WET FLY WAYS.

[Davyfly]

Torrey,

Ok, we will deal with the former on another thread.

Most of the time l am using BS from 3 to 6lb for wet and soft hackle fishing, l may go above 6 at times under given circumstances.

The Davy knot was back in thew 50s when l started to fish the only way l figured out how to tie a hook to line, at the time l did not of course realise how efficient this knot was.

It is a very strong knot make no mistake about that, used it for both fresh and saltwater species.
It is also a knot that when tied leaves a very small knot, which is very important when fishing small flies, large knots are intrusive when fishing small flies, they may attract a light halo and be the reason why the fish refuse your fly.

There are only two ways to tie the DW knot, right or wrong, it takes me but a few seconds to tie it, no matter how cold your hands are, it is easy to tie.

In the days when l fished competition, l was able to change a fly in a matter of seconds and that was often the reason why l was able to nail a fish that you had little time to get a fly to.

I will deal more so with knots and connections later. How l rig my systems.

Got to get for my guide trip.

Davy.

[Nymphmeister]

Davy-
What is the diameter on the 3-6# line you typically use?

[Nymphmeister]

Here is a link on how to tie the Davy Knot, it's really simple:

http://www.pechetruite.com/Noeuds/Davy-knot.htm

I haven't tried it yet but I plan to tomorrow when I go fishing. If you Google it you can find other diagrams, video and comments on it.

[AaronJasper]

Ha ha ... I beat you to it. I was using that knot on Sunday at the Farmington. What a great knot! I thought I could tie a clinch knot fast but this one takes the prize! The knot held beautifully!

[SlowNDeep]

Tried it in my basement last night and it was great.

Didn't try it with Fluorocarbon though, does it work as well with fluoro?

[AaronJasper]

Eddie... I used it with Flourocarbon and it worked great. I am going to try it with steelhead over my Christmas break. That will be the test!!!

[Davyfly]

RODS.

In the past rods were not as we know it to day used as a means to cast a line, long rods of up to 18ft were used to enable the flies to be fished at some range from the angler.
As time moved on fly rod development and the silk fly line came into being, the physical act of casting a fly line was of course established.
Both the above changed dramatically the ways of the fly fisher, in many ways not that much has changed other than the use of modern materials for both fly rod and line manufacture.

Long rods were and still are favored by many fly fishers in the UK for many reasons. And much of that doe's relate to the techniques of fly fishing used.

As we are dealing with wet fly techniques here l will stick with this.

Long rods, no question of doubt allow for both the presentation values and the fishing of those flies over and above short rods for very many reasons.
Both the rod and the non casting hand play a very important part together. We are not simply casting across stream and stripping flies back, as in my book that is not what wet fly fishing is all about. In essence here one may as well use a wooly bugger of flies of a similar nature to effect that.
Wet flies, which and would include soft hackles are flies that have a very intrinsic value if you fish them the right way. They can be animated in such as way that cannot be achieved in the same way with other fly patterns, for the reasons that as a rule you will fish with 2 or more flies that would compliment each other.

The nature of the rod action is very important and not all rods out there are suitable.
Ideally what we are looking for is a rod that has at least a good mid section flex or what we term as a full flex action, and also one with good tip movement, that is very important, as the tip section can be vibrated and transfer very small movements to the fly during the fishing of those flies.

You also want a rod that will throw both short and long range casts and maintain a wide loop, that reduces the chance of tangles, as you will be using at times droppers that are on average 4 to 5 ins in length and at times more.
It is also a rod that should enable you to fish as low as 6x and as much as 3x, and still have the ability to deal with a fast hook set at times, that factor very much also related to how the angler reacts to a given indication the fish has taken the fly.

Overall we term these rods has having a slow action, very similar to bamboo. If you watch how l cast in the Wet Fly way DVD you will see what l mean here. A slow action rod that sends the line forward in a perfect straight line and with a perfect straight turnover of the 3 flies being fished, with little or no surface disturbance as they land.

I rarely use a double haul when wet fly fishing, as the increased line speed reduces the more open loop and in turn increases the chances of flies twisting around the droppers and tailing loops.
The rods l use are well capable of casting teams of flies easy to distances of 80ft, not that l would fish at those distances, with no double haul.

The rods here in the US that l have a liking to use are the.
TFO pro 10ft 5wt
TFO pro 11ft 5wt.
TFO pro 10ft 6wt. This rod ideal for intermediate techniques or when dealing with adverse wind, and longer range fishing.
Sage XP 4wt
Sage XP 5wt. Same as TFO 10ft 6wt so far as use, it is a little to fast action wise for other top water methods l use.

I will talk about leader systems next post guys.

Davy.

[Fascist Killer]

Davy-

Ever use T&T XL4? I've heard they have a nice action. Always been inquisitive. What would you recommend for fishing wets in terms of a rod in a small brushy situation. Stick to the 10 footer? Thanks for your posts.

[Davyfly]

Rego,

Have not used that rod as yet. l am sure there are some others out there that will do the business.

I aim to use long rods as much as l can, but accept there are also some locations that a long rod would be a handicap, but also in those situations you would be some what limited to how you were able to fish the flies. I would opt more for a upstream presentation if that were possible, at times l realise only a more downstream presentation is the option.

Davy.

[Nymphmeister]

Davy, how would you personally rate the Sage Z-Axis 11' switch rods for wet fly fishing? They certainly are very nice for many other applications, but it sounds like you prefer a pretty soft rod for wets.