Be sure to visit our on-line store at

 http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Tier:  Lee "Dawg" Costner

Hook:   TMC 2487/2457 Shrimp Caddis.

Thread:  8/0 Unit-Tread to match body.

Abdomen: Davy Wooton SLF Standard.

Colors: 5, 7, 10, 16, 20, 37 and 48.

Ribbing: NONE! It only ruins the effect.

Wing/Pupal Case: Swiss Straw burned or cut to shape.

Throax: SLF Masterclass 1 shade darker than the abdomen.

Antennae: Mallard or Wood Duck barbs. Moose Mane for increased durabilty if desired.

Note:  This pattern was on the cover of Fly Tyer magazine Summer of 2000. Intended as a caddis pupae pattern, I have had much more success fishing it as a dry fly. Also works very well when fished down and across slowly and then pulled up out of the film onto the surface.

Select Another Fly:

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Oliver Edwards Stone

Larvae Lace Caddis Pupa

Starling Soft Hackle

SLF Golden Stone

Article by Lee Costner: 

Tying and Fishing...  Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos.
    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Lee's Introduction.

Larva Lace Caddis Pupa

Tier:  Lee "Dawg" Costner

Hook:  TMC 2457/2487.

Thread: 8/0 grey.

Underbody: Emroidery thread color to match natural.

Spine: Moose mane or peacock herl.

Thorax: Clear Larva Lace.

Head: Cat hair or hares ear dubbing.

Antennae: Mallard flank, wood duck, or moose mane.

Note:  This fly is a hybrid of Al's Lace Pupa from FAOL and John Thomas's Cat Caddis. Both fine flies.  I find these patterns are best fished where there are large caddis populations and riffles seem to be best.  I fish them on the bottom on a slow dead drift.  I go toward the chartreuse color as spring arrives then start through the tans and browns back toward fall.  I have been using tungsten beads to slow my drift and get me straight to the bottom and have found this to aid in the success of this pattern.  I prefer the black beads.

Select Another Fly:

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Oliver Edwards Stone

Larvae Lace Caddis Pupa

Starling Soft Hackle

SLF Golden Stone

Article by Lee Costner: 

Tying and Fishing...  Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos.
    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Lee's Introduction.

Oliver Edwards Stone

Tier:  Lee "Dawg" Costner

Hook: Bent Shank nymph hook sizes 4 to 16.

Thread: 8/0 to match natural.

Tail: Partridge wing quills.

Abdomen: Nymph Skin.

Wing Buds: Partridge flank feather with clear shipping tape on the down side.

Legs: Hen hackle trimmed and bent.

Antennae: Partridge wing quills.

Note:  This fly was another Fly Tyer cover in Winter of 2000. These flies are tricky at first and mine first ended up being a winter challenge. Surprisingly, the first one off the vice, is the one pictured here. It has been fished and as you can see is remarkably durable. Big fish love big stones. The best way to learn to tie this fly is by purchasing a back issue of Fly Tyer or by buying Oliver Edwards "Fly Tyers Masterclass" a book I highly recommend. My fly is actually a hybrid of the two resources mentioned above and was tied to the size of a natural that came from a stream in the Great Smokies National Park. Fish it on the bottom on the slowest drift possible. Use some heavy tippet.

Select Another Fly:

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Oliver Edwards Stone

Larvae Lace Caddis Pupa

Starling Soft Hackle

SLF Golden Stone

Article by Lee Costner: 

Tying and Fishing...  Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos.
    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Lee's Introduction.

SLF Golden Stone

Tier:  Lee "Dawg" Costner

Hook:   2X hook of your choice.

Tail: Split goose biots.

Underbody: Emroidery thread or floss.

Spine: Peacock herl.

Abdomen: Larvae Lace.

Wingcase: Flashabou.

Thorax: SLF dubbing.

Legs: Fine Rubber Leggs (Spirit River).

Note:  This pattern has produced some nice fish in slightly stained water. I fish it on the bottom slowly like I would any other stonefly nymph. Toned down in darker colors with a turkey wing case (omitted flash) has been effective in clear water scenarios as well. Black tungsten beads seem to enhance this pattern too.

