The Herald 05/06/2005 - The wet fly swing for beginners and veterans

• Probably the most time honored approach to fly fishing is the wet fly swing. No, it does not mimic a dance step from the 1920’s, but it is a very effective fifteenth century vintage method of fishing. The earliest known fly patterns were constructed on heavy hooks and could only have been fished below the surface where they mimicked drowned or swimming insects. Today many forgotten wet fly patterns and the methods for fishing them are resurfacing as anglers discover that they succeed in situations where the dry fly and nymph cannot.
• Fishing wet flies is simple compared to dry flies and nymphs. In wet fly fishing the angler puts drag to work using it as a force to maneuver the fly. The wet fly is cast in a straight line, quartered down and across the stream and allowed to swing in an arc to a position directly below the angler. The fly is then allowed to hang and swim in the current for a short time before retrieval. Drag remains uniform and constant throughout the swing which keeps the unweighted fly at a constant depth.
• A cast of 25 or 30 feet is ideal for this type of fishing so that the angler is able to retain control over slack line and be ready when a trout takes the fly. The swing technique simulates an aquatic insect that has become drowned or dislodged and swept downstream. Trout will rise to this drifting wet fly much as they do to a dry fly, opportunistically feeding on whatever floats downstream. This swing will occur until the line reaches a position directly below the angler. At this point it is a good idea to pause for a second or two and then gently lift the rod tip and the line. Raising the line like this will bring the fly up from the depths, simulating an emerger rising off of the bottom to the surface. Anglers should take two or three steps and repeat this swing process after every other cast. Use this swing-step combination all the way upstream until all the water in the run is covered. To fish flies deep, place the cast upstream allowing it to sink to the desired depth. It should be mentioned that fish can be hooked at any time during the swing, but most often fish will hit as the fly is hanging in the current downstream of the angler. Wet fly strikes are convincingly hard unlike dry fly fishing or nymphing, where takes from fish are hard to detect.
• There are many old timers that only use this time-tested method of fly angling. Many beginners give up after a few outings with the fly rod because their success rate is low. They spend their time trying to perfectly present a dry fly or nymph which, if is not cast and fished correctly, will usually result in a long day on the water. Wet fly fishing is not only easy to learn but is an enjoyable and productive method. However, to truly fish the wet fly swing with the greatest success calls for knowledge of where the fish lie, their feeding habits, and the ability of anglers to swing the fly to where the fish are hiding.
• When fishing dry flies, the angler is able to see what the fly is doing, and if the fish are rising he knows where the fish are located. When swinging wet flies the angler must believe that the fly is effectively imitating natural food and the fish are holding in sections of the stream feeding on food flowing in the current. Ideal, fishable water for the wet fly swing ranges from 3- to 5-foot depths with moderate flows. Streams that include submerged or partially submerged structure are best. Most fish can be found in the transition zone or current seam. This transition zone is the section of the river where the current slows down (fast run to slow riffle) or speeds up (slow break to fast run). Cast above these transition zones and allow the fly to be pulled downstream to where the fish hold and hang on as the wet fly swing most often produces violent strikes.
• Wet fly fishing requires no specialized fly fishing tackle which makes it easier for novice anglers looking to just catch some trout. Almost any 7 to 8 1/2-foot 4/5 weight rod and floating line will be adequate for fishing this technique on most waters. Leader lengths should be tailored to the size of the river the angler is fishing. Leaders that are 9 feet are great for most waters while 7 1/2-foot leaders are good for smaller streams. Tippets of 2X, 3X, and 4X are suggested to help resist the shock of fighting fish on a taught line.
• As for flies, there are a number of traditional wet fly patterns that have been in use for many years and a few newer ones that have developed their own success stories. In southern New England waters anglers would do well with any of the old favorites such as Ginger Quill, Professor, Coachman, Scarlet Ibis, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear and McGinty to name a few. Over the past thirty years, woolly worms, woolly buggers, picket pin, and alder patterns are taking their share of fish.
• Swinging wets is a potent technique that has been duping trout for many years in the hands of beginner and experienced anglers alike. Skilled and precise imitations are not needed to effectively take trout, providing rewards quickly and making for an exciting day of fishing.
• FISHING REPORT: Over the past week the DEP has been out restocking both lakes and sections of rivers and streams. Unfortunately, the rain last weekend kept many anglers off the water. The Hendrickson hatch is in full swing on the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers. Dry fly action is consistent, but emergers and wet flies are out fishing the surface imitations. On those rainy and cloudy days, Blue Wing Olives hatch throughout the day making "match the hatch" a shell game for anglers. Bait fishermen are scoring with meal worms dead drifted in riffles. The Salmon, Ten Mile, Farm, Mill, Naugatuck, Hammonasset and Mianus Rivers are all producing good catches of trout.
• West Hill and Highland Lakes were recently restocked and anglers are reporting excellent fishing. Lures and live bait are both yielding trout. Areas to try this weekend include East Twin Lake, Highland Lake, Ball, Ender’s, Mohawk, Mt. Tom, Tyler, Christensen’s and West Side Ponds, and Black Rock Flood Control Impoundment, Cedar, Gardner, Pattaconk, Quonnipaug and Wyassup Lakes, Black, Day, and Valley Falls Park Ponds, Walkers Reservoir, and the Chatfield Hollow and Horse Pond Trout Parks in Eastern, CT.
• The Candlewood Lake smallmouth bite is on with numerous fish in the 3 to 4-pound range being taken. Largemouth’s are hitting well at Lake Lillinonah, Winnemaug, Wood Creek Pond, Wyassup Lake and West Side Pond. Best fishing is in shallow coves.
• Striped Bass are now in the river up to Enfield. Legal size fish are now mixed in with the schoolies.
• In the salt and brackish waters, striper fishing is improving on a daily basis. Almost any tidal rivers and coves will be holding school stripers including the shallow coves in the Pawcatuck River, Mystic River, and Thames River. Other spots include Millstone Point, Niantic River, and the lower Connecticut River including South Cove, Great Island and North Cove during an ebb tide. Sandy Point in New Haven Harbor has heated up and is worth a shot. Also the Devon power plant Bond’s Dock and the Fred Kaeser Fishing Pier in Stratford, Bridgeport Harbor, Penfield Reef, Ash Creek in Fairfield, Saugatuck River, the Norwalk Islands, and Stamford and Greenwich Harbors are good springtime striper haunts.
• Winter Flounder fishing is fair at best. Spots worth trying include Bluff Point, Pine Island area at the mouth of the Thames River and Niantic Bay.