You Favorite Wet Fly Patterns

[JeffK]

I only have up to 2X on my tippet holder, which I have used at times. I also have some old gut "light trout" leaders which are 0X - so old timers used some heavy tippets by our standards.

One more data point is fishing in Reno, NV in the Truckee and Little Truckee Rivers. The locals I fish with out there fish down to 4X for midges and larger for wets regular sized nymphs. The Little Truckee is a classic tailwater and both are fished heavily - they are not full of naive trout. However, the locals always use loop knots to let the fly swing free at the end of the tippet. About 5 years ago the fly fishing trade show was in Reno and the visiting tackle dealers thought the large tippets locals used were ridiculous, but the locals outfished the visitors even with the heavier tippets. The big argument out there - do you want 6X on when you hook into that rare 5 lbs brown?

 

[Billems]

The Partridge and Orange works best for me. Partridge and Hares Ear follows. I do tie some traditional wets, mostly the Leadwing Coachman and the Hares Ear in #12. I used the big wets in slow pools, either early or late. It's like a form of bait fishing. I cast them, allow them to settle on the bottom, five or ten minutes later, I'll retrieve them with a slow hand twist. You'd be surprised at the results. I adore wet flies.

 

[wbranch]

It may sound crazy to say this but I don't think I have ever caught a trout on a wert fly. One of my first books was a little hardback about nymphs. I tied them and caught fish. I tied a few soft hackle Leadwing Coachmen and don't think I ever tried one.

 

[dc410]

It may sound crazy to say this but I don't think I have ever caught a trout on a wert fly. One of my first books was a little hardback about nymphs. I tied them and caught fish. I tied a few soft hackle Leadwing Coachmen and don't think I ever tried one.

Maybe you should have! 😉

 

[wbranch]

Maybe you should have! 😉

Kind of late now. When I spent entire summers in Montana from 1967 to 1972 I fished primarily Armstrong & Nelson's spring creeks. They were 90% dry fly & 10% nymphs. No reason to fish wet flies. Those years formed how I wanted to fish for the rest of my life. I was about 28 years old in these pictures.

 

[dc410]

Kind of late now. When I spent entire summers in Montana from 1967 to 1972 I fished primarily Armstrong & Nelson's spring creeks. They were 90% dry fly & 10% nymphs. No reason to fish wet flies. Those years formed how I wanted to fish for the rest of my life. I was about 28 years old in these pictures.

Nice! Cool old photos!

 

[Tups]

Black wet fly for March and April works well.

 

[Tups]

A good early season combo. The rusty fly is productive all season long.

 

[Prospector]

View attachment 1641236795

A good early season combo. The rusty fly is productive all season long.

Is it usually a 50/50 split or does one of them usually produce better?

 

[Tups]

The tail fly typically catches the most. Early season I usually use the black fly on the tail and something else as the dropper. My droppers suspend from the leader. I never tie a trailer off the bend of the hook. The rusty fly (sort of a March brown) will be on the tail May through summer and fall with a smaller soft hackle as a dropper. I don’t often fish the black fly in summer, buts it is useful again in Fall. These are size 14.