New to Swinging Wet Flies

[Hooksleft]

Hello! I'm in Idaho but it is my understanding you PA'ers are the best at swinging ways. I've been fly fishing 3 years (ocean fishing 20+ prior to my move). About 3 months ago I started swinging wet flies. I've never had more fun fishing. I truly love it better than dry or Euro. Anyway, I have some North Country Spiders en route. Questions...
1) Poly leaders, yes or no? If yes, floating, 1.6 IPS or the 6+ IPS? My water is typically shin deep to max pockets of 4' with lots of rifles
2) Furled Leaders yes or no? If yes, floatant on the leader or no
3) Mono vs Fluorocarbon
4) when to use soft hackles vs traditional winged wet?
5) How do you use Traditional Wet Fly Streamers? Like any streamer or ???
6) When to use split shot vs a tungsten soft hackle
I've yet to run into 1 person in Boise that swings Wet flies so any input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Hooksleft]

One more thing...my current rod is an Orvis Encounter 9' 5wt with Cortland Peach DT5. Was considering getting a 10' 4wt Moderate Fast rod. Is that a good choice?

 

[Oregon_OwlII]

Don't overthink it. I weight my wets, usually tied in soft hackle style. If you can get any books by Sylvester Nemes, all your wet fly desires will be satisfied.

 

[redietz]

I fish wets almost exclusively. Here's what works for me. YMMV.

1) I use polyleaders in the winter, but generally not year round. I have a wallet full of them, so that I can change to different sink rates for different depths. I'll occasionally use a floating one if I'm in a spot where I'm mostly (single handed) spey casting.

2) I don't use them.

3) Mono.

4) Why not use both -- a soft hackle on point and a winged top dropper?

5) It depends. Sometimes I just swing them; sometimes I use an active retrieve. One thing you can is mend downstream to make the fly come across the stream, giving the fish a profile view.

6) Again, only in the winter.

Further question) I tend to get better hookups on a slower rod. A longer rod can be an advantage, for one thing it's easier to work the top dropper above the surface. That said, most of my wet swinging is done with a 7'6" or 8" cane rod, so a long rod isn't absolutely required.

 

[dc410]

I truly enjoy wet fly fishing and it has become my preferred method over the past many years. I find it to be a very relaxing and effective way to fly fish.

1) I don’t use poly leaders.

2) I don’t use furled leaders for fishing wets. I tie all of my own leaders. They are constructed totally out of Maxima material (Chameleon - for the butt section, Ultragreen - for the mid and tippet). (2) small dropper loops are incorporated and it ends with a small tippet ring. My point fly is then tied off of the tippet ring - on about 18-24” of 3 or 4 lb. Ultragreen.

3) Mono

4) I mostly use soft hackle style files, but I do occasionally mix in some traditional winged wet flies such as a March Brown or a Leadwing Coachman.

5) I will constantly change my presentation until I dial in how the fish want it at that particular time. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. I will fish them down and across on the swing, dead drift them, straight upstream on the drift right back to me, sometimes they want it totally on the drag straight downstream. Use your rod tip to position your flies into seams, behind rocks, through pockets, etc. with an occasional bump or strip to impart some action to your flies. Also using a finger of your rod hand to bump your rod throughout your presentation can send vibrations down through your entire rig which can be very effective at times.

6) I generally don’t use split shot. I will weight some of my flies when I tie them but I don’t put tungsten beads on my wet flies. I’m a bit of a traditionalist in that regard. A wet fly with a bead is actually a nymph. A single split shot can create a colossal mess out of one of my leaders in a few seconds.

Additional question: I mainly use a 9’ 5 weight outfit to fish wet flies. However, I certainly can see that some additional length on the rod could be an advantage in some situations. I would lean a bit more toward a softer action instead of a faster action rod. The softer action can act as a bit of a shock absorber when a fish turns on one of your flies and absolutely crushes it while you are already on a fairly tight line.

My confidence wet fly is the Breadcrust which I generally run on the point. This is an extremely effective pattern that fish just can’t seem to resist. I wish you the best in your wet fly fishing adventures.

Breadcrust