My wee wets fly box

Whilst the use of wee wets has been popular in the United Kingdom for hundreds of years they have really only started to catch on in recent years. They are wonderful little river flies that fish well up and down, across and down and on the swing and yes they work really well on the newer French or long leader technique. They are generally size #12 or smaller and are low impact flies that lend themselves to subtle presentations.

 

Quicklinks

 

My Dry Fly Box » Dry origin, Smelt origin,

 
 
 

Dry origin 

For almost every dry fly there is a wee wet version and if there isn’t a recipe out there for your favourite dry fly then its worth developing one. The key points to consider are to minimise the body and to accentuate the wing which should lay back at around 45 degrees.

Bredbo

o here you have a fly that fishes well as a formidable traditional river wet fly is now vying for a position as a very effective middle dropper for loch style fly fishing … and its only a couple of hundred years old. One of my favourite flies in that situation is a Dunkeld and over the last two seasons I have found the Bredbo to be a very comfortable alternative particular in summer months when fish are turned onto the wing colour of the dominant local grass hopper the yellow winged hopper.

Grenwells glory – wee wet

Almost every English dry fly has a wee wet imitation. This is mine Greenwells Glory wee wet. Its a great little fly for across and down and works particularly well when fished along with a bead head spider.

 

Smelt origin 

Wee wets that have been developed from smelt fly imitations are very popular in the United Kingdom and these minimalistic little flies are catching on in Australia and New Zealand.

Blue & teal variant

A variant of a old English wet fly this variant is in the same class as an Alexandra this fly as an attractor fly particularly when rainbows are the target. It is different to the original in that the dyed blue hackle has been replaced by blue barbells from the chest feathers of a male peacock and the body is “Glamor” thread fuzzeled with silver UV dubbing.