Dry Flies and More - imitating all sorts of adult aquatic or terrestrial insects

Dry flies are flies meant to float on the water's surface, imitating all sorts of adult aquatic or terrestrial insects that fall into the water. Some fly fishermen refuse to use anything but dry flies. But when trout are willing to rise for dry flies, nothing beats the excitement of watching a large brown trout rocket up from the depths to attack a dry fly on the surface.

When trout are feeding off the surface, there's little guesswork to selecting the right dry fly. We can see what they're eating simply by observing what floats past our waders. We don't need any Latin to choose an imitation; we know that a general approximation is usually close enough when using a dry fly.

FISHING STREAMERS IN SPRING FLOOD CONDITIONS
There are two things that work in the fly fisher’s favor when fishing streams and rivers in flood in the spring. The first is that because there is so much fast moving water around the fish are not spooked by wading fly fishers. The second is that the fish are on the feed again after winter. In the early part of the season you have to select a fly which will make a trout think it is worth spending the energy to attack it. It is still very cold. Try to work out where the trout are holding up. Trout turn to eating small minnows when the water is in flood as it is hard for them to detect insects to eat. If the water is discolored tie on a dark colored streamer to lure the trout to an attack. There are a number of streamers you could try ranging from black zonkers, woolly buggers, matukas to black ghosts. Try sheltered area of the river first. Look for pockets of water that are not moving as fast as the main body of water. That is the best place to go hunting fish.

Normally I try the traditional down and across presentation when fishing with streamer lures. In flood conditions I like to try and imitate the minnow swimming upwards, pausing and going to the bottom again. I do this by using the tip of my fly rod and lifting the fly up about one meter (one yard) and then down on a streamer lure cast up stream. It looks like an easy meal to the hungry full size trout. When you get a strike you know about it and instantly get a set hook as the fish is biting on a rising hook on a tight line. In larger rivers I wade downstream slowly and fish down and across. I use a slow six inch retrieves on a fly line with a moderately fast sinking tip with a rate of about three to four inches a second. Remember always take care fishing water in flood. Wear proper wading boots and a life vest. There are too many fatalities each year. Don’t become the next statistic.

We can tell how the trout responds to Jerry's dry fly. If he sticks up his nose and sucks it in, we lift our rod, set the hook, and bring him in. If he refuses dry flies that float directly over him without drag a few times, we know we must change dry flies or change tactics.

Sure, there are times early in the season when trout sulk on the bottom of the stream. If they eat anything, it's a worm or a flashy spinner or a weighted nymph, fished deep and slow. But trout are mainly insect eaters. They're most vulnerable when they're gorging on bugs at the surface, as they do at least part of virtually every day of the season. At those times, anybody with modest skill and a dry fly that even vaguely resembles the insect the trout are eating can catch them easily.