Dry or Wet flies

[rachunter]

Went out this morning to try the new line I put out. My old line was shot. Caught another sunny and dropped a brown trout. The pond is starting to thin out.
Meet an old salty I fished with for years. We didn’t even recognize each other the first two times we where talking. He was helping me when I tried saltwater fly fishing.I realized it was him when he said “you’ll never use that fly rod as long as you bring the spinning rod”.


Finally got my dry flies. Going to try and get upstate next weekend.


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[rachunter]

 Yellow Stimulator  size  8

When do you use this jumbo it looks like a Yellowjacket.




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[The_Real_TCIII]

17 minutes ago, rachunter said:

When do you use this jumbo it looks like a Yellowjacket.




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And twist your tippet into oblivion lol

[The_Real_TCIII]

17 minutes ago, rachunter said:

When do you use this jumbo it looks like a Yellowjacket.




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Sometimes i find im missing a lot of strikes and I'll snip the hackle away from in front of the hook point

[Nytracker]

Lots of times to use a stimulator . 

First is it wont spin your leader if you use the right leader/ tippit . A larger fly will require a larger stiffer leader matched with tippet .

Stimulator  will pass for  large stonefly... grass hoppers .I use it like a hopper dropper rig . 

I use stimulators as a prospecting fly when nothing is on the water. Land that sucker with a splat on the water sometime draws a reactionary  strike .

 Sometimes when theres  a heavey hatch its hard to get a trout to take your fly  because there is so many  bugs on the water. A big ugly  is the big meatball  on a plate of pasta.

[The_Real_TCIII]

23 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

Lots of times to use a stimulator . 

First is it wont spin your leader if you use the right leader/ tippit . A larger fly will require a larger stiffer leader matched with tippet .

Stimulator  will pass for  large stonefly... grass hoppers .I use it like a hopper dropper rig . 

I use stimulators as a prospecting fly when nothing is on the water. Land that sucker with a splat on the water sometime draws a reactionary  strike .

 Sometimes when theres  a heavey hatch its hard to get a trout to take your fly  because there is so many  bugs on the water. A big ugly  is the big meatball  on a plate of pasta.

Im not swapping out my leader and tippet to put one on though lol

[Nytracker]

First if you use a loop to loop connection its seconds to change a leader. 

 I start out  with  2x or 4x leader . If I need to stiffen up a leader  I cut off   2 or 3 feet of leader . Go up a size x  with tippet material  adjust tippet up . Takes a couple minutes .

[crappyice]

When do you use this jumbo it looks like a Yellowjacket.




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Fast water that is riddled with large boulders(in front of and begin said boulders). Some of the most hellacious strikes come from fish that chase that thing down stream to catch it!


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[Chef]

The other thing to consider is the type of rise. In general: 
A gentle sip means the trout is eating dead mayflies or spinners. 
Head out but still gentle is adult mayflies. It also suggests they are holding just below the surface. 
Porpoising, (only the back breaks the water) suggest they are eating emergents caught in the film. 
A big splashy rise usually mean emergers or perhaps a caddis on the surface - something they need to chase a little. 
Breaking the surface completely ... who knows? I once had a big rainbow on the Esopus break water and take a streamer before it landed in the water. 
Here’s a more thorough look at rise forms - https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/understanding-trout-rise-forms/152245
 

I sort of disagree with this post, I would actually say the rise dictates the size of the fish.

Large splash rise for the most part equals small fish

Subtle sip is usually a larger fish.


The way I tell where they are feeding is seeing how much of the fish breaks the surface. Almost nothing they are sipping emergers

If you can see the fishes back break the water line they are feeding up top


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[Chef]

Lots of times to use a stimulator . 
First is it wont spin your leader if you use the right leader/ tippit . A larger fly will require a larger stiffer leader matched with tippet .
Stimulator  will pass for  large stonefly... grass hoppers .I use it like a hopper dropper rig . 
I use stimulators as a prospecting fly when nothing is on the water. Land that sucker with a splat on the water sometime draws a reactionary  strike .
 Sometimes when theres  a heavey hatch its hard to get a trout to take your fly  because there is so many  bugs on the water. A big ugly  is the big meatball  on a plate of pasta.

Couldn’t agree more and from mid May to late June I use a coffin for this! They don’t forget those drakes too easily


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[crappyice]

Couldn’t agree more and from mid May to late June I use a coffin for this! They don’t forget those drakes too easily


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Drakes must taste like cocaine to trout ....the best feeding frenzies are on drakes. I think AT should sample one tomorrow and let us know


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[Chef]

Drakes must taste like cocaine to trout ....the best feeding frenzies are on drakes. I think AT should sample one tomorrow and let us know


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I wish they were hatching... when that hits we need to make a emergency run up that the Delaware


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[left field]

1 hour ago, Chef said:

I sort of disagree with this post, I would actually say the rise dictates the size of the fish.

Large splash rise for the most part equals small fish

Subtle sip is usually a larger fish.

The way I tell where they are feeding is seeing how much of the fish breaks the surface. Almost nothing they are sipping emergers

If you can see the fishes back break the water line they are feeding up top

Like most everything ... it depends. But for the most part, what they’re eating dictates how and where in the water column a trout eats. 

Stimulators are like that girl in the bar sitting alone with a little too much makeup on and in a slightly too tight dress making eye contact with every guy who walks by. Hard to resist if you’re “hungry.” 

[Nytracker]

 

2 hours ago, Chef said:

I sort of disagree with this post, I would actually say the rise dictates the size of the fish.

Large splash rise for the most part equals small fish

Subtle sip is usually a larger fish.


The way I tell where they are feeding is seeing how much of the fish breaks the surface. Almost nothing they are sipping emergers

If you can see the fishes back break the water line they are feeding up top


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If your fishing water with  brookies,browns,and bows.  Next to impossible to predict size of fish  or species of trout by take .

