If leaders are fished on a SUNKEN FLY then the leader visibility is a moot point. Modern leaders, if they are below the surface, are practically invisible especially the fluoro variety. Mono has made great strides to reduce light refraction over the past decade to where it's almost a "no decision" between mono and fluoro. (Note: my sources are not retail outlets which have another agenda). Me
Dry Fly Design
A comment or two on my last post mentioned the shape and construction of dry flies. This is timely because I've devoted much of the past two years ignoring some standard elements of the dry fly such as hackle (this goes back a few decades) and tails. Why ignore tails?? Tails are pronounced on the adult mayfly but we seldom encounter adults. Most surface rises are for the struggling emerging fly that is stuck half in and half out of the water. My offerings are not tied on standard dry fly hooks but on curved shank scud style hooks. I don't need hackle because the wing material (deer hair, micro post yarn and sometimes CDC) keep the fly in the film and visible. Tails will help keep an old fashioned fly upright but this is a useless point. Let that tail end sink below the surface like a natural fly. Better yet, Get a copy of Bob Wyatt's book: What Trout Want - The Educated Trout And Other Myths. His DHE Emerger will set you straight.
Don't worry, you are still dry fly fishing but using a better imitation of the insect in play. If that doesn't work then a soft hackle will do the trick. I've caught a lot of rising trout over the years by swinging a SH right by its nose. My guess is that the SH looks like an emerging fly that is still rising in the water column.
The Rivers
There is a large rock in the Millers River that I've only been able to see three times in over 30 years. In 2010, 2016 and in this dry year the flow has shrunk to where the this boulder is visible again. When I see that rock I leave the browns alone. This is the story with most of our freestones this summer and there is no indication that this drought will break soon. The Swift is the only real game in town and it may be the only stream to get a Fall stocking.
To Unknown: Here is the dry fly that I've been using. It's Wyatt's DHE (deer hair emerger but I used snowshoe hare for this one.) It doesn't sink except for the back end which is what it's designed to do and I don't have to mess around with parachutes. Instead I can crank them out all day!!! Try one!
12 comments:
Hmm, while I tend to agree, some insects like Hendricksons do drift quite a way as adults with tails. I do have good luck adding a shuck to these patterns which covers both emerger and adult phases.
Was wondering if you were out West as there hadn't been a post in about a week.
I was at the Swift yesterday (below Rte 9) and took about 2 dozen brookies, a small landlocked salmon and three small rainbows. The largest fish was a beautifully colored 12" brokie that fought a ton. The water level was higher than I'd seen it three weeks ago, and the temperature of the water seemed warmer, too.
Dear Ken,
While I agree that light-wire, curved-shank scud hooks offer certain advantages (principally the wider hook gap) for floating emerger patterns, I'm not convinced that your 'tailless, no hackle' flies offer a general blueprint for dry-fly construction. Elimination of both the hackle and tail from a dry-fly pattern of necessity impairs its flotation properties, regardless of the wing material employed (deer hair, synthetics, CDC). Flotation is further reduced by the curved shank of the scud hook which deliberately positions the pattern's abdomen below the surface, quickly soaking that portion of the fly.
Of note, the Klinkhåmer Special, one of the original patterns tied in this style, relies on a robust parachute hackle collar for its flotation. I prefer the classic parachute method of dry-fly construction on a straight-shank hook, which offers both excellent flotation (courtesy of parachute hackle collar and split tail) and proper positioning of the fly's abdomen flush in the surface film - hard to beat these properties and the proven success of this pattern style. I'd rather fish than continually resuscitate a curved-shank fly designed with minimal flotation ...
Just my $0.02 from a fly-tier with 51 years of experience at the vise. Many thanks for the continued excellence of your forum.
-Mike
Anonymous 6:54,
There have been times when trout are rising but not picking off the fully hatched duns but are feeding on emergers/cripples and such. It is really odd to see a mayfly run the gauntlet of rising trout and escape uneaten!!!
Ken
Anonymous 8:50,
The water level has been basically the same for 3 weeks, around 122 cfs. It may seem warmer because the air temperature is cooler just like in mid summer when it's 90 degrees but the water seems freezing.
Mike,
Let me throw my 50 years of fly tying into this mix. Everything you mentioned about my style of dry is by intent. I've had great catches on that style of fly and intend to continue with it. I want the rear of that fly below the surface film and I can do it without parachutes which I've never really liked. To each his own.
Ken
Miller's River report: The last couple of weeks I have gone out to the Miller's late in the afternoon. I don't have decades of experience on it, but the river is lower and slower than I have ever seen. Didn't see a trout, but I wasn't really targeting them, unless they wanted to come up out of a hole for a foam hopper. Smallies did not seem to mind the conditions. Caught 15 in 90 minutes one day, and finally tied into a big one. Thought it was a brown before the first of several 3-foot leaps out of the river. Almost had to net it on the fly. The end result was a 1 pound+ 14 inch bass that fought like a tiger. Gave my five weight a workout. Now, if I can only find a 2+ pound bass that people talk about. But for now, I will be giving the Miller's a rest.
Charles
Dear Ken,
Thanks for adding a photo of the Wyatt's DHE to your current article. I'm familiar with the pattern from Hans Weilenmann's excellent video series, in which he uses a deer hair wing and loosely-dubbed hare's mask thorax as its principal sources of flotation. I remain suspicious about its buoyancy ...
Nevertheless, as it's a simple pattern, I'll tie a selection spanning several sizes and give these an honest try on my next Swift River outing. Perhaps an old dog can be taught a new trick - who knows?
-Mike
Mike,
Switch out the deer hair for snowshoe. Then it REALLY FLOATS!
Charles,
That's a good smallie on any river. A client took a 2lb SMB on the Swift about a month ago. That was a surprise!
Ken
Ken for the past few years ive been tying all my "duns" with a poly wing and dubbed body, various sizes and colors to cover the hatches and they float so well I call them my un-sinkable quill
On the EB at 6:30 this morning, 41 degrees at river side. The river is a rock garden even the spots with water there is hardly any current to work with, #20 sunk to the bottom. Still found 2 small bows and fooled them with a hopper and stone fly nymph. Left at 10 and it was up to 61 degrees. No other fisherman just a couple walkers. Oh, also leaves are starting to fall and get in the way, we need some showers.
Paul,
I've been sold on poly wing material for years. The smaller the fly the better.
Ken
Gary,
It has been a very tough summer for the EB and the Millers. Maybe the worst I've seen it.
Ken
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