Wet flies or dry flies

[PATroutMan]

What type of flies should i use? Wet flies, dry flies? What is the difference? Is there one that is easier or better for beginners? Any help on this subject is greatly appreciated!

 

[PAgeologist]

I am sure that some of the other folks on this site can give you more and better information but here are the basics.

Wet flies are subsurface flies and generally represent the hatching insect as it escapes to the surface. Dry flies float and generally represent the hatched adult insect.

Which one is easier to fish with depends on the person as well as what the fish want. Just because flies are hatching doesnt automatically mean that trout will take them off the surface. They will often feed on the emerging insects (thus wet flies should work best).

Also, personal preference is a factor. I prefer to fish dry flies over nymphs because I havent learned how to detect strikes with any consistency. Some of my friends are the complete opposite. They struggle catching trout on dries and have no problems fishing with nymphs. Wets are something I havent used much before. How I feel about them remains to be seen.

Basically find something that you are comfortable fishing with that the trout want.

 

[BrookieChaser]

The fish ultimately determine what you are going to fish. You want to match what insect life stage the fish are feeding on.

 

[jeremymcon]

When I first started fly fishing (a couple years ago) I had this great little stream about 10 minutes from my house. I'd go there with my spinning gear and always see trout rising. Always. So naturally when I started fly fishing there I started with dry flies and almost always managed to catch at least one little brown trout on an Adams dry fly. If you have a place where you *always* see fish rising then definitely try dry flies. I still would prefer to fish dry flies all the time, but if you want to actually catch fish consistently, you probably also need to learn to fish nymphs.

Also, if you ever need a pick-me-up as a beginner after an unsuccessful day of trout fishing, fishing for sunnies with dry flies is usually productive, and is a ton of fun! Good way to practice casting and setting the hook, as well.

 

[FlyMaster99]

Definitely wet flies! Fish feed on the bottom more than topwater... normally. Wet flies, you fish on the bottom, unlike dries, which you fish on the top, but I think that wet flies especially pheasant tail nymphs can do you a wonder, because the imitate so many other flies. It's all about what you or actually more what the fish prefer where you are fishing. Figure out which works better for you and stick with it.

 

[lv2nymph]

Hopefully this will not further confuse matters. A nymph is usually fished close to the bottom, wet flies/soft hackles are usually fished rather shallow, and dries on top. If you are just starting out the easiest method to begin is wet/soft hackles, especially with things getting ready to get into gear for the season. For dries your back yard is a very good place to practice the slack cast, lazy "S" cast and a few others I can't think of right now that will assist you in getting a drag free drift with a dry. When nymphing you should strive to keep in touch with your nymph through the drift ( line tight so as to be able to detect a strike) drag comes into play when nymphing as well.In ffing the last thing you want to do is limit yourself to one style of fishing you must be able to be as diverse as possible on stream, to change things up & have the ability to adjust when necessary. That said you should try to take things one thing at a time so as not to become overwhelmed.
All of this I say take with a grain of salt for I know not of your experience.

 

[pszy22]

There is definitely something to be said for the visual aspect involved when fishing on top. To me, seeing that swirl is what fly fishing is all about.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Just remember that trout feed 80 to 90 percent of the time under the surface.

 

[pcray1231]

That's true, but....

Key word is TIME. 80-90% of the time they are feeding nearly 100% below the surface. The other 10-20% of the time they are feeding nearly 100% on the surface.

(Actually, it's probably more like 50% of the time a fish is feeding below the surface, 5% of the time it's feeding on the surface, and 45% of the time that fish isn't actively feeding, but, same point applies).

The point being, let the fish tell you what to do. If nothing's rising, go underneath. If fish are rising, you are more likely to catch them on top. Fly fishing is all about figuring out the situation and adjusting appropriately.

