Give us a try!
Welcome back to the new NEFF. Take a break from Twitter and Facebook. You don't go to Dicks for your fly fishing gear, you go to your local fly fishing store. Enjoy!
wet flies
- Thread starter C&R
- Start date
kidfromnujay
Just finished a River Runs Through it!
Well, for myself, 9 out of 10 times when I arrive at the stream, there isn't a hatch in progress, so the trout are feeding opportunistically on whatever happens by their feeding or holding stations. They're not keyed in on one particular insect, nor are they showing themselves by rising to a hatch. A searching pattern can represent any generic "bug" that would tempt a trout into biting. You can either wade upstream or down, swimming or drifting your fly into potential lairs such as brush, undercut banks, in front of or behind obstructions such as boulders where trout like to hang out. These lairs provide them with concealment from predators and/or access to a steady stream of food.
Some other patterns that may be considered "searching" patterns could be the Hares Ear soft-hackle, the Prince nymph, or the Wooly Bugger. These patterns represent nothing in particular, but are representive of a generic "bug".
Some other patterns that may be considered "searching" patterns could be the Hares Ear soft-hackle, the Prince nymph, or the Wooly Bugger. These patterns represent nothing in particular, but are representive of a generic "bug".
C&R...
Here is an excerpt from an article titled "Fly FIshing in Jackson Hole" Techniques and Tactis Pt. 2
Attractor Patterns
"Why the big emphasis on attractor, or searching, patterns? Why not just put on a fly that imitates the hatching insect, even if the hatch is sparse? The answer is that you certainly could. Not only that, you'll catch fish. But if you want to maximize your efforts, it's usually better to fish attractor patterns for several reasons.
Remember the type of water you'll usually be fishing. Fast and turbulent. Most "match-the-hatch" style fly patterns are not designed for this type of water and will either sink or be too hard to see. These are the conditions in which a well designed attractor pattern comes into play.
Attractor patterns tend to be beefed up versions of "match-the-hatch" style flies which not only float better, but are much easier to see. But there is an additional benefit. While attractor patterns do not imitate any one specific insect, they are impressionistic. They look a little bit like a lot of different types of bugs. With the wide variety of different food stuffs trout have to feed on in Jackson Hole it is not hard to see how this could be an advantage.
Move Your Fly
Fishing the water with attractor patterns is all well and good, but it still leaves open the question of how one should present the fly to the trout. The time honored, traditional presentation that has been espoused in just about every book and magazine article ever written is, of course, the dead drift. And despite what I'm about to say, the dead drift is still probably the single best presentation method available. However, it is far from the only one and sometimes pales in comparison to other presentation methods.
Perhaps the simplest variation, and one of the most effective, is the twitch. Normally this will work best with larger patterns, especially if they incorporate rubber legs. Simply use your rod tip to impart a slight twitch on the fly and return to the dead drift. The strike will often come immediately after the twitch.
Other alternative presentations include drowning (intentionally pulling your fly under water on a dead drift), stripping your fly under water, and skating the fly on the surface. All have their time and place. Which one works best can change from day to day. Experiment in an effort to determine what the technique of the day is."
For the full article http://www.highcountryflies.com/regional_overview/techniques_tactics-part2.htm
Here is an excerpt from an article titled "Fly FIshing in Jackson Hole" Techniques and Tactis Pt. 2
Attractor Patterns
"Why the big emphasis on attractor, or searching, patterns? Why not just put on a fly that imitates the hatching insect, even if the hatch is sparse? The answer is that you certainly could. Not only that, you'll catch fish. But if you want to maximize your efforts, it's usually better to fish attractor patterns for several reasons.
Remember the type of water you'll usually be fishing. Fast and turbulent. Most "match-the-hatch" style fly patterns are not designed for this type of water and will either sink or be too hard to see. These are the conditions in which a well designed attractor pattern comes into play.
Attractor patterns tend to be beefed up versions of "match-the-hatch" style flies which not only float better, but are much easier to see. But there is an additional benefit. While attractor patterns do not imitate any one specific insect, they are impressionistic. They look a little bit like a lot of different types of bugs. With the wide variety of different food stuffs trout have to feed on in Jackson Hole it is not hard to see how this could be an advantage.
Move Your Fly
Fishing the water with attractor patterns is all well and good, but it still leaves open the question of how one should present the fly to the trout. The time honored, traditional presentation that has been espoused in just about every book and magazine article ever written is, of course, the dead drift. And despite what I'm about to say, the dead drift is still probably the single best presentation method available. However, it is far from the only one and sometimes pales in comparison to other presentation methods.