Select Another Fly:

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Oliver Edwards Stone

Larvae Lace Caddis Pupa

Starling Soft Hackle

SLF Golden Stone

Article by Lee Costner: 

Tying and Fishing...  Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos.
    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Lee's Introduction.

Starling Soft Hackle

Tier:  Lee "Dawg" Costner

Hook:   TMC 100R.

Tail: Mallard or wood duck fibers.

Body: BWO superfine dubbing.

Wing: Tip of the starling feather used for hackle.

Hackle: Starling tied sparse.

Note:  This fly is best fished dead drifted under the surface as a still born or fished across and down as an emerger under a BWO hatch. Strip very slowly toward you after the fly has finished the downstream swing.

Select Another Fly:

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Oliver Edwards Stone

Larvae Lace Caddis Pupa

Starling Soft Hackle

SLF Golden Stone

Article by Lee Costner: 

Tying and Fishing...  Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos.
    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Lee's Introduction.

Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos
Tying and Fishing them Effectively

Article by:  Lee "Dawg" Costner

Introduction

I was recently asked a question about wet flies by one of our forum members.  He had in his possession some wet flies that had been passed down to him.  Well this article is for you and anyone else who has by some chance missed the opportunity to make use of some of the new wet flies and also the classics.  Lets first explore what a wet flies are. 

Wet flies are lodged deep in fly fishing tradition dating back as far as the 1400’s, as far as I can find, and I suspect the first flies fished by Native Americans were wet flies.  Wet flies have experienced many ups and downs over the years. 

Dave Hughes explains that wet flies fall into 4 different categories:

1. Soft Hackles - Soft hackles are very simplistic in design, form, and function.  They usually consist merely of a body (dubbing ball or peacock ball) then a soft hackle palmered in front of the body. 

Beginning tiers in any class I teach will learn of traditional soft hackles for a couple reasons.  First, they are super easy to tie.  Secondly, they catch fish at multiple stages of insect activity.  Lastly, they are easy to fish.  The Partridge and Yellow and Partridge and Orange are two soft hackles no fly fishermen should ever be without.

2. Flymphs - These are referred to as “wingless wets”.  The late Pete Hidy states, "They look like the emerging stage of many insect forms.  When they’re not yet flies, but they are no longer nymphs”. 

One of the most difficult and frustrating times to fish can be during emergence.  When fish are actively feeding, and they refuse a dry or nymph, you should reach for a wingless wet.  Emergers can be a bear to figure out and this is one of the tools you should use.

3. Winged Wet Flies -  These are the traditional wet flies that date back centuries.  They were traditionally gaudy and loud attractor type patterns and that is what led to their fall from grace.  Many of these traditional patterns can be toned down into natural shades and fished very effectively.  However, you should carry a few attractor types just for the time when the trout are very aggressively feeding and you need something to catch their eye. 

My favorite toned down patterns are “Flank Fiber Winged Wets” such as the Light and Dark Cahill's and Light and Dark Hendrickson's.  The glory of these flies is that they imitate light and dark color emergers and many different aspects of the hatch according to the technique you use to fish them.  We’ll discuss techniques a little later.

4. All Fur Wets - Just as the name implies, they have a fur body and fur collar.  These produce explosive takes and many a broken heart and tippet.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

    Return to Classroom.

Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies

Once again I shall revisit the reasons for fishing and getting to know these flies.  These flies are going to catch you more fish... period.  These flies fill the gaps in catching fish that many anglers including myself experience.  The fish are actively feeding and chasing insects in the water.  They refuse to even entertain the thought of eating your nymph or dry fly, yet you continue to see flashes and slashes at the top. 

If you ever have $12.00 you want to spend to put more fish on your line buy the book “Matching the Hatch” by Ernest Swiebert.  Read pages 17-20 and his explanation of rise forms and what they mean. 

