To Dry Fly or Die?

[lucfish]

I really enjoy discussions like this. I hope I don't fall into the crusty old pharts category, but I can related to some of that.

briansII

Me too Brian. That's what I like about this forum, it's about fishing, not sidetracked with all the other "stuff"
Remember that time we fished the Walker together? I would watch you fish dries and pick up a few fish, then it was my turn. I knew if I fished dries right after you flogging that water, would have only gotten casting practice, so I nymphed fish the runs and picked up a few if I recall. That was a fun couple of days.

[FIGHTONSC]

I really enjoy discussions like this. I hope I don't fall into the crusty old pharts category, but I can related to some of that.

briansII

Me too Brian. That's what I like about this forum, it's about fishing, not sidetracked with all the other "stuff"
Remember that time we fished the Walker together? I would watch you fish dries and pick up a few fish, then it was my turn. I knew if I fished dries right after you flogging that water, would have only go casting practice, so I nymphed fish the runs and picked up a few if I recall. That was a fun couple of days.

Ditto, Luc/Brian...I love getting feedback and following the trips and adventures of the guys and gals who frequent this board!

Since I have only been fly fishing for 8 or so years, just the act of catching fish with a fly is a rush for me.
FWIW, I have yet to see this mythical "HATCH"! LOL!

You've been bitten by the bug, Bob! Thank God there is no cure!

As for the "hatch", it will happen and in some cases you will be able to see and hear it when it does!

Love the interaction, guys!

Jeff

[Dry Fly Rie]

Love this topic and really enjoy the dialogue taking place...

My moniker on this site will tell you which way I lean on this one, but I'm not sure I have a really "deep" explanation as to why I prefer fishing the dry so much. All I can say, is that most of the time (when fishing for trout), I will persist in throwing dries as long as I feel like I'm enjoying myself, and at least have a chance at catching a fish or two. On a day where nothing is happening on top, and I'm happy with my casts and drifts, I'll try some subsurface stuff, but I just don't like doing it as much. Don't get me wrong, I want to catch fish. But I just ultimately enjoy it much more if it involves dry fly-takes.

I started using a fly rod when I was 10 or 11, and at the time, I used it primarily to fish worms (mostly on the San Joaquin) or live grasshoppers (I know, not exactly a purist's approach to "fly fishing"). For several years, I would "nymph" fish with bait, dead drifting it with no weight or indicator. I learned how to read the drift and feel or see the subsurface strike. And I got to be successful with it and had a blast catching lots of fish. As I got older, I came to appreciate the challenge and beauty of making a perfect cast, getting a perfect drift, and visually seeing the reward in a the form of an angry slash from below.

For most of my life, the majority of my fly fishing for trout has taken place on the perfect little creeks and streams of the Eastside, where a dry is almost always sufficient to catch a bunch of beautiful fish. Recently, I've started fishing other places and bodies of water, and I'm quickly learning that I need to adapt to my surroundings if I want to continue catching fish and having a great experience. It is, however, begrudgingly that I start using nymphs more often.

Just my 2 cents...

[FIGHTONSC]

For most of my life, the majority of my fly fishing for trout has taken place on the perfect little creeks and streams of the Eastside, where a dry is almost always sufficient to catch a bunch of beautiful fish. Recently, I've started fishing other places and bodies of water, and I'm quickly learning that I need to adapt to my surroundings if I want to continue catching fish and having a great experience. It is, however, begrudgingly that I start using nymphs more often.

Rie,
I was just like you, where I had a real comfort zone fishing the Southern California creeks and the east side of the Sierras exclusively with dries. My awakening occurred one summer when a buddy and I decided to fish Idaho and Montana for a couple of weeks before reporting to our college football camps.

So off we went in an old Dodge pickup to Dillon, Montana. We had read an article about the large Browns and Rainbows that inhabited the waters on the private section of the Red Rock Ranch so we decided to drive in and inquire about fishing it. It was way out of our price range, but they had a cancellation and the owner could see that both of us together couldn't rub two nickels together, so he let us fish a one mile beat for fifty or sixty bucks.

