{{+1}}Getting started – trout wet flies{{-1}}
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A wet fly is a fly designed to be fished below the water's surface of the water or a dry fly that has been drowned and is being fish below the surface of the water.
Basically there are two main types of wet fly:
- The type is representational flies which are flies tied to represent food that trout eat. Within this representational class flies may be representations of naturals that spend part of their life cycle in the water or they may be tied to represent terrestrial food sources.
- The most obvious is when they are actively feeding but not fixated on just one food source. At those times fish can have an appetite for everything that is available from nymphs, yabbies, small fish, shrimp, worms, lizards, frogs, grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles and for that matter almost anything that will fit in their mouth. It's not surprising that a fly tied to represent a natural that is dropped in their line of sight and looking like something alive often gets their attention. Fish often are binge feeders and are by no way picky when it comes to feeding time. They will aggressively strike at food even when food is already hanging out their mouth. Once satisfied however they do lay relatively dormant whilst digesting their meal. Trout generally only fall into this type of feeding behaviour when there is plenty of food of different types available. This is often the case when there are mixed hatches of insects , a range of different insects being blown on the water or when they are feeding on wind lanes that have mixed content.
- The second reason is when they are actively feeding but are fixated on just one food source. Trout definitely become fixated on some food sources and when they are in that state will swim past other forms of food to eat more of what they are fixated on. At these times if you don't have a fly that presents like the natural it's very hard to get any interest from feeding fish at all. You often see this when trout are feeding on food source like spinners, mayflies, hoppers, emerging nymphs of one type (eg mudeyes) and yabbies. If trout are locked into one of those food sources they will swim pass all other offerings.
- The third reason why fish strike a fly is that it's a feeding opportunity that requires the exertion of very little energy. They may not be actively hunting for food but if it's presented right in front of them they will sometimes eat it any way. They can be quite picky in this situation but if you can present a fly that is easily accessed and represents a favourite food sources they will often have a go at it even if some of the strikes are a bit half hearted.
- The final reason why trout strike a fly is because they are protecting their territory and you particularly see if a brown trout is protecting its beat or during the trout's spawning season when their hormones are all fired up. So if a fly that looks like a natural predator of some form and strays into their territory they will often strike at it to move it on or in the case of spawning fish they will have a go at an egg fly so as to ensure that their eggs or fry have the strongest chance of survival.
- The second class of flies are those that tied as attractors. These are flies that have been tied just to get the trout's attention. These flies are not always tied with the intention that they will be eaten by trout but rather that they will get the trout's attention and lead the trout to other flies being fished in the same team either above or below the attractor fly. Attractors can of course resemble naturals and serve a dual purpose but often are nothing like any thing found on the trout's diet.
I think trout respond to food and hopefully representational flies in four main ways.
Somewhere between true representational flies and attractors are those flies that are tied basically to represent naturals but have hot spots such as beads, flash or a bit of coloured sections incorporated into the fly so that they act as both a representation of a natural as well as an attractor. Hot spot flies are particularly useful in teams of flies where having something that stand out may help representation flies to stand out or may just have enough bling to trigger a a territorial or protective response.
See also:
- Getting started - the gear
- Getting started - dry trout flies
- Getting started - salt water flies
- Getting started - bass and native fish flies
Fishing a single fly
There are times when fishing a single fly is definitely the way to go. These include:
- For matching the hatch or polaroiding my first choice would always be a fly that represents in form, function and colours what you think the trout are feeding on.
- If your prospecting and only wanted to fish one fly because of wind, extremely clear water, very spooky fish or some other impediment I always focus on flies that I know are consistent with the available food sources even if there is no evidence that they are feeding on them at that time.
If your going to fish just one fly any of the flies below will work at some time ... all you have to do is apply the above logic to make the right selection.
Teams of flies
Any of the flies below can be fished in teams and as well as showing how I categorise them in my fly boxes I have indicated where I would fish each category if I were fishing a team of three flies which is legal for lakes in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. In a team of three flies the top fly is called the "top dropper" or "bob" fly, the middle fly is called the "middle dropper" or "attractor" and the fly at the end is called the "point fly".
Examples of wet flies
I was unsure how best to show examples of wet flies and finally settled on the same categories as I carry them in my fly boxes.
Loch style flies.