Many rises are not to insects on the surface at all.  Many of the things we perceive as a top water feeding activity is actually occurring inches below the surface.  If you can identify these rises as subsurface feeding activity, and you fish the proper wet and present your wet fly in the proper way, you will begin enjoying great success on the end of your fly line. 

I was faced with this scenario just the other day.  The apparent rises that I saw were actually the tail of the fish kicking itself deeper back into the hole after taking subsurface emergers.  There was no obvious hatch going on in the air or on the water.  They would rise to many of my dry imitations, but refused 95% of them at the last second.  Refused many nymphs too.  After switching to a pair of wets, one soft hackle and one flank fiber winged wet, I immediately hit a home run.  I also noticed that the fish I started taking were larger than the ones refusing my dries.  Have you ever had a day when a dry fly fished under the surface worked?  If so, then a wet fly in the same size and color will produce many more takes and hook-ups.

Ease of tying once again is a major reason to fish these flies.  They can be ugly and have “orchestrated Chaos” as Hans Weilman once put it too me, and take fish. These are fishing flies, not presentation flies meant to be under glass.  They are meant to be underwater.  These flies aren't instant gratification coming off the vice, but go drop it in the sink full of water and you’ll immediately see why you should be fishing these flies.  It looks like a bug type form.

Now this leads to another pair of theories.  Impressionism and silhouette keys.  Many times a fly does not need to be an exact match of the natural to produce fish.  Look at an Elk Hair Caddis for example.  I have never seen a caddis natural that looked even remotely like and Elk Hair caddis, but I have caught a many fish on them.  In the current, your wet fly only needs to fool the trout for a split second to produce a take.  Think about making a fly that’s silhouette looks like a bug only while whizzing by in the current.  Wet flies are where it’s at.

Another aspect that a soft hackle can give you is one of the hardest to imitate...  Life.  The soft hackles applied to many wet flies pulsate and move while being dead drifted.  If it looks like a bug AND has movement in the fly, your chances of getting the take are greatly increased.  I often add soft hackles to my nymphs in order to create movement in the fly and integrate the aspect of life into my nymphs.  Soft hackle Pheasant Tails and Soft Hackle Hares Ears are starting to pop up in most fly shop bins and thee is a good reason for it.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

Techniques and Tips

Now lets discuss the water types that are most conducive to wet fly fishing.  I mentioned earlier and hinted at the fact that wet flies should be fished in moving water.  Riffles and runs are where you want to be fishing wet flies.  You are going to rely on a couple factors here. 

Number one, the fact that if you are fishing moving water the fish has a much shorter length of time in which it has to decide whether or not your presented fly is food or not.  It has less time to discern the detailed aspects of the natural insects present.  Here we are relying on impressionism and the silhouette of the fly to trigger the strike. 

Secondly, your presentation at this point is also of the utmost importance. You need to understand what the bugs are doing and reproduce that movement, or lack of it, in order for the fly to appear correct to the fish.  During periods of little hatching activity and emergence, chances are the flies need a true dead drift requiring an upstream presentation followed by mends to produce the drag free drift.  This technique is often much more effective with some sort of tiny strike indicator.  The small tube foam ones that twist on your leader are best for this type of fishing. 

You must present your offering in the same manner that the fish are feeding.  During periods of actual hatching and emergence, one would most likely want to assume the classic style of wet fly fishing...  Across and down.  Start with a shorter cast than normal, let’s say 20 feet.  Cast straight across toward the far bank.  I then mend one time to let my flies barely sink into the film if I am fishing unweighted.  After that I either hold tight and lead the flies, with my rod tip, across the current and downstream until my line becomes taunt straight downstream below me.  I then usually lift my rod tip very slowly, feed out a couple feet of line and then release my flies to go a little further downstream and repeat a few times. 

