Wet Fly Fishing Techniques

[the.atmos 0]

I recently saw this posted by Orvis in my Facebook newsfeed:

 

http://www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing/pro-tip-dont-swing-that-wet-fly/

 

I've fished single, double, even triple nymph rigs, hopper-copper-droppers, flymph and midges, streamers, buggers, even a crease fly! But I've never fished a wet fly other than the well-established Partridge and Orange.

 

It always seemed to me the "Old World" way of fly fishing. Not that it's a bad thing - it's amazing our sport has such a rich and storied history. Then again, no one ever talks/fishes wets nearly as much as other styles.

 

So I'm asking, does anyone fish wet flies? And if so, how do you fish it? After watching the video, I felt stupid saying to myself, "I had no idea you could fish it that way..."

 

 

[Crackaig 0]

Guilty!

Presuming you are talking wet flies on rivers.

I cast up and across using as long a rod as I can wield in the space available. If I can get away with it I'll use an 11 footer. Then track the flies down stream, maintaining as long a drag free drift as possible. As the flies track down the lifting of the rod becomes the lift into a roll cast for the next drift.

 

Alternately I will cast at 45 degrees up and across, throwing a big mend into the line just before it lands. Then use the rod to track the flies down to about 45 degrees across and down. Again dead drift.

 

The traditional North Country Wets will hold enough water throughout this process to sing 3 or 4 inches, That is usually enough. It is very much like searching the water with a dry fly only you can't see the fly or the take! Strike at the slightest hesitation of the line.

 

Remember there is no creature under 1/2" long that lives in a river that has the power to swim across a slow to moderate current. Therefore if you fish the flies on the swing you are not fishing them imitatively.

 

Cheers,

C.

[tidewaterfly 0]

Not too much now, but did some at one time. I don't get the opportunity or time to chase trout much. Too many other things going on & trout waters are not as near to me.

When I was younger & had more of both time & opportunity, when I was after trout I primarily used terrestrials, streamers, nymphs & wet flies. Most of the wet flies I've had success with were of the soft hackle type, but there are a few of the more classic wets that I became fond of as well.

 

As far as fishing them, the down & across swing is what I've done most often. However, knowing that fish of any species often need to be prodded into striking, I've also tried retrieves of various cadences & strip lengths.

 

As much as I enjoy fishing, I don't enjoy monotony or pointless repetition. To keep casting & fishing a fly in the same manner over & over, and particularly when not having much success is not something I'll pursue very long. Being more of a tidal & warmwater angler anyway, I've resorted to "unconventional" at times with trout. Doesn't always work out, but has enough times to cause me to believe that sticking with tradition for the sake of tradition is not necessarily a good approach.

 

I think about the only thing I haven't tried with wet flies is a two handed fast strip, like some might use for speedy saltwater species.

 

If you look at some of the older "classic" bass flies, and various Steelhead & Salmon flies, they're nothing more than big wet flies. There's also some gray area about some even being streamers depending on how you define each. These flies are often fished with a down & across swing, but not always. Sometimes they're stripped aggressively too. Why confine the use of the smaller trout size wet fly to a single approach?

 

For many species when trying to figure out what they want, you have to try different things. That's been my approach no matter what type of fly I decide to use.

 

BTW, I tried the multiple fly rigs too, but have settled on a single fly. Too many tangles & wasn't worth it to me. I know it can be very effective, but I would rather fish a single fly with as much concentration as I can to accurately place it where I think it needs to be and fish it accordingly, than try to cast those multiple flies & hope one of the flies might be seen by the intended target. Besides that, here in MD only 2 flies are legal & I can cast a single fly better than I could the two.

[mikechell 0]

Here's where I show my lack of interest in history.

To me, any fly fish below the surface is a wet fly. I fish my Attractor and my other sinking flies pretty much the same. Get it in the water where I want it, let it sink to the bottom if I can. Retrieve it in different ways until I get a hit. Slow and tiny little twitches ... slow but with long pulls in between ... fast twitches, never actually stopping the bait ... two hand retrieve as fast as I can.

 

The slow, tiny twitches are usually the most effective.

[hairwing 0]

If you are interested, a couple of really great books that I learned from are available from ABE's ....Trout by Ray Bergman, and How to Fish From Top to Bottom, by Sid Gordon. You can get them for less than 7 bucks from ABE.

 

You will find the dead drift technique in Trout.

