Techniques of Wet Fly Fishing

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

---

The Secret About Night Fishing Line

The Best Type Of Line For Night FishingHere is a... Read More

Fishing Equipment Tips

Cheap SinkersSpark plugs make excellent disposable sinkers. Need some cheap... Read More

Are You Holding Your Mouth Right To Catch More Fish?

My young stepson and I was fishing at Rush Creek... Read More

Do Fish See in Color

Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that... Read More

Fly Fishing Journals ? Keep Track of Your Trips

Fly fishing is addictive. Once you start, you'll never stop.... Read More

Find and Catch More Fish, Quickly and Easily, with the FISHIN BUDDY 2255

"Wherever you like to fish-lakes, reservoirs, rivers or streams, you'll... Read More

Bass Fishing? Watch Out For the Gators!

Lakes in certain parts of the country contain more than... Read More

Cutthroat Trout and Cutthroat Trout Fishing

Experienced fishermen know all about the cutthroat trout. That is... Read More

Local Bass Fishing

If you are like me, you love to fish at... Read More

Where The Bassalo Roam

Have you ever thought why fishing timbers is so productive?... Read More

Spinnerbait Fishing Tactics for Spotted Bay Bass

Like most fishermen my age I originally learned about spinnerbait... Read More

Swordfishing in South Florida

Southeast Florida Swordfishing ? "Purple Fever"Once you have your tackle... Read More

Bass Fishing Tips

3 Lures You Must HaveDo you know what the top... Read More

Understanding the Effects Moonlight on Swordfishing

In order to better understand why swordfish concentrate their feeding... Read More

From Personal Belly Boats to High Performance Racers - An Overview of Inflatable Boats

Inflatable boats, also called rubber boats or dinghies, have been... Read More

Bluefin Tuna Fishing

Bluefin tuna are one of the greatest challenges to anglers... Read More

Fishing The Henrys Fork....With Jack Karpawack

Jack Karpawack here.Well, as I suspected, there was no high... Read More

Importance of Artificial Light While Swordfishing

The use of light, either chemical or battery powered plays... Read More

Ever Said: We Should Have Caught Bass By Now?

Have you ever been on a lake and thought to... Read More

Tips To Getting Sponsored For Fishing Tournaments

One of the most important steps in getting sponsored to... Read More

Reviving Billfish

Last summer we had an unfortunate incident with a swordfish... Read More

Take a Kid Fishing

Take a kid fishing and they will learn to be... Read More

Fishing Grubs, The React Lure for all Seasons

One of the most versatile of all lures, the grub... Read More

Just What Is the Stream Trout?

The term stream trout is actually a term used to... Read More

No Boat? Join Your Local Bass Club

Having been an avid basser for years, and not having... Read More

Finding Trophy Bass

Have you ever noticed some people have all the luck... Read More

Caring for Your Inflatable Boat - Common Sense & Consistency Are the Keys

Thousands of years ago, the first inflatable boats, made from... Read More

Fishing For Bass In Deep Water

When fishing for bass in deep water try a spinnerbait... Read More

Erie Steelhead Flies

As we stated in our article on Pacific Steelhead flies,... Read More

Further North to Alaska

With the excitement of my first trip to Alaska still... Read More

Brook Trout, One of Canadas Most Loved Trout

Brook trout are one of the most popular game fish... Read More

Choosing Steelhead Gear

Steelhead GearLike many things in fly fishing you can ask... Read More

Breeding Crayfish

In the text below I shall try to give a... Read More