FISHING DRY FLIES BY JOHN BERRY

Spring is almost over and I must say that it has been a bit of a disappointment to me in the dry fly fishing category, so far. For me, the caddis hatch has been a big bust. The hatch was late and when it did come the Corps of Engineers was running two or three generators and the trout were not interested in feeding on the surface, when they were running that much water. I did not have one decent day fishing dries during the caddis hatch. However hope springs eternal and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the sulphur hatch, our best mayfly hatch of the year. It should be noted that it is late. There have been some sightings but to my knowledge no one has been able to key in on this hatch yet. My ace in the hole for dry fly fishing is grasshopper time! The key to success with dry flies is to be prepared. There are a few things to consider.

First is observation. The best time to fish dries is during a hatch. The thing to look for is fish actively taking adult aquatic insects off the surface. The concept is to match the hatch or to imitate the insect with a dead on fly that looks just like the bug. The best way to do this is to catch an insect and carefully study it. You then go through your fly boxes and find the best match based on size, shape and color.

Size is absolutely the most important criteria. Often just finding a fly that is the right size is all that matters. I have fished an elk hair caddis during a sulphur hatch (a mayfly) and have caught fish on it. Shape refers to whether the fly you are fishing is shaped like the insect that is coming off (caddis, midge, mayfly or stone fly, etc.). When you match color, turn the actual insect over and match the color of the bottom of the bug. Remember that the trout are looking up and viewing it from the bottom.

Once you select the best match that you have for the hatch, it is time to rig it or attach it to your fly rod and prepare it for fishing. I generally fish a dry fly on a twelve foot leader/tippet combination ending in 5X (6X for small flies and 4X for large ones).  That allows for slack in the line, when it is on the water, which accommodates a drag free drift. I tie the fly on with an improved clinch knot and the carefully dress the fly with a good fly floatant. Only use a drop or two. The idea is to waterproof the fly not saturate it.

Now pick out a rising trout. The best approach is to cast the fly to land gently on the water about eighteen inches upstream of the fish and have it drift downstream drag free over it. This is easier said than done. The problem is drag. A trout stream does not have a consistent flow all of the way across it. There will be sections where the water is faster or slower than the water nearby. This is called complex currents. If the fly line is caught by these faster or slower currents it can cause a bow in the line which will speed up or slow the fly. If the fly is not moving at the exact same speed as the current it is in, it will not look natural to the trout.

 To compensate for the different speeds of the currents in a stream, we mend the line. That is we gently lift the line off of the water (without moving the fly) and move it up or down stream to compensate for the difference in current speed. If the fly is in slower water and the line is in faster water, we mend the fly line upstream. If the fly is in faster water and the line is in slower water, we mend the fly line downstream. Sometimes you have to experiment with the mend, in order to get a perfect downstream drift.  It is sometimes necessary to mend multiple times.

When the fly passes over the trout in a perfect drag free drift, it rises to the surface to take a look. If there is no take, this is a refusal. If there is a take, set the hook. This is often where things go astray. When you see the take, the adrenalin kicks in and there is a tendency to set the hook too quickly. I frequently lose the first couple of trout because I set the hook too fast. The trick is to wait a second after the take to allow the trout to close its mouth and leave the surface of the water. This is the longest second in fly fishing. This is further exacerbated by the necessity for a quick hook set when fishing nymphs, a technique that we employ much more often than fishing dry flies.

You must also consider slack in the line. While it is imperative that you must have enough slack in the line to achieve a perfect drag free drift, you must have a tight enough line so that you can set the hook when you have a take. This is often a thin line when fishing dries.

Keep these suggestions in mind and you will be ready the next time you run into a hatch. I am ready and waiting!