Traditional Wet-Fly Tactics and Patterns Put You a Step Ahead of The

➤ T i p s F r o m t h e e x p e r t s

>Dave & EMILY Whitlock Photography & Illustrations

Sometimes it can be just as rewarding and stimulating to experi- Like most American fly fishers, are attached correctly and presented introduced, wet flies again were tied I was less than enthusiastic about with good technique, they can rep- smaller and more imitative, similar

] ence history and tradition, as it is to discover something new. wet-fly fishing. As I soon learned, resent one or all of the above food to the English originals, because the Old About ten years ago my fly-fishing enjoyment and success was significantly I only partially understood the full forms during a single cast—therein browns were much more selective to potential because Wotton’s methods lies their magic and centuries-old ef- size and pattern. improved when a close friend, Davy Wotton, introduced me to the fascinat- combine dry, emerger, nymph, and fectiveness. streamer tactics. Most of the best-known tradition- Getting Schooled ing methods and flies of traditional wet-fly fishing. Surprisingly, this method It is possible, after each cast, to al wet flies were developed in the My early readings also recom- is as effective and enjoyable as any current, popular fly-fishing technique. attract trout that are feeding on any 1800s in England, and were used mended casting wet flies across and of these four food forms—or even for brown trout, grayling, and sea downstream, allowing them to swim Wotton, a professional fly fisher from Wales—one of the wellsprings of those that are not actively feeding at trout (sea-run browns). When wet- and swing around into the current fly fishing—relocated to the U.S. several years ago. With a little encour- all. As soon as I got the basics of the fly fishing found its way to America, below. That’s correct but incomplete. agement, he eventually made his home in the Arkansas Ozarks, near the flies, tackle, and methods, my enthu- the flies were tied larger and more When Wotton gave me my first tradi- White River, where he now guides and teaches fly fishing. In a few short siasm began to grow in proportion garishly colorful and used mainly tional wet flies, I fished them across years, he has developed several effective flies and methods for Ozark to my increased catch numbers and for brook trout, land-locked salm- and down, and did indeed catch S trout streams, and his traditional wet-fly techniques top the list. size of fish. on, and bass. After brown trout were trout. He watched me for awhile and Traditional Wet-fly tactics and patterns put you a step ahead of the indicator crowd ➤ A “cast” of three wet flies imitates different insects at all stages of life using Davy Wotton’s complete wet-fly approach. Origin of the Species Traditional wet flies are subsur- ➤ Leader set-up for three traditional wet flies. Consider making two or three extra face trout, grayling, and sea trout three-fly leaders as backups. C patterns developed over the centu- 1. Use a Zap-A-Gap knotless connection or a needle uni knot to connect a 7½-foot, 2X or 3X ries for the lakes and streams of the knotless, tapered leader. British Isles. Most of these flies have soft hackles, paired downwings, and 2. Add a 20- to 30-inch tippet section using a double-surgeon knot. Leave a 6-inch dropper by not neatly tied, conservative bodies and trimming the tag end of the leader tip. tails that resemble terrestrials or 3. The “bob fly” is the top fly on the leader. aquatic insects. They are different 4. Attach a second 20- to 30-inch section of 3X or 4X tippet leaving a second 6-inch dropper section. from nymphs which are tied primar- 5. ily to imitate the nymphal versions of The “dropper fly” is the middle fly. H aquatic insects, and are most often 6. The “tail fly” is the last fly. Use an open-loop uni-knot on all the flies for maximum movement. dead-drifted. A significant number of traditional wet flies are tied to attract rather than imitate. Wotton puts wet flies into three categories: attractors such as the Bloody Butcher or Alexan- dria; deceivers such as the Invicta, O Whickham’s Fancy, and Leadwing Coachman; and imitators such as the Hare’s Ear, Woodcock, and Blue Dun. Traditional wet flies have the classic wet-fly shape, many have fascinating names, and I love to tie them. You might have noticed the red Fly Fisherman symbol used on the cover of this magazine and through- O out, is a stylized traditional wet fly. When I first began reading about fly fishing more than six decades

] ago, I learned that wet flies were imitations of drowned insects. This was only partly correct. They also suggest live, emerging insects, div- ing adults, and swimming insects as well as crustaceans and small fishes. L Others simply attract and excite. When two or three of these flies

