What's Your Preferred Method of Fishing?

[pikefisher69]

This is just out of curiosity. What is your preferred method of fly fishing? Is it fly fishing with dries? Using nymphs? or perhaps streamers? My preferred methods have to be all topwater. In Wisconsin, I primarily will use dry flies for trout. I love catching them that way, nothing beats it. I will always currently rig up with a dry fly, unless something changes for me. I usually use nymphs if I'm getting skunked, and those don't work to well for me sometimes either. And as for warm water species, nothing beats using a popper.

 

[mcnerney]

I don't really have a preferred method, I just like to fly fish and will let the river tell me what to do, I'll fish with nymphs, dries, emergers, wets and streamers.....what is happening on the river at that particular moment and I will rig up accordingly.

Larry

 

[chased]

Like Larry, I let the river tell me what to do. I'm not to proud to throw on a tiny nymph and some split shot if that's the only way to catch a fish. Sight fishing to carp has to be my absolute favorite though.

Chase

 

[bigjim5589]

I'll always prefer to fish a topwater, because I enjoy that the most. But as others said I'll go with whatever works. I admit I'm not proficient with dry flies, and more often would choose floating terrestrials over the classic style dry flies.

In order of preference for me, I would go with the topwater terrestrials first, then streamers, nymphs & other smaller sinking flies 3rd, then classic type dry flies last.

 

[kicker19]

I don't really have a preferred method, I just like to fly fish and will let the river tell me what to do, I'll fish with nymphs, dries, emergers, wets and streamers.....what is happening on the river at that particular moment and I will rig up accordingly.

Larry

EXACTLY. sometimes the hardest part is trying to figure out what the fish have an appetite for

 

[bocast]

Cast of three wet flies, no indicator, fished up, across and/or down....

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

[fredaevans]

95% time a 2hander, the 7wt Sage XP gets the rest.

fae

 

[fly_guy12955]

What Larry said.

 

[winstonwt]

As mcnerney said,well put.

 

[siege]

I'll try a variety of flies and styles based on what worked on similar water conditions before. If you are observant, and persistent, you get " lucky ".
Like Bubba says, "I like to fish with that fly that's catching fish right now . It's my favorite today ".

 

[lurker66]

I dont have a preferred method yet, im looking forward to finding one though.

 

[rickf]

This is a great topic / question!

I love dry flies with a fly rod the best, but sometimes it's not the best thing to do? I've read where Dave Whitlock, and many others, have gone to UL spin fishing to get a better thrill (much more fish).

Flashback: Last year, fishing the world famous Yellow Breeches (even special regs now has spin rods OK with soft plastic) with my $800 fly rod, thin leaders, and perfect realistic flies (perfect dries and beadheads), I couldn't get a trout to bite my fly! Then, a couple young guys showed up with heavy line, cheapo spin gear, and one had a big metal inline spinner and the other had a 3" soft plastic minnow behind a big split shot.

Well, they were catching trout on almost every cast while I, and another fly guy friend of mine, watched with a confused look on our faces! How could this be?

A few midges and a couple Caddis were hatching, but the trout preferred a big, spinning hunk of metal with a big treble hook! My perfect, realistic dry Caddis on a 6X presented perfectly with my 3 wt ........ and the stupid trout wanted a big WalMart soft plastic minnow? or a big Mepps spinner?

"Match the Hatch" is only a myth? Trout are the stupidest fish that swim! I realized that I was only fooling myself with the small feather flies...... all a delusion?

Almost heartbroken, I returned the very next day with a UL spin rod. NanoFil 2 lb line is only .002 diameter (like a 10X tippet, but stronger than a 3X) and a tiny 1/64 oz jig head with a Berkley Gulp Alive 1" minnow.

A St Croix 7' Avid UL rod with a Stradic CI4 ML reel, 2 lb NanoFil super line. I could cast twice as far, with no backcast problems, and the fish fight was as good as with my Helios 3 wt!

I caught, and released unharmed, over 50 beautiful trout that day!

That was actually more fun than fishing with my fly rod!

I'm mixed up, I don't know what I'll do this year? Probably my UL spin with a UL drop shot rig? and maybe a 1/24 oz white RoosterTail? maybe a UL Rapala original floating minnow? maybe a Trout Magnet? maybe a home tied size 12 tungsten olive woolybugger (a UL spin will cast it better than a fly rod)

Fly fishing is only great when you go topwater? But big flies / mice are so much better with a spin rod?

