As I sit at my desk tying flies on this winter day, I notice I’ve been tying more dry flies than
usual. Don’t get me wrong—I love a dry fly take as much as the next guy—but if you’ve
fished with me before, you know I’ve always preferred subsurface flies, whether nymphs in
a river or streamers in a pond.
Many books say over 80% of a trout’s diet is underwater, some claim as high as 95%! I took
that to heart and rarely fished dries unless fish were visibly rising.
Well, I was wrong. I was humbled by an elderly gentleman I guided on K Lake. Shoulder
troubles limited his power and stamina, so no stiff, heavy rods for him. Instead, he had a
beautiful Winston nine-foot 5-weight. If you’ve cast a Winston, you know how light, soft,
and “buttery” they are—perfect for dry flies.
The only problem? Nothing was hatching. No rises in sight. I hoped that by the time we
loaded the boat and got on the water, we’d see some ripple forms. Still nothing.
I told him we’d give it our best shot and tied on a dry fly I’ve had success with, even when
nothing matched the hatch. On the second cast, he hooked and landed a 12″ brook trout.
Then a 10-incher. Over the next hour and a half, he caught several more, including a
beautiful 16-incher. He even out fished his buddy, who was using a proven streamer
pattern. Yet, the only surface activity was from trout rising to the dry fly. It was the fly of the
day.
His buddy quickly switched to the same pattern and started hauling in fish after fish. That
day changed my perspective. Now, my fly boxes have more dries than ever.