Rise Forms?

[Flymph]

With many years of experience, research, reading, videos, and Fly Fishing forums I'd like to think I have a reasonable knowledge of recognizing rise forms. You know, head and tail = adult (dry fly) and so on. Nevertheless, my analyzations usually prove inaccurate or my flies suck at duplicating the original or both.

Do you normally get it right? That is do you recognize the hatch according to rise forms?

 

[Burt Dagger]

Man I’m just trying not to get my wiener tangled in tippet for once

 

[RCF]

No. I watch hatches everyday on a nearby lake. I keep wondering during a hatch why are there slurps, sips, rolls, and fish jumping completely out of the water all at the same time within a few feet of each other? Been watching this for 25 years and still have not figured it out.

Obviously the fish know why and therefore are smarter than me.

 

[Wetswinger]

No, if I see a few rising I just put on a little grey fly and cast to it. Even a wet fly will get a tug if the fish are looking up..

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Swirls = soft hackle
Dorsal/tail = emergers
Splash = adult dries
SOMETIMES!?

 

[RCF]

Swirls = soft hackle
Dorsal/tail = emergers
Splash = adult dries
SOMETIMES!?

And leapers out of the water?

 

[Bambooflyguy]

I consider those as splash…..or they’re practicing jumping for when they’re hooked!

 

[Bruce Baker]

When I was first taking up fly fishing, I was taught to look at the rings the fish makes. If there are air bubbles associated with the ring, the fish are surface feeding. No air bubbles, the fish chasing bugs headed to the surface/feeding just below the surface.

 

[krusty]

Oh great...now I gotta worry about interpreting 'rise-forms' too?

 

[RCF]

Oh great...now I gotta worry about 'rise-forms' too?

Rise forms are a good thing because there are fish. Now you also gotta worry about what type/size of fish create what type of rise form.

Let me know when you figure it out...

 

[krusty]

When I was first taking up fly fishing, I was taught to look at the rings the fish makes. If there are air bubbles associated with the ring, the fish are surface feeding. No air bubbles, the fish chasing bugs headed to the surface/feeding just below the surface.

Air bubbles are just trout farts and physostomous belches.

 

[skyriver]

Swirls = soft hackle
Dorsal/tail = emergers
Splash = adult dries
SOMETIMES!?

This is great. Of course, presentation plays into this too. I'll throw one more in.

Swirls = soft hackle = some sort of retrieve (I like handtwist or very small strips)
Dorsal/tail = emergers = can be a mixed bag for retrieve or perfectly still, depends on the bug
Splash = adult dries = depends on the bug. If natural is moving then give it movement. If not, don't.
Slurp = adult dries = no movement and probably a damsel or mayfly. This is when it's fun!

And the most challenging part can be trying to figure out which direction they're headed. Head/tail is pretty easy, but if they're swirling, splashing or sluprping...good luck!

BTW, this is why lakes are tougher for many than the rivers. A river mostly dictates where the fish will be and how you can fish it. Lakes are wide open man.

There's a reason a lot of guys don't like lakes.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

So true…..have you been back to “the lake” recently? I’m sure the lily pads are taking over.

 

[skyriver]

I haven't. We were out of the country for 2 weeks so I've sort of missed the transition period. I'm not complaining. Haha!
If you're talking about "my lake" I plan to hit it this week sometime. Bass will be the main target though. This is the time I start transitioning away from stockers, although all this cool weather probably has them still feeling good and keeping the lakes nice and cool.