Fishing a Dry fly wet?

[NewSal]

So yesterday I was out fishing in the rain, noticed BWO's (I think) were hatching.

One spot in particular there were a bunch of them flying around a shallow still water pool that was off to the side of the main stream, about 20 ft downstream of the pool was some fast moving current that was pulling water out of the pool and going downstream.

So I was fishing that current that was pulling water out of the pool with my dry fly on top, casting downstream and feeding line, not to many fish were rising but a few were. I didn't catch any that way.

Just for shits and giggles I added a very very small split shot, the smallest I had, and then cast that dry fly / split shot combo right into that seam, after two casts I caught a fish, and then caught two more after that.

Im guessing that those mayflys were landing in the pool, dying, and then being swept downstream and that's what the fish were feeding on.

Anyone ever do something like this technique before? I didn't have any "emergers, or classical wet flys that matched the hatch or I probably would have used them.

So the question is has anyone ever done anything like this before, and my second question is why don't people use drys beneath the surface like this to imitate drowned flys more often?

 

[Acristickid]

Olives are swimmers.

Maybe the fish were taking them on emergence? Who knows but I know a leadwing coachman works during olive hatches.

 

[NewSal]

Hmm.. I know they weren't swimming, I watched them for a while and I would notice they were flying low around that pool area and once in a while they would get caught up and flap around and then die I guess and wash down stream

 

[NewSal]

Im almost 100% they were BWO's, color size everything matches up

 

[MKern]

They could have been representing the mayfly laying its eggs.

But who really knows why trout do the things they do.

 

[afishinado]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
So yesterday I was out fishing in the rain, noticed BWO's (I think) were hatching.

One spot in particular there were a bunch of them flying around a shallow still water pool that was off to the side of the main stream, about 20 ft downstream of the pool was some fast moving current that was pulling water out of the pool and going downstream.

So I was fishing that current that was pulling water out of the pool with my dry fly on top, casting downstream and feeding line, not to many fish were rising but a few were. I didn't catch any that way.

Just for shits and giggles I added a very very small split shot, the smallest I had, and then cast that dry fly / split shot combo right into that seam, after two casts I caught a fish, and then caught two more after that.

Im guessing that those mayflys were landing in the pool, dying, and then being swept downstream and that's what the fish were feeding on.

Anyone ever do something like this technique before? I didn't have any "emergers, or classical wet flys that matched the hatch or I probably would have used them.

So the question is has anyone ever done anything like this before, and my second question is why don't people use drys beneath the surface like this to imitate drowned flys more often?

Sometimes a high riding dun doesn't catch fish. Try a sunken dry, emerger, wet fly or unweighted nymph fished just in the film or riding high up in the column. Sometimes it's not the "what" as much as it is the "where" and "how"...

 

[NewSal]

Just to throw this out there, they were small fish, so maybe they were just young and dumb eating anything they saw that resembled a bug

 

[afishinado]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Just to throw this out there, they were small fish, so maybe they were just young and dumb eating anything they saw that resembled a bug

Ask your buddy Jack how smart trout are, and what size are their brains?....

 

[NewSal]

Trout don't swirl and dry flies shouldn't be fished wet so I think Jack would be awefully upset at me

 

[redietz]

I fish dries wet regularly. Some patterns seem made to be fished either way, such as an Elk Hair Caddis or a Renegade. Heck, I've even seen one guy fishing a foam beetle with a couple of pieces of shot as a cress bug and doing quite well.

And wets can be fished dry. Don't get too hung up on labels.

 

[NewSal]

Cool thanks Red, I always thought the elk hair caddis just looked like a fly that could be fished subsurface the first time I ever seen it.

 

[JackM]

afishinado wrote:

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Just to throw this out there, they were small fish, so maybe they were just young and dumb eating anything they saw that resembled a bug

Ask your buddy Jack how smart trout are, and what size are their brains?....

Brains the size of a pea and dumber than dog $4i+

 

[shortrod2]

New Sal,

You may have discovered a well documented but unusual behavior of some baetis species. The female dives into the water and deposits the eggs at the bottom of the stream.

You can find a pattern designed for this and a description
here.

I now carry wet flys designed to match the diving female baetis and also drownded tricos, but I have caught fish by sinking trico spinner imitations with micro shot.

 

[dc410]

It never hurts to go into the film or just underneath with any fly, especially if they are feeding and you aren't hooking up on top. Definitely don't get hung up with the mindset that you have to catch them on top. If you do you're going to forfeit some great fishing.

 

[JackM]

Wait, what? You can have great fishing if not on top? Say it isn't so.

 

[JackM]

My avatar is a metaphor-tar.

I am not watching a bobber float downstream. If my bobber makes an unusual movement and I lift or strike, it just ain't the same as when my floating fly ("dry fly") gets taken. No Rebuttal!!!1!

 

[NewSal]

Come on Jack your going to hurt people's feelings calling a strike indicator a bobber, we are sophisticated fly anglers here

 

[NewSal]

I am surprised you even need to use a fly at all Jack, with your superhuman like fly fishing knowledge and knowing that trout are dumber then dog $h!t you ought to be able to catch em with a bare hook

 

[Skeet6]

C'mon now... first time I've agreed with Jack. It's a bobber, and you all know it, and you all should be ashamed of yourselves.
Mike B

 

[just_jon]

Years ago I was fishing the sulfur hatch on the Kish and was getting skunked. Could not figure things out as I watched dozens of floating sulfur duns taken. After a drift, I was picking up my line and pulled the dry just under the surface and wham. Must have caught a dozen trout that evening by deliberately sinking the fly in front of fish taking visible duns.