Dec 12 2006
DRY FLY PATTERNS
Dry fly fishing is the most exciting aspect of fly fishing. The reason i say that is because you see the strike and the violent splash and this really turns on the adrenaline. Once you have learned to cast there is nothing more exhilarating. The dry flies that i will list will be for lake use, not to say that they cannot be used in rivers,but for now i will concentrate on lake fishing.
1-Sedges. Sedge fishing is by far my favorite type of fishing, the strike can be explosive. Fishing a sedge is done on a full dry line so that the sedge will float high in the water. Once you have tied on a sedge you should apply some fly floatant to help it ride nice and high. Sedge fishing is sight fishing (kinda) once you see a rise you cast in that direction. I have found that when the sedge hatch is on and the fish are targeting them your cast does not have to be exact. The fish go a little loopy and a heavy cast usually does not scare them off. Cast your sedge in the direction of a rise, then wait 5-10 seconds then start retrieving with sharp 2-3″ pulls. I have found that if there hasn’t been a strike within the first 15-20 pulls there usually won’t be one, pull in and re-cast. Sedges will usually start there hatch mid day, but i have found over the years that fishing from 6pm until midnight is the best time for this. After dark you will need to listen for the rises and cast toward them, once your fly is out there if you hear a splash in the direction of you fly try to set your hook. Now this might not be a strike at your fly, it may be a fish going for a real on, re cast in the same direction as quick as possible and start again. Sedge fishing is usually best from Mid June thru until Sept depending on elevation.
2-Tom Thumb. Tom Thumbs are another one of those flies that represent many insects. They represent sedges,may flies,adult midges (Chronies), along with many others. It is probably the most versatile fly in your box. It can be fished in many ways, you can fish them like you fish the sedge, you can fish them on a dry line with a very slow twitch style retrieve. Another way is to troll,yes troll them on a dry line with lots of line out. I found out about this by accident, i was casting my tom thumb into a shoal without much luck so i decided to move. I left my line out and kicked to the next spot and bang Fish on. I thought that it was B.S luck so i tried it again and bang Fish on, from that point on i have always trolled my Tom Thumb when moving from spot to spot.
3- May Flies. May flies are another summer time staple for trout. Like i have said before every fisherman has their favorites, this is not one of mine. Mayflies are a very productive way of fishing, but for some reason i have not got into them. I do know that the retrieve is very very slow and perhaps this is the reason i do not like to fish with them. I am one of those guys that isn’t the most patient in the world. I suggest that you try to us these, but you will have to read up on techniques on how to.
I hope that i have givin you some insite to the world of dry flies. Good luck all.
NEXT: Chironimids
Wishing eveyone tight lines and tons of fish.
