Favorite technic

[fcch]

Just for the fun of it ... (winter's starting to get long here).

What is (for your homewaters) your favorite technic?

I mean, I will change beats so I can fish an upstream dry, even if I know there is a trout sitting down stream a bit just waiting for a swinging streamer to trot by. Sort of like, if your could ONLY ff one way, what would it be (and why)

There are dozens of river technics out there, so we'll keep this simple.

Mine would be upstream dries. More like hunting than ff'ing. I like to sight cast to lunkers from down stream on a BIG bushy dry.

Ideas ???

 

[wrangler]

i'm with ya on the upstream dries, chris. i'd rather catch one on a dry than five sunk. i love the visual - always makes my heart leap.

have a good weekend everyone

 

[fcch]

Wrangler,

My objectif for 2004 was to connect to an Atlantic on a dry (on purpose). Missed a few, paniced on 2 (short set).

My girlfriend says she wants to seriously go for Salmo Salar this season (instead of just searun trout) so I think we'll concentrate on that. I can't wait.

EXACTLY 4 months 'till opening day for us up here .

 

[Andy B]

Well for me it's really one style with a few variations. I fish wet fly's. When fishing deep holes with a strip motion or a good moving current I like to use a traditional three wet fly rig. Other times it's sight fishing up stream with a wet fly stripping the line the speed of current and lastly it's the traditional wet fly swing either with a three wet fly rig or a single wet fly. Cast upstream 45 degrees and mend line and allow it to completely straighten out down stream finished with a Liesenring lift.


Andy B

 

[Pete]

I would prefer dry fly action, but on the waters I fish these days....

I put a nymph on a dropper and a streamer on the tippet. Cast upstream and across, fish it with a mended dead drift until the swing, then lift. After the lift, I fish the streamer with an intermittent strip retrieve.

I'm amazed at how many fish take the nymph, when I think I'm fishing the streamer.

 

[Soft-hackle]

With Andy B

While many enjoy the thrill of fishing the dry, I guess I'd have to vote with Andy on this one. I enjoy the wets, softhackles, of course and all. I believe some large trout are taken on wet flies. I particularly enjoy fishing three flies, downstream with the top dropper skittering/bobbing in the surface. It really entices the trout.

 

[dcabarle]

Hmmmm. Dry fly, as far as I can cast, and watching the take with my binoculars!!!! Also, watching a trout slash at your wooly bugger from a drift boat. You're above the action and if you're wearing your polaroids, you can see everything.

 

[dcabarle]

While many enjoy the thrill of fishing the dry, I guess I'd have vote with Andy on this one. I enjoy the wets, softhackles, of course and all. I believe some large trout are taken on wet flies. I particularly enjoy fishing three flies, downstream with the top dropper skittering/bobbing in the surface. It really entices the trout.

I watched a show yesterday on fishing the wet fly. They had some footage of the action the fly makes while underwater. They had them set up as a tandom rig no less than 20" apart. Pretty interesting segment, but I can't say that's my type of fishing.

 

[Black Ghost]

Swinging spey flys for GLs fresh run steelhead. They don't take drys if they did of course that would be preferred. 90% of the trout,salmon,and steelhead fly fishing I do is nymphs and steelhead/salmon wet fly patterns.

BG

 

[Big_Spinner]

It was not a choice, but I would say drifting a dry fly downstream to a fish. The visual component and anticipation is the best!

 

[Fly Tier]

Oh my,
I must agree with Jim...

It was not an option... #1 - 10 is Sight fishing to rising fish with a dry, DOWNSTREAM.

Although swinging a BIG wet fly just at dark and into the night is nice too. You can usually guess that when something takes, its big!

-Larry

 

[RickW]

All things being equal, I would have to say upsteam dries for the visual aspect of the take.

I would hate to be limited to only one technique tho.

 

[shware]

I too am with Jim and Fly Tier....drifting a dry fly DOWNSTREAM. I actually enjoy dry flies any old way (upstream or downstream) but I'm always nervous about lining a fish when casting upstream.


Shawn

 

[JeffK]

Upstream wets on a short line with a long rod are my favorite - although it has to be to visible fish. Love the hunt - stalking the fish, moving to the right spot, and making that good presentation. Of course I will never turn down up and down dries, swinging wets, stripping or dead drifting streamers, etc, etc. However, lately I just can't seem to get into blind nymph fishing. I know it's effective and I used to be able to do it, but now I just can't maintain the concentration to catch anything this way. With the high water since September it's been a long winter.

 

[fcch]

Rick,

I wouldn't want to be limited either, just wanted to see, if you had the choice, what would it be.

Sight fishing here is a blast. From some of the lies, we can see right into the pool, cast to a target and watch the take (or refusal).

I prefer dries and will fish them even when other tactics are more successful. I'm not being elitist, I just do it for fun.

 

[wet fly guy]

wet fly guy

I have to go with Andy B. It wet flies!!
Softy's are right in there to.

Wet

 

[fcch]

Wet,

When I say wet flies, I mean soft hackles.

 

[FearTheHenry]

Choice

If I have a choice, I guess it would be..

Drifting a Henryville Special, twitch it a little, drift some more.... then BAM!

catch my breath and do it again.....

 

[emerger]

I also love the visual aspect of a trout taking a dry fly. Whether I drift my dry up or downstream it doesn't matter to me. There is nothing like dry fly fishing for me.

