“Whacha usin’?” “Flies.” “What kinda flies?” “Hoppers.”
“Why?” “Cause they worked last year.” “But there’s no hoppers out this
time o’year.” “Yea, but the fish like 'em. They bit 'em last year, so they
should bite 'em now.” “Caught any?” “Naw, they ain’t bitin’.”
Sound a little familiar? I’ve heard conversations like this one many times
in the 50 plus years I’ve been fly fishing. You’ll have a hard time
convincing the guy with the hopper that the reason they aren’t biting
is because he’s using the wrong fly. After all, hoppers worked great
last August, therefore, they must be a good fly. Trout loved them last
year, so they must love them this year.
How do you select the right fly for the job? Do you rely on the advice
of someone who isn’t catching fish? What’s your favorite fly? Do you
use it all of the time, or do you use it only when the insect it matches
is present? Do you know what flies are hatching? How, you might ask,
does anyone really know what fly to use?
You need to forget about asking the guy who’s not catching fish. The only
advice he’ll give you is bad advice. The only advantage you gain by
asking a fish-less person what he’s using is knowing what not to use.
You also need to forget the notion that one fly works better than the rest.
Sure, certain flies are consistently more productive during the summer
than some other flies, but that’s because the insects they imitate are
present that time of year. Hoppers, for instance, are abundant in August,
and a hopper pattern is a great choice then. But, they aren’t likely
to work in March. The fish only eat what’s on the floating menu in front
of them, and hoppers aren’t on that menu in the spring.
The first step to successful fly fishing, is not fishing. First, you need
to observe what’s happening around you. Put on your Sherlock Holmes
hat and do some investigating, maybe fifteen minutes worth. What are
the fish doing? What clues are around you that will lead you to any
hatches that are occurring?
Take a look at grass stems and weeds near the shore line for clues of a
recent hatch. Stonefly nymphs crawl out of the water to hatch into adults.
This transformation occurs on weeds, grass, rocks and anything else
handy near the shore line. Are their cases present anywhere? Mayflies
molt after they hatch. This also occurs on grass and weeds. Can you
find any clues of a recent mayfly hatch?
While you look for clues of a recent hatch, see if any aquatic insects
are crawling around on nearby bushes. Stream side brush is a great hangout
for aquatic insects that have recently hatched and are waiting their
turn in the egg laying cycle. If you see a lot of a certain kind of
insect hanging around the brush, you can bet on patterns that imitate
that insect when you get to the stream.
Spider webs are a great place to look for clues. Spiders make a habit of
catching insects that fly around their web. If the web is loaded with
unfortunate mayflies, the fish are probably loaded with them too. Here’s
a perfect opportunity to match the size, shape and color of the fly
without trying to catch one on the water.
What are the fish doing? Are they rising to flies, and can you see the
fly they’re eating? If you don’t see rising fish, it’s not very likely
that they’ll eat a fly floating on the surface. If you don’t see them
rising, a nymph might be in order. After all, nymphs are available to
them all of the time.
Is there a cloud of caddis flies hovering above stream side brush? Caddisflies
are a common sight in the summer hovering above willows and brush. If
you see something that looks like a cloud of tiny moths dancing around
a stream side willow, grab your box of caddis imitations and start flogging
the water with one, you’ve just solved a mystery.
I’m not fond of stomach pumps, they can kill fish if they’re used wrong.
But, if you catch a fish and check the contents of it’s stomach, you
will have a good idea of what that fish was eating. If it has a belly
full of green beetles, all the hoppers in your fly box won’t change
it’s mind about what’s on the menu.
A net made of fine mesh stretched between two rods is a good tool to find
out what’s floating down the stream. Stretch the net across the water
near the shore, and see what floats into it. Then try the same thing
in the middle of the stream. The results might differ a little between
the middle and the edge of the stream, but if you see lots of the same
insect in both nettings, you’ll have a good idea of what you should
be using.
A notebook to record your findings for future reference is a valuable tool.
You might be surprised how accurately those findings compare with your
observations a year later on the same body of water. In a couple of
years you should have a good data base to use when selecting flies for
your upcoming fishing trip.
Fifteen minutes spent searching for evidence of the current insect hatches
can save you hours of pure frustration on the water.
While the other fishermen are flogging the water with the flies that
worked last August, or the fly the last fish-less angler was using,
you can have your list of flies reduced to the few insects that are
currently active on the water. All it takes is a few minutes of observation
without a fly rod in your hand.~ Al Campbell
Yes, the column above was written by the late Al Campbell - and it is just
one of the excellent columns written for the FAOL Fly
Fishing 101section. Yes, knowing which fly to choose is an important
part of “Presentation.”
This could be a long, cold winter - but it could also be a wonderful opportunity
to go back through the archived articles here on FAOL. I’d hate to think
you missed something really helpful.
Originally published October 26, 2009 on Fly Anglers Online by October 26, 2009.