Fishing an Emerger - With Success

[TLoomis]

Hi, I was wondering what the right technique is for fishing an emerger. Do I let is float, or break the surface. Thanks in advance

BTW, sorry if this should go in tips. :-(

 

[JackM]

I think the answer is that you can do either and the fish may tell you which is best. There are a variety of emerger patterns that may also dictate the ease of presenting it in one of the two ways you mentioned. A Klinkhammer, for instance is thought of as an emerger, but it isn't designed to ride completely under the surface, just the lower half. Was there a particular pattern you are wondering about?

 

[MKern]

I depends on what the pattern is. There is surface emerger (which I prefer) like the klinkhamer and a lot of patterns with trailing shucks and subsurface, like a soft hackle or sparkling caddis emerger.

A surface emerger will usually have dry fly hackle, while a subsurface will usually have saddle hackle; if any at all.

 

[tomgamber]

I don;t really go out with teh intention of fishing them..I see rises, I fish dries...if they won;t take the dry, they must be feeding just below or int eh film and possibly emergers are the ticket...maybe its nymphs just under teh surface... They are just a step in a process for me...

 

[TLoomis]

Something like this

 

[Padraic]

One way to tell where the trout are feeding is to watch the riseforms. This is discussed extensively in In the Ring of the Rise by Vince Marinaro. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly now.

 

[JackM]

That particular emerger could probably be fished both ways. The CDC will keep the back out of the water, but if you pull it under a bit, it will probably hang just below the film or even pop back to the surface. I remember Maurice insisting upon using the pull under and pop up technique with CDC sulfur emergers, maybe he can elaborate.

 

[Maurice]

JackM wrote:
That particular emerger could probably be fished both ways. The CDC will keep the back out of the water, but if you pull it under a bit, it will probably hang just below the film or even pop back to the surface. I remember Maurice insisting upon using the pull under and pop up technique with CDC sulfur emergers, maybe he can elaborate.

I stumbled upon this method trying to fish eddies across a bumpy run. I saw fish rising over there and would cast to them but the current would take the flyline down stream. This would cause the fly to submerge and swing downstream and when I pulled it a little and let it go slack it would pop up. When the fly hit the surface the fish would smack it. Then I started using this technique more often.

 

[JustFish]

Maurice,

Great technique! I have had great days using this technique. I have also found that even if your fly has a little weight on it you can pop the emerger so to speak. What I do is lift the rod tip up slowly which is just moving the fly through the water column. Nothing fancy or hard to do, but it works.

 

[PaulG]

Maurice, justfish

I'll have to give that a try...thanks

PaulG

 

[tomgamber]

Maurice wrote:

I stumbled upon this method trying to fish eddies across a bumpy run. I saw fish rising over there and would cast to them but the current would take the flyline down stream. This would cause the fly to submerge and swing downstream and when I pulled it a little and let it go slack it would pop up. When the fly hit the surface the fish would smack it. Then I started using this technique more often.

I do this as well...but found it by accident due to a combination of poor casts and that CDC is just so damn buoyant...but it works...

 

[Padraic]

Maurice,

Try that with a fly tied with Snowshoe instead of CDC!! It's much more bouyant, and you can dry off the snowshoe more easily.

 

[Maurice]

I do Pad...I tie the snowshoe as a comparadun and it does the same thing. 5 years ago I bought two feet from the J-man. Should last me til I retire.

Snowshoe is an awesome comapradun wing for flies smaller than a #14