I was looking through my Feather-craft catolog and it states a certain fly can be fished on top as a dry then pulled under and skipped like an emerger. Explain what retrieval would be considered skipping and how do I do it.
Hi slinger,
Just a guess, but are you referring to Bob’s Fly on [url=http://www.feather-craft.com/2006MAster/fcpage.asp?page=40:31f3f]this[/url:31f3f] page?
If so, the catalog describes this tactic as being useful during a caddis hatch. Caddis pupae are indeed active and very energetic “emergers,” though I could hardly express it as “skipping.” More of a quick, purposeful rise or swim to the surface. Once they reach the surface film, caddis are pretty quick to emerge and don’t spend alot of time skipping beneath the surface film.
Chapters have been written on the tactics for fishing caddis pupae. As for “retrieval speed,” you want to keep it in relation to the speed of the current (if any) and the limited energy of a tiny insect trying to swim in this current.
I’m sorry I don’t have a good, simple answer to your question.
Bugsy, are we talking short strips that will make the fly skip across the surface?
Dear slinger,
Perhaps the best way to describe how to fish it would be to tell you to go fishing and try different ways to see what works?
I suppose that qualifies as a non-answer but the reality of it is different fish react to different stimuli in different ways. One time a fly will work dead drifted, another time raising the rod tip and skittering the fly across a riffle will do the trick, still other times a simple hand twist retrieve with the fly just under the surface will draw strikes.
Experiment to see what works, that’s half the fun.
Best Wishes,
Avalon 
Avalon, I realize there is no substitute for time on the water, but I am hoping by learning some of the lingo I can speed up the learning curve. For instance you have now through a new one at with “wrist twist”. I have no clue what that means.
“hand twist” or “figure 8 retrieve” are similar variations if not the same.
Dear slinger,
I’ve searched the archives here on the site and the rest of the internet in hopes of finding a good description of the hand twist retrieve but I struck out.
Here is a picture of the beginning of the retrieve.
Basically what you do is hold the fly line against the grip of your rod with your casting hand and use your free hand to wrap the line across your fingers by twisting your free hand back and forth.
I’m sitting here in my den with a fly rod and reel in my hand doing the retrieve and I can’t come up with a good way to explain it to you. If I could show you, you would understand in seconds what I am trying to say. Maybe somebody else has a way to describe it better for you?
Best Wishes,
Avalon
Dear slinger,
Why couldn’t I find this article??? I spent 15 minutes looking for it!
I think I know what I did wrong and maybe it will help somebody else in the future. I just went to the search feature included above the main page of the bulletin boards. Apparently that only searches the bulletin board postings. Like they say, live and learn. :lol:
Best Wishes,
Avalon
I have seen that description for fishing the crackleback, and although I use the fly a lot I still don’t know what it means. Cracklebacks are used a lot at Bennett Springs, but mostly one way. They are fished subsurface with either a sinking line or with a floating line and pulled under and stripped in in short quick strippes. I caught my first trout there with this fly as a dry in the pool just above the dam there, and still use it as a dry fly sometimes, but mostly by stripping it underwater. One thing about this method, the strikes are NOT soft or easy at all. Most of the time they are real jolts that will easily snap 5x or 6x tippet. A Bennett Springs regular showed me how to use regular 4 or even 6lb florocarbon line instead of tippett and saved me a ton of flies and hooked lots more fish. Even this fall when the water was ultra clear he said that the fish couldn’t see the heavier line while you were stripping it in, and we caught 20 or 30 fish a morning at the hatchery outlet stream mouth. If this skiping method is better I would love to know how also.