04-08-2010, 03:22 AM
I usually start with two flies a few inches apart if I'm not absolutely certain what the trout are looking for when using nymphs. I like to use a proven bead head like a size 18 pheasant tail and tie a small midge pattern behind it. One way or the other, I match the hatch most of the time.
Of course, there are exceptions and that's why people with years of experience in a location are golden. Anyhow, theoretically, the larger fly draws attention from a distance and if they are taking smaller things, the trailing fly, whether a Zebra, WD-40, or Disco Midge, gets the take. If the larger fly, which can simulate a number of different things, is getting more attention, I go to a single fly because one more fly getting stuck in a trout as it twists and turns is additional and unneeded stress on the fish.
Dry flies get singularity on the tippet because they lay out very naturally that way, but also because it is very easy to tell the size, shape, and color, even if I'm not familiar with the hatch in a particular location. It isn't rocket science when I can see them on the surface and flying all around.
What has to go right after choosing the proper dry fly is getting a perfect layout 2 feet or so off the nose of the target and a sweet drift right down the feeding lane in the river, or a perfect twitch and pause in still water.
If the fish are obviously taking emergers in view and rarely surfacing, I just work the nymphs at a shallow depth and they don't know the difference if it's the right size, color, and presentation.... unless they get a hooked and released eduction in places like the Provo. There is a lot to know about bugs and I keep it simple with these rules because I am not a biology major. Then you have streamers... blah blah blah. Then terrestrials... blah blah blah. There's another four paragraphs to cover and that's a lot of hunting and pecking for a keyboard challenged Okie.
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Of course, there are exceptions and that's why people with years of experience in a location are golden. Anyhow, theoretically, the larger fly draws attention from a distance and if they are taking smaller things, the trailing fly, whether a Zebra, WD-40, or Disco Midge, gets the take. If the larger fly, which can simulate a number of different things, is getting more attention, I go to a single fly because one more fly getting stuck in a trout as it twists and turns is additional and unneeded stress on the fish.
Dry flies get singularity on the tippet because they lay out very naturally that way, but also because it is very easy to tell the size, shape, and color, even if I'm not familiar with the hatch in a particular location. It isn't rocket science when I can see them on the surface and flying all around.
What has to go right after choosing the proper dry fly is getting a perfect layout 2 feet or so off the nose of the target and a sweet drift right down the feeding lane in the river, or a perfect twitch and pause in still water.
If the fish are obviously taking emergers in view and rarely surfacing, I just work the nymphs at a shallow depth and they don't know the difference if it's the right size, color, and presentation.... unless they get a hooked and released eduction in places like the Provo. There is a lot to know about bugs and I keep it simple with these rules because I am not a biology major. Then you have streamers... blah blah blah. Then terrestrials... blah blah blah. There's another four paragraphs to cover and that's a lot of hunting and pecking for a keyboard challenged Okie.
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