Green drake time should start in the next week or so on the beaverkill.... I'm probably  heading down  to Roscoe next weekend . Break out the size 8 white wulffs.

[left field]

I spent yesterday day on the EB and Beaverkill. This crazy spring seems to have done a number on being able to predict a consistent hatch. Bugs were sporadic and sparse. 

[Chef]

I spent yesterday day on the EB and Beaverkill. This crazy spring seems to have done a number on being able to predict a consistent hatch. Bugs were sporadic and sparse. 

Dam I’m about to hit the west branch hoping for a good day.

Sheehawken and Methodists most likely


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[GreenDrake]

29 minutes ago, Chef said:

Dam I’m about to hit the west branch hoping for a good day.

Sheehawken and Methodists most likely


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I am dying to get down to the WB. Conditions are perfect for wading right now. WIFE and I may take a quick ride down Monday. Im hoping it isn’t mobbed with ppl. Let me know how you make out and the numbers of ppl. Good luck to you. 

[left field]

I heard that the WB has a pretty heavy drift boat hatch right now. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

My buddy had a blast yesterday, 12 big browns on the hopper/dropper with a size 18 perdigon on the bottom. I’m going tonight even though it’s 93, not sure how the fishing will be


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[The_Real_TCIII]

I managed to get four, it was so hot my face was dripping the whole time and I’m practically blind from the sun. there were a ton of sulphurs coming off. Not a single fish on top though they all took the dropper. Nothing was rising until just about dark. I fished a size 18 purple perdigon under a big brushy caddis tied by@turkeyfeathers brother Lee. He was a legendary fly fisherman that spent half the year out west. At the very end they started on those sulphers and the stream was absolutely boiling, it was awesome! And I’m embarrassed to say I put a small comparadun on and couldn’t get a take to save
My life lol. I wish I had a sulphur emerger but I could hardly see to re-tie by that point anyway but it was awesome to see that hatch


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[rachunter]

Question about leaders: I have a 5wt. rod and line i've been using 5x leader and 5x tippets can i switch the leader to match the fly? I was practicing casting and the streamers kept piling up. I'd also like to use the set up for bass next month from what i read and watched i'd need a #13 leader to cast popperes and bigger streamers.

I've been watching tons of youtube video's,but none of them explained if i could just up the leader.

hopefully this makes some sense.

Edited May 27, 2020 by rachunter

[Pygmy]

15 minutes ago, rachunter said:

Question about leaders: I have a 5wt. rod and line i've been using 5x leader and 5x tippets can i switch the leader to match the fly? I was practicing casting and the streamers kept piling up. I'd also like to use the set up for bass next month from what i read and watched i'd need a #13 leader to cast popperes and bigger streamers.

I've been watching tons of youtube video's,but none of them explained if i could just up the leader.

hopefully this makes some sense.

Buy yourself a cheap 9 foot tapered leader  and cut  2 or three feet off the tapered end...That should be stiff and heavy enough to turn over heavy streamers and bass bugs....If not, shorten it up a little more..

Time for a true Pygmy story...I was up in NWT, Canada on a caribou hunt...There was a channel about 100 yards long of fast water between two lakes..It was full of arctic grayling, and it was hard to make a drift with a dry fly WITHOUT getting a rise....Lots of fish in the 16" to 18" range and a few bigger.. However,  several times I was playing a grayling and a lake trout would come up off the bottom( the water was only 3 or 4 feet deep ) and CRUSH the grayling, breaking my leader....After this happened 3 or 4 times, I cut my leader back to about 4 feet ( probably about 20 lb. test)  and put on a big pink tandem streamer that I had brought to try to catch pike on my fly rod...About my second cast,,a huge laker took the streamer..I estimated him at about 15 pounds and released him...I proceed to work the rest of the 100 yards of fast water between  the lakes and caught a total of 18 lake trout in  less than 2 hours... Lots of boulders and pocket water...It was like fishing an Adirondack stream except I was catching   5-10 pound lake trout rather than 10 inch brookies...True story....Little Marten Lake, NWT  Sept 1994...BTW..It was also the most awesome caribou hunting I ever experienced.....

Edited May 27, 2020 by Pygmy

[crappyice]

Made a run to the Beaverkill today. After the 1:45 drive I realized my wading boots are sitting in my driveway still caked with West Branch muck!!! Who knew sneakers could work over waders?!?



Caddis , huge March browns and some light mayfly(maybe Hendrickson) were all sporadic and rises were limited. I managed 2 12” browns, 2 suckers(on dries ?!?) and a great brown that spit the hook after I missed with the net. He ran me off twice after coming within net range.

I was expecting a better hatch with the weather but was happy that whenever a fish showed itself I was able to either hook it, catch it or at least get a strike. They were quite gettable when they showed themselves


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[Pygmy]

As an aside to Tracker...The streamers I had were Wally Allen type woodchucks.....Tied by Doug Stowell SR...Don't know if you knew him, but you may very well know his son...

When we flew into camp, we talked to the guys who had been in there the week ahead of us...One nice old gent happened to be the owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team, and he was a fly fisherman...I asked him what patterns the grayling  hit, and he told me it would be a challenge to find a dry fly that they WOULDN'T hit...He was right...They hit anything that remotely resembled a bug...The only fly I tried that I did not get a hit on was a green inchworm....But then I only tried it for about 5 casts...When you are catching fish on nearly every cast, it's tough to stick with something that isn't working....Hehehe..

[Nytracker]

Didn't know a Doug .. but  I do know a Chris . He showed me the woodchuck  they use to troll for smallies on planer boards.  Big old fly . I whipped up some of them for muskie.  Smoked some big ones in the Chemung on them .