Caddis dry tactic

[ryguyfi]

I hit the grannom hatch at a local stream on Friday and employed a tactic on my dries that drove the fish nuts. Here's how it goes.


First dress your fly and even leader with some floatant. This is a down and across approach. So spot your riser and place yourself upstream within average casting distance. Cast to the far bank and drag your flies across the current towards the riser. The difference is the "skitter". As your fly is dragging across the current, lift your rod to take as much line off the water as possible, and wiggle your rod from left to right to add some action to the fly. This will keep the fly on top and have it be erratic just as the naturals do. You'll miss some strikes this way, but it can really make for some nice aggressive takes.

Next time you're on the stream and you see some decent caddis activity, head to a riffle or run and try this tactic.

 

[pcray1231]

I do that a lot, especially with caddis. Often, if there was a spotted riser, I'll pull it into his lane and then just let it drift for a second. Works really well sometimes.

 

[csoult]

Fished grannoms yesterday and by the end of the day I had try every tactic that I had ever heard of. One of my favorites is "the sudden inch". You mend your line upstream a little and follow your fly with your rod tip as it floats downstream, then when it gets over where you think the fish is you stop moving your rod tip. This takes the mend out and moves the fly slightly.

 

[troutbert]

Yes, I use the same technique as the OP, especially with the grannoms when they are egg laying in late afternoon. The trout seem to key in on the movement a lot.

 

[Foxgap239]

I will always try a drag free over a riser first and then add some action if they don't seem interested. The action with the wiggled rod tip can be deadly though.

 

[afishinado]

Foxgap239 wrote:
I will always try a drag free over a riser first and then add some action if they don't seem interested. The action with the wiggled rod tip can be deadly though.

+1

I use a dead drift first. If that doesn't work, I employ a little movement above the riser just inside the fishes sight window. It's not always easy to move a fly making it look alive. Less is usually more.

Something that helps is applying floatant on your leader, tippet and fly (not on CDC flies, though).

Also, some flies work better than others to employ movement. Generally high-riding flies like catskill ties for mayflies and elk hair caddis with palmered hackle work best. The old-fashioned spider flies and bi-visibles were tied with this purpose in mind.

The aforementioned type of flies ride on the hackle tips rather than sitting in the film with the hook bend penetrating the surface. Bad choices for skittering any low-riding flies such as parachutes or comparaduns.

Oh, and try NOT setting the hook. Your line is already tight and your fly is usually across or downstream, and the fish is facing you. Setting the hook quickly will most likely pull the fly from the fishes mouth. Just delay and tighten up when you feel the fish. Easy to say...hard to do when a fish blows up on a skittered fly!

 

[ryguyfi]

I actually saw this tactic used on the "Eastern Rises" video for mice matterns in Kamchatka too.

 

[Foxgap239]

ryguyfi wrote:
I actually saw this tactic used on the "Eastern Rises" video for mice matterns in Kamchatka too.

Boy would I like to catch one on a mouse pattern! That would be fun.

 

[albatross]

Good advice Ryan. I was out with CSoult Sunday and the motion seemed to be the key to triggering stikes on the grannoms in the afternoon. That is until we found Bruno (the fish whisperer) hammering the fish in the frog water with a spent caddis pattern...

 

[jjsjigs]

Foxgap: Go to the Lackawanna at dusk. Down under the 7th Ave Bridge behind Rednors Market. Bring a handful of mice patterns. Just as it gets dark skitter the hell outta the mouse in a slow section of water.

Big fat browns!! Trust me... this works if you need to get your mouse fly fix on.

oh... bring a 9mm, the homeless/druggies love to camp out down under that bridge.

 

[ryguyfi]

if ever I needed to post this...

 

[shirk81]

tried this over the weekend. Worked beautifully. It worked well for positioning the fish before striking. There were a few across the stream that would follow the fly into the middle of the stream which made for easier casting in front of them and watching them attack the fly. Thanks for the technique. It worked very well.

 

[osprey]

csoult........the term "the sudden jnch" is plaguerized from the book by Leonard Wright called "Fishing the dry fly as a living insect" it is deadly and so is skipping a caddisfly imitation up under a bush or log or ledge the term the "sudden inch" is around 50 years old. read the book if u cn get it it's a great read.

 

[stevehalupka]

next you'll be skating mice in kamchatka lmao

never cease to provide a chuckle for me ry

 

[stevehalupka]

tune to 3:25

 

[ryguyfi]

Yeah I have the Eastern Rises video. The whole thing is just sweet. Talked to my local shop and they're hooking up with an outfitter there and doing an annual trip to Kamchatka. Once one of my clients hits the powerball and invests all their money with me; I'M THERE!!! lol

about 13k for 2 weeks.

 

[trew13]

I have had success with this on Spring with midge patterns as well. Found out by accident on a bad drift.

 

[ryguyfi]

it's almost grannom time so I figured I'd refresh this thread from last year. Good info in it!

 

[timmyt]

Very nice, good read, heading out to hopefully fish some caddis in a little bit

 

[WildTigerTrout]

osprey wrote:
csoult........the term "the sudden jnch" is plaguerized from the book by Leonard Wright called "Fishing the dry fly as a living insect" it is deadly and so is skipping a caddisfly imitation up under a bush or log or ledge the term the "sudden inch" is around 50 years old. read the book if u cn get it it's a great read.

Osprey, I recently found a nice first edition(1972) hardcover copy of "Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect". I just started to read it this morning. ChapterThree is devoted entirely to "The Sudden Inch". You are right it is a very good book. I like how he experimented to find out what would work and what would'nt. I recommend this book to any flyfisher.