Does the fly matter?

[wildtrout2]

I know there are plenty of fly fisherman who prefer to catch trout on certain flies, or types of fly. Some go as far as to try to match the hatch (if one exists) to achieve success, but does it really matter to you what fly you catch them on? Personally, I'm happy catching trout on whatever fly is working for me on a given day.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

It only matters to me if it matters to the trout. Like you, I use what works. If I develop a new pattern at the bench, I will want to see if it is effective or not, but by no means do I HAVE to use a specific fly and catch fish on said fly in order to be happy.

 

[wildtrout2]

... but by no means do I HAVE to use a specific fly and catch fish on said fly in order to be happy.

That's what I'm getting at. Some folks are strictly dry fly, strictly nymph, or strictly streamer fishermen. Are they willing to accept poor results because they're not willing to fish anything else?

 

[ROVERT]

That's what I'm getting at. Some folks are strictly dry fly, strictly nymph, or strictly streamer fishermen. Are they willing to accept poor results because they're not willing to fish anything else?

Sure. I've probably caught most of my fish with nymphs, followed by dries, wets, and streamers in that order.

In the last two years, however, I've caught most of my fish on dries and streamers. I enjoy catching fish on nymphs but I enjoy fishing dries and streamers. It takes very little to get me to switch to dries even if I'm having a good day nymphing. If dries or streamers are at all productive, there is almost no chance I'll switch to nymphing even if it would obviously produce more fish. I'm not strictly one type of fly but I certainly have a hierarchy in terms of preference.

It's taken me a while, but I've realized that the most productive fishing isn't necessarily the most fulfilling. I think my son may be a quicker study. I started him fly fishing for trout last spring at eleven years old. Despite my encouragement to nymph in order to get more hook ups, he seems more interested in looking for the risers for now. I won't be surprised if the numbers game lures him in for a decade or three once he becomes more proficient.

He caught our only fish this morning. It was a picture perfect take on a MB dun. There's nothing else like it, though watching one crush a streamer is close.

 

[GANGGREEN]

I think I'm a bit unusual, because I enjoy catching them on a nymph possibly even more than I enjoy them on a dry fly. I suppose catching a really large wild brown on a dry fly might be different, but for your average run of the mill PA stocked trout or even more average sized wild fish, I really like catching them on a nymph, but will fish any style of fly if I must.

For what it's worth, while most bass/panfish guys would prefer to fish a more visual and shallow pattern to catch fish, I actually prefer light line, light rods and deep, clear water.

 

[Bocianka1]

given the choice, i'll put on a dry fly. I know i'm likely to catch more fish on nymphs, but i enjoy dry fly fishing much more than nymphing. the visual appeal of watching the fish rise coupled with the smoother casting (no indicator or weights to complicate my cast). It just has more appeal to me to throw a dry fly. I don't limit myself to dry fly fishing only. Especially in the winter, nymphing is a pretty standard way to fish. I fish my share of nymphs and even taboo flies like squirmy wormies. At the end of the day we all want to put some fish in the net. However, there have been several times where i knew dry fly fishing was unlikely to produce results but i stuck at it anyway. It just depends on the day. Somedays getting the numbers just doesn't matter as much as the feel or experience. That might mean throwing streamers, but often it means hoping against hope and throwing tiny dry flies for half the day on the off chance of coaxing a few rises. sometimes it pays off. Other days i have to reluctantly throw on a nymph at the end of the day just to make sure i can land something before heading home.

 

[shakey]

I like catching fish on wets. Fun!! And 3D.
I don’t really like dry fly fishing too much, but, sometimes it’s the only way to catch a fish.
It’s nice though, because, you don’t have to pay as much attention. You can see the fish take

Streamers can be fun too

 

[afishinado]

That's what I'm getting at. Some folks are strictly dry fly, strictly nymph, or strictly streamer fishermen. Are they willing to accept poor results because they're not willing to fish anything else?

The definition of "poor results" varies with each angler. Many choose a fly rod instead of using a spin outfit when spin fishing would likely result in catching for fish on a given day. Is catching 5 fish instead of 25 fish that day "poor results" or is catching fish by FFing offer a greater challenge for an angler for that day on the stream?

I do nymph and streamer fish when I fell like it, but on some days I will tie on a dry fly and see how many fish I can fool on top even when I know nymphing or streamers would yield a lot more fish. And on that particular day the one trout I catch in the pool on top is roughly equal to ten trout nymphing or streamer fishing.

The "results" one seeks should measured in the amount of fun and satisfaction one receives from fishing and not the number or size of fish one catches.