40 • Fly Fisherman • then suggested that I watch him. end of the swing he slowly pulled come into shape for me. Wotton had ➤ Davy Wotton’s All-Purpose Traditional Wet-Fly Method With a cast of three wet flies on the flies upstream 8 or 10 feet, then fished the flies in almost every con- his leader, he cast up and slightly smoothly lifted his 11-foot rod and ceivable way within one cast and Position #1 Position #2 Position #3 across-stream in the same riffle I’d made the top fly skitter and bounce one presentation. He turned that 1a. Present three flies up and 2a. Continue to let flies drift past you, 3a. With the rod tip up, swim the flies across the current. just fished. He initially worked them above the surface. At the same time, stretch of water into a classroom and across-stream mending to eliminate drag. Add subtle Animate the flies with the rod and small hand pulls. with a downstream, drag-free drift the middle fly made an irregular, vi- eventually took trout at all the po- animation to the flies with your rod tip. as though he was nymphing. Then, brating, zigzag V wake and the bot- sitions—and on all three flies—and 1b. Let the flies dead-drift. 3b. At the end of the swing, use up-and-down rod-tip move- mending, he let them tighten a bit tom fly followed the other two about caught more and larger trout than I Watch for visible takes or a 2b. As flies drift below you, switch from ments to tease the flies for 10 to 15 seconds. and slowly swing below us. an inch below the surface. He repeat- was able to hook using my “modern” movement in the leader or line. two-point line control to single, left-hand The whole time, Davy was worked this emerger-skittering, down-up- techniques. His best was a beautiful line control and let the current begin to 3c. Pull the flies upstream using your line hand and rod-tip ing all three flies with his left hand down move at least once more each 3-pound brown. swim flies across the current. lifts, making the top fly skitter upstream at or above the and rod tip, creating an almost im- time before casting again. Since that eye-opening lesson I’ve surface. The middle fly should wake in the surface, while perceptible breathing action. At the Now the whole picture started to enjoyed eight satisfying years of the last fly swims just below the surface.

3d. Lower the rod tip so the flies sink and drift downstream, then repeat motion 3c two or more times.