We excitedly get on the river and literally throw every dry fly in our fly boxes at them for four hours. We only caught two small Rainbows each even though we can see these huge fish in every riffle and pool. We walked back to the truck to have lunch and a beer and the owner pulled up and asked how we were doing. We said not too well, so he opened his streamer box up and gave each of us two size 2 heavily-weighted Micky Finn streamers and told us to shorten our leaders and to hold on....the light bulb went on that day and I've been a lot more adaptive since, especially fishing unfamiliar waters.

Glad you enjoy the topic,

Jeff

[BrownBear]

One other aspect to consider-

Fishing dries can be as technical or more so than nymphing. You have to play casting and drag-fighting games like no other form of fly fishing. If you haven't been practicing your dry fly fishing and casting, you might as well keep on fishing nymphs and emergers when certain hatches are on, because you likely won't have the skills and insights to take advantage of all those bugs on the water. You'll be putting fish down every cast, while an experienced dry fly hucker is going to be having the time of his life fighting fish.

Are you going to wait till there's a hatch on to practice with dries, or are you going to work on it beforehand so you're ready?

[briansII]

I really enjoy discussions like this. I hope I don't fall into the crusty old pharts category, but I can related to some of that.

briansII

Me too Brian. That's what I like about this forum, it's about fishing, not sidetracked with all the other "stuff"
Remember that time we fished the Walker together? I would watch you fish dries and pick up a few fish, then it was my turn. I knew if I fished dries right after you flogging that water, would have only gotten casting practice, so I nymphed fish the runs and picked up a few if I recall. That was a fun couple of days.

We need to do that again. I don't travel to trout fish all that much these days, but I would do that again in a heartbeat.

briansII

[lucfish]

I really enjoy discussions like this. I hope I don't fall into the crusty old pharts category, but I can related to some of that.

briansII

Me too Brian. That's what I like about this forum, it's about fishing, not sidetracked with all the other "stuff"
Remember that time we fished the Walker together? I would watch you fish dries and pick up a few fish, then it was my turn. I knew if I fished dries right after you flogging that water, would have only gotten casting practice, so I nymphed fish the runs and picked up a few if I recall. That was a fun couple of days.

We need to do that again. I don't travel to trout fish all that much these days, but I would do that again in a heartbeat.

briansII

I heard that. Walker might be a problem, I would guess they need a couple more years of weather as they lost alot of fish in the system. From what I've heard from sources, what were 20 fish days are now 3 fish days, quality though.

[RichardCullip]

I do love to see the rise of a trout to take a well tossed dry fly. Who doesn't. However, since moving down to the San Diego area 4 years ago I haven't had much opportunity. Due to family situations almost all of my fly fishing is done on day trips and there just isn't much water to throw dry flies in within day trip range of San Diego. I also love to feel the tug of fish so I'm tossing weighted flies in SD Bay and on the beaches of SD County. In this way I still get to enjoy the rhythm of the fly fishing cast and get to feel the tug of hard fighting fish (usually). I enjoy employing whatever technique the water and the fish require from tossing small dry flies to wild trout in some Southern Sierra creek to feeding a size 4 CrazyDad pattern on a sinking line to hard tugging spotted bay bass. Oh, the places and species I've tossed a fly at would drive the dry fly purest to drink but I do so love the challenge of bringing a fly rod to all sorts of water.

[BrownBear]

Oh, the places and species I've tossed a fly at would drive the dry fly purest to drink but I do so love the challenge of bringing a fly rod to all sorts of water.

There ya go. Many places you just can't get to trout waters.

I realize that I may define "dry fly" a little different than most folks. For me, if it floats, it's dry- whether imitating insects, frogs, fish, even small birds.

We're fortunate to fish 12 months a year in about as many states, both freshwater and salt. Dry flies (as I define them) are a big part of that, because fish are often suckers for anything moving or sitting on the surface.

Last winter about half our Florida fishing was dries, especially Crease flies. To the best of my recollection I got snook, jacks, snapper and even a few tarpon on them. Talk about a hoot when any of those cut a hole in the surface. Back up in freshwater I caught bluegill, bass, snook and tarpon on dries too. Who knew that tarpon would hit a rubberleg frog pattern!

