Dave Levinson – Trout Unlimited – Rapidan Chapter

What’s in Your Fly Box? See a Top 10 List

Dave Levinson — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:22:44 +0000

Those new to fly fishing face a dizzying number of decisions—long or short, fast or slow, glass or grass, line color, click and pawl or disc drag, expensive or cheap……. Even after staggering through the all the equipment decisions, you then have even more choices about what to put on the end of the line. What flies you carry will depend on a number of factors—climate and conditions, hatches, water levels and clarity, etc. But, there are some basic trout flies that you should never leave home without.

After scouring the internet for “Top 10 (or more) Fly” recommendations, I listed each in a spreadsheet and tallied the number of time a fly was common across the various lists. Shown below (in descending order from most frequent to least) are the flies most often found in “Top 10” lists of trout flies.

Elk Hair Caddis
Hare’s Ear Nymph
Adams (parachute most frequently)
Woolly Bugger (black, then olive)
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Clouser Minnow
Blue Winged Olive
Copper John
Griffith’s Gnat
Hoppers

You’ll always run into the persnickety trout that will only taking a size 32 of something you don’t have, but you’ll have an above average chance of taking fish if your fly box has this basic set of flies in it. And, always stop into the local fly shop for their recommendations. If you’re not fishing a home field advantage stream, the locals may provide you with an away-game favorite that could save the day.

I know there is nothing like a “Top 10 List” to raise the hackles (pardon the pun) of those whose favorite didn’t make the list, but you have to start somewhere.

The post What’s in Your Fly Box? See a Top 10 List first appeared on Trout Unlimited - Rapidan Chapter.

Casting Heavy Flies

Dave Levinson — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:21:30 +0000

Casting Heavy Flies can be a difficult and dangerous activity with the risk of embedding a hook in the back of your head ever looming.

The key to casting big flies, then is to slow everything down, widen your loops, and avoid sudden changes in direction. To accomplish all these, you need to learn the Belgian cast (also called the oval cast). Rather than moving the fly back and forth along a two-dimensional plane, the Belgian cast keeps the fly moving at all times through a three-dimensional pattern. This means that there are no shocking stops, extra slack, or dropping fly.

To perform the Belgian cast, you make a sidearm backcast and then a forward cast over the top, with a nice, wide loop. The name oval cast comes from the fact that, if viewed from above, your rod tip describes an oval, rather than a straight line. When you are making the Belgian cast, line speed is not important, but you must keep the line moving at all times to keep the fly from dropping.

For a complete lesson on the Belgian cast, check out Macauley Lord’s excellent article on Midcurrent.

Copied from Midcurrents Techniques. See more at http://midcurrent.com/experts/casting-heavy-flies/.

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Learn to “Read the Rise”

Dave Levinson — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:20:12 +0000

Knowing how trout feed can help you catch more fish. Fast current and flies that emerge quickly — like caddisflies — or skitter along the surface cause trout to make loud, splashy rises. Classic rises make dimples in the water and leave behind a few bubbles, indicating feeding on mayfly duns and other flies riding above the surface film. Small dimples that leave no bubbles but sometimes include the dorsal and tail appearing usually indicate emergers or small flies dangling in the surface film. Bulges or swirls are the hardest to see and often indicate a fish feeding just beneath the surface.

As always, watch the fish before casting to the fish. Understanding what they are feeding on, by reading the rise, may help you catch that trout of a lifetime.

Copied from Midcurrents Techniques. See more at http://midcurrent.com/techniques/fly-fishing-strategy-tips/

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Leaders and Building Furled Leaders

Dave Levinson — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:19:26 +0000

Judson Walls, one of the Rapidan Chapter members, spoke at the March 5 meeting on leaders and building furled leaders. Rather than buying leaders from your favorite fly shop, Judd explained how easy it was to build your own knotted leaders and demonstrated how to create a furled leader at home. His presentation can be viewed and downloaded by CLICKING HERE.

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