Baiocchi's Troutfitters Dry Fly Workshop Handout
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Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Dry Fly Workshop Handout Prepared by Jon Baiocchi P a g e | 1 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 The dry fly is the epitome of fly fishing, imitating the great creator’s own handy work with feathers, foam, and hair that provides the total visual experience. To witness a trout rising gingerly to take your offering off the water’s surface could possibly be one of the most beautiful aspects of fly fishing. The Dry Fly workshop will give you the necessary tools to be successful, but it is up to you to practice the craft so you will be efficient with the different techniques while on the water. Unlike other techniques of fly fishing, being in tune with local hatch times on a particular river, and being observant while on the water will equal greater success. Casting less, and observing more is a very important tactic, and often, the most critical aspect of fishing the dry fly. Recommended Equipment: Rods – 9 to 10 foot, 3 - 6 wt. (depending on size of fish targeted) medium action, with a soft tip section to protect light tippets. Fiberglass rods are a favorite of dry fly anglers that where raised in the old school days of fly fishing, these rods have a smoother action, with a unique feel. A longer rod also helps in reaching far away pockets while high sticking a dry fly, especially fishing pocket water. Reels – A regular sized reel with a smooth operating system that is in balance of the rod. If your quarry is large trout, a strong drag system is important because it will slow down extremely hot fish from spooling you, and combined with a soft tip of your fly rod, will keep your knots from breaking. Lines – A weight forward floating line is best while casting into heavy wind where you will have better accuracy and control. This line is also a better choice for casting larger flies. For smaller flies and delicate presentations, a double taper light touch is best. Whatever line you choose, it’s imperative that the front section of the line to the tip floats highly. Leaders Formulas – Spring Creek 17ft. (extremely wary fish) Fly Line 5ft. 40lb. Mono 9ft. Tapered Leader 36” Tippet Fly Everyday Dry Fly 12ft. Fly Line 3ft. 40lb. Mono 9ft. Tapered Leader Fly P a g e | 2 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 Leader Formulas (cont.) Dry/Dropper 12ft. Fly Line 9ft. Tapered Leader Fly 18-24” Tippet Fly Creekin 7.5 - 9ft. Fly Line 7.5ft. Tapered Leader Fly Optional Dropper Knots – The standard clinch knot is used most of the time, especially with very small flies. For hopper and stonefly patterns that incorporate rubber legs, the non slip mono loop is best. Also known as “Lefty’s Loop”, this knot allows the fly to move freely, and provides the rubber legs with more movement, which can induce a strike. See the diagram below. P a g e | 3 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 Fly List – Every river has different hatches that occur during different times of the year depending on the elevation. Knowing what aquatic insects that reside in a particular watershed will help with fly selection. Each river also has local favorite patterns. Since this workshop is taking place on the Truckee River, I have provided a list of the “go to” dry flies that imitate specific species, and attracter flies for this watershed. Foam Carpenter Ant #10-12 RP’s Ant #10-14 BWO Sparkle Dun #16-20 Skwala Unit #10 Yellow Stimulator #8-16 Panty Dropper Hopper #8-12 E/C Caddis #12-18 Royal Wulff #12-16 Presentations – Standard / Searching: The “standard” presentation for fishing a dry fly involves making a cast upstream and stripping in line with your line control hand, as the fly rides the currents back down towards your stationary position. In this scenario there are no rising fish, and the angler makes a series of “fan casts” in order to effectively dissect a section of the river. Facing upstream on river right, the angler would start with shorter presentations in distance starting next to the bank, and working away towards near the center of the river. Remember, you are searching so you want to cast to different locations. Once the angler has covered the water thoroughly on river right, it’s time to make longer casts beyond where previously fished into new territory. When every section of water has been addressed, the angler then wades into position to river left, and covers the water by fan casting, near to far as before. When that entire section of river has been explored on both sides, the angler then walks upstream to fresh P a g e | 4 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 untouched water, and begins the process of searching all over again. The most common mistake I see anglers make with the standard dry fly presentation is they fail to strip line in at a fast enough speed, which results in a big bow of slack line below the rod tip. The line should be stripped in at the same speed as the current or greater to the point of not moving the fly, but drifting freely with the currents. To further control slack, the rod tip is lowered to just below being level. By combining this rod position with the proper retrieval of the line, gives the angler greater control, with better results in hook setting abilities. Angler moves upstream once section is covered. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 Standard Presentation - Fan Casting Near to Far P a g e | 5 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 High Sticking: A “high sticking” dry fly presentation is mechanically the same as high sticking with a nymph rig with a little variation. This style is great for pocket water and eager trout, the North Fork Yuba River would be a great example. A short amount of line is used whether false casting or simply making a roll cast upstream. The fly line is pinched against the cork handle with the index finger. Only a few feet of tippet coming off the fly make contact with the water, and the rest of the leader hangs down from the tip with very little slack. The rod is held at a forty five degree angle during the first part of the presentation. The tip of the rod follows the dry fly through the drift, and during the middle of the drift the rod angle increases at its highest point. As the fly drifts downstream the rod is lowered back down to the forty five degree mark, and even lower to achieve a few more feet of a drag free drift. By raising and lowering the rod through the drift an angler can control the amount of slack down to the fly. When all of the pockets have been thoroughly fished, the angler then walks upstream to a new series of pockets and begins systematically covering each one. Just as in the standard/searching presentation, the angler fishes near to far, and if needed, changes position to get closer for a more effective drift. High Sticking – Short Lining P a g e | 6 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 Bow and Arrow: This presentation is great for brush choked creeks, and smaller streams with little to no room for making a back cast. With a few feet of fly line out from the tip of the rod, the angler grabs the fly by the bend of the hook upside down. The fly line is pinched against the cork handle by the index finger, and the rod is held at a 25 degree angle pointing to the intended target area. By pulling back with the fly, the leader and line is now taunt, and the tip section of the rod is bent backwards. Like a bow, the rod is now loaded with energy. The angler releases the fly, and a split second later, the index finger releases pressure off the line completely from the handle. The loaded energy is then released, and the line shoots out of the tip of the rod to its destination. The more free line that is peeled off the reel and lying at your feet will determine on the distance one can cast. Keep in mind using a shorter leader of seven and a half feet makes it easier to load the rod because the overall length of the line is shorter to pull back with. Fly, leader, and line is pulled back… This loads the rod with energy. The line shoots forward! The angler then releases the fly… And a split second later releases pressure from the fly… line… Bow & Arrow Cast P a g e | 7 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 The Reach Cast: The last two presentations listed here would be considered very technical, and are often used to highly educated trout because they deliver the fly first. Simply meaning that a rising fish only sees the fly as it enters its cone of vision. These are downstream presentations that take plenty of practice, but the success they bring makes it very worthwhile to master. “The reach cast” is best executed by being upstream and across from your acquired target. The angler makes a series of false casts that is aiming slightly downstream towards the rising fish, this allows the angler to gauge the correct distance needed. On the final forward cast, while the line is still in the air, the angler moves the tip of the rod upstream.