Fun and satisfaction are never poor.

 

[Bamboozle]

A couple of factors come into play for me.

First off what's working which takes some guessing and or hatch matching when appropriate. Once I dial it in, I don't care what it is as long as the fish don't.

The second is the most important, that's the "fun" factor. There are certain flies, methods, techniques I love in fishing and others I loath.

For example, I fish conventionally and LOVE fishing soft plastic baits for bass on a casting set-up, but I would quit fishing versus working a plug or spinner bait all day long on a spinning rod.

The same thing goes with fly fishing, I really don't enjoy fishing streamers despite some of the fish I dredge up so I avoid it as long as I can. I also loath big fly/big water/big rod/sinking line fly fishing so I really only target trout, panfish & smallmouth with a fly rod also incorporating conventional tackle for the warmwater species.

Additionally, I hate fishing fussy dry flies that are delicate or poor floaters that need to be constantly dried, straightened out and redressed after a fish or a handful of floats. Oh, I'll use them for the Mensa trout when necessary, but I quickly switch to something else for the rest of the morons. However, I can fish a foam beetle all day even if it not the best choice because they float like a cork without floatant and I love just fishing and not fussing.

The same thing goes for searching the water with a nymph or soft hackle. I love not worrying about how a fly is floating, is it floating, will it still float after a fish while I am prospecting potential pockets of piscatorial pleasure.

For me, the act of fishing has to be fun regardless of results and everything after that is a bonus.

 

[wildtrout2]

The definition of "poor results" varies with each angler. Many choose a fly rod instead of using a spin outfit when spin fishing would likely result in catching for fish on a given day. Is catching 5 fish instead of 25 fish that day "poor results" or is catching fish by FFing offer a greater challenge for an angler for that day on the stream?

I do nymph and streamer fish when I fell like it, but on some days I will tie on a dry fly and see how many fish I can fool on top even when I know nymphing or streamers would yield a lot more fish. And on that particular day the one trout I catch in the pool on top is roughly equal to ten trout nymphing or streamer fishing.

The "results" one seeks should measured in the amount of fun and satisfaction one receives from fishing and not the number or size of fish one catches.

Fun and satisfaction are never poor.

I agree with all of this. And it is relative to one's expectations. By "poor results", I was strictly referring to fish caught, not the overall experience. I enjoy every second I'm streamside, but I've always enjoyed myself more when the catching was good.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

I have the blind in one eye and can't see out of the other syndrome, so, I usually choose dry flies that I can see. Sometimes not matching the hatch works reel well. Keeping the line drag free or mending the line just right is more important than choice of fly for me. I like to mix my flyfishing up....Nymphs with Dryfly dropper, Dryflies, Streamers, Wollybuggers, etc. It's part of my keeping current with techniques. One of the things I believe I've noticed is when I get a lazy cast knot within 12 inches of my presentation, my hit ratio drops heavily.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

As long as it's not a mop, worm, or egg

 

[Prospector]

I’m mostly in the school of whatever’s working. I have resisted using sucker spawn for trout although I routinely use it for Lake Run fish (so that’s a little weird). I prefer to use traditional flies for trout. I also make up patterns to match something on the water. Due to where I live (NWPA) I don’t fish dries as much as I’d like. I see very few risers on home water, but I travel enough to get dry fly action. I’d rank my preferences of what to fish as 1A Dries, 1B Wets, 1C Streamers 4 Nymphs.

 

[GANGGREEN]

I’m mostly in the school of whatever’s working. I have resisted using sucker spawn for trout although I routinely use it for Lake Run fish (so that’s a little weird). I prefer to use traditional flies for trout. I also make up patterns to match something on the water. Due to where I live (NWPA) I don’t fish dries as much as I’d like. I see very few risers on home water, but I travel enough to get dry fly action. I’d rank my preferences of what to fish as 1A Dries, 1B Wets, 1C Streamers 4 Nymphs.

Yeah, we each have to do what appeals to us. Like you, my choice of flies doesn't always make sense. I don't use sucker spawn or egg patterns for trout, although I have been known to use a mop fly (haven't for a couple of years though) and do occasionally use other junk like a squirmy worms. For me I don't criticize anyone else's choice and I do what I feel like on any given day. I'm also not much into "matching the hatch" and I'm far more inclined to just choose something that's the right size and which appears "buggy", so I'm big on pheasant tails, hare's ears and a lot of other "general" patterns. I've also been in a phase where I'm mostly using smaller flies (which for me are size 14-20), although maybe that's because I've recently been fishing winter/early spring a lot, so perhaps that will change in the coming months. I've also recently been in a phase where I prefer to use a hot head or hot butt and often choose something with some flashabou or other "showy" stuff. I never claimed to be a purist and really don't even try to kid myself, but I choose what I want on any given day and like I said, for some reason I don't gravitate towards egg flies of any sort even though I know that they work well at times.

