3.
What you Use to Connect the Pattern and How It Drifts
We have examined two of four important ingredients to fly fishing success—pattern selection and where you place that pattern. We’ll now look at the final two components—what you use to connect the pattern and how the pattern drifts. We’ll examine what you use to connect the pattern first.
I’ll cite an event that happened a few years ago on a small impoundment near Alder, Montana. Ken Rictor, Bryan Meck, and I had fished a small pond, one of several that had been used for gold dredging many years before. Now this same series of ponds holds huge, streambred brown trout. The water was low and clear and the trout were extremely spooky. Besides, these trout had been fished over for many days the past two months.
Almost immediately I began catching trout In an hour I released seven heavy brown trout measuring up to 20 inches long. Meanwhile Bryan and Ken had not caught one trout. We sat down on the bank overlooking the pond and tried to figure out why these two skilled fly fishers had nothing to show for an hour of fishing. They were both skilled fly casters and both reached the brushy bank on the far side of the pond with the same degree of accuracy that I did. They used the same pattern that I used—a Chernobyl Cricket. After a minute or two Bryan and Ken looked at my tippet material and both blurted out almost in unison: "What’s that tippet material?" Both anglers used regular 5X tippet material. During that successful hour I had used a 5X fluorocarbon tippet from Orvis called Mirage (You can click on Orvis in my photo section and order this leader material.) That tippet material seemed to be the only difference in our approach to fly fishing that morning.
I tore off a 2-foot piece of 5X fluorocarbon tippet and gave one to Ken and another to Bryan. They both tied on the new tippet material and began casting. Within an hour Ken and Bryan each caught seven huge brown trout on that new rig. Does flourocarbon really work? You bet it does—especially on or in slow, clear water! After that episode that day we hurried a few miles to Tom Harmon’s Orvis Shop in Sheridan, Montana, and bought every spool of 4 and 5X Mirage he had in the shop. Do an experiment to prove to yourself that flourocarbons are less visible. Place two, three, or four different 4X leaders in a jar and attach a weight like a small bolt or nut to each one. Make certain one of these is a fluorocarbon and the others are not. Put holes through the lid of the jar and add water. Now look at how well you can see the leaders. I did this experiment before a group one day and everybody complained that one of the leaders in the jar was a smaller diameter because they couldn’t see it as well. That one they couldn’t see as well was the fluorocarbon.
The final ingredient to a better fishing trip is drift or drag. As I indicated in the first segment of this series I often sit back and watch others fly fish. I learn a lot from doing this. Over the years I’ve seen one important impediment that prevents anglers from catching more trout—drag. Often drag is almost undetectable. Anglers call this micro drag. Next time you fly fish and you’re using a dry fly compare that fly with something visible on the surface like a bubble or bit of debris on the surface. Watch how the fly drifts in comparison to the bubble. Is it floating faster or slower? If it is you probably have drag.
Even if you plan to use a wet fly drift can be important. When do trout hit a wet fly? Often when it drifting with the current or on its arc or swing. To get the proper drift of a wet fly I often connect it to a dry fly on a tandem rig. The tandem rig has the wet fly connected to a dry fly at the bend of the hook secured by an improved clinch knot. If the dry fly is floating drag free on the surface then often the wet fly underneath is drifting correctly (not always, however).
How do you prevent drag? There are several ways to accomplish it. The secret is to float the fly as long as possible before the leader straightens out and drag takes place. First, if drag is a problem increase your tippet length. Usually the longer the tippet the less chance for drag. Second, and more important is to get curves in your leader. How do you do that? Stop the leader short on your final cast by aiming about 10 to 15 feet above the surface. Stop the fly abruptly and the fly, line, and leader will slowly drop to the surface with plenty of s-curves in the leader. You want the curves in the leader—not the fly line. The more curves in the leader, the longer the drag free drift you’ll get.
I’ve learned a lot by sitting back and watching while others fly fish. I look at trout feeding, insects emerging, and anglers fishing. I’ve learned four things that really make a difference: pattern selection; where you fish that pattern; what you use to connect that pattern; and how that pattern appears on the water. Remember all four and you’ll catch more trout.
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