 

[flyin]

I like any technique that "works". Top water is most fun, but around
the areas I fish, underwater is the key, almost anything that can
imitate the various food items.

ok, ok, I like swinging emergers "best"

 

[jcstikfish]

Definately blind fishing with nymphs. I love the anticipation of not knowing exactly what size, type and number of fish are in the particular run I am drifting. Where the next drift could result in a great fish.

I think of it as being a kid on Christmas morning. It wouldn't be as exciting if the presents were unwrapped and I new what I was getting as I ran down the stairs!

At least thats how I look at it.

 

[fcch]

James,

I guess it depends also where and how one fishes.

On my home waters, bag limit is 1 per day for adult salmon or 2 juveniles. We also "encourage" anglers to stop after 2 releases (when it's too hot out).

So 'ya see, "if" you had the choice, would you cast to the 6 lb fish or the 22 lb fish ?? That's why I prefer (to some extent) sight fishing (up or down stream). I just have more fun casting dries.

 

[Fly Tier]

Chris, you gonna get down to the catskills this upcoming season?

 

[oasis man]

Men are Visual Creatures

If trout stopped taking dry flies (flys that I can see the take) I'd stop fishing. Men are by nature visual (think of the sexual response)....
OM
Hope to see all of you at next Thursday's meeting in Trenton.

 

[fcch]

Fly Tier,

We'd like to get around, but the season just goes by so fast (only do really one river). Thanks for the invite.

One day, we shall do it. I guess I'm a creature of habit. Edit: That is to say, we fish to relax and get away from town, phones, playStation ...) For now, the homewaters do just fine. The new familly just started fishing 3 seasons ago, so they still learn something every time out (me too) So for now, we don't look to explore new waters. Heck the river has over 100 km of pools, runs etc...


Same invitation for you all too if you ever want to get up to Canada.

 

[Scott]

I prefer to fish on the surface. I will almost always start out with a surface presentation. However, with fishing the goal is naturally to catch fish, so I adapt as necessary as conditions dictate.

 

[Burtbords149]

Dry fly fishing is a lifestyle in the Catskills where I grew up fishing. I believe it was Herbert Hoover in his book who said that "the dry fly fisherman considers himself above the wet fly fisherman who is above the lure fisherman who is above the bait fisherman, but in times of desperation the dry fly fisherman will fish wets and so on."

I'm not for being a raging elitist but dry fly fishing in my opinion is 100x more exciting than any other method, BUT I also flyfish for my own fun so whatever makes another happy and however you have fun is your way. I'll be happy if everyone on the stream is having a good time.

I'm also not an elitist (or an idiot) in that if they aren't taking or rising and a few prospectors don't work I'll nymph fish. Now if they ARE rising and refusing everything I throw at them... I'll try everything in my book but will eventually nymph fish.

Early in the season nymph and streamer fishing is usually the only way to fish, and I enjoy it immensely.

 

[Ronbo]

While there is nothing like the site of a rising trout taking a fine Catskill dry. Most trout are feeding sub surface. I'm a big fan of faster water and find a good wet fly can evoke some savage hits while dry fly fishing can be futile at times :bang: I might add I love the old wet fly patterns and their effectivenes:beer:

 

[redietz]

I'd rather swim a team of wets than any other technique I can think of --
although "swim" is a wide open term -- upstream in the film, to straight across on a dead drift, to swinging them downstream.

To quote Ray Bergman,

Wet fly fishing is a subtle art. Masters of the art are few and far between. Many anglers never become even passably proficient although the same men will become really skillful at at dry fly fishing.

Later in the same book,

Coming down to "brass tacks" wet fly fishing as a finished art is much harder to master than dry fly fishing. Dry fly operations are all visible to the angler but most successful wet fly tactics are achieved only by a finely developed sense of touch, by subtle intuition resulting from long association with the intricacies of the method.

In other words, it's a heck of a lot more interesting.

OTOH, the only fly fishing technique that I don't really enjoy is high stick nymphing.

 

[papabearoutdoors]

I'd rather swim a team of wets than any other technique I can think of --
although "swim" is a wide open term -- upstream in the film, to straight across on a dead drift, to swinging them downstream.

To quote Ray Bergman,

Wet fly fishing is a subtle art. Masters of the art are few and far between. Many anglers never become even passably proficient although the same men will become really skillful at at dry fly fishing.

Later in the same book,

Coming down to "brass tacks" wet fly fishing as a finished art is much harder to master than dry fly fishing. Dry fly operations are all visible to the angler but most successful wet fly tactics are achieved only by a finely developed sense of touch, by subtle intuition resulting from long association with the intricacies of the method.

In other words, it's a heck of a lot more interesting.

OTOH, the only fly fishing technique that I don't really enjoy is high stick nymphing.

well done. absolutely it is a much different technique and the touch aspect is certainly of primary importance. i fish with guys that PREFER to swing a wet fly more than anything else they've become so confident in what the technique produces.

dry flys have become really a necessary evil towards the evening or if a hatch is on... its that extreme once you have success fishing wet flys and emergers on the swing.

in fact, you can fish any given fly on the swing and it's pretty much the go to tactic sometimes. even dry flies -- let them get dunked just at dark and wait until you feel the hit... its extremely effective well after dark.