Dry fly only guys....let's talk.

[kbobb]

There is certainly a lot of expert advice here and I'll try not to duplicate. Terrestrial fishing at the right time of year isn't as hatch dependent as mayflies, caddis, stonefly. You can get some trout interested most of the day.

Also remember topwater/dry flies are not restricted to trout only - smallmouth and largemouth bass can be a lot of fun on top also!

Edit - one other thing that is helping me is getting the leader/tippet right to put the fly in the right spot with enough tippet for drag free drift. Sometimes it is harder than it seems it should be.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Per the dry dropper topic: It's my "go to" rig most times (unless the stream conditions clearly call for greater depth, or the fish are obviously feeding on the surface). It's a great "seeking" method for me, especially on newer waters, til I figure out what's goin' on. I use 5x in general, fish dry droppers a lot, never really had a break-off even on bigger trooots.

 

[hooker-of-men]

What's the maximum dropper length folks fish with a dry on top?

I use a dry/dropper with up to maybe a 4 ft. tippet for the nymph in shallower situations, but I have been reading a Rosenbauer book where he's doing his usual evangelizing for prospecting with dry/dropper rigs. I'm just trying to imagine the rig on a stream like, let's say, the Battenkill, where sometimes I have 10 feet of leader below my bobber when I'm nymphing.

I guess there's really no compromise there. Choose to fish shallow or deep and just run with it?

 

[wbranch]

Most people on this forum know me as primarily a dry fly guy who only casts to rising trout. I am blessed with being able to fish a system with most every important mayfly and caddis fly in any eastern river system. Up until my mid to late 40's I still nymphed quite a bit. Back then was before the advent of tippet rings so if I was using anything lighter than 4X I had to retie the tippet section of my leader. I have limited knowledge of Spring Creek and the LJ. From what I've heard the LJ has a more diverse selection of mayflies therefore it is likely you would find more fish rising there than on SC. I've fished SC probably a dozen times and while I never stay until dark I have only seen fish rising well a few times.

I just lost interest in nymphing eastern trout waters after fishing nymphs on western rivers where there may be 3000 trout per mile compared to maybe 300 per mile. I had to work so hard that I didn't feel the reward was worth the effort. When I cast only to rising fish I expend far less effort and feel my reward was much greater,

I made a conscious decision to maybe catch less fish and was okay with that. Some days if the bugs aren't coming off I may have a tough day, maybe only land one or two. But if there are plenty of bugs a dozen or more is entirely possible.

 

[pcray1231]

I've found, at least in the bigger streams and rivers with great hatches, the trout seem to have lockjaw before a major hatch or spinner fall starts. This is especially true when the hatch or spinner fall happens on a regular basis in the stream or river.

Yes.

These are streams I will nymph during the winter and do well. In spring its common I show up at 5 or 6, knowing full well a hatch and rising fish are happening tonight, because it happens every night. That could start anytime or it could be 3 more hrs. I will nymph while I wait, because, well, I'm too impatient to be a bank sitter. But the fishing sucks even by nymphing standards. To the point I'd leave if I didn't know whats coming. I might manage a fish or two working hard for them, but it aint on. I agree the fish know whats coming too.

 

[steve98]

I absolutely love dry fly fishing. However, because the hatches are so unpredictable, I am wise enough to have both the dry and nymph arsenal with me at all times. Changing tippet rather than a whole leader works quite well. Tippet rings make it even easier!

What is a tippet ring?