This is a riverSome thoughts on fishing by John Dorman

This is a section devoted to the fly fisherman that would like to expand his knowledge of techniques.  John is an avid angler and tyer from Medicine Hat that has agreed to share his knowledge of fly fishing.  This is the first of a series of articles that will feature John. I think you will enjoy his article on the use of the dry fly.
 
 

WHAT DRY FLY SHOULD I USE ON THE STREAM?
 Article number 1

Introduction
  Let's start this article on fly fishing by seeing if we can fit ourselves into general categories of  fly fishers based on how we determine the type and style of  dry flies we will use when we're out on the stream.  I'll use he or him for ease of use but of course ladies are included in our discussions.  The categories we'll use are derived in great part from the late Gary LaFontaine's book - 'The Dry Fly - New Angles' .  The categories are: the Empiricist, the Imitationist, the Generalist and the Attractor.  Other names for the categories could be used but let's just use these for this discussion.  Each category is descriptive of how each fly fisher might select his flies for  the water he fishes.

Empiricist
 The Empiricist will simply use the flies/patterns etc. that worked for him on the same/similar waters and  general conditions as last year.  He is experience-based and rationalizes that 'what worked before should work again'.  He has his go-to patterns.  If that doesn't cut it, he may try something new or different until he get's something that works.  He generally knows the local waters and hatches but may be frustrated on new waters where that local knowledge may not fit new situations.

Imitationist
 The Imitationist is generally a fly tier with more than a passing knowledge of entomology.  He wouldn't use a #14 Adams  because a pink-hued #18 Pale Morning Dun thorax tied fly is what is called for - dammit!  He has a zillion flies packed into far too many fly boxes, stooped shoulders from carrying that 10 pound fly fishing vest and seems to spend most of his time standing in the stream changing flies rather than doing any actual fishing.  If there's no hatch to match, he still has many new, secretive ties that he has worked up for exactly these conditions.  I could fit myself into this category if forced to.

Generalist
 The Generalist would actually use the #14 Adams scorned above and be more concerned about its presentation than anything else.  Sure, he might downsize to a #16  if the 'bugs' seem to be a little smaller than he initially thought but 'bugs are just bugs aren't they?'.  If he doesn't get his fish in this spot, he'll quickly move on to where the fish are less 'fussy'.  This fellow could carry anywhere from 3-6 patterns at the low end of the scale or maybe 'the deadly dozen' at the other.  He fishes in geographical areas rather than just local rivers and does just fine thank  you.

Attractor
 Now we come to the Attractor guy.  He's not that far from a Generalist but he has more refined guidelines and carries about two dozen patterns which generally includes some 'match the hatch' ties.  His flies have features that serve to attract or draw the fish to his fly.  His pattern selection is linked to the type of  water he's fishing ( riffle, pool, run etc.) as well as ambient light conditions - cloudy, bright, overcast etc.

 It's the Attractor category that I'm going to be so bold as to suggest we may want to put ourselves into.
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 Let's get a direct quote from LaFontaine for his view on the use of Attractor patterns.

 "Attractors are more important for me now than ever.  The color of the fly is matched to the color of the ambient light; the shape and silhouette the fly is matched to the water type. "

 Does fitting ourselves into the Attractor category mean that we completely abandon all our hatch charts and their recommended flies?  Not at all - but then again how often are we lucky enough to catch a hatch?  In fact LaFontaine states that if a hatch is on then trout are likely to be feeding selectively and imitation is 'paramount'.  If however, there is no hatch on then fishing the appropriate attractor is more likely to tempt a take from fish rather guessing blindly at what fly 'might' get them.

 Based on actual underwater observation LaFontaine recorded that gray coloured fly bodies are best on overcast days, white bodies best very early or late in the day, red/yellow bodies best fairly early or late in the day ( these colours  being intensified but the rising/setting sun's light that reaches the water)  and green bodies being best for fishing on tree-lined waters.  He also discusses why flies with 'royal' colours - the Royal Wulff, Royal Trude etc. are so successful.  Simply, the red and green body colours match the surrounding light reaching  streams/rivers where we have a mixture of open sunlight and shaded areas.  The  colours on these flies are intensified in both bright and open stretches (the red floss part of the body) and on shaded or grassy lined areas (the green herl part of the body).

