so i have been fly fishing for about a year and a half, but havnt really done much nymph or wet fly fishing and i have a few questions about nymph and wet flies.
What should i look for when i want to use wet or nymph?
When is the best time to use them?
Also i say some drift boats casting into some rapids that were to rough for dry flies and i was wandering wat they might be useing?
I have friends who say they use wet flies whenever they want to catch fish, and that’s pretty much a true statement.
When there are no fish feeding on the surface, tie on a wet fly. When the fish are “bulging” eating emergers just below the surface, tie on a wet fly. When your searching new water, try a wet fly.
Those drift boats were probably scouring the bottom using weighted nymphs to get the fly down. Though they may have been using wet flies, possibly with sink tip lines.
REE
yea, exactly what ron said, but if you are having proboloms with the flies to use, on some extera time, go to your favorite stream/river, lift up a couple of rocks, and see what is active at that time, than go home, tie a wet fly or nymh(i prefer wet, sylvestor nemes style) than go back to the area of water and have some fun. It is a great feeling when you have a fish strike a wet fly, because sometimes you won’t expect it what so ever.
Happy tying,
JZ
Hi,
Look for faster water, not raging, but wet flies work their magic in the riffles and faster glides. Water of about 2.5 to 3 feet in depth is great for exploring. Drift down the current, swinging or difting the fly through areas you think will hold fish; i.e. swing over the head of the pool, or through the eye, and expect some strikes. Also, at the end of the pool, where the next glide begins, you may pick up some fish sitting just down stream.
I’ve found wets work really well on the rivers in the middle of the day, even bright and sunny days.
Look for the occasional insect comming off the water, or laying eggs. If it’s not a fully blown hatch, but just the odd one or two, then the fish will be feeding on nymphs but there are some nymphs hatching. This is an ideal time for wets (both spiders and winged versions).
Let the line out a long way, and slowly retrieve back up. Not sure what the fish think of this nymph swimming up current, but they often strike during this phase. Probably take winged versions as a small fish, but who knows what thoughts lie with the fish.
- Jeff
I just experienced my first successful outing using wet flies after trying for several years off and on. Previously I had only tried a few casts here and there a few times and never even had a hit. I went out this time, with the mind-set to fish only wet flies until I caught fish. I started in a hole I’d always caught a few nice browns out of without a single look. When I moved to the riffles above this hole I caught an 8 incher on my second cast. The next cast brought a 15 incher (who went home with me for dinner). Caught a ton of fish that day using this and one other “secret” technique. I would say that the one thing that enabled me to catch fish with the wet fly was mending. When you’re swinging down and across don’t let the line create a big belly, you might have to mend a little bit. This was all between the hours of 6 and 10am. I’ve caught fish at all times of the day nymphing (usually with a BHGRHE, BHPTS or a copper john). I’d say that you could probably fish wet flies and nymphs any time. It is the dries that require specific times of day and temperatures.
Hi Congrats Wild one!
Indeed, controlling the belly is as important with wet flies as for any other type of fly. In fact, given that there is no visual cue to the take (as with a dry fly), it could be more because if there’s a big belly (in the line, not the fisherman 
) one will not feel the take and it can be hard to tell if the drift has been interrupted as the fish will sometimes grab the fly as it passes but not “rush off with it” so the line only “holds up in the water”. Once the fly is on the downstream drift, you can let out just enough line to keep it dead drifting, but the idea is to always keep the line between you and the fly at the point where its’ “just about tight enough to twitch the fly, but not quite”, if that makes sense. On the downstream drift you can “feel” the take if you have this “almost there tension”. When the fly is upstream of you, however, it’s often more like nymphing without an indicator, a subtle change in the way the line is drifting. I recall a few times where I would suddenly think “something’s changed” and would strike and find a fish was on!
And, I agree with your view on the “any time of day for wets.” I catch fish straight through from morning to evening using wets, including bright sunny days at noon.
So, are you going to share your other secret?
- Jeff
Don’t forget when the fly has gone all the way down stream to give the rod tip a lift to make the fly rise. Drives the trout nuts!
Thanks Jeff,
Unfortunately this is the only thing I am at liberty to share regarding the secret technique. I may have already said too much though. 