And while the percentages are all true, I catch far more than 10-20% of my fish on top. I think many do, when averaged over a full season. Because #1, the topwater feeding times are fairly predictable and many of us choose to be in those places at those times. And #2, when you hit that situation, you catch more fish. It usually means a hatch is on and fish feed more aggressively during hatches. You can see them, so you know EXACTLY where they are at, what lane they are working, and likely exactly what they are feeding on. You also see last minute rejections and can figure out why and adjust, like a game of "warmer and colder" leading you to what you need to do.

The best wet fly fisherman and nymphers, and even streamer guys, play the same game, by predicting where and when fish will be aggressively feeding, and on what, and trying to match that with fly selection and presentation. It's just harder to do, because you have to infer everything. You can't see them so it's not as easy to see that you need to drift it another 5 inches out, or start a lift another 2 feet downstream, etc.

For me, anyway, my luck on a stream, even when nymphing or wet fly fishing, improves greatly after hitting a good hatch there once. You find out where the fish are. That current break where they line up in this pool. When you come back another day and there's no hatch, well, the fish are generally feeding in the same lanes, just deeper, but now you KNOW those lanes rather than having to guess by reading water.

 

[RCFetter]

I recommend reading the most recent blog post (the article on the home page):

Fly Fishing Getting Started - A Dozen Top Flies

If I were to narrow down that list to 4 flies, it would be:

[color=000066]Wooly Bugger – Size 8 in dark olive w/ a black tail is my go-to. Having some black or white ones and a few a little smaller or bigger would be ideal. Fish anytime / anywhere – drift and/or strip.

Hares Ear Nymph – size 10 – 16 w/ and w/o beads. Natural is my favorite, but a few in olive or black would round it out. Fish anytime / anywhere – dead drift

Pheasant Tail Nymph – Size 12 – 16 w/ and w/o beads. Fish anytime / anywhere – dead drift

Green Weenie – Size 12. Fish anytime / anywhere – dead drift[/color]

And if I were to narrow it down to 2 flies, they would be the wooly bugger and the green weenie.

 

[pszy22]

I agree with most of what has been previously said. When there is a preponderance of food available in a particular form, the fish are going to key in on that food and pretty much ignore anything else that happens along. So if there is a "hatch" going on, by all means you want to match that "hatch".

At least the waters where I fish, at best there is a full blown "hatch" occurring no more than 5% or 10% of the time. It would be great if you could always count on a hatch, but it just doesn't happen, at least for me.

When there isn't a hatch going on, fish will feed in an opportunistic manner. If something catches their attention, and it looks good to eat, and they don't have to expend too much energy to intercept the morsel - they will give it a go.

If there is no obvious feeding pattern going on, start out fishing the way you prefer to fish - dry or damp or wet. Before you change your fly, vary your presentation. If you aren't having any luck after a while, try something else.

 

[pcray1231]

It depends on the fertility of the stream.

In infertile streams, yes, fish are opportunistic. The funny thing is, that those are the fish that will take a dry fly even when they're not actively feeding on top. You're still probably better off underneath, unless a dry fly offers other advantages. Such as in thick cover on small streams, being able to fish at a greater distance or float over underwater obstacles. Even there, when you come up on that big deep, dark pool, where fish may be less likely to rise from the depths, well, go underneath.

In fertile streams, there are more likely to be hatches. There are also more likely to be underwater "events" which get them feeding which are harder to pinpoint. There are also more fish. But in-between events (visible or otherwise), they are less likely to feed opportunisticly. Nomatter what your chosen style, these streams put greater emphasis on matching your fishing schedule to the fish's feeding schedule.

And then there are tweeners.

 

[pszy22]

You hit the nail on the head when you said how important it is to be fishing when the fish are feeding. I fish a fairly popular river, most folks tend to start fishing too late and quit fishing too early.

The only thing I'll add to your fertility discussion, at least on the rivers I fish, alot depends on the diversity of the river as well. On my home waters, fish rarely get super selective. At any point in time, there may be several species popping, but no one species in numbers that you might call it a blanket hatch. So there are plenty of food items available, just not confined to a single prey item. Of course, there are times when fish do key in to one item perhaps due to abundance, or size, or....

I think that is part of the fun of fishing, watching what's going on and trying to figure out how to participate.