Advice on some fundamentals and behaviours

I'm still new to flyfishing. My casting is going well and I'm catching fish on dry and wet fly, which is a real pleasure.

I'm puzzled at the way I'm catching fish on wet fly though and I'd appreciate some experienced insight.

I should probably first describe the fishing I'm doing and the fish I'm catching... I'm fishing river for wild brown trout. So far I'm catching small fish no more than 7" in length. I live in hilly country (South mid-Wales) though most of the stretches are quite broad, running through wide, flat river valley flood plain. The river bottom is pebble, and in places sandy. Flow is brisk on the runs, especially in flood, and slow or steady in the pools. Depth on the runs is ~ knee deep, sometimes more or less. Pools can be deep, 6 to 12 feet.

Back to the fishing. The only time I catch on wet fly is when I'm retrieving at speed. I have never yet caught by casting up stream (and taking up the slack as the fly returns), or casting downstream and paying out line. With trout this size though, it's quite possible I'm getting takes but never see them? Would you expect to fish on the retrieve, or should I be trying something else?

Thanks for your thoughts
Mark

On Thursday, August 2, 2012 10:34:13 AM UTC+1, M wrote:
I'm still new to flyfishing. My casting is going well and I'm catching fish on dry and wet fly, which is a real pleasure.



I'm puzzled at the way I'm catching fish on wet fly though and I'd appreciate some experienced insight.



I should probably first describe the fishing I'm doing and the fish I'm catching... I'm fishing river for wild brown trout. So far I'm catching small fish no more than 7" in length. I live in hilly country (South mid-Wales) though most of the stretches are quite broad, running through wide, flat river valley flood plain. The river bottom is pebble, and in places sandy. Flow is brisk on the runs, especially in flood, and slow or steady in the pools. Depth on the runs is ~ knee deep, sometimes more or less. Pools can be deep, 6 to 12 feet.



Back to the fishing. The only time I catch on wet fly is when I'm retrieving at speed. I have never yet caught by casting up stream (and taking up the slack as the fly returns), or casting downstream and paying out line. With trout this size though, it's quite possible I'm getting takes but never see them? Would you expect to fish on the retrieve, or should I be trying something else?



Thanks for your thoughts

Mark

I should have said the only time I catch on wetfly is when Im retrieving the fly at speed back upstream.

"M" wrote in message
...

The only time I catch on wet fly is when I'm retrieving at speed. I have
never yet caught
by casting up stream (and taking up the slack as the fly returns), or
casting downstream
and paying out line. With trout this size though, it's quite possible I'm
getting takes but
never see them?

Yes, this is very likely. When a fish takes a fly that you are retrieving
at speed, the fly's motion through the water sets the hook in the jaw.
When a fish takes a fly in "dead drift" he usually rejects it within one
second and the angler may feel nothing.

So the angler may either fish wet fly for fish he can see (i.e.
observe the take) or must invent a way of seeing a take
move the leader, even if only a millimetre (which movement
a float of some kind often magnifies, or else (a) fish a tight
line with no slack, (b) so as to feel a take in his fingertips
via line and leader, or else use an "induced take" -- as
described by authors Jim Leisenring (American) and Oliver
Kite (British.)

You cannot expect to catch fish if you need to strike but
cannot sense when to strike effectively. Those authors
offer methods to achieve this.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Don't discount the possibility that trout have inspected, taken & rejected your wet fly on its dead drift downstream. It takes experience, skill and sometimes a bit of luck to detect strikes on wets/nymphs fished upstream.

A wet fly that is slowly swung "down and across" is a fun way to pick up some aggressive feeders, particularly when there is sedge activity. Cast across and slightly upstream from you, allow the fly to sink and dead drift several yards, then mend as necessary to slow its swing below you. Takes can happen anywhere along the swing. If no takes at the end of the swing, allow the fly to dangle momentarily, try a slow twitch retrieve for 12-18", then allow the fly to drift back and dangle again before picking up and casting again.

