No Beads

[Tom Butler]

and more likely to be pointing the rod right at the fish. I really like 6lb fluoro for that, but will use 3x, 4x, 4 or 6 lb Max as well.

Yes, there is a fine line between following the fly with your rod tip, and having enough angle to have the rod absorb the shock. I break off more during the fight than on the initial hit.
In the winter/spring I like enough tippet to get the fish out of the heavy water, and this time of year I want to get them in without having to tire them too much, the water is getting warmer. A plus, 3x is MUCH less prone to leader wrap or tangles when fishing multiple flies than 4x or finer.

 

[Zak]

I pretty much fish 4X for all trout.

 

[clarkman]

I pretty much fish 4X for all trout.

That's generally what I do as well unless I'm fishing streamers, then it's almost always 10lb minimum because of the aggressive nature of the way I like to fish them.

 

[Dave Westburg]

Anyone fish true attractor wets anymore? I had a couple seasons about 25 years ago that I fished a size 12 Professor a LOT and man that thing caught a lot of fish. I wonder why I don't do that more often now. Haha!

Did someone say professor? This is one of my high lake boxes.

I've fished attractor wets in iceland...

at a snoqualmie pass high lake...

for cutts on the cowlitz...

at a stevens pass high lake...

in the outer hebrides of scotland...

The attractor wets don't catch fish so much any more because we don't fish them.

 

[IHFISH]

What are peoples' preferred hookset methods when swinging wets? None, trout set, strip set? In my experience the fish hook themselves most of the time with this method, but I recently drifted and swung some hare's ear (beaded) and white miller caddis (unbeaded) soft hackles through a couple rivers in Yellowstone during some spare hours on a family vacation. It was a great time (TR coming after work, most likely), but my hookup and lost fish ratio seemed higher than usual. Could be a combination of any number of factors of course, but interested in how others do it.

 

[Brian Miller]

For me fish often hook themselves in their aggression. But if the fly is in the cross stream-downstream quarter I try to (remember to) make a horizontal set with the current flow. If I miss a couple of fish doing that or if the fly is more directly downstream when using a rod & reel, I'll try releasing a couple inches of slack at the strike, (the flex of a T-rod tip kinda does this too), and-or a strip set.
Also, with any presentation I typically do a 2nd deliberate but controlled trout set when I know I have a larger fish "on".

 

[skyriver]

What are peoples' preferred hookset methods when swinging wets? None, trout set, strip set? In my experience the fish hook themselves most of the time with this method, but I recently drifted and swung some hare's ear (beaded) and white miller caddis (unbeaded) soft hackles through a couple rivers in Yellowstone during some spare hours on a family vacation. It was a great time (TR coming after work, most likely), but my hookup and lost fish ratio seemed higher than usual. Could be a combination of any number of factors of course, but interested in how others do it.

For me, it's just like steelheading. Fish should hook themselves, but the first reaction needs to be to the same side bank. Meaning, if I'm river right (looking downstream the shore is on my right) the "strike" should be to your right and low. I think this is what Brian meant when he said "horizontal set with the current flow." So in my scenario, rod should come towards the downstream bank on the right. If you're river left, down and to the left.

I see so many videos of guys losing steelhead (and trout) because their rod is sky high. There are times you need to try to pull them off a rock or log or something, or you're trying to reduce slack, but for fish hooked on the swing that rod should remain low and downstream for the whole fight if possible.
This also helps tire them out faster. Instead of high rod or upstream helping them swim upstream, you're combining with the river to make them fight the current and your line. Of course, this is assuming you have room below to land them.
Which brings up my 2nd pet peeve, for steelheaders anyway. Once hooked, get "out & down!" Down stand there trying to fight a steelie that is directly below you. Even for trout...If I go to the Deschutes and catch trout on swung or stripped flies I can assure you most of the ones I lose are those fish that are directly below me. Sometimes you can't get out & down. Maybe it's not safe or maybe you're in one of those tempting (and juicy) dead end "v runs" where down means you'll be over your waders. But if you can get out & down, do it.

 

[skyriver]

Did someone say professor? This is one of my high lake boxes.
View attachment 70732

The attractor wets don't catch fish so much any more because we don't fish them.

