Baiocchi's Troutfitters Dry Fly Workshop Handout

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

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.

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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. In doing so, it provides an aerial mend, and the fly lands first with the leader and fly line trailing upstream of it. Once the fly, leader, and line make contact with the water, the angler brings the rod tip back downstream and begins paying out line using the “Bump Mend” (see below). Line is released until the fly enters the trout’s position.

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1) Angler false casts and gauges the correct distance.

2) On the final forward cast, the rod is swept upstream. upstream 3) The fly line makes an aerial upstream mend.

4) As the fly lands, the rod tip follows the fly until it reached the intended target.

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The Reach Cast

P a g e | 8 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 The Bump Feed: The Bump Feed is known by other names such as “Stack Mending”, and “The Fall River Twitch”. I learned this presentation on the Fall River where it is so effective when used from an anchored pram and fishing to a pod of rising trout downstream. For the wading angler, it is extremely effective as well. The concept with this presentation is that line is peeled off the reel and released from the tip of the rod as it floats downstream in the drift, often the length of this presentation can be of great distance, up to and over fifty feet. The mechanics of the “Bump Mend” start with the reel being higher than the tip of the rod, which is about a foot above the surface of the water. With the reel being higher, gravity aids in dispensing the line from the tip, with a combination of whipping the rod tip up and down in two foot increments. When done correctly, you’ll actually see waves of line being released from the tip of the rod during the upwards whip movement. An angler can either have the line already pulled from the reel and coiled below them, or peeling the line off the reel as the drift is in action moving downstream. The angler keeps feeding line to the intended target until the fly enters the trout’s come of vision fly first.

Movement of rod tip throws out line.

Control hand feeds line out.

Bump Mend / Stack Mending

P a g e | 9 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 Locating Fish – The requirements for a trout to be able to survive in the wild are food, cover, and protection from the current. Cold well oxygenated water is also important. The warmer the water temperature, the less oxygen content is available for trout, and they will often lie in areas of white water (bubbles). As anglers, we must locate the areas that have all the right requirements that trout need. The art of reading water is just as important as presentation. A good tip is keep track of the type of water structure you are catching fish in, then duplicating it on other sections of the river.

Definitions –

1) Seam: Where two currents of different speeds merge together. Trout like to lie in the slower water as food is usually drifting down in the faster current, also known as the “outside seam”. 2) Tail Out: A tail out is best described as the most bottom section of a run, the water here is not as rough, slightly slower in speed, with a moderate depth. 3) Transition Zone: Usually found just downstream of shallow riffles where the bottom topography deepens, also referred to as a “shelf”. 4) Pocket: A pocket is a small deep section of water surrounded by shallower water, these are often found just downstream of boulders that protrude out of the water. When there are dozens of these water structures connected together, it is referred to as “pocket water”. 5) Run: A run is a section of river that has a consistent depth of water and current, and the bottom structure is level for the most part. A run can be short or extremely long depending on the river channel. 6) Slot: A slot is a trough found in bedrock that has been carved over millennia from hydraulic forces. This type of structure provides trout with protection from the heavy current. 7) Lie: A lie is a prime location for a fish to eat and rest, this is also known as an observation post. Larger trout will push smaller fish away from prime lies. 8) Redds: A redd is a depression in the gravel caused from spawning fish that dig out areas with their tail. This is where the female will deposit her eggs. Often other trout will position themselves below the redd waiting for stray eggs to wash downstream. It is important for the walk and wade angler to avoid these areas and risk crushing the eggs with their footsteps.

Once you have a high confidence on where the fish may be located, you must then decide what presentation will be the most effective, combined with the proper wading position, if any. However, the current of the water or the type of water structure may limit your presentation choices, and you may have to try different combinations until you find success.

Soft Water

Run

Main Seam

Tail Out

The Anatomy of a Run

P a g e | 11 Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Publication © Copyright 2018 Safety – The number one priority while on the water is your own safety, and the wise angler should be prepared with the following safety equipment:

 Wading boots (studs optional)  Waders (with wading belt)  A wading staff  Polarized sunglasses  Hat  Proper clothing for that day’s conditions  Drinking water

With the proper equipment an angler has greater chance of enjoying themselves on the water. While wading, look down at every step and foot position, and do not look around while wading or setting yourself into position. Follow your instincts and take the route that has the least resistance, even if that means taking a longer overall route. A slow and steady pace reassures your safety, especially while fishing alone. A fishing buddy, cell phone (if coverage is available), and an emergency locator beacon can also be beneficial for your safety.

When fighting a strong fish in a very heavy current, let it take line. Do not run after it, instead, trust your equipment, and let the reel’s drag system do the work. Be prepared to work the fish slowly to your side of the river, and reeling in line at a smooth and steady pace. Take your time and slowly fight the fish downstream to a safe landing area.

Recommended Equipment List – Waders: Simms G3, or Redington Sonic Fly Wading Boots: Simms Freestone BOA, or Redington Prowler (felt or rubber w/studs) Wet Wading Socks: Simms Guard Socks Wading Staff: Pit River Company wood staff with cord Sun Glasses: Polarized glass copper lens for bright days, amber for cloudy days Warm Clothing: Layered wool or synthetic, never cotton. Summer Clothing: Quick Dry LS shirt, and pants Rain Jackets: Simms G3 Gore Tex Pack: Fishpond Thunderhead fully submersible sling Net: Fishpond Carbon Fiber with rubberized netting Rod: 9-10 foot 3-6 weight medium to medium fast action, Sage Circa, or Redington Path WF Floating line: RIO Perception / DT Floating line: RIO Perception Light Touch Reel: Redington Rise 3/4 & 5/6 Leaders: RIO 12 foot Supple Flex, 9 foot Powerflex Plus Tippet: 4-7x, monofilament

Notes: