Streamers, Nymphs, and Dries OH MY!

Fly selection could is often seen as the pinnacle of decisions we make out there on the water. There is a TON of information out there and we are not going to try to re-hash out all of that information. Instead I want to cover the basics and talk about why we might make certain decision when it comes to fly selection and why we might choose one fly type over another. Here will try to be SIMPLE, perhaps in future articles we can explore all the nuances of fly selection. 

On a simple level there are really three types of flies we need to worry about. You can absolutely split this into more subsections and get more specific but again our mission here is simplicity. Nymphs, Dries, and Streamers make up our fly selection and each serves a purpose. 

There are purists in all camps. I have met anglers that are die hard for dries and chose ONLY to fish with these, or others who fish only with streamers. Some of these anglers are still amazing fisherman and women however I think assigning ourselves to any single camp is far too limiting. I prefer to meat trout on their terms and show them what they are hungry for. This can vary from fishing trip to fishing trip or even hour to hour or minute to minute depending on the situation you find yourself in while fishing. Here we will grow through each type and what to look for when fishing each type.

Streamers,

The term streamers refers to any fly that imitates small baitfish. The most famous of these is probably the woolly bugger but there are endless variations of streamers that can all attract a variety of species. 

With these flies we are trying to imitate small baitfish to attract hungry and aggressive trout. These can be really fun to fish because an aggressive trout will often SLAM a streamer. A far cry from the subtle take a trout might take on a dry or especially a nymph. With these flies we want to throw them out, casting mostly upstream although we could cast down stream if the situation calls for it, we will then retrieve the fly by pulling in line and stripping the streamer toward us. 

This can be a really fun way to fish because we can put so much life into the fly. Maybe on one presentation we want to twitch the rod tips and imitate a dying fish, or maybe we want to strip fast challenging aggressive trout to strike hard, or we can even dead drift a streamer to imitate a dead fish pushing through the current. The possibilities are seemingly endless. 

There are a couple of situations when streamers become really important for me. The first is when the fishing is slower with other forms. On these slow days sometimes it can be hard to keep the head in it and really focus on what I am doing. Stripping streamers is a great way to keep you occupied even when the fish aren’t striking as frequently. Really you can have fun day on the water stripping streamers and only catching a few fish. I also like to throw streamers after a hatch has died down a little bit. I have found that after a good dry fly hatch I can pull some aggressive trout out of deep pools with streamers. Finally, I like to start early days, before the sunrises with streamer presentations. Typically before the sunrises works great for streamers because hatches haven’t gotten kicked off and trout have a harder time seeing small nymph patterns in the darkness, PLUS it’s a fun way to wake up on the water. Nothing beats the feeling of a large trout slamming a streamer in near perfect darkness!

In terms of location there are really only two water types in a river that I will target when throwing streamers, the banks and deep pools. Not to say that you can’t catch trout in other water forms with a streamer, you most certainly can and should absolutely try it. However in my experience these two water types are the most important when fishing with streamers. I also really like fishing streamers in ponds or lakes. With these still water forms I have a hard time casting anything else simply because of the lack of features compare to rivers. Streamers let me make up for this by providing a lot of action that can entice trout to eat. 

All in all streamers are a very versatile tool that any angler should keep in their tool belt year round to put fish in the net. They are typically not my first choice and I will most often steer toward a dry or nymph, however they can be incredibly fun! 

Nymphs,

Nymph defines a broad spectrum of subsurface flies that aim to imitate insects at the larva and nymphal stages of life. This is arguably the most important fly type to understand if you really want to catch trout on a fly rod. Trout spend the majority of their time feeding on larva and nymphal insects below the surface of the water. These flies can imitate all the insect species a trout feeds on and can vary in size depending on the river system or situation. We will discuss these species in future articles. 

There are many ways to fish with nymphs, dry dropper set ups, double nymph rigs, indicator set ups, tight line/ euro-nymph just to name a few. But the principle in all these techniques is the same - get the fly subsurface gliding it through the strike zone or near the bottom of the stream, and present the fly as naturally as possible. We achieve this by dead drifting a fly which is basically a fancy term for saying “let it glide through without unnatural influence”. Achieving this is much easier said than done and in the future we will tackle all the complexities that come along with dead drifting. 

Nymphs are my go to at any time of day or season. They can provide consistent eats time and time again in any situation or season. Since nymphs are what trout feed on the most we can cast a nymph in many different places in a stream and expect good results, Riffles, pools, banks, and behind features can all produce strikes when it comes it nymphs. 

Really what is most important with this style of fishing is the presentation. Trout can pick an unnatural drift out and will reject the fly time after time. This can be really frustrating if you don’t know what is happening. When I first started fishing and had just started catching trout I was upset with the inconsistency I experienced. I read endlessly in books my dad would give me about where trout sit in a river and where they feed. I knew the concepts well and still couldn’t consistently get trout in the net. My drifts were simply too sloppy, my line would ride in and out of water seams, I would swing flies too much, and end good drifts too quickly. All of this can turn fish off and push them away from our fly. 

All this to say, FOCUS on developing your drift and presentation. Getting good drifts and showing the trout a natural presentation will hands down put more trout in the net than fly selection. You can sue flies that imitate a wide range of insects, like a hares ear, and catch fish consistently as long as your presentation is solid. 

To summarize, nymphs provide a versatile tool that will fish well in a wide variety of situations. I tend to use these flies more often than any other and in many situations and water types depending on the river and time of day. Nymphing accounts for a large portion of the fly fishing landscape so there is a lot of information out there. If you are just starting off start simply, use general fly patterns like a hares ear or simple pheasant tail and focus on making the drift as natural as possible.

Dry Flies,

Dry fly fishing is probably the most glamorized form of fishing out there. Movies, books, and articles that talk about dry fly fishing are very plentiful . The community seems to glorify this form of fishing above nymphing or streamer fishing, and I have to say, I get it. Dry fly fishing is probably my favorite form of fishing. Nothing beats the image of a trout jumping out of the water to strike a dry during a hatch. In fact my first fish on a fly rod was caught with a dry fly and that experience is what pushed me to fly fishing as a life long passion. However, this does not make it a better form of fishing than any other. Dries are simply another tool in our belt to meet trout on their terms and out fish in the net. 

Dry flies imitate bugs which are floating on the surface of the water. These are adult insects that trout will feed on when they appear. They come in many different forms and species in fact some of our flies will even imitate terrestrial insects like ants or grasshoppers. However most of the time we are keying in a hatch, this is when bugs in the nymphal stage emerge through the surface of the water into their adult form. During this time the insects are vulnerable as they break through the surface film of the water and dry their wings before they can fly away. Trout key into these hatches very well and will feed aggressively, gorging themselves on adult insects while they are so vulnerable. 

Timing these hatches can be tricky, and they are different on every stream and in every part of the world. As a general measure I find that most hatches take place in the morning, just as the sun is coming up and the hits the surface of the water. Or in the evening, a couple hours before the sun sets. Now this is very general because some river systems have hatches that will occur at different times of day. If you want to explore these times more or know more about when to hit the river during a nice hatch you should simply spend an ENTIRE day on the water. I’m talking sun up to sun down. By doing this you can watch and when trout start rising, slurping the surface of the water they are most likely keying in on a hatch. You can also talk to your local fly shop and I am sure they can help you understand the hatches in your area.

  Fishing dry flies is relatively simple compared to some of the complexity that happens when we go subsurface with our fly, simply not easy. Essentially what we want to do is drift the fly on the surface of the water through one seam. Hatches will typically take place on flat water where features like riffles and rocks are a little more limited. It is here that bigs have the easiest time emerging through the surface. Since we are floating on the water we want rigs that are a little lighter and that will float easily and effortlessly on the surface of the river. You can achieve this by using some form of floating on your flies however I tend to just use light tippet (typically 6x), and dry flies with a large wing section to help the fly float. Some of my favorites are the elk hair caddis or a parachute Adams. 

The fun part of dry fly fishing, and the most challenging aspect of it, is that trout tend to be most selective with this form of fishing. When keying in a hatch they will most of the time be keyed in on specific aspects of that bug. You can throw a pattern out over and over with trout eating all around your fly and they still won’t take yours. This is why it is so important to have a good selection of flies while fishing dries. You want a verity of colors and patterns so we can match the hatch as much as possible. It can be hard some times but try to get a good look at the bugs, look for color, size, and unique features, try to match this look as much as possible.

Dry fly fishing is an awesome tool that gives a great challenge but if you can time the hatch you will have an amazing time on the water. Put effort into your fly selection and try to have a range of colors, sizes, and patterns so that you can match as closely as possible. 

Overall,

Obviously there is A LOT more to talk about with each one of these topics nymphs, streamers, and dries but I hope this can serve as a general starting point for some basic information. Many people tend to get stuck in one camp or another but I think it is important to acknowledge that trout feed on every single one of these food forms. No fly type is superior or makes you a higher class of angler. We all want to put fish in the net and have fun while doing it. So yes you might have a favorite form of fishing, I certainly do, but using every one of these forms when the situation calls for it will help you get more consistent with the amount of fish you catch. After all our goal is to meet trout on THEIR terms not our own, to trick a trout into taking our fly we must be creative, and innovative, ready to switch at any moment. So explore all three fly types and keep a good selection on you, be prepared for any situation, and become a versatile angler!.

Thanks for reading, now get out there and fish well friends!