Detecting bites can be another tricky part now that your target is beneath the water surface. Even after detection, how do you pull to ensure successful hooking of the fish? Should you go slow or fast? If you’re starting out, your lines often get entangled giving you a hard time. This and other reasons are what make you query how to fish wet flies on still water. Well, we’re here to answer everything.
Unlike dry flies, wet flies are easier to fish and require less timing and skill. That said, you still need enough skill to choose the correct wet fly and cast in still water.
How to Fish Wet Flies On Still Water – What Are Wet Flies?
Different from dry flies, wet flies improvised baits that resemble deep water prey for fish. They come in the shape, color, and size of insects that grow and live deep in the waters. Wet flies are used as bait for trout that feed and stay below the water surface. Targeting much deeper, wet flies are easier to fish compared to dry flies. However, they also have must-have skills if you are going to get a catch.
How to Choose the Correct Wet Fly for Still Water
The ultimate target here is choosing or trying a wet fly that’s “real” food to the trout fish. We have to understand what trout below the water surface take for food. Most at times, they shall be used to soft-bodied aquatic insects like pupae and nymphs, sometimes, we got that drowned sunken insect that also makes up trout meal.
To choose an effective fly, you have to consider:
The size, color, and shape
The size of your wet fly shall matter. You have to tie or choose a fly the size of the existing pupae or nymphs. Any major shift in the size of your fly compared to the trout meal shall make the fish swim by without interest.
One advantage you got with wet fly fishing is that the fish deep below the water surface is not that careful and feel much safer than the surface ones. Therefore, with close approximation, you got more chances of a catch.
Use a fly with color patterns and shape that resembles the prey. This is the only way you’re going to trick the fish to fall for your trap.
When you want your fly to sink deeper into the still waters, you should vary the beard to tungsten while shallower needs shall work well with glass. It is important that your fly has a beard, this gives it some motion under the water making it life-like and therefore more chances of a catch.
How to Identify Trout Spots in Still Water
Unlike rivers which have specific spots where fish are found, trout in still water constantly move around. However, there are areas you can identify which are the most probable resting zone of fish. Such areas include drop-offs, shoals, and coves. Other than this, you should try multiple points to find the fish location or keep up with their movement.
If the still waters are clear enough, you can identify fish activity on a certain point. One great indicator is bubbling forming on top of the still water, this is a sign of breathing fish or other aquatic creatures. Fish love to roam around areas with dense prey populations. Keenly observe a place with the most insects, fishing birds are also a good indicator of where the fish are concentrated on still water.
How to Cast When Fishing Wet Flies On Still Water
The depth you are going to cast your wet flies on still water shall vary. You first need to consider the depth of the water you are planning to fish in. Also, consider the season and the day temperatures. Trout shall be feeding deeper on warm seasons and days. On the other hand, trout shall be feeding and swimming shallow during cooler days and seasons. This should help you decide the depth of your wet flies.
For easier detection of a catch, you can use an indicator or hopper. This one floats on the water while your wet fly as bait sinks to your set depth. Once trout “eats” your fly, the hopper or floater shall move and shake as per the activity of the fish. It might sink a little before you take action.
Consider attaching streamers to your line before the wet fly. You have to try and make such streamers look “real” to effectively do this, you can slightly retrieve your line to make a slow natural movement of your streamers. You can also move your rod sideways, slowly, preferable in the speed and motion of the still water currents. Wet flying on still water needs your wet fly to get deep in the waters.
Casting the Right Way On Still Water
When casting, stretch out your rod straight on the water. Let your fly establish on a straight line from the rod. Stretch out fully to ensure you cast long away from your boat of the standing point. Make sure you are using a
fly reel sized appropriately and you have
chosen a rod weight that makes sense.
In case you are fishing on still deep water, surface activities shall not trouble the deep swimming fish. For this, you don’t have to stretch to cast far, instead, you should adjust the length of your lines to go deep enough while you cast near.
Heavily feeding fish on still clear water is less distracted by your casting and activities, they allow for short casting. Stained water makes the fish alert, therefore, you should cast a good distance away if you are going to make a catch.
How to Hook Fish On Still Water
So, you have cast a good distance and after a while, your dropper starts to sink, what should you do? You need to hook so that the hook in your fly catches the fish. However, you don’t just pull to hook.
Immediately your indicator or hopper starts to sink or you feel a little weight, raise the tip of your rod slightly. This shall make the hook take effect when the fly gets to their mouth. To confirm a successful hookup, you shall feel some kind of tension or pulling.
This is an indicator that the hook is stuck in the fish and it’s trying to pull away. If the fish fails to get hooked, there is less probability of it falling for your fly again. In this case, you shall have to shift the position of your fishing.
If your catch was hooked successfully, raise your rod swiftly out of the water to get your catch. In case of actively swimming fish, you need to swing out to effectively hook and retrieve your catch. You can opt to move or try a different trick in the same position. Two trials are enough to get you moving to another position.
Tangles Can Be a Problem, How Do You Keep Them At Bay?
A big catch can slip away due to tangles when hooking or during the swing. The wind might also move your line and entangle your flies. You first need to observe the weather, if there is a lot of wind, chances are that it shall blow your multiple flies and entangle them.
Therefore, if the day is windy, just go with a single line and fly, this way, it has nothing to entangle it. A shorter rod shall be effective since it provides less space for wind to blow your line so getting the rod weight correct is important.
If you are determined to use multiple droppers, you can consider using heavier lines while increasing your loops. Heavy lines tend to move a little and can minimize the chances of multiple flies meeting each other. After casting your lines, pull them slightly to clear any slack. Loose lines encourage entangling.
Quick Tips for Fishing Wet Flies On Still Water
- Study the kind of insects available below the still water surface during your fishing season.
- Choose a wet fly size, color, and shape to match the found insects
- Don’t cast in the same position more than two times. Keep changing the location
- Take time when pulling. Avoid instant pulls, also give time, about 30 seconds for the trout to eat and hook easily
- Change the wet fly if it fails to work upon multiple casts. Try to make your flies as lively as possible to effectively lure the trout
A Final Word On How to Fish Wet Flies On Still Water
Fishing wet flies on still water shall be fun once you’ve got a grip on the basics. You don’t have to leave without a catch just because you could not identify the fish location. Birds, insects, and bubbling in ponds shall indicate trout presence.
Make your cast near for heavily feeding fish on clear water while you make longer casts on easily distracted fish such as those in stained water. Remember to go slow when hooking, allow the fish to eat your fly before a swing, and keep the tip slightly above. This is how to fish wet flies on still water.
Happy fishing!