42 • Fly Fisherman • • flyfisherman.com • 43 traditional wet-fly fishing, and sever- as I drove back home, that this “old” Move your feet steadily to cover the al perspectives vividly stand out for method was just too special not to water. After a half hour or so of fish- me. First, of course, is that this meth- share. ing this complete method, if one zone od is an exciting, proactive method seems particularly productive, abbre- for almost all trout rivers. The aver- Wotton Method viate the other zones and focus mainly age size of fish I catch usually runs Begin with a 4-, 5-, or 6-weight, 9- on that section of the technique. For larger than when using nymphs and to 11-foot rod and a floating, double- instance, if the skittering seems to be dry flies in the same waters. taper line. The double taper excels for moving more fish, focus on that, and Most takes on wet flies are spine- the casting, mending, and fly action do less dead-drifting. As fish prefer- tingling, impressive, and memorable. used in this method. ences eventually change, you’ll want It is not uncommon to snap 3X tip- Attach a knotless 7½ foot, 2X or 3X to go back to the complete, multi-zone pet because of aggressive takes by big leader using a Zap-A-Gap connection fishing. fish. You are able to use light tackle or a needle uni-knot. Add tippet, and and small flies to get the same preda- make one or two 6-inch dropper ex- Choosing a Fly tory rushes that otherwise would re- tensions by leaving a long tag end at Patterns and sizes don’t seem to be quire a big streamer and heavy rod to each double-surgeon knot. Separate as critical for wet-fly fishing as they experience. each knot by 20 or 30 inches. To the are when dry-fly fishing and nymph- What impresses me most is how end of the tippet, tie a weighted, size ing, but if you are not raising fish to well it works on the trout species it 10 or 12 wet fly. your expectations, begin experiment- was originated for—big brown trout. Onto the next one or two tippet ing with a complete menu. Even during bright, mid-day condi- extensions, add size 12 or 14, un- When changing flies, or when tions, browns often rise to two or weighted wet flies. My first choice break-offs shorten your dropper three well-fished traditional wet flies is often a beadhead caddis emerger lengths, clip off the short section and at or near the surface. as the tail fly, then an Invicta on the tie on a new dropper to the leader us- After sundown, browns can become middle position, and a Whickham’s ing a uni-knot just above the surgeon’s even more receptive to this combina- Fancy on the top. knot. Then slide the new dropper section of flies and method. A couple of Pick an area where there is a nice ➤ Top to bottom: Whickham’s Fancy, tion down against the original double- seasons after I began using Wotton’s riffle or run with medium depth and Invicta, Hare’s Ear, Alexandra, March surgeon’s knot. flies, I tried them on a tough south- current speed. It helps to be positive Brown, Coachman, Bloody Butcher. The end wet fly often hooks most ern Missouri river where the wild rain- and expect great results. Work out of the fish, but not all of them. Wotton bows and secretive browns challenge about 30 to 40 feet of line and lead- believes that using three different flies even the best local guides. er and cast with smooth, moderate has a teamwork effect and I agree. I I picked a special-regulation sec- speed, forming medium loops. Tight or make a hard-snap strike set, there’s suspect one fly attracts, the next ex- tion that is loaded with smart trout, or tailing loops can result in a bird’s a good chance you’ll loose one or all cites, and another mimics food. When and started by fishing upstream nest of tangles. of your flies—and the fish. I know, choosing traditional wet-fly patterns using dead-drifted dry flies and Present the flies up and about 2 because this position cost me a lot of or colors, I start with one bright fly, a nymphs—I was nearly skunked. or 3 rod lengths across-stream from flies and big fish until I cultivated a black fly, and a shiny-metallic fly or in Then I fished back down that same your position. Cast far enough from delicate, cool response. natural tones, one dark, one medium, half mile stretch with traditional wet you that trout are not frightened by A passive hook-set is critical on and one light-colored fly. flies and took the most fish I’d ever your presence, and so the flies can light tackle. It’s similar to what a Traditional wet-fly fishing is effec- caught there. I remember thinking, naturally drift and then swing to be- wet-fly Atlantic salmon or steelhead tive in most freestone rivers like the low your position. fly fisher uses to let the fish hook Delaware, Madison, Green, Yellow- At this first upstream position, focus themselves. stone, Snake, Gallatin, and also in and closely watch where the flies are Provided your flies get through this tailwaters like the White (Arkansas), and expect a dry-fly-type rise or subtle down-and-around swing, the next Bighorn, and Missouri rivers. underwater swirl signifying a strike. point is to let the flies pause directly It works best in moderate to fast Sometime you’ll see the drift just hesi- below you for 5 to 10 seconds. Then flow, and where the surface is broken tate and stop. impart a series of zig-zag, right-to- with chop, foam, or wavelets. I con- If you see a trout strike, or if the line left, irregular pulses. sider this a season-long technique that or leader butt begins to slow, pause, or A fly taken against the taut leader at works well at all but the most extreme twitch, set the hook just as you would this point can be violent. Don’t hesi- low and high water levels. When the on a nymph. On this up-and-across tate to give line from the coils in your water is above normal and not too off- position, the flies are just below the left hand. I constantly preach to my- colored, I use a clear, intermediate fly surface, so the takes are often visible. self not to muscle up on these lung- line and fish the flies deeper and a lit- After the flies drift past you, ing, downstream assaults. Such strikes tle slower on a swing and then retrieve switch from two-point line control quickly overdose you with adrenalin, back upstream. to a line-hand-only hold, and let but you have to stay calm. It seems, here in America, we are the flies swim and swing across the To continue the presentation, slow- always looking for something new. current. With the tip up to absorb a ly raise your rod tip to make the top Traditional wet-fly fishing is not his- shocking strike, begin to work the fly skitter above the water for several torically new, but for those of us who flies using very slight animation with feet. Then smoothly lower the rod tip are open-minded enough to try some- small, rod-tip, heart-beat-like pulses to allow the flies to drift downstream, thing old-fashioned, there’s a world of using line-hand movements or right- sinking into the emerger position. new challenge and fun waiting. to-left rod tip wobbles. Repeat this lifting and skitter- You should shift your focus to ex- ing procedure once or twice. Using Contributing editors Dave and Emily pecting to see or feel a hard pull or two or three wet flies, this last tech- Whitlock operate a fly-fishing school in ➤ Davy Wotton adapted his traditional splashy surface strike. This is a critical nique can be awesome when big fish Oklahoma (davewhitlock.com). Con- British Isles wet-fly techniques to U.S. point because if you get a strong strike are whacking caddis emergers, egg- tact Davy Wotton at davyfly@ozark rivers and streams. and fail to release your grip on the line laying adult caddis, or mayflies. mountains.com.

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