How to Use Wet Flies or Dry Flies

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By eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (5 Ratings)

Learning when to use wet flies and when to use dry flies is a basic skill in fly fishing. A wet fly imitates the immature insect's underwater life stages. A dry fly imitates the adult insect's above-water stages. Understanding which type of insect the fish are feeding on and then properly presenting your fly will help raise the success rate of both novice and expert anglers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Dry flies
Fishing equipment
Wet flies
Fly box
Bobber
Silicone floatant gel

Choosing the Right Fly

Step 1

Find out what insects are hatching at the time of year and time of day that you are fishing.
Step 2

Sit down along the bank for a moment and observe the surface of the water. Determine if the fish are feeding on the surface or underwater.
Step 3

Select a wet fly if you don't see any fish feeding at the surface. Most likely they are feeding on nymphs (immature insects) underwater. In the first stage of life, insects stay in the gravel or vegetation along the river or lakes bottom. Some are active swimmers, while others just drift with the current.
Step 4

Choose a dry fly if you observe activity on the surface or lots of insects flying in the air.
Step 5

Try fishing with wet and dry flies simultaneously when fish are feeding on both the surface and sub-surface.

Using a Wet Fly

Step 1

Look through your fly box and choose a wet fly, usually dark in color, sparse and simple, which resembles the nymph stage.
Step 2

Add additional weight on the leader to help sink the fly to the bottom of the river or lake where the nymphs most likely are living.
Step 3

Cast the fly with a slow retrieve to make the fly "swim," or drift it as a natural insect would float if caught in the current.
Step 4

Use a strike indicator (a small bobber) to help detect subtle takes of the fly.

Using a Dry Fly

Step 1

Select a dry fly to mimic the adult stage of an insect. The fly should look like a delicate, winged creature that is lightly colored.
Step 2

Apply a small amount of silicone floatant gel to the fly. This will keep the fly floating on the surface and prevent it from becoming waterlogged.
Step 3

Cast upstream and let the current drift the fly downstream. This is called a dead drift, meaning that the fly is floating at the exact same speed as the water, which looks most natural to the fish.

Using a Wet Fly and Dry Fly Simultaneously

Step 1

Tie a dry fly on your leader, then attach 12 to 18 inches of leader material to the hook bend of the dry fly.
Step 2

Attach a wet fly to the other end of the extra leader.
Step 3

Let the wet fly sink below the dry fly.
Step 4

Use the dry fly as a strike indicator. If it sinks underwater like a bobber would, set the hook.