catching fish. It work to some degree for the next couple of days in the same part of the river, even though the majority of fish had switched over to a more traditional dead drift take. A few fish would still swipe at and take this same pattern with obvious drag (I'm talking a visible wake here as the fly hung in the current). To say the least I was as surprised anyone could have been. I'd never intentionally tried to "drag" a may fly pattern with the expectation of catching fish. I can't say it will be the first thing I try but when all else has failed I certainly intend to give it a run again based on this experience.
Last edited by alra195; 09-06-2014 at 11:59 PM.
Joe Bertolini
Here is a quote from an on line September fishing report from the Worley Bugger Fly Co. in Ellensburg (the fly shop and guide service I use all the time in eastern, WA).
The days of throwing hoppers tight to the bank are nearing their end, but where one food source diminishes, a new one opens up. The two hatches that will happen throughout the month of September are the Crane flies, and the Baetis mayflies. Both of these offer exciting dry fly opportunities into the fall. In October hatches of big, bright Halloween (October) Caddis will begin appearing along with Mahogany Dun Mayflies. At this time, skating a orange bodied caddis imitation provides some excellent dry fly fishing time while surrounded by unbelievable autumn colors.
www.worleybuggerflyco.com
As indicated in other answers, yes, there are times when we do 'swing' or 'skate' flies. Ain't fishing great?
Larry ---sagefisher---
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