Presenting A Dry Fly (6 of 14)
Video Transcript:
The great thing about dry fly fishing, at least, when fish are rising, is
that you know where a fish is feeding, and that you often have an idea of
what it's eating. There's the dry fly fish! Yes, the challenge! The
challenge has been met! A beautiful brown trout - yay!
So what do you do when you're faced with some rising fish? It's what we all hope for. The first thing you do is think about your position. Where can I get into the river where I can get a nice cast to the fish, without spooking them, and without putting my fly line over them. So, you generally want to get a little over to the side or, if they're not terribly spooky, you want to get above the fish, and throw a downstream cast to them.
Once you've decided what fly pattern to try, planning your approach, and presenting the fly in a life-like manner is the next step. Once you've gotten a clue to what the fish are taking, pick the closest fly in your box to the natural. Apply either liquid or gel fly float into the fly before it gets wet. A trout will be watching the surface just upstream of the rise, because as it comes to the surface, the current pushes it back slightly, so always cast just above the rise.
It pays to take your time sneaking up on a fish. You never know exactly how close you can get, and sometimes you blow it, but the closer you can get, the more accurate cast you can make. It's a stalking game, and that's what makes it so much fun. Once you've moved up a little bit, you may lose sight of where that fish was that you were going to target, so it's best to stop and wait for the fish to feed again so you know exactly where it is.
Here you can see a fly cast directly to the rise, so the fly landed behind the fish, and the fish didn't see the fly. Your first float over a fish should be your best. With every subsequent cast, you risk spooking the fish, or it may see your fly drag. Carefully place the fly upstream of the fish so that it floats over the fish without drag.
So what do you do when you're faced with some rising fish? It's what we all hope for. The first thing you do is think about your position. Where can I get into the river where I can get a nice cast to the fish, without spooking them, and without putting my fly line over them. So, you generally want to get a little over to the side or, if they're not terribly spooky, you want to get above the fish, and throw a downstream cast to them.
Once you've decided what fly pattern to try, planning your approach, and presenting the fly in a life-like manner is the next step. Once you've gotten a clue to what the fish are taking, pick the closest fly in your box to the natural. Apply either liquid or gel fly float into the fly before it gets wet. A trout will be watching the surface just upstream of the rise, because as it comes to the surface, the current pushes it back slightly, so always cast just above the rise.
It pays to take your time sneaking up on a fish. You never know exactly how close you can get, and sometimes you blow it, but the closer you can get, the more accurate cast you can make. It's a stalking game, and that's what makes it so much fun. Once you've moved up a little bit, you may lose sight of where that fish was that you were going to target, so it's best to stop and wait for the fish to feed again so you know exactly where it is.
Here you can see a fly cast directly to the rise, so the fly landed behind the fish, and the fish didn't see the fly. Your first float over a fish should be your best. With every subsequent cast, you risk spooking the fish, or it may see your fly drag. Carefully place the fly upstream of the fish so that it floats over the fish without drag.
Equipment For This Chapter