traditional wet

[foambug 0]

i live here in colorado ,,,my question is to fish traditioanal wets next year (bergman,mom,ect)for trout .....1. i need recomendations on flies to present ,,,it is scarey because most flies start at 16 an go smaller an alot of wets are at 14 so i just need some advice on this one

[Brian Brown75 0]

Ive never fished over there but, a good pattern ive had sucess with is the partridge and orange, i think you can tie it all the way up to a 12

[utyer 0]

Pick up a copy of Ray Bergman's Trout. One should be in every fly anglers library. Most libraries will have a copy. When this book was first published, the most common sizes were much larger than a 16, but you can still tie many of the more basic patterns in a size 14, or 16. Look through the fly plates and pick the more buggy looking and simple patterns. Many will have mallard flank wing, and a "beard" hackle tied under the throat.

 

I would reccomend the more natural looking patterns, like the Black Gnat, Black Prince, Blue Dun, Brown Mallard, Cahill, Leadwing Coachman etc. There is one pattern called the Concher on plate 2. This pattern is tied with a red quill slip tail, and floss body with a matching wing made from several strands of the same floss (this should be brushed out into individual strands.) This pattern is shown with Green floss body and wing, but there is no reason not to tie in in many other colors as well try olive, orange and yellow.

 

Any of the Hackle only patterns should do very well. Traditional "soft hackles" have worked very well for me in Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah for may years. Soft hackles are tied with bodies made of floss fur dubbing, and herls. The hackles are most often Hungarian Partridge, but small Hen Pheasant breast will work, and hen saddle hackle will provide a reasomable substitute. The hen hackles come in many colors, and the larger ones in the appropriate colors will make fine hackles for your "traditional" wet flies as well.

 

There are over 400 wet fly patterns in Trout, and many are quite complex and quite a few are very "gaudy." I like to use the patterns that use speckeled wings and hackles, and natural colored tails. Use hen saddles for tails and hackles, fur dubbing, for bodies, and mallard flank, pheasant or turkey for the wings, and make up your own patterns.

[primitivepete 0]

Soft hackles have been a recent discovery for me, and they've changed the way I fish and tie. From what I can tell, anything that will pulse in the water and look alive will catch a trout, even if it doesn't really match a natural bug. I love the Bergman style flies, but can't tie them that well, so i just improvise. A partridge feather and thread can accomplish a lot from size 8 to 18. Check out this site for inspiration:

 

http://www.danica.com/FLYTIER/hweilenmann/hweilenmann.htm

 

I like the swing presentation way better than dead drifting a nymph under an indicator too. It's easier and the strikes are hard hitting. Plus I wonder if fish respond to it so well because their eyes are on the sides of their head, not the front, and they sense the movement across the water current toward them better than coming straight on. Who knows, but it works.

[primitivepete 0]

http://www.flyfishnw.com/ my other favorite wet fly website. These work really well.

[planettrout 0]

i live here in colorado ,,,my question is to fish traditioanal wets next year (bergman,mom,ect)for trout .....1. i need recomendations on flies to present ,,,it is scarey because most flies start at 16 an go smaller an alot of wets are at 14 so i just need some advice on this one

 

 

The suggestion to pick up a copy of Bergman's "Trout" is a good one. Not only do the plates show the patterns, the book contains a wealth of information on the use of the patterns...it also got me started in this ongoing process back in 1974. Don Bastian is currently putting together 483 of Bergman's patterns taken from his three books here:

 

http://donbastianwetflies.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/the-ray-bergman-collection-by-don-bastian/

 

A number of them are already completed...

 

 

LEARN the specific hatches that occur on the waters that are intended to be fished in CO - Bergman probably put his patterns in many of those same places - and match your tying efforts to those insects. Some time spent in research and reading will be MOST rewarding !!!

 

 

Good tying!!!

 

 

PT/TB

[DUBBN 0]

Whiting Hen Hackles

 

[Crackleback 0]

In no particular order here's my favorites.

 

Winged

1. Alexandra, there's tons of variations and every one works

2. Hare's ear

3. Invicta, especially when caddis are about. Silver Invictas can be good too.

4. Blae and Black

5. Muddler Daddy, not necessarily a traditional wet but a devastating top dropper at times

6. Greenwell's Glory

7. March Brown

8. Whickham's Fancy

9. Various Clyde style wets for mayfly hatches

 

Spiders/Soft-hackles

1. Cock-y-bonddu beetle, great top dropper when terrestrials are around

2. Partridge and Orange/Yellow/Olive/Any color Pearsall's you want, they all have their days

3. Red Ass

4. Stewart's Black Spider

5. Snipe and Olive, if you can't find snipe, starling or dun hen are decent subs, good BWO fly

6. Hare's Ear Soft Hackle

7. Waterhen Bloa

8. Reid's Assassin, great for midges, good general attractor too

9. Starling and Peacock, another good midge fly, can be tied really small

10. All kinds of random patterns I've made up. Make up your own. Just keep them slim and sparse and they'll catch fish

 

Honorable Mentions

1. Peter Ross, for some reason I do well with these in the Fall but not so much the rest of the year

2. Snipe and Purple, seasonal again, works good for me in the Winter

 

-Mike

[redietz 0]

The advice about Bergman is great, except that I will add "try to ignore the plates." Read his text list of recommended wet flies instead, and go from there. He points out the flies in the color plates are more than any sane person would carry, and I suspect that many of them saw limited use even in his day. (OTOH, if you're interested more in tying for show rather than throw, the plates will be a good source of inspiration.)

 

I fish traditional wets on a regular basis, and here are the one that I use the most:

 

Winged:

 

Leadwing Coachman

Dark Hendrickson (it's not just for Hendrickson hatches)

Wickham's Fancy

Little Marryat (sulphur/pmd imitation)

March Brown

Light Cahill wet

 

Soft Hackles:

 

Partridge & Orange

Grouse & Herl (similar to a Brown Hackle Peacock)

Snipe & Purple

Light Spanish Needle

Waterhen Bloa

Pheasant Tail soft hackle

Stewart's Black Spider