If you’ve ever tried fly fishing, you’ll know that one concept is pounded into your brain over and over and over. Getting a drag free drift is the holy grail of fly fishing. Whether fishing dry flies or nymphs, we all know that getting that bug to float “naturally” with the current is the key to catching trout. It’s a tru- ism that is the foundation of fly fishing… most of the time. Knowing when to violate this sacred notion can cause your success rate to soar.
May in Georgia brings on a lot of bug activity which, in turn, brings with it some great dry fly fishing. And even the most die-hard nymph angler loves to catch fish on a dry when the switch is on. But even dry flies, we are taught, must be fished on a drag free drift. And that’s true, unless you’re not getting a rise to your fly. Here’s where it becomes perfectly okay to violate the rule; that rule you’ve had pounded into every fiber of your brain.
Notice, on your next trip, how caddis flies as well as mayflies will “dance” across the water as they’re going through the egg laying process. They’ll bob up and down briefly touching the water or, in the case of caddis, they’ll often skitter along the surface. This drives trout crazy and now is the time to bring some drag into your presentation.
Start with a bushy dry fly that floats well but is also close to the size of the naturals. At the end of your drift, let the fly swing across the current as you raise the tip of your rod. You’ll be amazed at how well you can control the fly action with a little practice. Be ready for a hard strike and remember that you’re fishing a tight line so give a little right after the hook is set to avoid breaking the fish off.
Here’s another idea. If you want to try making your fly dance in one place, as is often the case with a natural, tie a heavy dropper fly to a long piece of tippet material anchored on the bend of your dry. This will allow you to swing the dry into position and literally pick it up off the water a few inches then let it drop back down in place as the weighted nymph of soft hackle pulls it back down. The added advantage of this, of course, is that you may also get a strike on the subsurface fly.
So, defy tradition and have the time of your life swinging and dancing. It’s a blast!