Sulfur Wet Fly Question

[Outback_Yak]

I have never used wet flies for sulfurs and I would like an opinion from those that have. What is a good choice of wet fly for a sulfur hatch? I thought a partridge and yellow looked pretty good.

Thanks in advance.

 

[troutbert]

I've used wet flies with a yellow body and pale blue dun hackle with good results.

I was treating them with floatant and fishing them on the surface, though, not really fishing them wet.

Even though those worked well, I eventually went back to using comparadun sulphurs, which work very well, and they are easier to see on the water at dusk.

 

[maxima12]

couple wood duck fibers for tail, Sulphur body, can be ribbed, peacock or brown fur thorax, bead head, couple wraps of dun,

fished wet on swing or nymph. 14, 16, 18

 

[redietz]

Outback_Yak wrote:
I thought a partridge and yellow looked pretty good.

Partridge and yellow certainly work, as will a Tup's spider. A pheasant tail soft hackle with a yellow thorax makes a great emerger. A Lil' Dorothy is an absolute killer during the hatch (as you might guess from the name.)

If you want a winged wet, use something a yellow body, mallard wings and dun hackle. Fish it as the top dropper, and add floatant.

If you're fishing over spent spinners, use a partridge and orange. It's the best rusty spinner there is.

I usually fish nothing but wets during the sulfur hatch and always do well with the flies mentioned.

 

[Brianh]

Sulfur soft hackle

 

[dc410]

Swingin’ wets during a sulphur hatch is just a whole lot of fun! A lot of times I’ll fish a dry/dropper set up with a sulphur dry trailed by an emerger or wet fly. Most are caught on the dropper. But just flat out swingin’ sulphur wets in some good riffles and pocket water can be super productive. Find a pattern that works for you or make up your own if you tie. Something will quickly become your “go to” sulphur wet fly. This is the time of year I look forward to the most! Good luck!

 

[just_jon]

I also tie a pheasant tail/pale yellow body with 1 turn of light dun and 1 turn of barred ginger. I love fishing an unweighted soft hackle or 3 upstream on a short line (1 to 1-1/2 rod lengths).

 

[LetortAngler]

Tups Indispensable

 

[Outback_Yak]

Thanks for the ideas gentlemen. I do tie flies, but really only nymphs. I usually buy my dries and wets because I only really fish them during the prime hatches, which as you know are hit or miss and I can't always be there when they're popping off.

That being said, do any of you know of any shops in PA or websites that carry those particular wets? I've had a real hard time trying to find any sulfur specific wets online.

Thanks again.

 

[redietz]

Fly Fisher's Paradise has most of the flies mentioned in this thread.

Outback_Yak wrote:

That being said, do any of you know of any shops in PA or websites that carry those particular wets? I've had a real hard time trying to find any sulfur specific wets online.

Fly Fisher's Paradise has most of the flies mentioned in this thread.
Still, most of them can be tied in a minute or two, and many of them will catch year round. They're worth tying.

 

[Outback_Yak]

Thanks redietz. I appreciate it.

 

[troutbert]

redietz wrote:

Fly Fisher's Paradise has most of the flies mentioned in this thread.
Still, most of them can be tied in a minute or two, and many of them will catch year round. They're worth tying.

I'm looking at a catalog from Flyfisher's Paradise (State College) from a few years ago.

It lists Pale Evening Dun wet fly, Soft Hackle Partridge & Yellow, Light Cahill wet fly, and Soft Hackle Tups Indispensable.

Ask the guys at the shop what pattern and what sizes they think are best.

And if I recommend adding some of their Sulphur Comparadun dry flies. They are like trout candy. They can't resist.

Regarding sizes, early in the season there are size 14 sulphurs on some streams. And late in the season some streams have size 18 sulphurs.

But the size I recommend buying the most of size 16. That is the most useful size, IMHO.

 

[drossi]

For winged wets I tie lemon woodduck tail, cream or yellow body, and a mallard wing. size 16-18. I usually fish them on a tight line swing especially at near dark cause I don't see well. Cut the tippet back cause the strikes are savage.

In a pinch I've also had success with a similar sized GRHE wet in a lighter tan body color.

 

[falcon]

fly pattern named little marrayat

 

[shakey]

i catch more fish during a sulfur hatch on a P&Y than anything,so,you're on the right track.

a PTSH tyed with red thread is good, light cahills,SH with yellow and orange jasper thread,etc.

sometimes i tye a yellow body with mallard or wood duck tail and wings with ginger or dun hackle.

 

[troutbert]

shakey wrote:
i catch more fish during a sulfur hatch on a P&Y than anything,so,you're on the right track.

a PTSH tyed with red thread is good, light cahills,SH with yellow and orange jasper thread,etc.

sometimes i tye a yellow body with mallard or wood duck tail and wings with ginger or dun hackle.

What do those abbreviations mean?

 

[redietz]

P&Y = Partridge and Yellow
SH = Soft Hackle
PTSH = Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle

 

[Outback_Yak]

For all of those that replied to the thread, again thanks. You're such a great resource and I really appreciate your input.

I have another question. How do you fish these particular wets and soft hackles during this hatch? Whether its in an actual brace of wets or as a dropper on a dry, is its an up stream approach, down and across, or all the above.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[redietz]

All of the above. During and just before the hatch, I usually fish a team of two flies down and across. (Two because that's all Maryland allows and I see no reason to change when I fish in PA.) During eqq laying, I might continue to fish downstream and lift the top fly off the water. When the fish are sipping spent spinners, I fish upstream, dead drift, with either a dry or wet treated with floatant as the top dropper.

No need for shot in any of this. The fish you're targeting are already focusing their attention near the surface.

 

[dc410]

redietz wrote:
All of the above. During and just before the hatch, I usually fish a team of two flies down and across. (Two because that's all Maryland allows and I see no reason to change when I fish in PA.) During eqq laying, I might continue to fish downstream and lift the top fly off the water. When the fish are sipping spent spinners, I fish upstream, dead drift, with either a dry or wet treated with floatant as the top dropper.

No need for shot in any of this. The fish you're targeting are already focusing their attention near the surface.

+1 - great info

I’ve even had occasions where working a wet fly totally downstream and moving it back and forth hitting different seams and stripping in and letting out Line is the ticket for the day (or the hour). Keep flexible and vary your techniques until you find the right one for that given time. Don’t get stuck in a rut because it more than likely won’t be the same technique that produces the next time.