Try waving your rod tip from side to side to impart a back and forth motion of the flies. This technique also allows me, upon the next cast, to search a couple feet farther.  Feel for hits at this point, they are often ferocious and violent to the point that many have been immediately broken off in my past.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

Setting the Hook

Now for a note fishing straight downstream.  If you set the hook by pulling straight back toward you, you will tend to pull the fly right out of the fish’s mouth and into your own face.  Not a good thing.  Instead, try setting at a 45-degree angle to the side of the downstream position.  This pulls the fly toward the side of the fish’s mouth properly seating the hook in its jaw.  Also keep in mind physics is not on your side at this point.  You are fishing downstream and the fish has the current to use at its advantage.  If it turns it’s head and starts swimming sideways you have the force of the current on the fishes side and the momentum of the volume of water flowing through the riff or run multiplying the force applied to your tippet.  If you pull with your line hand or rod tip, chances are greatly increased that you will break that fish off, especially if it is a good sized fish.

Once the fish is hooked, allow it to take a line, but keep the line taunt, until you get control of the fish.  If you are fishing in an area of big fish, you can size up your tippet. 

Here's another factor to think about,  If they are taking the fly hanging in the current straight downstream, then the fish never ever gets a look at the tippet.  You can actually get away with using obscenely large tippet sizes if this technique is working.

You are also going to find takes that happen as soon as the flies hit the water and shortly after the flies begin their downstream journey and start to swing.  If this is the case, then tippet size is a factor and you will also find you miss less fish if this is the scenario in which they are taking wet flies.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

Speed

Now that you have the basic drifts down.  Start playing with the speed of your drift and swing.  One of the basic techniques of fishing wets is to “high stick” This refers to keeping your line short enough so that the current has very little effect on your drift.  Flies and leader are in the water, but you are actually using your rod tip to control the speed of the flies. 

Next you may want to add tiny bits of weight.  These tiny weights can serve to slow your drift tremendously and punch those wet flies through the film.  Now when I am searching I tend to fish the upstream dead drift.  Then recast and do the downstream swing.  Think slow and precise.

If you are sight fishing, try to send your flies the same speed as the current, directly into the fishes feeding lane.  Vary stripping line speeds from 1 inch at a time to stripping as fast as possible.  When you strip on the swing you greatly accelerate the speed that your flies are traveling down and across the current.  Keep in mind though that most insects swim slowly and clumsily while in the water, not fast and furious.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

Weight and the Wet Fly

Now for weight.  I fish wet flies unweighted to heavily weighted depending on water levels in the riff or run I am at.  The fish tend to move to different parts of the river depending on spawning activity, water temps, and time of year.  During periods such as drought type conditions, the fish are going to move into the riffles in order to get more oxygen and water flow over their gills.  Riffs also tend to be prime aquatic insect homes for the same reason.  The water flowing over the rocks tends to aerate the water. Prime time to fish some good ole soft hackles or wets.

In riffs I primarily fish my wet flies unweighted or with one tiny split shot to hold them under water when swung downstream.  When colder weather starts to some in, the fish tend to move back to their holes and undercuts for cover and ease of holding in the river.  Fall is a great time to fish wets because heavy insect emergence and the fact that the fish know that cold weather is coming.  They want to fatten up to get ready for the winter.  They often become much less selective in the fall, especially after the first frost, but when the water temps are still warm.  They are also preparing themselves to spawn and go through a period where they eat very little.

A good rule of thumb is to observe the level in the water most of the fish are holding and fish to that level.  It may be 1 inch deep or it may be 12 feet deep.  Fish to the fish, not above or below.  Be flexible too because early morning the fish may be laid down on the bottom eating nymphs.  Then, as the day grows on they may start to come up in the water column to feed on emergers.  Finally you may notice a few risers either feeding in the film or on the surface.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

The Combos

One of the major magazines just had an article on the “Hopper Dropper” technique.  As most of you are starting to figure out, I fish multiple flies all the time.  I am hardly ever caught with one fly on my line unless it is late in the day and I have figured out the one fly I need to be using.  Still rare. 

