Dry Flies...

[od354]

sense I am relatively new to flyfishing and dont have much experience, I was wondering if you guys could share some advice, tatics, or tips on fishing with dry flies...Thanks!

 

[tomgamber]

ask away...

 

[JackM]

I used to underestimate it's importance, but getting the fly to ride the current with as little drag as possible is the key. If that is proving difficult at this stage, fish them in the fast current.

 

[Wulff-Man]

I'll second what Jack said. You can cast to a trout all day, changing fly after fly, but no matter what you're using, if your drift is dragging he probably won't go for it. Sometimes you can be in a spot that's difficult to get a good drift, but the first time you do you know it, and it's amazing how often a trout that was ignoring your fly will go after it this time.

 

[ryguyfi]

do you hi stick in that situation? or do you use other tactics to get a good drift on your dry?

 

[Wulff-Man]

ryguyfi wrote:
do you hi stick in that situation? or do you use other tactics to get a good drift on your dry?

Short (unhelpful) answer: You do whatever you have to do! Highsticking is a nymphing technique, and it would be difficult and probably ineffective to use for dries. Normally you have to mend your line in some manner so that there is slack in the line. Usually an upstream mend, but it may be downstream depending on the current you're dealing with. You can also try casting from different positions. Maybe cast from upstream and let the fly drift down to the trout. And you can use different casting techniques. A reach cast kind of mends the line before it hits the water. Or a wiggle cast puts S-curves in the line. There are a lot of different situations and ways to solve them, but the idea is to prevent the current from pulling on the line/leader and therefore on the fly.

 

[Padraic]

ryguyfi wrote:
do you hi stick in that situation? or do you use other tactics to get a good drift on your dry?

The easiest way to eliminate drag and get a good presentation is to cast directly upstream. Unless the current speed is changing over the distance of your cast (for instance, you are standing in a riffle and casting into the tail of a pool) your line will only be affected by one current. If you cast directly across the stream, you will be affected by many currents, seen and unseen.

Another tactic is to use casting technique to throw slack down into the leader. This of course requires a bit of mastery, but should come fairly quickly with some work.

If you don't feel like worrying about getting a good drift, learn to skitter caddis and stoneflies. Little Black stones should be on the water now through April and the caddis should start up. Caddis are on the water pretty much all season, although size and color may change. A good caddis presentation is skill also, but it definately has its rewards.

 

[JackM]

As mentioned, using the cast itself to leave slack in the line and/or leader, or mending to add slack both work and I think take some time to master. One thing that is often overlooked is a "mending" technique that combines the skittering technique with a drag free drift. When you prepare to cast you either know where the trout is sitting by having observed its position or you imagine its likely position by your knowledge of the stream characteristics. In any case, if the currents are giving you trouble, you can often get the drag free drift over the crucial trout lie, by casting a couple yards or more upstream and past the lie and then pulling the fly across the surface into position just a few feet above the target zone with your tip high and then quickly dropping the tip to create a drag-free drift for the next 5-6 feet. Practice this technique to get a feel for it. I am certain you will find situations where it is actually the most effective way to achieve a drag-free drift.

 

[jrcll]

I used to fish up stream all the time but i`ve been fishing with al caucci in montana every year and he uses a down stream cast, throwing in a mend where needed giving the fish a fly before the line look, it took a lil getting used to , but there are times when you have to cast up stream

 

[jayL]

I can second jackM's method. It seems to be the most natural (fishing instinct-wise) way for me to present the fly to a fishin a respectable way.

in other words, it makes the most sense to me.

 

[jrcll]

There`s a very good article in flyfishing and tying journal spring 2007, dave whitlock wrote an article about down stream presentation, very good reading

 

[ryguyfi]

I read that article also. Alot of good info for me as a new fisherman, i've always done upstream pres. Good articles all around. I posted a few threads about the carp and tube flies articles somewhere in this site also. I like the downstream presentation from what he said. The fly is the first thing the fish sees rather than the leader and line. Probably a little hard to position yourself seeing that debris will possible spook fish but a good concept all in all. Can't wait to try a few things here and there when i can stand in the water rather than walk on it :-D

 

[Wulff-Man]

Jack makes a good point about casting past the trout and dragging the fly into position, with slack in the line. You have to remember that it's how the fly is drifting when it gets to the fish that counts. Many times you will have a great drift that gets whipped by the current every time it reaches the trout, and this can be frustrating. Sometimes it seems they know just where to lie just to frustrate you. You don't have to drag the fly from upstream either. It can be dragged from across stream, or around an obstruction, etc. You may cast to a spot that's nowhere near the current seam you want, so you can drag it into the seam to a spot that will make it drift nicely over the trout's lie. Just be sure not to spook the fish by dragging your line across him.

