Old flies that catch fish
The recent period of cold weather has been a great time to sit by the fire and tie up some flies for the upcoming trout season.
While I tie a variety of flies ranging from nymphs and dry flies to streamers and buck tails I always make sure I have some wet flies ready when I hit the water this spring. I have always been a fan of small wet flies for brook trout but these days wet flies seem to have fallen out of favour, with most anglers instead choosing nymphs and streamers. That’s a shame, because wet flies are a great method of catching trout.
Like most things related to fly fishing, wet flies originated in Britain. Those early anglers were after brown trout, a species which is very wary and notoriously hard to catch. This resulted in the development of small drab patterns with names like Black Gnat, Cow Dung and March Brown. Many of these anglers fished more than one fly on their line. In England, where the technique originated, a multiple fly rig is called a cast. Traditionally three flies are used, a fly at the end of the leader, called the point fly, a second fly, called the dropper fly, tied about 16 inches above the point fly on a short piece of leader and a third fly called the dib farther up the line. The dib fly gets its name from the technique known as dibbling. That’s when an angler lifts their rod tip resulting in the dib fly skating or dibbling along on the surface. This technique imitates a hatching mayfly or caddis and, at times, can be very effective.
When I fish multiple flies I generally limit myself to two because I find a three fly cast tangles too easily. There are several ways to rig a dropper fly. The simplest is to tie on a piece of leader using a blood knot and leave one of the ends long. Some anglers tie a piece of leader to the bend of the dropper fly and tie the point fly on that. The trick is to not make the dropper leader too long. I find anything over a foot will wrap around the leader and leave you with a tangle. The use of multiple rigs is not limited to fly fishing. Tying a wet fly or streamer above a spinner or bait can be very effective as well. Make sure that the use of multiple rigs is legal where you fish. In Nova Scotia you are generally allowed a maximum of three hooks when fishing for trout, except for Atlantic salmon, where only one unweighted fly is allowed.
My most memorable experience using a two fly rig was a number of years ago on a trout fishing trip to the Gander River in Newfoundland. It was early June on Third Pond but it was bitterly cold and the wind whipped my raincoat as I made another cast into the waves. The only thing that was hot was the fishing as brook trout after brook trout came to my cast of two wet flies. The trout weren’t very big but I lost track of how many times I caught and released two trout at a time.
That trip guarantees that I will continue to tie up some wet flies every winter. The patterns don’t have to be fancy. Wet flies are usually tied on short shank, heavy hooks to ensure they sink readily. Most are simple patterns, with bodies of tinsel or chenille, a wing and some hackle at the head. Tie a variety of patterns in sizes ranging from 10 to 14 and you will be ready to hit the water anywhere this spring.