Fly Fishing Part 4 - Fishing Technique

A dry fly should be drifted in such a way that it imitates a real insect well. The main condition is that the artificial fly should float on the surface of the water the way a real insect would, one not tied to a line. Every rule has exceptions. In this case they are so numerous that one might doubt the rule is right at all. So my advice is: always stick to the rule, and only when the fly has to move differently, deliberately give it the appropriate movements. It is very important to understand this phrase correctly. Every unnatural movement of the fly on the surface of the water must be caused by us deliberately. A live insect, for example a mayfly or a caddis, comes up to the surface of the water after hatching, and the surface tension makes it move as if on a solid plane. An artificial fly floats somewhat differently, since it is partly submerged in the water. The movement of a live insect leaves a much less noticeable trail on the water than an artificial fly, which cuts through the water instead of gliding over its surface. Fish often pick precisely the naturally moving insects. This happens above all during a caddis hatch, when the caddis likes to literally "dance on the water", or with mayflies when they are carried by a strong wind. Imitating that kind of movement is very difficult. I got the best results when I moved the fly very carefully, so that it only barely wrinkled the water. When fishing this way, it is better to tie on a palmer. The fly then floats higher and leaves less of a trail on the surface of the water when it is pulled. A stronger and more obvious movement of the lure is acceptable when fishing for trout, especially with a caddis. In that case, partly sinking the fly at the final stage of the drift can prove very exciting. Then not only trout but grayling too may go for it.

The whole time you need to watch the fly closely so that you can strike instantly if there is a bite. If we notice a rise ring, we place the fly a little upstream of it and drift it down to the "ring". If there is no bite, you can let the fly drift past the spot where the fish is holding and repeat the cast. Fish feed in different ways. If we see a "ring" constantly in one and the same place, the artificial fly must be presented very precisely so that it drifts right up to that "ring". This is often a necessary condition for a grayling to take an interest in it. It also happens that fish feed very actively and grab insects while circling over an area up to two meters across. If it is grayling feeding, it is hard in that case to work out whether we are dealing with one fish or a whole school. Fish holding right at the surface of the water can change feeding spots. But when it comes to salmonids, such feeding is always limited to a relatively small area, and the fish most often pick up insects drifting directly above them

The strike and watching the fly

Picture the following situation: the fly is floating on the surface of the water, then a small swirl appears or a splash is heard, and the lure disappears from view. That, of course, is a bite. Now you need to quickly take in the line with your hand and strike the fish. When fishing with a dry fly, the fish usually doesn't hook itself, unless it swallows the fly too deeply.

Bites vary. Sometimes it is a slow sucking in of the fly, leaving a large, clearly visible "ring" on the surface of the water. Sometimes the fish takes very cautiously or lightning fast, holding the fly in its mouth for only a fraction of a second. It's hard to say what this depends on. Fishing pressure on that stretch of water surely plays a part. In spots heavily visited by anglers, fish are no doubt more cautious and suspicious. How many times have I seen a hefty trout or grayling rise from the bottom and swim right up to the fly. My heart would start pounding with excitement, and the fish, after merely inspecting the fly, would go back down to the bottom. If a fish takes the fly, its bite is quick, and you have to strike instantly. Often such a quick strike comes too early and can easily end with the fly being snapped off, especially if the strike is made by a beginner. All he can do is wonder why the tippet broke. After all, he didn't strike any harder than when fishing deep. The reason lies in the heavy fly line, whose great inertia causes flies to snap off. Wanting to prevent this, anglers set the reel drag so that it absorbs the excess energy of the strike. This is not a very good method: the fly may still snap off, and a wrongly set drag causes more problems while fishing than it adds convenience when striking. It's best to learn to strike correctly from the start, i.e. holding the line in your hand. The strike should be made by moving the line along the water, not by lifting it completely out of the water. Thanks to the great inertia and mass of the line being moved along the water, the hook penetrates the fish's lip better. If the fly still snaps off, you need to use a thicker line or, instead of working your wrist during the strike, raise your whole arm slightly. The path of the rod tip will then be much shorter, which means the strike will be softer (fig. 40). An instant strike is not always necessary.

The disappearance of the fly from the surface of the water does not mean that it is already in the fish's mouth. More than once we have to hold ourselves back, because only a delayed strike ends in success. Remember this if after several dozen casts we have had no contact with a fish. In such a case our nerves usually give way, and we start to suspect ourselves of lacking the necessary reflex. Then the only way out of the situation is to wait a few seconds or more before lifting the line out of the water. How we work the fly also matters for a successful strike. When fishing upstream and across the current, the strike will be most successful; it is harder to strike well when fishing downstream, because in that case we pull the fly out of the fish's mouth. In order to strike quickly and well, you must always see the fly on the water. It is easier to watch it on calm stretches of water. It is much harder to follow the fly, especially if it is small, amid churning deep water or in places where the sun's rays create blinding glare on the surface. How we see the fly on the water does not depend only on our eyesight. It is a skill that can be learned. You need not only to anticipate where the fly will land and search for it there with your eyes, which is not easy in windy weather, but also to pick it out on the water and distinguish it from real insects. If you have trouble watching the fly, at first you should not make very long casts, so that the fly is still visible on the water. After that you should gradually increase the distance, getting used to spotting it farther and farther away.