Here at home in Alaska I've managed to catch all 5 species of Pacific salmon plus steelhead on dries. Of course, the best dry for kings was a #2 floating Glo Bug waked across the surface in shallow water, but you never know what will work till you try it. In a "perversion" of dry fishing, sea run Dolly Varden mix with the swarming black schools of pink salmon in rivers, but ANY hook below the surface is going to snag a pink. Wake an EHC over the top of the schools though, and the Dollies roar right up to grab them. Similarly, pink salmon gather in those big black schools right in the river mouth, and any hook below the surface is going to snag up immediately. But put a mini Wog or Burning Man fly on and wake it over the school, and they come up to attack like alligators.

I guess my point is that a proscription AGAINST any means of fly fishing or prescription FOR one over all others is going to cost you. Not just in fish, but in fun. It pays to figure out how to make all of them work, then pick and choose between them as your mood and conditions dictate. I'm still just as happy to sit and watch fish as to fish for them, or to watch others catch fish when I know darned well I could be doing it too. Choosing not to fish at times is as entirely enjoyable as fishing.

[FIGHTONSC]

I enjoy employing whatever technique the water and the fish require from tossing small dry flies to wild trout in some Southern Sierra creek to feeding a size 4 CrazyDad pattern on a sinking line to hard tugging spotted bay bass.

Richard,

I'm in your camp now by "employing whatever technique the water and the fish require". A few of us have even dabbled in Czech Nymphing up here with a modicum of success. Different methods are fun to experiment with if time permits.

Thanks for jumping in,

Jeff

[FIGHTONSC]

I'm still just as happy to sit and watch fish as to fish for them, or to watch others catch fish when I know darned well I could be doing it too. Choosing not to fish at times is as entirely enjoyable as fishing.

Hank,

Those two sentences probably sum up the differences between youth and vigor versus maturity and experience. It's a pleasant experience to sit on the edge of the river and watch your buddy work and catch fish in a good glide, much like it is in watching your child master a difficult task and proceed towards adulthood!

Within our little group here, we often take turns fishing the productive stretches and get much more satisfaction by sitting out an inning or two than by playing the whole game.

Regards,

Jeff

[WanderingBlues]

This is all good stuff, keeping in mind there's a difference in fishing the dry and believing everyone else should be fishing the dry.

Like Bob, I've really started enjoying stripping wet flies and micro-streamers when possible. What a hoot.

[BrownBear]

Those two sentences probably sum up the differences between youth and vigor versus maturity and experience. It's a pleasant experience to sit on the edge of the river and watch your buddy work and catch fish in a good glide, much like it is in watching your child master a difficult task and proceed towards adulthood!

For me it tops any video in the world. I know guys who spend all day watching fishing videos, but think I'm nuts for watching the real thing. Call me a geezer, and proud of it!

This is all good stuff, keeping in mind there's a difference in fishing the dry and believing everyone else should be fishing the dry.

I think it's basic human nature to need to feel special like that. I know guys too, who think you're not a real man if you're caught without a switch or spey rod in your hand. Any time I hear someone feeling they're right and everyone else is wrong, I hear more about their insecurity than the state of the world.

[WanderingBlues]

How about this?

Fish in whatever manner honors the fish and the environment and fills your cup. Whether is be on the dry, or stripping big meat, wearing Simms G4's, or jeans, with boo or a Bass Pro combo, drinking a single malt or a Coke, catching 50 or none at all, double hauling or dabbing a Tenkara, posting a report, or celebrating in the mind.

[FIGHTONSC]

How about this?

Fish in whatever manner honors the fish and the environment and fills your cup. Whether is be on the dry, or stripping big meat, wearing Simms G4's, or jeans, with boo or a Bass Pro combo, drinking a single malt or a Coke, catching 50 or none at all, double hauling or dabbing a Tenkara, posting a report, or celebrating in the mind.

Curtis,

That pretty much covers all of the bases!