Dry Fly
Techniques
By
Brett Fogle
Dry fly angling is at the top of any fly
fisherman’s list of fun fishing. The visual dry fly catch
continues to excite many anglers as the best way to angle the
fly. Many anglers try to keep themselves busy with various fly
tying techniques as well as nymphing techniques. We will
discuss several of those techniques below, but for now we
will start with dry fly techniques.
To watch the fly drift free, then the flash
of a trout, followed by your fly rod bend - this is what
most of us are after. To experience it, fly fishermen
will go to measures beyond most other fishermen. I would
say that 30% of fly fishing angling time is spent fishing
a dry fly. My favorite fly fishing memories have included
big fish taken on a dry fly. Sure, dredging a nymph and
hooking an old Brown or a huge River Rainbow is
satisfying, but I’ll take a brookie on a dry fly, at any
size, on any day.
When I go to a stream, new or old, I put on
a nymph first. There are exceptions (fish rising
everywhere to an obvious hatch) that make me poke around
in my compartment box, but the indicator and nymph are my
first choice. I can catch fish while I am observing what
is going on in the stream. When I have things figured
out, then I go to the dry fly. This is where I have the
most fun.
Equipment is important! Try to use as long
a fly rod as you can get away with. Some anglers use a
5'6" fly rod for dry fly fishing, but generally, a longer
rod eight feet or longer is desirable. A medium action or
faster is desirable to have the reaction and hook setting
speed that dry fly angling sometimes takes.
It is also best to use large arbor reels. A
large arbor keeps a fly line supple, without curls from a
tight diameter storage. A fine drag system, or none at
all, in important to protect the fine tippet from
breaking when a fish runs. A fly rod must also balance.
The reel weight must make the fly rod at the point where
your index finger rests on the cork grip "balance." That
would be where the fly rod hangs level on the balance of
your index finger on the cork. This makes the feel of the
cast second nature. You will get to a level where casting
becomes second nature, you will feel the fly trailing on
your leader, the rod tip bending, and the fly line loop
during your cast like you feel the tracking of your
wheels on the highway while you are driving.
Understanding these important aspects of
fly fishing is not difficult, it just takes some
experience. You will soon get to a point where you
understand each and every aspect of your equipment and
fishing technique in focused detail. Especially if you
continue to go after trout with a fly rod, particularly a
dry fly rod. Just remember to balance your equipment. You
will see the merit of that as you fish!
Fly line choices come into play when
thinking about dry fly equipment. I like fly line colors
in gray, green or white. Colors other than this are used
to catch fishermen at the fly shop counter. At fly line
weights less than 4-weights, double tapers or weight
forwards, you will find you will have a very hard time
telling the difference. A double taper will last twice as
long because you can turn the fly line around when it is
worn. But I seem to gravitate toward a weight forward. If
you like to "shoot" casts, the weight forward seems to
work better.
If you want, you can experiment with mini
shooting heads and custom made lines for your dry fly
fishing pursuits. Loop offers many different fly lines
available for experimentation. Leaders are an important
aspect of dry fly fishing. Many anglers like to use Rio
leaders, which are very supple, yet the butt through
midsection is stiff enough to make the leader straighten,
or "turn over." For small streams, a 9 foot leader in 6x
is perfect. If you need to step down to 7x, a length of
tippet can be added.
Related
Articles
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