How many of you.

[deaddrift]

Davy- I have been working on your "cast of flies" system since taking your 2 day clinic in 2010 set up by Torrey at HRO. I usually start out by using a cast of 3 flies from my small assortment of your wets and soft hackles. if not successful after a period of time I start to introduce traditional nymphs or a dry dropper combo. Then if that's not working I end up with a 2 fly combo of a bead head WB with a PH dropper, a combo I've been using for years to some success, fishing Aaron's Euro methods. I usually use a coiled sighter with both systems. The biggest obstacle I've had to overcome with your system is that I feel that I need a weighted fly scraping along the bottom as part of the "cast". Even fishing upstream presentations. Case in point, last time I got out was the Saturday morning before Irene slammed us up on The Farmington. Fished a section with some fast moving water in between me and the far shore where a bunch of fish were coming up with splashy rises. Figured they were chasing Caddis emergers right out of the water. Started out with a Hares Ear wet as an anchor, a gold bodied Hares Ear soft hackle middle fly and a smallish Lead Winged Coachman as the dropper. I toyed with this combo for quite some time, trying to stick with flies you recommend on your DVD. All the while those trout were taunting me. Then I started mixing in more traditional nymphs and emergers that I would normally use. Finally after some time I swung a BH WB and an Isonychia nymph-FINALLY snaged a small brown. Problem is-this just reinforces me to use weighted flies more than not. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated. I just ordered a bunch of flies from you-maybe a wider selection of traditional wets will help. Thanks for all your help.
Mark Quinn

[Davyfly]

Mark.

OK, without being with you its not so easy for me to know what was going on with you.
Ok l am not adverse to using a split shot either at the tail fly, mid or upper dropper position, which may help you at times.
If those fish were taking a food source close to the surface you should have been able to catch them if you had the right combinations of flies and they were presented right. you would need to be using a long leader, at least 12 ft, 5x, at times l will use longer, keep the fly line away from the flies and the fish.
You may also opt for a intermediate line that can also be fished with upstream to across methods.

Also working the flies is important all be it they are essentially fished dead drift, small twitches of the rod tip should transmit to your flies, this can make a great deal of difference, it imitates a live bug.

Given what you tell me l would probably be inclined to use combinations of soft hackles and small winged wets in sizes 14 and 16 .
They may include a greenwells, hares ear, peter ross, black pennell, Invicta, silver invicta, coachman, cock y bonddu, tupps, HE and gold, partridge and orange, etc

Bear in mind the flies l mentioned in the DVD were a good range of allrounders, my fly boxes to carry a far wider range.

There is one further issue here and it may have been related to the incoming storm conditions. I have seen many times a lake surface teeming with what you believe to be rising feeding fish, not one was caught by any one fishing, very strange but it happens.
the only explanation l can accept is it has something to with BP and Do levels

Let me know if l can help you further.

Davy.

[SherpaB]

Thank you for the tips Davy...I hope you are planning a book on wet flys at some point. Its alot to ask if you arent but I think it would be a definitive work with the amount of knowledge you have. I fish the south platte, arkansas, blue, colorado eagle and some smaller waters for my quick fix there is a little stream that parrallels I-70 from Golden to Idaho Springs that has lots of wild browns. Its kind of where I go to practice and get my "fix" fast small and tons of pocket water.

[deaddrift]

Davy- thanks for the tips-re: leaders-what's your formula? I have been toying around with different set ups. I usually start out with 4-6ft of some stiff 30# or 20# to turn over the "cast" better-but when I use finer tippets say 6x the whole rig doesn't lay out so straight. Any suggestions? Re: smaller flies-please include some in my order that you feel might work up East here this fall-thanks. Also- I 2nd SherpaB's request for a Wet Fly book from you. Put me down on the list!!! Once again-thanks for all your help.
MQ

[Davyfly]

Mark,

My leader configurations are really not complicated.

I use clear Amnesia, for a 4/5 wt line then 3ft of 15 and 2ft of 12 lb, to that my leader all of the same x factor be it 4/5/6. The Only time l may have a issue to cast this in a straight line is adverse wind direction, if that is the case l will change my angle of presentation.
Under normal conditions you should be able to turn over in a straight line the entire leader to the tail fly, if this is not happening for you it has to do with the casting stroke, which as a rule must be slow.Watch the DVD and you will see when you are watching the segment related to dead drift how l do it. In that segment l am casting to the far seam which was about 45 ft away, l also use a DT line by the way and not a WF profile.
So far as a book, yes l more or less wrote one, the problem is finding a publisher, its way to costly to fund it myself.

Are you using a 10 or 11ft mid flex rod by the way, it is important, more so than many realise or will accept. I cannot do same with a 9ft fast action rod.

order, did you send me one or are going too.

DW

[deaddrift]

Davy- just to be clear-when you say you "use clear Amnesia for a 4/5wt line THEN 3ft of 15 and 2ft of 12lb" do you mean you start your leader set up with 3ft of clear Amnesia or do you use something heavier first? I have been using a 10ft 4wt Grey's Streamflex and just picked up an 11ft 5wt Hardy Marksman Drifter-I have been following your previous advice and been slowing down my casting stroke-sweet rod. Yes I did send you an order a few weeks ago-for a line for the Marksman and a bunch of flies. Maybe you already filled it. Also-I will send you and email-looking for your advice on when the best time to come down there for a few days. I probably can't book a trip this fall-but looking for suggestions for the spring. Once again-thanks for all your help.
Mark

[Davyfly]

Mark, yes it was mailed to you.

Yes, start from the fly line with 15 clear amnesia. I will post the fly line leader knot connection l use, its very simple and takes no time.
The Marksman is one heck of a rod, in my opinion the best rod of its kind out there, and not just for wet fly fishing either, l use it for nymph and dry fly fishing.

White river is good any day of the year, so far as wet fly the fall and Spring, any time after mid April, as it can still be chilly here before and the caddis are not as a rule emerging, when they do its unreal fishing.
Bear in mind this is a tailwater and subject to generations, this year we had big time floods which did not help, as a rule Spring is good flow water otherwise.

DW