Wings on Dry Flies

[Crackaig 0]

On one river (Lune) under very particular conditions, flies with a traditional feather slip wing did have a distinct advantage over those with "lighter" wings or without wings. It was late on a very sunny evening, with the sun at a very low angle to the water. Only flies that had a distinct shadow cast by the wing were taken. Anything else was rejected.

 

That is the one and only time I have known slip wings out perform other "more modern" patterns.

Cheers,

C.

[AK Skim 0]

Lets face it, some winged fly patterns catch more fishermen than fish.

 

For you technical type ..

 

Fuge capere exemplaria magis quam piscium piscatores.

[FrequentTyer 0]

To draw any specific conclusions you need to perform controlled studies on a large number of feeding fish and be able to repeat it consistently. No one will ever likely do that due to the costs and time involved

Nature has already done the study for us. The vast majority of mayfly duns consumed by trout since the species first learned to swim have had wings. Of course its not a controlled study, so we should all feel completely comfortable ignoring millennia of evolution and catch the stupid beasts with whatever strikes our fancy:-)

The biggest mistake people make in this hobby is to fall for the tying for fish/fisherman dichotomy. Tie flies for yourself. If you are happy, then your flies are perfect.

[Piker20 0]

I'm not sure God gave mayflies wings just so fish can eat them, of course He would know that all this time later we would think our flies looked pretty with a wing on.

[Hellgrammite 0]

Catskill dry not working, cause it sits to high? Trim the hackles on the bottom so it sits lower. Still not working? Hack those hackles down to shreds, and fish it in the surface film. Still not working? Are they eating midges, or spinners of another species you dont see? Are they eating nymphs? Might they be coaxed to taking them anyway? Maybe if i do not have the "right" dry, I can drift a wet fly just under the surface. If a dry wont connect, changing to a completely different approach can be just as good (and often better) than switching the fly. Maybe a unweighted nymph in the film, and let it drift. Maybe lift and let it fall, like one running up and down. Often, this'll work just as well (or better) than changing dries a bunch of times. Sometimes it wont.

 

I tie flies that I enjoy tying and that I think are pretty. If one dry fly is 1/10 as effective as another under the same conditions, I have to suspect a LOT of culprits (like, usually myself and my presentation, and are they really eating what I think they are) before I narrow it down to only the pattern style itself. Does it happen? Yeah, I'm sure, once in a while, it does. Is it frequent enough for ME to carry 2 or 3 different styles of a given fly? Mmmmm.... I dont know? Wings help me see my fly, too, which with my poor eyes, is a big help.

 

Clear as mud, see!?