I will suggest some combos and new flies and materials are allowing for some even deadlier combos than have ever been seen before.  The use of tungsten beads is allowing me to more accurately control the speed of my drift and keep my flies in the feeding zone more consistently.  Some people hate bead head flies, others swear by them.  I believe they have a purpose in my box.  Some days they are highly effective themselves.  I use them as just another offering and tool to control my fly depth and speed.  I find that a good ole soft hackle, drifted behind a bead head, puts my flies in the kill zone more consistently than ever before.  The bead head also serves the purpose of getting my wet through the surface film and under the water quickly.  I find that tiny tungsten bead heads as a last fly, with soft hackles in front of it, keeps my fly very slow in the drift on riffs and shallow runs.  Sometimes I even allow the tung head to catch and hold my flies in one spot, like and anchor, then I lift the rod tip to free the fly and it allows me to drift another foot or two before it hangs again.

I often fish unweighted soft hackles and flank fiber winged wets behind my dries to risers.  Fish it just like a dry dropper.  Use the dry as an indicator or just keep an eye out for a rise form behind your dry.

Dry droppers were originally meant to offer the fish a surface and sub surface offering at the same time.   Now if you have the nerve, patience, and casting ability, I’ll offer you one up on the dry dropper.  Lets look at a tan caddis with a bright green body.  What if you could offer the fish a 3 fly combo that would imitate a dun, emerger, and pupae, all at the same time. Could this be the ultimate searching rig?  I think so.

Lets try a standard Elk Hair caddis on top.  Floats very well and is a dang fine fly in its own right.  Then drop off a Partridge and Yellow soft hackle to imitate the emerger.  Then off of that, drop a bead head caddis pupae such as Schroeder's Caddis Pupae.  Put that rig in about 1 1/2 to 2 feet of water where there are caddis present, and I can almost guarantee you some strikes.

Lets look at a mayfly combo.  Take a nice sized Wulff or Thunderhead, which imitates a myriad of mayflies and floats well.  Then drop off a Hendrickson flank fiber winged wet, then a Pheasant Tail with a tiny weight.  If you get the sizes right and can keep this rig from becoming a wad looking like something only your cat could produce you got a good chance at catching something.  Now keep in mind that I am talking extreme searching techniques here.  But think of the concept.  Dry, Emerger and Nymph all represented at the same time.

Whatever combos you come up with, use your flies for a reason, not randomly.  Tie together a caddis searching rig, or a specific mayfly rig.  Use these wets as searching flies and problem solving tools.  Whatever you do, fish some wet flies, even if it’s dropped off your dry.  You’ll be amazed at what they will do for your fishing.  To solve a very complex hatch and feeding scenario can be highly rewarding.  Wet flies are the tool to use when the going gets tough.  When the fishing gets tough, the tough reach for wet flies.

    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

References

I always try and give you a few resources.  My one and only reference and the book that has taught me the most is Dave Hughes book “Trout Flies”.  Pretty expensive, but considering it is my fly tying and fly fishing reference, I find it invaluable and it leads to new discoveries in my fly fishing all the time.  He is credited with being one of the people that has helped keep wet flies alive.  He also has books entitled “Wet Flies” and “Nymph Fishing” that are more moderately priced.

“Matching the Hatch” by Schwiebert has a ton of info for a very small price.

Also a force to be reckoned with is Sylvester Nemes, “The Soft Hackle Wet Fly Addict” is a work of art.

Once again, the best way to learn these techniques is by going with someone who knows what the heck they are doing when fishing wet.  Dry fly time is rapidly coming to a close and its time to hone those wet fly and nymph skills for the winter.

Till we meet or meet again... Tight Lines and Screamin Reels.

Lee “Dawg” Costner
flyguide2001@hotmail.com

Questions and comments are always welcome.

Thanks for your time.

Select Another Fly:

Davy Wooton SLF Caddis

Oliver Edwards Stone

Larvae Lace Caddis Pupa

Starling Soft Hackle

SLF Golden Stone

Article by Lee Costner: 

Tying and Fishing...  Wet Flies, Multiples, and Combos.
    Introduction
    Why You Should Use and Explore Wet Flies
    Techniques and Tips
    Setting the Hook
    Speed
    Weight and the Wet Fly
    The Combos (Droppers)
    References

Return to Classroom.

Return to Lee's Introduction.

Be sure to visit our on-line store at

 http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.