Those are gorgeous! And you couldn't have stated the last part any better. That's fine. More fish for us!

 

[Flymph]

The beads are for weight. That said, I tie the wing case right over the top of the bead which makes for a more robust thorax as compared to the thinner abdomen. I also like to use the smallest bead that will fit on the hook. Some of the larger beads I see on today's creations look waaaaaay to large for the hook and the appearance of the bug.

 

[jaredoconnor]

Some of the larger beads I see on today's creations look waaaaaay to large for the hook and the appearance of the bug.

I regularly fish 3.8mm beads on hooks as small as #14. In my experience, the fish don’t care. What they do care about is the meal coming directly to them.

IMO, the euro nymph crew have proven that a lot of fly fishing gospel was nothing but hot air. I used to obsess about minutiae, such as accurate color or LaFontaine style caddis bubbles. These days, I barely even care about size.

 

[Zak]

I regularly fish 3.8mm beads on hooks as small as #14. In my experience, the fish don’t care. What they do care about is the meal coming directly to them.

IMO, the euro nymph crew have proven that a lot of fly fishing gospel was nothing but hot air. I used to obsess about minutiae, such as accurate color or LaFontaine style caddis bubbles. These days, I barely even care about size.

Heretic! Philistine! Dunk him!

Ducking stool - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[skyriver]

about minutiae, such as accurate color or LaFontaine style caddis bubbles. These days, I barely even care about size.

Haha! You might get a little blowback from these words. Color? Size? Spoken like a true Euro nympher. They have taken your soul man.

Even Power Bait comes in different colors. Haha!

 

[Dave Boyle]

HA ha. I went through a "dry" phase too before I got into wets.

Me too, as a kid my brother and I spent a yr fishing a wee burn in a Scotland that my dad said fished best with dries and did ok….after going to wee wets, the #s and size went way up, we didn’t have the heart to tell him soft hackles were way better.

That said one evening we bumped into a guy who pulled out not one but two monster fish, 12”, from a small deep pool we often fished. Both on a dry 16 Greenwells glory. It made us rethink the ‘experts’ we thought we were

Dave

 

[Tom Butler]

It made us rethink the ‘experts’ we thought we were

The older I get and the more I know, the more I understand I really don't know squat yet.

 

[DerekWhipple]

I need to spend more time fishing wet flies.

I've caught so many fish just letting my euro nymphs swing out and downstream from me.

 

[jaredoconnor]

I've caught so many fish just letting my euro nymphs swing out and downstream from me.

I often swing flies, on my euro pole. I don’t mean dead drift and swing at the end; I mean literally cast out and swing, regular style. If your leader is thick enough, you can even mend. It works great in fast water, because you have better contact. It doesn’t work well in slow water, because the flies sink too fast.

 

[Zak]

I often swing flies, on my euro pole. I don’t mean dead drift and swing at the end; I mean literally cast out and swing, regular style. If your leader is thick enough, you can even mend. It works great in fast water, because you have better contact. It doesn’t work well in slow water, because the flies sink too fast.

I know you said "pole" as pure flame bait.

 

[Creatch’r]

I also like to up my tippet size to 3x fishing wets when larger classed trout are a possibility. I think the tippet diameter has more to do with getting the presentation you want vs being more “invisible” to trout. And when the fly is under tension swinging in the upper part of the column I don’t think the lighter tippet is doing much at all presentation wise but that’s my opinion. Doesn’t seem to effect the number of fish that touch my fly but it does increase the number that touch my net in a positive way. Also helps when a nice fish climbs on during the retrieve. Nothing worse than starting to strip with the tip down on a taut line, seeing a big flash and pop goes the tippet and your left leader flapping in the breeze. With 3x I got a chance in that scenario. Just my $.02

 

[mattsavage]

I've caught so many fish just letting my euro nymphs swing out and downstream from me.

The whitefish love it on the swing as its coming up from the bottom. Had some good takes when i least expected it from them.

 

[Brute]

I think you would find it a nice compliment to tightline work. Casting across and swinging can be really peaceful and relaxing. Until that BIG yank happens.

I’ve learned to keep a loop of fly line on my reel hand just for that big yank…I’ve broken off a few flies before doing that…