 

Like all fly fishing you have to be able to detect when the fish has taken your fly; and the best way to show the fly to a fish is the way the bugs act...naturally. Presentation is so important !

[FlaFly 0]

Like Mike, I always assumed anything that didn't float was a wet fly (streamers, clousers, etc.).

 

Unlike Mike, I'm immensely interested in history. In anything that I'm interested in enough to do it, I want to know all about how it developed. Keep bringing it on!

[tidewaterfly 0]

FlaFly nothing wrong with either approach. I like to know some of the history as well. We all do as we enjoy!

[Piker20 0]

Anything intended to fish below the surface is a wet fly. Please don't think that spiders are wet flies alone or that wet flies are all spiders. To some, spiders are held aloft upon their very seperate podium.

I guess to make our lives easier we split flies into nymphs, lures, loch style, emergers, etc etc.

[the.atmos 0]

Anything intended to fish below the surface is a wet fly. Please don't think that spiders are wet flies alone or that wet flies are all spiders. To some, spiders are held aloft upon their very seperate podium.

I guess to make our lives easier we split flies into nymphs, lures, loch style, emergers, etc etc.

Oh no, I wasn't saying that spiders were the sole category of wets; merely that it was the only wet fly type that I know that people still fish rather frequently. I asked this whole question to see if there were any wet flies (in the traditional sense) and fishing techniques that were fished by anyone here.

 

I do have to admit, I do not know another (traditional) wet fly other than the partridge and orange.

[shoebop 0]

I fish wet flies (soft hackles) quite often and with good results. They are quite versatile as the article says. There are quite a few good books on this topic that I would recommend you read. This is a subject that is not suitable for short trite answers on a forum like this. I would dedicate your winter to studying this subject. Start by reading this book:

 

Also, get your hands on anything by Oliver Edwards...videos and books.

[squire123 0]

Yes I tie them and yes I fish them using whatever technique seems appropriate at the time.

[the.atmos 0]

I fish wet flies (soft hackles) quite often and with good results. They are quite versatile as the article says. There are quite a few good books on this topic that I would recommend you read. This is a subject that is not suitable for short trite answers on a forum like this. I would dedicate your winter to studying this subject. Start by reading this book:

 

Also, get your hands on anything by Oliver Edwards...videos and books.

Awesome, thank you for your answer. It is definitely on my to-do list this winter. Anything to keep away the cabin fever.

[Piker20 0]

Wet flies I consistantly fish are

Greenwells Glory

March Brown

invicta Silver and other var.

[ikerajala 0]

The small streams I frequent only allow me to fish a downstream presentation. There are so many logs and overhanging trees bushes. I guess I kind of let my

 

wet drift downstream. When it gets to the end of its line or travel I let it dance around in the current. I usually feed out just enough line to reach a trout lay, Pool,

 

Under log jam, Etc. I cant get enoug of the olive colored wet flies. Like a olive dubbed soft hackle w/ regular partridge hackle. Of course a hare's mask as the collar

 

or abdomen of this special little fly. Another is the "emerger" style of flies. In olive. With Dun CDC Wingbuds. Hans Weilen man is very creative with all these wet flies

 

and is worth a look.

[vicrider 0]

Here's where I show my lack of interest in history.

To me, any fly fish below the surface is a wet fly. I fish my Attractor and my other sinking flies pretty much the same. Get it in the water where I want it, let it sink to the bottom if I can. Retrieve it in different ways until I get a hit. Slow and tiny little twitches ... slow but with long pulls in between ... fast twitches, never actually stopping the bait ... two hand retrieve as fast as I can.

 

The slow, tiny twitches are usually the most effective.

Okay Mike, I've seen this hand over hand retrieve in salt several times catch fish (videos). I've tried it on smallmouth but no success yet. Think there may be times it could work since I've caught them reeling a bait as fast as a 6.2/1 reel could. What I've wondered since you've done this...it must be a hellofa smash when you're doublehanding that line at that speed. Years ago I was reeling in a bait as fast as I could with a spinning rod to cast back to the "good" water. A Chinook Salmon of around 20#s smashed my bait so hard I almost lost the rod. Arms outstretched and holding the rod by the end behind the reel that had been between my fingers and line tearing off as he headed back to Lake Michigan. Got control of things like the rod, the line, and my heart and landed the fish but never had a hit like that before or since. I would have to think doublehanding line in at speed could result in something like that. Getting control of the rod, line and handle would have to be a big of a Chinese fire drill until all settled down.