To make the task easier, white wings are sometimes attached to flies; however, contrary to popular belief, their color is not always a matter of indifference to the fish. It is also a good idea, when choosing fishing spots, to position yourself so that the light helps rather than hinders you in watching the fly on the water. On a calm, shiny water surface (in the evening before sunset), a dark fly is clearly visible.

If the sun is behind you, a light-colored fly, for example one with white wings, will be most visible on a dark water surface.

Polarized glasses or a hat that shields the eyes from the blinding rays of the sun help in watching the fly. Polarized glasses cancel out the sun's rays reflected from the surface of the water. They also help you observe what is happening beneath the surface. The degree of this help depends on the angle of incidence and reflection of the sun's rays: the glasses are most useful in the late morning and afternoon hours, and least useful in the evening. Late in the evening, when we can no longer see anything and the fish come up to the surface, you can strike by ear, upon hearing the splash of a feeding fish. In this case it is best to fish from a shorter distance. As darkness falls, fish become less cautious and are not frightened by the angler.

Fig. 87. How polarized glasses work. Ray B, after reflecting off the smooth surface of the water, becomes horizontally polarized and is blocked by the polarizing filter in the glasses. At the same time, ray B' passes almost unhindered through the same filte

Fishing across the current

It is most convenient to stand facing the river and fish perpendicular to the current. We cast the fly lightly, upstream of where we are standing, and let it drift as far as possible. When the fly begins to furrow the water, we repeat the operation (Fig. 35). During the drift you should keep the closest possible contact with the fly and avoid unnecessary sag and slack in the line, since this makes it difficult to strike a fish quickly. Contact with the fly should be maintained by moving the rod tip or by stripping line off the reel and releasing it with the left hand. Fishing across the current is all the more convenient the more even the flow of the water. Difficulties begin when there are underwater obstacles in the river.

Meanwhile the current changes its speed, the river is full of eddies, stretches of calm water and rapids, and now and then there are side channels with a reverse current. If you cast the fly into one of these spots with an uneven underwater bottom on a perfectly straight leader and line, the force of the water will immediately catch the tippet and the fly, making it move unnaturally. In such cases a fly dragged by the current with the line acting as a brake is more likely to put the fish off than provoke it into striking. To avoid this, you should mend the line or change the position of the fly on the water. To do this, you need to lay some slack line on the water which, slowly straightening under the pressure of the current over as long a stretch as possible, will give the fly time to drift freely. If we want to fish a slow current beyond a band of fast current, the cast should be made slightly downstream, and the line then mended upstream. Instead of immediately pulling the leader, the current will first straighten and drag downstream the mended part of the line. This lets the fly drift freely over the stretch of river we are interested in. This operation (mending) can sometimes be done even twice during a single drift of the fly (fig. 36). Things are different when there is not one but several bands of fast current between the feeding fish and the angler. This is often the case in the area below a stone weir. Then a free drift of the fly will be possible only over a much shorter stretch, because in such conditions it is impossible to mend the line upstream or downstream several times. So if, for example, we want to fish a calm stretch of water behind a distant rock, we cast downstream, but so that the leader lands slightly coiled. The line, pulled by the shifting currents, and the drifting fly will straighten it. And until it straightens out completely, the fly will drift freely. After that we cast a little further down and in this way cover the chosen stretch. The situation changes if the fish comes up to the surface not in calm water but right in an eddy in the current between two rocks.

In this case you can use the technique described above, but it is better to approach the spot from below. The line cast upstream and the straightened leader will let the fly drift freely through the eddy over a fairly long stretch. Having cast this way, we are just one step away from the next method, so-called upstream fishing (fig. 79)

Upstream fishing

This method is no harder than the one described above, but it demands more attention and activity from the angler. We walk upstream and cast the tackle. As the fly drifts, we keep in contact with it by constantly taking in the slack line with the left hand.

Top right. Fishing "upstream" Bottom right. Stripping in the line by hand

With short casts, while the fly is drifting you need to raise the rod, at the same time drawing in the line with the left hand to take up the slack. Repeat the cast. If the rod is held far back, it is hard to cast the fly overhead. It is better to make a roll cast and only after that a classic overhead cast.

If we are talking about longer distances, then while retrieving the rod should be held horizontally above the water, and with the left hand we strip in the line sliding through the index finger of the right hand, dropping it onto the water in loose coils. Only in the final phase of the drift do we raise the rod, as I described above. When there is a take, the index finger of the right hand pins the line, and we strike the fish by vigorously raising the rod to the vertical. Remember that the slack in the line must be taken up promptly. If we do it too slowly, the loop that forms will not allow a proper strike. Of course, you must not strip in the line too fast either, since this makes the fly furrow the water. The "upstream" method is very convenient. After all, there are spots that can only be fished this way, and when moving upstream we are practically invisible to the fish. But this method is used reluctantly, because it is harder to work the tackle so that the fly drifts first and the leader after it.

I know from my own experience that a leader drifting ahead of the fly does not scare the fish. After all, fish sometimes attack the fly by turning downstream and chasing it. I am a keen supporter of this method and advise you to try fishing exactly this way. Every fly fisher should master it, especially one who wants to take part in sport competitions. Unfortunately, this method cannot be used everywhere.