Wet Flies

[kobalt335]

I got hooked on swinging wets last year and so now I started tying more and more. I'm just curious about what is everyone's favorite or best producing wet? For me last year, it was just a simple size 16 or 18 hares ear soft hackle. It was tough to compare it to a yellow thread body with partridge though around sulfur time!

 

[GenCon]

These are 2 of my favorites. The mighty bread crust and a yellow and grizz.

GenCon

 

[kobalt335]

GenCon wrote:
These are 2 of my favorites. The mighty bread crust and a yellow and grizz.

GenCon

Very nice ties, mine aren't worthy of pictures yet.

 

[GenCon]

kobalt335 wrote:

GenCon wrote:
These are 2 of my favorites. The mighty bread crust and a yellow and grizz.

GenCon

Very nice ties, mine aren't worthy of pictures yet.

Thanks, but I am sure yours are picture worthy. If for no other reason many folks here will give you constructive criticism and lots of pointers. So don't hesitate to show them.

GenCon

 

[LetortAngler]

1.) Partidge & Orange especially in the fall
2.) Peacock & Starling/Partridge
3.) Olive & Gray (Dun color from a hen cape)


I fished Spring today and couldn't get a look until I put a pair of SH Part&Oranges on, action was non-stop til I left. I wouldn't want to be without it this time of year.
I also really like the Olive&Partridge in smaller sizes 16-20, has worked very well, even when fished dry to BWO and Trico hatches.

 

[kobalt335]

For the partidgeducation and orange or partidge and yellow, do you prefer a dubbed body or just a thread body? I've tried both, and I didn't really see much difference in the effectiveness of the flies..

 

[redietz]

kobalt335 wrote:
For the partidgeducation and orange or partidge and yellow, do you prefer a dubbed body or just a thread body?

If I'm imitating mayfly spinners, I prefer a thread body. If I'm imitating emerging caddis, a dubbed body. Otherwise, whichever strikes my fancy at the moment.

 

[NewSal]

For some reason I've always had more luck catching fish swinging soft hackles than nymphing, especially during caddis hatches.
I think the main reason is, its much easier to swing a soft hackle than get a perfect dead drift with a nymph, I really believe that's the reason, and so I try to always start by nymphing and whenever I get frustrated I can always toss on a couple soft hackles and swing away and almost always catch a few fish. Amazing really, considering how in the mainstream fly fishing community wet fly fishing is hardly ever talked about, which is odd... why isn't it more popular?
I fish the little Juniata almost exclusively, and for me nothing beats a small size 18, or 16 tan dubbed body soft hackle whenever you see fish rising to the tan caddis, which is almost all the time. In my short career fly fishing I haven't had anywhere near the luck with any other pattern or style of fishing as I've had with swinging soft hackles. Got to love it.

 

[shakey]

I find that swinging is only a part of fishing with a wet.

My most productive flies are peacock and brown,treacle Parkin ,black pennel,p&o,P&Y,P&G ,tups indispensable ,starling and purple,dun hen and purple,pass lake,GRHE (with mallard wing),GRHE tyed in the round, daiwal bach? Cow dung,mcginty,etc.

Wet flies are tons of fun!!

I also use much larger flies than most of you . An eight to twelve is my norm.
I only use 14 & 16 for things like starling flies.

 

[shakey]

Oops! I forgot the Stewart spider and greenwell's glory. Two fine flies that benefit from cobbler's wax

 

[LongLineRelease]

Wets are my go to flies and I fish them more than nymphs, dries, or streamers. My most productive are the brassy spider, starling spider, and pheasant tail spider. Unlike Shakey, I fish mine in smaller sizes usually 16 and 18. Rarely larger than 14. Although I catch most of my fish swinging flies, the upstream dead drift, just like a dry fly, can be deadly. Strike detection can be tough though.

 

[NewSal]

shakey wrote:
I find that swinging is only a part of fishing with a wet.

That's true, but wouldn't you say that swinging is the most productive?

 

[kobalt335]

I'm new to fishing wets so all of this information is awesome for me. I have only really fished wets by swinging them, but now I want to experiment. I also have really only fished smaller wets, so now I want to look into the big flies also. Quite an eye opener.

 

[redietz]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:

That's true, but wouldn't you say that swinging is the most productive?

No.

It's the way that requires the least skill. Upstream can be much more productive, especially if the fish are being in the least selective, and often results in larger fish.

Small insects don't naturally rapidly swim across the stream (most of the time.)

This isn't to say that you should never a swing a wet; it's physically the least demanding method, and I'm lazy enough to do it.

Turn around sometime and see just how productive upstream can be.

 

[redietz]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[outsider]

I fish a full cast when I fish wet flies. Cast upstream, fish a dead drift, let it swing downstream, then do a twitch upstream. The latter can be very productive.

 

[LongLineRelease]

kobalt335 wrote:
............ I also have really only fished smaller wets, so now I want to look into the big flies also. Quite an eye opener.

Don't discount going smaller. I have caught fish on swung flies down to size 22.

 

[LongLineRelease]

As I mentioned before strike detection on the upstream dead drift has been tough for me. Any of you guys that are fishing your wets upstream, do you have any advice on strike detection? I usually either estimate the flies position and watch for the rise or watch my leader butt/line tip for reaction.

 

[redietz]

LongLineRelease wrote:
As I mentioned before strike detection on the upstream dead drift I usually either estimate the flies position and watch for the rise or watch my leader butt/line tip for reaction.

Depending on the situation, you might also try 1) adding floatant to your leader except for the tippet 2) fish close enough that you can see a flash as a fish takes or 3) keep tight to your fly -- i.e. "lead" the fly downstream the way some Euro nymphers do.

And although we may think of strike indicators as something new or somehow cheating, back in the day, Ray Bergman recommended using a large white winged wet as a top dropper and following it as an indicator.

 

[NewSal]

kobalt335 wrote:
I'm new to fishing wets so all of this information is awesome for me. I have only really fished wets by swinging them, but now I want to experiment. I also have really only fished smaller wets, so now I want to look into the big flies also. Quite an eye opener.

Check out Dave Hughes book titled "Wet flys"

I know hes published a "wet flys 2" but I have not read that one yet. However the original wet flys is packed full of great information I recommend it.