If you want a better chance at the better trout in your stream, you need to present your fly over better holding water. Wide, shallow runs over sandy and small cobble bottom is more suited to the smaller fish you've been catching. The larger trout have taken residence where overhead cover, bottom structure, and water depth/speed are favorable. Study your stream for seams, variations in flow, feeding lanes, foam lines, undercut banks, submerged rocks, etc. In an otherwise featureless stream bottom, even something as simple as a shallow depression in the cobble might be the choice lie.

On Thursday, August 2, 2012 2:34:13 AM UTC-7, M wrote:
I'm still new to flyfishing. My casting is going well and I'm catching fish on dry and wet fly, which is a real pleasure.



I'm puzzled at the way I'm catching fish on wet fly though and I'd appreciate some experienced insight.



I should probably first describe the fishing I'm doing and the fish I'm catching... I'm fishing river for wild brown trout. So far I'm catching small fish no more than 7" in length. I live in hilly country (South mid-Wales) though most of the stretches are quite broad, running through wide, flat river valley flood plain. The river bottom is pebble, and in places sandy. Flow is brisk on the runs, especially in flood, and slow or steady in the pools. Depth on the runs is ~ knee deep, sometimes more or less. Pools can be deep, 6 to 12 feet.



Back to the fishing. The only time I catch on wet fly is when I'm retrieving at speed. I have never yet caught by casting up stream (and taking up the slack as the fly returns), or casting downstream and paying out line. With trout this size though, it's quite possible I'm getting takes but never see them? Would you expect to fish on the retrieve, or should I be trying something else?



Thanks for your thoughts

Mark

You have already received some very good advice. I would add, that if the pools have steep banks, or even better, undercut banks and/or vegetation overhanging the water, you will often find larger fish tight against the bank. A dry terrestrial pattern (grasshopper, beetle, cricket, ant,etc.)cast upstream tight to the bank will often produce larger fish. Also try a streamer - retrieved either across or upstream, or even stripped downstream - that imitates the local forage base for larger fish.

On Thursday, August 2, 2012 5:34:13 PM UTC+8, M wrote:
I'm still new to flyfishing. My casting is going well and I'm catching fish on dry and wet fly, which is a real pleasure.



I'm puzzled at the way I'm catching fish on wet fly though and I'd appreciate some experienced insight.



I should probably first describe the fishing I'm doing and the fish I'm catching... I'm fishing river for wild brown trout. So far I'm catching small fish no more than 7" in length. I live in hilly country (South mid-Wales) though most of the stretches are quite broad, running through wide, flat river valley flood plain. The river bottom is pebble, and in places sandy. Flow is brisk on the runs, especially in flood, and slow or steady in the pools. Depth on the runs is ~ knee deep, sometimes more or less. Pools can be deep, 6 to 12 feet.



Back to the fishing. The only time I catch on wet fly is when I'm retrieving at speed. I have never yet caught by casting up stream (and taking up the slack as the fly returns), or casting downstream and paying out line. With trout this size though, it's quite possible I'm getting takes but never see them? Would you expect to fish on the retrieve, or should I be trying something else?



Thanks for your thoughts

Mark

Late response, but I can share that I take well over 90% of the fish I catch on wet flies (with the exception of nymphs) when I've given up on the fly and am reeling it in fast to change it to something else. I am sure that I get strikes at other times, but the line is not tight enough for me to feel it.

Just commiserating :-)

On Thursday, August 2, 2012 5:34:13 PM UTC+8, M wrote:

. . . I'm fishing river for wild brown trout. So far I'm catching small
fish no more than 7" in length.
. . . The only time I catch on wet fly is when I'm retrieving at speed. I
have never yet caught by
casting up stream (and taking up the slack as the fly returns),
. . . it's quite possible I'm getting takes but never see them?

This is normal for beginners inexperienced in detecting the trout's
taking the fly. This could be by sight (the "wink under water") or
by touch -- because, notably, when you are retrieving there is no
slack in the line so you feel a take instantly.

Authors who have written usefully about this include Oliver Kite,
James Leisenring and Ray Bergman. But you may get good
advice from local anglers if you approach them the right way.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)