How do you rig for spider type wet flies

[heavynets 0]

Just wondering how most of you rig for swinging spider type wet flies for trout. Do you use sinking lines, weight, multiple flies, etc? Any particular fly or color that really works?

[Crackaig 0]

I don't swing them! In the words of Pritt, "'Tis the devil's work, my son, and do not let me catch you about it."

The problem is spider flies are imitative. No insect of a size to be imitated by spiders can fight against the current. If you are going to fish an imitative fly why not fish it in an imitative manor?

 

My preferred set up would be a rod of 10'+ a short furled thread leader of 4' or 5' greased to float. A tippet of 9' with two droppers evenly spaced. Three flies point, middle and bob. Make short searching casts up or across and up stream. As the flies drift down track with the rod. Watch the tip of the furled leader like a hawk. As the flies pass you you can continue to track down stream by lowering the rod tip. This is what Oliver Edwards calls "fishing the escalator". Usually only "soft" roll casts are used. This is partly because it is all that you need to do, and partly to not let the flies dry out when they flick around at the end of the cast.

 

There are various other ways to fish them, you can include one on a cast of Czech nymphs, for example. The thing though is to fish them dead drift so they imitate the insects they imitate.

Cheers,

C.

[Stevester 0]

What Crackaig said, if you are fishing during the time of year when insects are hatching (generally April to October in my neck of the woods). If you feel that you need to go deeper in the water column you can always mix weighted flies with spiders and other soft hackles. You still need to dead drift them for most situations but don't be surprised by the occasional fish taking the fly when you start to lift at the end of the drift to start your forward cast. During non-hatch times I spend a lot of time with a bead head and soft hackle/spider as the dropper.

 

Steve

[shoebop 0]

I agree with Crackaig and Steve. I fish them like I would a dry fly...up and across mostly. However, unlike a dry fly, I can continue to fish the fly after the dead drift by letting the fly go subsurface and let it swing. If this doesn't produce any strikes then I will try try the down and across with a bit of weight.

[starsky 0]

Watch Oliver Edwards on youtube or even better get a hold of his DVD's. He demonstrates brilliantly the techniques for fishing spiders!

[Rocco 0]

When I first started in this game -- 50+ years ago... gulp! -- there was a particular non-imitative dry fly called a skater,

 

It consisted of an up-eyed smaller -- then -- hook, say 16 or 18, with an over-large -- 2-4x over normal --, stiff, cock hackle wound at the middle, balance point of the hook. That's all. It was meant to dance on the hackle tips at the end of a long, fine, tippet across moderate to fast currents and had a rep for drawing smashing strikes from big wily browns.

 

It has all but disappeared from contemporary experts' discussions of the art but I suspect some old gaffers still ply them with success but keep it quiet.

 

Any dedicated users here?

 

Rocco