Loch Style fly-fishing involves fly-fishing from a boat, side onto the wind, using a system incorporating one or a number of flies. There are both wet and dry lock style fishing techniques. There are four distinct sub sections of loch flies; wake or bob flies, bob flies attractor flies and point flies.Loch
The wet technique involves casting out in the direction of the drift, fishing the flies using a range of techniques. Wet fly loch fly fishing involves basically four separate sub-categories of flies; bob flies which are generally either top water flies or dropper flies or point point flies. There are no strict rules as to where any type of fly should be located in a team but to give some additional guidance I have indicated where I would include them ina team of three flies if I were using them.
Wake flies - use as bob fly
On a sinking line the top dropper fly or Bob fly is often the fly that gets deepest and the first fly that trout see. Fish will often follow the Bob fly all the way in but turn away at the last moment and take the middle dropper fly or point fly. Alternatively when fish are taking just below the surface creating a surface wake is just the trigger needed to solicit a strike.
Winged wet flies - use as bob fly
Trout do see subsurface insects with wings. Some flies begin to hatch below the water surface. The Baetis group of up-winged flies swim or crawl beneath the surface as adult spinners in order to lay egg. There are occasions when duns and spent spinners are swamped by the current and forced under the water surface. Emerging duns that have been unable to get rid of their nymphal case or at the time of emerging are drowned when they float under rough water that is flowing over a large rock or ledge are also hunted by the fish. The trout on purpose lurk in slack water near eddies and small plunge pools to look out for these type of snacks. Clearly a trout does see winged insects under the surface at certain times of the year so be prepared with a selection of different coloured wet flies for when the fish are not taking from the surface. These flies have been designed to represent emerging or drowned winged insects.
English type wet flies - use as bob fly or middle dropper flies
Match the hatch from streamers, nymphs & emergers or other fly boxes or try these specific loch flies as either your bob fly or your middle dropper fly..
Attractors - best on middle dropper
Generally fished on the middle dropper to bring attention to the team of flies – any of your flashy flies can be used but it may be worth having just a few of the following to fill any gaps..
Non bead head woolly buggers - fish them on the point, on the point and middle dropper or fish 3 buggers
By far my most successful point flies are the flies I carry in ‘my woolly bugger fly box’. My first fish on fly fell to the magic of a Woolly Bugger and many have gone the same way since then.
My understanding is that the Woolly Bugger has its origins in America where it appears to be tied, as a leach imitation. having said that there is also an English fly with bead chin eyes called a Dog Nobler that is very similar to a traditional Woolly Bugger. Whatever the name or origin this style of fly is a great fish taker in a wide range of conditions. There are probably more variations to the Woolly Bugger than I have had breakfasts. Some are over-dressed some under-dressed, some weighted other not, on all sorts of hooks and in all sorts of colour combinations. Most will work sometimes but many are “once of” flies that don’t consistently take or attract fish.
I have tried out many over the years and now carry a range of Woolly Buggers that have specific applications. In each case they have a reason for being and they have been proven over time to take or attract fish.
My basic tie for a Woolly Bugger is similar to so many others. Having said that I do have a few quirky criteria that I strictly adhere to every time I tie a Woolly Bugger.
Bead head woolly buggers
I am not as keen on bead head woolly bugger as some fly fishers but they do have their day.There is however a trade off between bead head flies versus un-weighted flies and that is that I think that un-weighted flies swim better. Some competition fly fishers quite successfully use 3 bead head flies in a team but if I am fishing a bead head woolly bugger I fish that on the point as an “anchor” fly mainly to ensure that I have contact with the other fly or flies in the team.
Other wet fly options.
Streamers and pulling flies - point fly options
It’s a subtle distinction between what I consider ‘loch style flies’ and what I consider ‘streamers and pulling flies’. The main difference for me is that by in large I regard each of my ‘loch’ flies as best when fished in a team of flies.
Alternatively as well as being useful point flies in a wet loch style team the flies that I set aside as ‘streamer and pulling flies also fish well by them selves. The list below are the few ‘streamer and pulling flies’ that like to carry in addition to my woolly bugger, booby, wee wet and nymph fly boxes to ensure that I have as many as possible of the lake fly fishing opportunities covered.
