The way that I look at it, if something works, why it is working is of secondary importance. After getting frustrated with trout hitting a bright orange indicator on the surface, I tied up some big, bright orange foam beetle flies. I don't know why I caught trout on the unnatural bright orange beetle flies, but they work very well. I don't think much about why the trout try to eat something that looks completely unnatural. Same thing with wet flies.
Warren is presenting the flies no drag then using the Liesenring lift. Great way to catch fish if done well. Swinging wets across current usually works on stocked fish unless the swing is done with some upstream mends to slow the drift. Just how it seems to work for me.
When considering the nymphs living in a stretch of river it is important to know that not all nymphs are the same. Just concerning mayfly's they can be subdivided into the following
Clingers - position themselfs on rocks or organic matter and feed on organic matter or passing food from that position. they may move to a new location once the food they are clinging to is gone
Burrowers - dig a hole in the substate of the stream bottom and feed in that position
swimmers - swim around and feed in the current. these nymphs do not only move when molting but all the time.
I just attended a presentation by author Ann Miller and she had an amazing amount of info about the life cycle of mayfly's and other aquatic bugs that most fly fisherman don't know. It really enlightened me to the advantages of knowing what bugs live in the particular stretch of river your fishing. this could be a totally different food source for the local fish by moving a hundred yards up and down the stream.
-Jeff
Warren has described a great method for working wets but it is not 'swinging wets'.
Check this site out. great info on wet fly fishing. I talked to this guy at a show and what to do a trip with him to learn the technique.
http://www.wetflywaterguides.com/index.html
What warren is doing is the classic English/scottish way of fishing wets as has been done for hundreds of years. I just fimished a digital copy of a book by C.M. Tod written in 1898 about wet fly fishing his "normal" method was just as warren discribed and very effective. the swing of wet fies was just being started about this time as anglers were discovering that the sedge(caddis) could actually swim against a current to hatch. This is the primary reason for swing wets down and across. Most mayfly nymphs will swim to the surface, other than Isonychia and Baetis nymph none are actaully strong swimmers. I will swing wets and sfot hackles during a caddis hatch, just a soon as i start to see the flashy rises from trout chasing emerging caddis to the surface I will put on the proper style/size to closely mtach the caddis pupa and swing them to the spots were the fish are feeding. Also when the Eperous mayflies ( quill gordons/ pale evening duns) hatch they actually emerge from the nymphal shuck on the stream bottom and float to the surface with wings extended over their back, they look just like the winged wets many of us throw. about 3 years ago started to fish this way again after almost 15 or 18 years of not doing so and for the life of me I can't figure out why i ever stopped. Like everything else in this sport it has it's time and place and should not be used all the time jst as dry flies, nymphs or streamers shouln't.
steve
PS Gene the Liesenring lift is actually done when you cast up stream to a known fish and mend until the fly is with in sight of the trout then lift the rod ever so gently to cause the fly to rise up in front of the fish. this is a deadly method for emerging maylfies in the early season.
I'll go back and read the book again. But basically Warren is doing what James Liesenring described many years ago. Yes a deadly technique done if a fish is sighted or not. All you need are insects and working fish.
Thanks for the replies. I'm anxious for spring to start experimenting. Just grabbed syl nemes book the soft hackle addict from the library last night.
"Why does Swinging wets work?"
Because, trout really are not very smart.
BigA hit it on the head.
To the simpleton, proof does not matter once emotion takes hold of an issue.
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