As far as upstream, downstream, across stream, quartering, etc., any one of these may work best depending upon the situation you're in. And not just the current. You have to deal with casting obstructions, wind, wading obstructions, avoiding spooking the trout, and so on. Be prepared to use whatever method is needed for the situation, and don't limit yourself to any particular "flyfishing rules."

 

[PaulG]

od354

I love dry fly fishin!

Here are a few of my tips 1, fish up stream as much possible, if you do have to fish down, I like to use a parachute cast to get a good drift. 2, Get yourself in a good position and if that position doesn't work move around alittle sometimes that helps. 3, learn to read the water this helps in any kind of fishing but I think it's one of the most inportant things to learn.

Drag, as said many time is very inportant, good thing to watch for, and sometime give it a twitch or two. Keep a low porfile and ware dark clothes( camo).

Read books watch video's and go fishing as much as you can, practice, practice!

Got to love dryfly fishing, but don't do what I did, learn all the different ways to fish. I am trying to be a better streamer fishermen!

Good luck!

PaulG

 

[Padraic]

I'll second all of Paul G's advice. I fish with him, and I'll tell ya, he knows what of he speaks!

I'll also say that a downstream presentation is in theory extremely effective. There are some issues with it though. So I wasn't thinking of it as tip for having a good first day. Keep it in the back of your head though. It's something to work on.

The issues with the downstream presentation are:
* Stealth, trout look into the current. So in general the trout will be looking up at you. Follow Paul's advice about wearing drab colors and moving slowly, etc.

* Short drifts, you can either throw a ton of slack into the line and forget about setting the hook or... your drift will be very short. Learn to mend and kick line out to extend the drift. (But then we're back to having some things to learn before this works well for you)

* Hook setting, if you set the hook with the rod, you'll be pulling the fly out of the trout's mouth. Learn to "strip strike" and your hook up percentage will be better (but not as good as an upstream presentation). BTW, this will help set the hook even with a lot of slack.

A direct downstream presentation has not been as effective for me as other approaches. Maybe that's me. It can be the only way to present to certain fish.

Rather than a direct downstream approach, I've been using a quartering downstream cast that Dan Shields of Fly Fishers Paradise demonstrates. If you are interested, let me know and I'll describe it. however, it's also a "trick cast" and relies on a basic mastery of some fundementals.

 

[ryguyfi]

Let me as a question now that we're talking about presentations. When i first started casting a fly rod I found it easier to cast side arm rather than overhead. In an upstream presentation i found this helpful (if i can control it) because when i cast, the flyline is flipped at the end and not directly behind the dry. don't quite know the ramifications of the line being in a different drift than the fly but i like it. Now i can only do this with enough room and like it when i have obstructions in the way. Don't know why but it just felt more comfortable and i could cast longer distances... maybe my timing is just better that way. Just wondering what everyone else thinks.

 

[Wulff-Man]

Do you mean that it's hooked at the end, like the end of a cane? This actually is a specialized cast, where you make it hook or curve at the end by casting sidearm and overpowering the forward cast a bit to make it hook. Depending on the situation, it can be very effective in presenting the fly first with no leader/tippet floating over a spooky trout, or it can help avoid drag for a bit because there is some leader upstream of the fly, or it can get the fly behind a rock, etc. Actually I also like a more sidearm or quarter-arm cast because it's more natural for me, but like I keep saying, different situations call for different tecniques.

 

[jayL]

After seeing a few casting demonstrations at various outdoor shows over the last year, I no longer feel bad about my quarter/sidearm casting. It's just the way my arm works.... and I'm apparently not alone.

 

[ryguyfi]

yeah thats pretty much it. I can kind of compare it to throwing a baseball side arm. you get a little bit of action, thus making the leader curve at the end of the cast. I probably did it more on accident than on purpose... but if you say it's a specialized cast maybe i'm just a natural pro lol. I actually worked a little bit doing it on my back cast too for equal but opposite conditions... being able to flip it the other way. More just being bored when the fish weren't biting...

Ryan

 

[Wulff-Man]

I accidentally used the curve cast before I knew it was a specialized cast, too! The experts even have articles on how to do it: http://flyfisherman.com/skills/jrcurvecast/

Here are some instructions on the reach cast: http://flyfisherman.com/skills/jbreachmend/