Fly Fishing 101, Part 25
Size Does Matter
There was a question from a reader on what size flies to
use when. The particular question had to do with nymphs - but
it applies to all of the flies generally used for fly fishing. You
match the size of the fly to the natural insect. How can you
tell? Find out what the insect of the day is. Turn over some
rocks in the water. Look at what insects are on those rocks.
Carry a gold-fish type net and try to scoop up what is in the
water.
If you are fishing with a buddy, make a small seine, about
an arm's reach wide. You can make it with a piece of window
screen stapled between two sticks. Have one person hold the
seine, spread out, in the current downstream, and walk
toward the seine shuffling your feet. (Don't walk too far
shuffling you feet, it does dislodge and kill insect life, this
practice is frowned on since it has been misused.) Then take
the seine out of the water carefully and examine what you
have collected. The insects will fall into either caddis, mayfly or
stonefly categories. Go back and read sections 13 - 18 on the
insects here if you aren't sure you know the differences.
Once you have identified the insect, match your fly to the
size of the insects you have found. If you have several sizes of
the same insect, the larger insect is the closest to hatching.
Start with the largest sizes you can match, and if you don't
have interest from the fish in those, work your way down in
size to smaller nymphs. Remember the size of flies is in
reverse of shoe sizes, the larger the number the smaller the
fly.
Insects who have emerged from their nymphal state are
becoming flying insects. Here, match size and color as closely
as possible. I have taken my nippers and cut down hackle,
tails, whatever to get a fly down closer to the size that is
flying, or mashed down and rubbed some river mud on a dry
fly to make it just barely float in the surface film to resemble
an emerger.
Most of all, be observant! Instead of getting geared up the
instant you park your rig, walk down to the water, find a place
to sit, and watch the activity for five minutes. Longer is
probably better, but being anxious to fish, even five minutes
seems like a long time. Watch for birds working. Birds
swooping low over the stream is sure proof of a hatch, mating
flight, or spinner fall. Birds working higher may indicated a
mating flight is happening - and later, toward evening a
spinner fall of the females laying their eggs, and the
exhausted males falling to the water on the water will bring
the fish up to feed.
Look for any fish activity. Are there rising fish? How about
bulging fish? Those are fish which are taking nymphs or
emergers before they reach the surface. The fish don't break
the surface, but make a small hump or bulge in the water.
Eventually, those insects will make it to the surface and you
will have a hatch - and a place to use dry flies.
The successful fly angler is watching under the water, on
the water, the sky above the water, and checking the
stream-side brush and trees for evidence. Evidence to help
him make educated choices on what fly to fish.~ DB
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