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Fishing
Techniques :: Destinations :: General
::
Techniques of Wet Fly Fishing ::
By
Brett Fogle
Many anglers who are new to fly fishing consider dry fly
fishing the “traditional” way of catching trout.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Wet fly fishing dates
back hundreds of years, well before dry fly fishing came
around.
Wet
fly fishing is one of the best ways for anglers to get introduced
to sub-surface fishing. Unlike nymph and dry fly fishing,
where skill, practice and precise imitations are needed
to effectively take trout consistently, wet fly fishing
can provide rewards quickly - even to beginner anglers.
Unlike dry fly fishing and nymph fly fishing - when using
wet flies, the angler is not attempting to precisely imitate
any particular insect.
Wet
Fly Fishing : Basic Overview
Instead
of looking precisely like a particular type of insect, a
wet fly is more an imitation of a stage of life of aquatic
insects. Many wet flies imitate a struggling nymph as it
attempts to reach the surface of the river. These same wet
flies also suitably imitate dead or drowning insects. Either
way, one thing about wet flies is that they generally imitate
aquatic insects in motion (moving to the surface, drowning
in the water, etc…) – not just floating merrily
along in the current, completely helpless (although that
is done, too!).
Unlike
dry fly or nymph fly fishing, wet fly fishing can also be
very rewarding to beginner anglers. Perfect, or even good
technique, is not needed for new anglers to hook some nice
fish. And the reason for this is because of the way most
wet fly fishing is done – neither requiring perfect
casts nor split-timing when setting the hook.
When
fly fishing with wet flies, anglers frequently will use
2 or more flies together. By using two or more flies together
in a dropper setup (described later), an angler can improve
their chances of finding biting trout.
So,
let’s take a close look at how wet fly fishing works,
what is used and why any angler should give it a try –
even on those rivers that are normally the dry fly fisherman’s
playground.
There
are many different types of flies available for wet fly
fishing. Normally, most wet flies have soft hackling.
The
reason for this is because this type of hackling has fibers
in it that move around in the water – sort of inviting
the trout to take it in.
Additionally,
unlike most nymphs, wet flies are designed to sink rather
quickly, since wet fly fishing is generally done closer
to the bottom of the river. For this reason, many wet flies
tend to be a bit heavier and are tied in a wide variety
of ways. Each way designed to sink the fly in a particular
manner than the typical nymph.
Frequently,
wet flies tend to be fished in areas that have fast moving
water. Because of this, many anglers fly fish wet flies
using a sinking tip line. While using a sink-tip fly line
can definitely aid the fly in getting down to the right
depth, an angler who only has a floating fly line should
not despair. Generally, simply using weights on the leader
or the fly line can do an adequate job of pulling down a
wet fly to the right depth.
Wet
Fly Fishing : Dropper Flies
As mentioned,
wet flies are frequently fished in groups of flies –
not just a single fly by itself. When a second, or third,
fly is used, it is called a “dropper fly”. A
dropper fly, which is a very effective and rather ancient
method of wet fly fishing, is a fly that is tied to the
main leader.
When
rigging up your fly fishing gear using a dropper fly, simply
attach the first fly onto the end of the tippet as you normally
would. Then, for the second fly, take a 12 inch of tippet
material and tie it to the leader about 12-24 inches above
the first fly. Attach the second fly to the end of that
line. You now have a dropper fly set up.
Additional
flies can also be attached – you are in no way limited
to just using 1 or 2 flies. However, the more flies you
have, the greater the likelihood of tangles occurring –
both when casting and in hooking underwater obstructions.
For beginner anglers, it is probably best to start with
one fly, then go to two flies when comfortable with basic
casting and wet fly fishing technique.
Either
way, one nice thing about a dropper fly is that it allows
anglers to test out flies at the same time. Thus, you can
tie on one type as normal, then tie on a completely different
looking wet fly as a dropper fly. It’s a great way
to quickly experiment around to see what works and what
doesn’t on a particular river (especially a new one
you’ve never fished before). you may even be rewarded
with having two or more fish hooked simultaneously.
About
The Author
Brett
Fogle is the publisher of Fly Fishing Secrets, an insiders
guide to flyfishing tips and techniques of the pros. To
sign up for free flyfishing tips and other articles, please
visit www.fly-fishing-secrets.com.
brett@macarthurwatergardens.com
Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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