What's Catching You Fish?

Couldn't do anything with a bushy dry even though fish were rising. I just suck at dry fly fishing I think. Swung a grouse and hare with good results.
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Mopped up at the end of each section.
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Man Tom, I can't wait until my next trip to WW.....just sayin'

you'd better be around. :LOL:
 
mcswny said:
You’re still the fishiest person I’ve never met ;)
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wait, what? :LOL:

jk....I've never met Tom (yet), and he seems like a really fishy dude!
 
Great stuff guys, really fun.
But I'm serious, I don't know whether it's me, or the fish don't look up. I was really into fishing dries before I found the Wet Flies book, and never had the kind of success I do now. Like yesterday, I fished upstream dry with nothing more than a couple small ones splashing. Put the softhackle on and found a half dozen in as many casts swinging down in one spot. Wouldn't eat a EHC, humpy nor adams.
 

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Tom Butler said:
Great stuff guys, really fun.
But I'm serious, I don't know whether it's me, or the fish don't look up. I was really into fishing dries before I found the Wet Flies book, and never had the kind of success I do now. Like yesterday, I fished upstream dry with nothing more than a couple small ones splashing. Put the softhackle on and found a half dozen in as many casts swinging down in one spot. Wouldn't eat a EHC, humpy nor adams.
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Ants… 😉
 
There is something to be said about "confidence flies" and the lack of an actual hatch. Swinging soft hackles is a blast where hard visual takes come at the end of the lift! Hard to beat that and Czech nymphing indicators going nuts!
 
Tom Butler said:
Great stuff guys, really fun.
But I'm serious, I don't know whether it's me, or the fish don't look up. I was really into fishing dries before I found the Wet Flies book, and never had the kind of success I do now. Like yesterday, I fished upstream dry with nothing more than a couple small ones splashing. Put the softhackle on and found a half dozen in as many casts swinging down in one spot. Wouldn't eat a EHC, humpy nor adams.
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So much of my experience of swinging soft hackles are small ish (12-14s) and unweighted. Knowing you fish so much bigger and so much heavier, I’d love to just watch you fish one day and just observe.
 
mcswny said:
So much of my experience of swinging soft hackles are small ish (12-14s) and unweighted. Knowing you fish so much bigger and so much heavier, I’d love to just watch you fish one day and just observe.
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Agree! I keep thinking that going smaller is the answer, but @Tom Butler swings these big wets and cleans up!
 
mcswny said:
So much of my experience of swinging soft hackles are small ish (12-14s) and unweighted. Knowing you fish so much bigger and so much heavier, I’d love to just watch you fish one day and just observe.
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Zak said:
Agree! I keep thinking that going smaller is the answer, but @Tom Butler swings these big wets and cleans up!
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I'm a firm believer in showing them something big enough to be worth moving for, and it should look like something they are used to seeing.
This size 10 is actually too small, but I was fishing a tiny mountain brook so went small to start, then checked. The sz. 8 dark hare and grouse would have been a better match.
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@Tom Butler , actually you are fishing just fine or better. You have your confidence flies and know how, when, and where to fish them. Nothing better than that. Also, as you well know, 90% of what a fish eats from is under the water aka wet, nymphs, etc. Only 10% of what they eat is at the surface aka dries. You cracked the code of catching fish.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
 
Tom Butler said:
I'm a firm believer in showing them something big enough to be worth moving for, and it should look like something they are used to seeing.
This size 10 is actually too small, but I was fishing a tiny mountain brook so went small to start, then checked. The sz. 8 dark hare and grouse would have been a better match.
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MAAAAAAAN those looks like Czech nymphing bugs to me! Cased Caddis on the menu.

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Tom Butler said:
I'm a firm believer in showing them something big enough to be worth moving for, and it should look like something they are used to seeing.
This size 10 is actually too small, but I was fishing a tiny mountain brook so went small to start, then checked. The sz. 8 dark hare and grouse would have been a better match.
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I’m a 12, 10, 8 kinda guy myself… 😉
 
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