 

[troutbert]

Often the choice of fly will make a very large difference in the number of trout caught.

 

[silverfox]

The definition of "poor results" varies with each angler. Many choose a fly rod instead of using a spin outfit when spin fishing would likely result in catching for fish on a given day. Is catching 5 fish instead of 25 fish that day "poor results" or is catching fish by FFing offer a greater challenge for an angler for that day on the stream?

I do nymph and streamer fish when I fell like it, but on some days I will tie on a dry fly and see how many fish I can fool on top even when I know nymphing or streamers would yield a lot more fish. And on that particular day the one trout I catch in the pool on top is roughly equal to ten trout nymphing or streamer fishing.

The "results" one seeks should measured in the amount of fun and satisfaction one receives from fishing and not the number or size of fish one catches.

Fun and satisfaction are never poor.

100%. If I was concerned about putting numbers on a board, I'd fish bait.

I personally just enjoy all of it. Indicator nymphing on big water, tight line nymphing in pocket water, dry fly fishing during hatches, swinging soft hackles when they're eating emergers, throwing "meat" when the water is high and off-color, swinging streamers on a 2-hander for smallmouth, throwing roasting chicken size balls of feathers for pike and musky, largemouth on topwater poppers and panfish on dries.

I really don't have a preference at all.

 

[pcray1231]

I'm not going to say it doesn't matter, but it's not in a purist "must use this" sense. For me, I LOVE seeing the take on a dry fly. It's fun. I find it more effective on infertile brookie streams than nymphs "most" of the time. And on bigger water, chasing the hatch scene is just part of the fun. I prefer it.

That's not to say I'm a purist about it. I don't hesitate to use nymphs. I enjoy times when I set out to use streamers, though that's not really my focus, I fully get how it is for some people. I also toss junk flies my fair share, nothing like sucker span on fresh stockers. I've joined the spinner crown now and then and enjoyed it, it can be very effective. And I NEVER, ever, tell people their way of doing it is inferior or wrong, even bait.

 

[JeffK]

I love dry flies because rising fish keep my interest up. Unfortunately, hatches don't seem to be what they used to be so I nymph more and more.

This is the time of year where the water is getting lower and clearer and the fish have seen everything so nymphs in open water catch more fish IMHO. The last couple of times I was out I was catching fish steadily on small nymphs when the bait and spinner guys around me weren't doing much (plus on the open water near me the fish don't see a whole lot of flies - most fly guys seem to go to special regs areas). The option to fly fish does not always mean less fish than on bait.

Some days I just like to throw streamers and cover a lot of water. It is a great reconnaissance method to check stream conditions (with all the floods of late my streams often change) and where the fish are. When I find a new hot spot this way I usually come back with dries or nymphs.

I do not like sinking lines one bit. If I have to go that deep I may break out the spinning rod.

BTW, 35 years ago I lived in Illinois for 5 years and became involved with crazy jig fishermen who "matched the hatch" for forage species for crappie and bass fishing. Some serious jig tiers out there. I brought those jig techniques back with me 30 years ago and caught no end of criticism from the guys in my TU chapter for using those techniques on trout. Once we went to the Catskills for a trip and heavy rain brought the rivers up and nobody was catching anything. So I tightlined jigs in the eddies near shore and caught 8 trout in 8 casts at one point right by the Flyfishing Museum on the Willowemoc, but had to quit because of the negative feedback. In winter I would dead drift jigs in artificials only (wouldn't dare use them in fly only) waters and got stopped by numerous snooty fishermen who thought I was bait fishing. Fast forward 30 years and tightlining jigs is all the rage for the fly crowd.

 

[csoult]

There are plenty of times where I will sit on the bank and just relax rather than tie on a nymph. Never would have done that when I was younger. Doesn't mean I won't nymph, but I would much rather fish a dry. Streamers are a little different, if I'm floating and there's nothing happening on top, I won't hesitate to throw them.

 

[krayfish2]

I don't think fly choice on top is this critical as some make it out to be. If you have the correct size and you put a drag free drift over the fish, they either inspect it or eat it. As I've said before, I'll fish the same pattern in the spring during the blue quill, Hendrickson, grey fox hatch. Size and profile are the most important in my opinion but I haven't gone fishing since September so what do I know 😂