Perhaps the simplest variation, and one of the most effective, is the twitch. Normally this will work best with larger patterns, especially if they incorporate rubber legs. Simply use your rod tip to impart a slight twitch on the fly and return to the dead drift. The strike will often come immediately after the twitch.
Other alternative presentations include drowning (intentionally pulling your fly under water on a dead drift), stripping your fly under water, and skating the fly on the surface. All have their time and place. Which one works best can change from day to day. Experiment in an effort to determine what the technique of the day is."
For the full article http://www.highcountryflies.com/regional_overview/techniques_tactics-part2.htm
kidfromnujay
Just finished a River Runs Through it!
Yea, you're basically trying to "scare up" some fish by showing them something "buggy" and putting it where they should be, namely the areas I had already discussed.
I see you're from Wayne. I grew up in Denville, right down Rt. 46 from you.
Kevin
I see you're from Wayne. I grew up in Denville, right down Rt. 46 from you.
Kevin
DaveR
Combat Fly Fisherman
Just to add to the recent posts, it's important to keep in mind that unless trout are actively cruising for food, they will remain pretty tight to their feeding lies. For that reason, it's critical to learn to read the water to know where trout typically hold. Once this is done, a searching pattern will imitate a broader range of insect or other food types that it will increase your "hit" ratio (unless the trout are being selective). The reason these work so well is that IMHO presentation is the most critical component of taking a fish. The actual type of fly is secondary to this. I know some people will disagree with this and in certain instances they will be correct, but overall if you can present the fly well, you're in good shape.
Once you've hit one or two, you may want to pump their stomach to see what they are eating. That will allow you to be more selective in your choice of fly and increase your hit ratio even more.
My favorite "go to" searching pattern is the gold ribbed hare's ear nymph. I tie them in size 14--18 using light tan, dark tan, grey, and olive hair. Use a dubbing loop or pick the hair out to make it look really buggy. Another great pattern are 16-18 grey and tan scuds. Tie them lean and use a plastic sandwich bag as a shellback. Pick out the underbelly to imitate legs.
Once you've hit one or two, you may want to pump their stomach to see what they are eating. That will allow you to be more selective in your choice of fly and increase your hit ratio even more.
My favorite "go to" searching pattern is the gold ribbed hare's ear nymph. I tie them in size 14--18 using light tan, dark tan, grey, and olive hair. Use a dubbing loop or pick the hair out to make it look really buggy. Another great pattern are 16-18 grey and tan scuds. Tie them lean and use a plastic sandwich bag as a shellback. Pick out the underbelly to imitate legs.
Scott
Salmo salar Sebago finatic
Fish do not eat 24-7. Thus if you want to get fish to bite that is not actively feeding, you have to provoke them into a reaction strike.
That is what attractors do - provoke a reaction strike.
What I do when matching the hatch isn't working for me is tie on an attactor - something like a Royal Wulff, a streamer, or a wet fly (my favorite attractor wets are a Silver Doctor or a Professor)
That is what attractors do - provoke a reaction strike.
What I do when matching the hatch isn't working for me is tie on an attactor - something like a Royal Wulff, a streamer, or a wet fly (my favorite attractor wets are a Silver Doctor or a Professor)
Scott
Salmo salar Sebago finatic
I believe "Stimulator" is the name of a specific fly pattern. Attractors are flies that, well, attract. Typically an attractor fly will be composed of bright colors.
A seaching pattern is one that can be fished blind, i.e. fished to structure & cover, not necessarily to a specific target.
My vote for an ideal searching pattern is one that approximates local forage, and allows me to cover water quickly.
The function of these types of flies (as I mentioned earlier) is to generate a reaction strike, not a strike from a feeding fish - although a feeding fish is welcome to eat anything it wants!
A seaching pattern is one that can be fished blind, i.e. fished to structure & cover, not necessarily to a specific target.
My vote for an ideal searching pattern is one that approximates local forage, and allows me to cover water quickly.
The function of these types of flies (as I mentioned earlier) is to generate a reaction strike, not a strike from a feeding fish - although a feeding fish is welcome to eat anything it wants!
One old wet fly guy I knew was dissed by a dry fly guy for using attractor patterns rather than matching the hatch, even though he was catching most of the fish. His comment was that he was confused since he thought the whole purpose of fishing was to attract a trout to your fly.
Scott
Salmo salar Sebago finatic
I've had several outstanding outings fishing attractors, and I've posted about a few of them here. One that sticks out in my mind the most was an afternoon that I spent stripping a Royal Wulff Trude #14 dry fly under the surface like a streamer. I was hooking into fish on almost every cast. It was unreal. The fish would take naturals only sparingly, there were tan caddis and grey fox's hatching at the time I think.
Sometimes you have to show the fish something a little different, something that stands out.
Sometimes you have to show the fish something a little different, something that stands out.