Nymphs - can be fished in any or all positions
The word nymph has of course two fly fishing meanings. The first is “Juvenile, sexually immature stage of certain insects, usually similar to the adult in form, and which require an intermediate stage before becoming an adult. Mayflies, Caddis flies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Stone flies and Midges are all insects that spend part of their life cycle in the water and have a nymph stage.” The second is flies tied to imitate the first i.e. “the nymphal stage of an insects life cycle”.I have narrowed down the selection of nymphs that I carry to just the list below. I note however that I have extended the population of flies that I carry in my nymph fly box to include my bead head spiders.
Spiders - not a normal option for a team of flies but at times I have fish a spider on the middle dropper.
I am a firm believer that when fishing rivers you have to get down to where the fish are holding and also that flies particularly in faster running water should include “hot spots”. Bead head spiders are an important part of my bead head ‘nymp’ fly box because that help satisfy both of those criteria. I like to fish them either on the point or first dropper and find that are a great adjunct to a second weighted fly or an unweighted nymph, wee wet or spider..
Bead head nymphs - generally only an option as a point fly.
The word nymph has of course two fly fishing meanings. The first is “Juvenile, sexually immature stage of certain insects, usually similar to the adult in form, and which require an intermediate stage before becoming an adult. Mayflies, Caddis flies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Stone flies and Midges are all insects that spend part of their life cycle in the water and have a nymph stage.” The second is flies tied to imitate the first i.e. “the nymphal stage of an insects life cycle”.I have narrowed down the selection of nymphs that I carry to just the list below. I note however that I have extended the population of flies that I carry in my nymph fly box to include my bead head spiders.TBH = Tungsten bead head and BBH = brass bead head.
Bead head spiders - I have never fished a bead head spider in a team of flies.
I am a firm believer that when fishing rivers you have to get down to where the fish are holding and also that flies particularly in faster running water should include “hot spots”. Bead head spiders are an important part of my bead head ‘nymph’ fly box because that help satisfy both of those criteria. I like to fish them either on the point or first dropper and find that are a great adjunct to a second weighted fly or an unweighted nymph, wee wet or spider. TBH = Tungsten bead head.
Chironomids - great in any or all positions if the naturals are around.
Also known as midge and buzzers.
Corixia - I have never fished a corixia ina team of flies.
Whilst there are over 5000 different species of aquatic bugs Australia only two are of significance to the fly fisherman.
The family Corixidae or Water Boatman come in a variety of shapes but all generally consist of a body between 5 and 10 mm in length. They have two sets of wings with the font wings presenting almost as legs and the rear wings often trailing behind almost as rudders and the body is a relatively flat beetle shape (3 :1). The insect is a free swimming but seldom moves far from cover. They inhabit sluggish streams and still water and they are generally dark in colour. They are air breathers and swim to the surface from time to time and trap an air bubble which they hold under their abdomen.
The second aquatic bug of interest to fly fishers is the Back-swimmers or the family Notonectidae. Their general shape and habits are similar to the Corixidae family and they are not generally distinguished between when it comes to representing them with an artificial fly. Having said that they are a little slimmer and their colours are a little more varied ranging from shades of olive, through to dark khaki and brown. I only carry one corixia fly as I use them so seldom.
Grubs - not a common option in a team of flies.
Grub is a generic term often applied by fly fishers to describe the lava of terrestrial insects such as beetles, moths and butter flies, grass hoppers and crickets. They often find themselves unwittingly in the water and on the trout’s menu..
Shrimp or prawns - I have not fished a shrimp in a team of flies.
I have extended the population of flies that I carry in my nymph fly box to include Shrimp flies because I fish them ostensibly in the same way that I fish my nymphs. Shrimp are well represented in both running water and fresh water throughout Australia and are significant members of Crustacea order of invertebrates. Trout will take brown nymphs as shrimp so only carry a specific imitation if "needs must" .
Snails - I would only fish a snail in a team as a point fly.
There are of course aquatic, semi aquatic and land based snails but generally as fly fishers we are more interested in the aquatic species.They are of course Gastropods and there are over 48 species in spread across Australia. They range in size from 3mm right through to 25mm. More often than not I fish a black and peacock or a bibio as a snail but just for the occasion that I might want to tie a real snail imitation on I carry just this one representation.
Boobies - great team players in either the bob or point locations.
Boobies are an essential fly if your going to cover all the bases with your impoundment fly fishing techniques. They are also great flies for targeting other species especially Australian bass. Because they cross over between species, have specialist applications and and are bigger flies any way I have separated them out into a separate fly box.
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Last Updated: September 6, 2011
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