I'm losing my passion for fly fishing?

 

[Rip Tide]

I'm glad to see so many here saying that they enjoy fishing on top.

Just the other day I was thinking about how many folks here on FFFNA say that they rarely and even never fish that way.
As far as I'm concerned that's what makes fly fishing the most enjoyable way to fish.

For trout fishing, I choose where and when I want to fish based on a river's dominate hatches so that I'm most likely to find top water action.
When I fish warm water, you'll find me out there when the time is right to fish poppers.
Even in the salt, if the action is slow I'll be fishing a gurgler or popper trying to stir up some action.
It's not that I'm a top water purest, but all things being equal, there's no better way to fish.

 

[geordie41]

Dry fly, silk line and a cane rod.

 

[mridenour]

My favorite way to fish is to high-stick nymphs. I think that comes from decades of bass fishing with plastic worms. I got really good at that type of fishing and fishing by feel and line-watching won't get out of my blood. I am morphing into more and more of a streamer fisherman though.

But I will gladly embrace whatever method of fishing that the fish prefer.

 

[Rip Tide]

You can't run when you're on crutches

This is a great topic / question!

I love dry flies with a fly rod the best, but sometimes it's not the best thing to do? I've read where Dave Whitlock, and many others, have gone to UL spin fishing to get a better thrill (much more fish).

Flashback: Last year, fishing the world famous Yellow Breeches (even special regs now has spin rods OK with soft plastic) with my $800 fly rod, thin leaders, and perfect realistic flies (perfect dries and beadheads), I couldn't get a trout to bite my fly! Then, a couple young guys showed up with heavy line, cheapo spin gear, and one had a big metal inline spinner and the other had a 3" soft plastic minnow behind a big split shot.

Well, they were catching trout on almost every cast while I, and another fly guy friend of mine, watched with a confused look on our faces! How could this be?

A few midges and a couple Caddis were hatching, but the trout preferred a big, spinning hunk of metal with a big treble hook! My perfect, realistic dry Caddis on a 6X presented perfectly with my 3 wt ........ and the stupid trout wanted a big WalMart soft plastic minnow? or a big Mepps spinner?

"Match the Hatch" is only a myth? Trout are the stupidest fish that swim! I realized that I was only fooling myself with the small feather flies...... all a delusion?

Almost heartbroken, I returned the very next day with a UL spin rod. NanoFil 2 lb line is only .002 diameter (like a 10X tippet, but stronger than a 3X) and a tiny 1/64 oz jig head with a Berkley Gulp Alive 1" minnow.

A St Croix 7' Avid UL rod with a Stradic CI4 ML reel, 2 lb NanoFil super line. I could cast twice as far, with no backcast problems, and the fish fight was as good as with my Helios 3 wt!

I caught, and released unharmed, over 50 beautiful trout that day!

That was actually more fun than fishing with my fly rod!

I'm mixed up, I don't know what I'll do this year? Probably my UL spin with a UL drop shot rig? and maybe a 1/24 oz white RoosterTail? maybe a UL Rapala original floating minnow? maybe a Trout Magnet? maybe a home tied size 12 tungsten olive woolybugger (a UL spin will cast it better than a fly rod)

Fly fishing is only great when you go topwater? But big flies / mice are so much better with a spin rod?

I'm losing my passion for fly fishing?

 

[mridenour]

I'm glad to see so many here saying that they enjoy fishing on top.

Just the other day I was thinking about how many folks here on FFFNA say that they rarely and even never fish that way.
As far as I'm concerned that's what makes fly fishing the most enjoyable way to fish.

For trout fishing, I choose where and when I want to fish based on a river's dominate hatches so that I'm most likely to find top water action.
When I fish warm water, you'll find me out there when the time is right to fish poppers.
Even in the salt, if the action is slow I'll be fishing a gurgler or popper trying to stir up some action.
It's not that I'm a top water purest, but all things being equal, there's no better way to fish.

I'm bound and determined to fish more dries this coming season. I had some success last summer and it was a blast.

---------- Post added at 08:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 AM ----------

This is a great topic / question!