 Now let's see if we can match the size, shape and colour of a fly to the type of water we're going fish. .  First, the generalities:
 1. Bright flies for flat water and dull flies for rough, aerated water.  The bright flies get lost amongst the silver bubbles found in rough, tumbling water.
 2.   On the normal riffle, pool and runs of a stream, an attractor  in a size that matches recent hatches even when there isn't a hatch on at the moment, consistently outfishes the same pattern one or two sizes larger.  Just ask a shop in the area or a current bulletin board for recent hatch sizes.
 3. The only place where it is wise to exaggerate size is on rough, fast water.  Then it is the size of the fly and not features such as colour that attracts attention.  Low profile attractors with the wide lateral dimensions of a flared wing in size 8, 6 and larger represent enough of a food package that the trout will move to the surface and take the fly.
 4.  A 'tall' fly excites trout on moderate currents.  The mirrored bottom of the water's surface film allows the fish to see an attractor pattern with upright wings.  This characteristic makes the trout move quicker to the fly.
 5.  In quiet water,  using attractors (or exact imitations for that matter) is a difficult proposition because fish can get so fussy here.  Nevertheless, low profile flush patterns such as spinners/parachutes might serve you well as might the 'tiptoe' riding attractor patterns such as the Bivisible and variants with their high profiles.  It was also noted that bulky patterns that kind of sat in the water like a terrestrial can also do well.

WHAT FLY TO FISH WITH AND WHERE

Riffles with broken water.  You will see white water (bubbles etc.)  The depth can be 1-3 feet.  Here we should use Trude and  Stimulator styled patterns in dull colours.  Sizes 8-10 in the Trudes and 6-8 in the Simulators are my recommendations just remember you have to see them.  LaFontained designed a fly series called Double Wings but again its evolution might addressed in another article.

Regular riffles.  Little if any white water in these waters.  There is a choppy surface again with a depth of 1-3 feet.  Here the fly colour will be light or dark depending on the ambient light.  Trudes, Humpies and larger Elk Hair Caddis ( I sometimes use a CDC and Elk) in the 10 - 16 should do the trick.

Pocket water.  Minor rapids, cascading water will be the norm.  There will be obstructions (boulders, tree truncks etc.) with eddies behind them.  Here dull Trudes and H&L Variants in the 10-14 range are good choices.

Runs.  Here the water is usually 3-6 feet deep with a moderate current current throughout its length.  The surface will be mainly calm but there will be seams and eddies.  The use of Wulff patterns and hi profile attractors matched to the latest hatch chart sizes should work.

Flat or glides.  The water is moving slowly here and has a bottom that supports the growth of vegetation.  With vegetation of course comes insects but the fishing of these waters can be challenging and tough to fish.  The depth would be 1-3 feet.  Here spinner patterns, LaFontaine's Emergent Sparkle Pupa or ants/beetles in size 16-18 and midges in the 18-22 might get the job done for you.

Pools.  The water depth here is relative to the size of the stream or river.  In a river like the depth could be 10 - 15 feet while in a stream 3-5 feet deep might be the norm.  While hi profile flies might work on a stream the call on a river would be for streamers for the most part.  Sizes 2 -6 (and much larger depending on the prey) with patterns ranging from Woolly Buggers to modern streamers such as the Zoo Cougars.  How to get the fly down, whether through line type or weighting is a major consideration here.

Tailouts.  These are those small pools after a cascade of water that are generally just before another cascade possibly a riffle.  Parachute and cripples in keeping with the latest hatch sizes are good bets here as representing the drowned/drowning insects caught in the tumbling water.  Size 14-16 would be the call.

A FINAL POINT

 Nothing in the foregoing stands as gospel.  It does however represent some guidelines that should help you with your onstream fly selections when there is not a hatch on.  It will also help in your fly acquisitions whether you tie your own or otherwise obtain them.  Comment are welcomed. Email John
 
 



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