I love dry flies with a fly rod the best, but sometimes it's not the best thing to do? I've read where Dave Whitlock, and many others, have gone to UL spin fishing to get a better thrill (much more fish).

Flashback: Last year, fishing the world famous Yellow Breeches (even special regs now has spin rods OK with soft plastic) with my $800 fly rod, thin leaders, and perfect realistic flies (perfect dries and beadheads), I couldn't get a trout to bite my fly! Then, a couple young guys showed up with heavy line, cheapo spin gear, and one had a big metal inline spinner and the other had a 3" soft plastic minnow behind a big split shot.

Well, they were catching trout on almost every cast while I, and another fly guy friend of mine, watched with a confused look on our faces! How could this be?

A few midges and a couple Caddis were hatching, but the trout preferred a big, spinning hunk of metal with a big treble hook! My perfect, realistic dry Caddis on a 6X presented perfectly with my 3 wt ........ and the stupid trout wanted a big WalMart soft plastic minnow? or a big Mepps spinner?

"Match the Hatch" is only a myth? Trout are the stupidest fish that swim! I realized that I was only fooling myself with the small feather flies...... all a delusion?

Almost heartbroken, I returned the very next day with a UL spin rod. NanoFil 2 lb line is only .002 diameter (like a 10X tippet, but stronger than a 3X) and a tiny 1/64 oz jig head with a Berkley Gulp Alive 1" minnow.

A St Croix 7' Avid UL rod with a Stradic CI4 ML reel, 2 lb NanoFil super line. I could cast twice as far, with no backcast problems, and the fish fight was as good as with my Helios 3 wt!

I caught, and released unharmed, over 50 beautiful trout that day!

That was actually more fun than fishing with my fly rod!

I'm mixed up, I don't know what I'll do this year? Probably my UL spin with a UL drop shot rig? and maybe a 1/24 oz white RoosterTail? maybe a UL Rapala original floating minnow? maybe a Trout Magnet? maybe a home tied size 12 tungsten olive woolybugger (a UL spin will cast it better than a fly rod)

Fly fishing is only great when you go topwater? But big flies / mice are so much better with a spin rod?

I'm losing my passion for fly fishing?

If it is more about catching than it is about fishing...use whatever you want. Normally, though, I can be surrounded by spin fishermen and generally catch more fish than any of them. There are some days that the trout are more aggressive and want the presentation of a spinning rig. Most days they don't, though. At least not in the waters I fish.

Spin fishing just doesn't offer me the rhythm and variety that fly fishing offers. I'll still do it occasionally, I enjoy working a big plastic worm through weeds with a spinning rod and crappie on a little jig is a great spinning technique. But fly fishing brings most of my fish to the net these days. It is a much better way of fishing in my opinion. I don't even care that it is usually a better way of catching.

 

[kglissmeyer1]

This is just out of curiosity. What is your preferred method of fly fishing?.

My preferred method is fly fishing and all it entails. The tug is the drug no matter how I come by it.

Kelly.

P.S.: The majority of my fishing does constitute nymphing, but that's just because the fish are always eating and it is usually sub-surface...

 

[nir]

My favorite method so far is fishing poppers for smallmouth bass. We don't have a lot of trout around here so I mostly go for bass with my kayak.

There is something about popper that brings me to a different level of excitement. Seeing those small to large flies pop on the top of the water and then getting that water explosion when the fish attacks is just so hard to beat as far as exciting for me.

Here is what it's all about for me and what's waiting for me this summer: Picture a crystal clear lake. It is early in the morning and the slight fog over the lake gives the surrounding landscape an orange tinge. I am alone on the lake on my kayak. There isn't one sound to be heard except for my paddle entering and leaving the water. I silently cast a green and yellow popper next to a fallen tree and all of a sudden I get a huge explosion and big tug on the end of the line! Paradise right there!!

Yep! Lots of fun!

 

[planettrout]

"Since approximately ninety percent of the trout diet is based on subaquatic nymphal and pupal forms, floating adult insects play a relatively minor role in their feeding..."

"The second error familiar to to contemporary anglers, in their dry-fly myopia, is the rather simple-minded assumption that a visible surface rise automatically means a surface feeding trout."

From TROUT - Ernest Schwiebert - Volume !!, Chapter 4. The Secrets of Fishing the Nymph, pg. 1421

I have done the math...


PT/TB