Fly-fishing no doubt generates many views and opinions so far as the best options for catching fish.  Frankly some of which l have read either makes no sense, or the author has chosen to take pen to paper without a thorough understanding of the subject matter. This is very confusing for those who do not know otherwise.

So let’s look at one subject, Dead Drift. By definition of this term we mean, (or do we?) that we are fishing a fly without movement or animation. First and foremost that is impossible by whatever means you choose to fish, be it nymph or dry. What we are saying, in fly fishing terminology, is that we are presenting a fly in such a way as its downstream drift is more so influenced by natural stream movement and that we attempt to allow this to happen. This again is more or less impossible, for we are attached to the fly with tippet, leader, fly line, rod and ourselves, all of which are factors in so far as allowing for this to take place.  Even a dry fly thrown onto the water without attachment to a tippet will not act in the same manner as a natural bug, and neither will a nymph attached to tippet fished at depth, but we can come close enough most of the time to deceive a fish. And that takes place for two primary reasons. The fly being used is acceptable; the manner in which we present is likewise. As we all know either one or both of these reasons will often result in refusals from the fish.

One of the subject matters I talked about at the recent Mountain River Fly Shop open day was related to dead drift nymph fishing with an indicator, which for many is not at all well understood. It is just an assumption that the indicator allows for the registration of a take when a fish takes the fly.  That is of course true, but is also a long way to understanding of the whole picture. Anglers make four major common mistakes when using indicators. They are:

The wrong indicator, often as not this is a size issue. Incorrect weight, fly, added or both, too much or not enough. Improper rigging which has insufficient length from indicator to fly. A leader/tippet section which is incorrectly constructed.

Let’s look at the indicator and what purpose it serves. There are three. It tells you a fish has taken the fly, it provides buoyancy to support the fly at a given depth, it tells you if you have an acceptable free drift. Common errors will include using an indicator way to large; this is very common and will result in 4 issues that are negative. The first is spooking fish when it hits the water surface. The second is insufficient sensitivity to takes, the third is excessive drag and the fourth is attraction of fish to the indicator and not to your fly. One other factor can be a negative and that is color of the indicator, high-vis indicators can spook fish, more so when used in shallow water.

Weight. You will be very surprised how little weight you do need to get a fly down to great depth, provided the leader/tippet section is long enough, is of fine diameter, and the drift is long enough. In the case of drift fishing from a boat this is way easier, as the longer drift gives more time for the fly to sink.  Wade fishing will differ. However there are many other issues to consider in the case of drift fishing, primarily depth and speed of water. It is not correct to assume that when fishing high water situation you will need as much as AAA or Swan shot to get the fly down to the river bed, as that is not true. In most cases 1 or 2 number 1 shot will easily do that, more to the point less weight provides for way better animation of the fly and contributes to a way better drift of the fly. However this can only take place if the leader system if made up in such a manner as to allow for this.

I am often asked if it is best to have weight added to the fly or add weight to the line. The answer amounts to: “what is the nature of the fly used?” For example a size 18 sowbug cannot carry much weight, but if weight is added to the tippet then the fly can be fished at great depth. On the other hand take,  say, a size 6 stonefly nymph, this hook size and the nature of the fly  pattern will allow for a great deal of weight to be added to the fly. I would answer that weight added to the fly would be my first choice, but it is not always an option to be able to do that. Most definitely tungsten beads are a great asset here, that's for sure. A weighted fly or the same fly with added weight will track in a very different manner at the river bed, and will often make the difference so far as numbers of fish hooked. Lead shot will at times spook fish as it is seen generally before the fly, and in heavily fished zones is a warning to the fish. Many of the EU techniques have perfected fishing nymphs at depth, in fast water and at range without the use of added lead to the leader system. But it does take a great deal of skill to master these techniques.

Rigging. This really is the crux of the matter and one that can make more difference than any other aspect of using an indicator. You may have the right fly. Rig it wrong and it is worthless. Let me dispel the train of thought that the depth from indicator to fly should be 1 and 1/2 times the depth of the water. That simply is not true, far from it. Most of the time, unless you know a section of water like the back of your hand, you will not know the exact depth. Bear in mind also that the river bed is rarely flat, that the distance for surface to bottom varies, and that is when you are wade fishing. If you are drift fishing from a boat then to know the depth is almost impossible as for each few yards depth will vary. Then we have to add other factors such as water speed and if we are say fishing over heavy rock structure, moss beds, gravel bars and drop offs, riffle water and so on. All of these are also considerations so far as how you rig the system; both for overall length for the indicator and weight additions.

There may be a few exceptions to the rule here, such as when fishing for trout when they are taking emerging chironomids and you wish the pupa to be suspended just below the surface. However we are dealing with flies to be fished close to the river bed and that is a very different matter.

If, for example, we are fishing in 4ft of water we might assume that we need 6ft from indicator to fly. However consideration would also have to include water speed, fly to be used and the x factor of tippet material.  Fishing slow water would differ from fast water.  So too would be the overall length of the system from indicator to fly and weight added to maintain the fly at the correct depth and also choice of indicator used.

Therefore we may have a tippet as short as 4ft to as long as 8ft or more if we are dealing with spooky fish.

Couple of days ago while guiding two pretty good fly fishers at BSD, l proved to them how much difference this can make at times. We had generated water at the time, at an average depth over all of 4ft. The fly fisher for whom l rigged with a very long leader system of 12 ft from fly to indicator, caught something like six to one more fish compared to the other guy fishing same fly, the same 5X tippet and the same weight but with only 8ft leader.

Is this confusing? Not really if you understand the principles of drift and how it takes place. Drift is almost always related to surface water speed. As this is the medium that causes the fly to be tracked down stream. Most of the time surface water moves faster than water at the bed of the river. OK, to add further complications here, for the same weight added there will  be big differences between using say 6x or 4x  tippet and also what kind of mono it  is. Is it fluorocarbon, regular mono or copolymer? They all have different sink rates; again related to the length of the system, how much weight is added, speed of water and the length of your drift. Wade or boat fishing will also differ.

Another question that l am frequently asked is, “how far should the weight be from the fly?”   Now this can make a critical difference. If weight is set too close to the fly, this may cause the fly to hang up way more often, it also reduces effective animation of that fly. If weight is too close to the fly, the trout feels resistance more or less immediately, if there is a greater distance and more freedom of movement then this does give you more time to set the hook, and it is not so easy for the fish to eject the fly.

I would rarely have weight less than 12 inches from the fly. The norm would be 15 to 18 inches, and at times way more than this. This distance may also vary depending on the number of flies used. So as an example here; two flies spaced apart 24 inches.  We could add weight at any position between the two or above the upper dropper fly. Both ways present the flies differently at depth.

Do l, for example, use only one BB instead of a number of smaller shot sizes that combined are the same weight? No; more often as not l use the smaller shot for this reason. If the shot is strung out then both tracking and sensitivity to takes can be greatly increased.

Contrary to belief it is not necessary to have all weight close to the fly.  If l use the strung shot method, the rule of thumb is to use the smallest shot closer to the fly, the larger above that. So as an example, say we are using a size 18 sowbug. 15 inches above the fly we add a size 6 shot; at 2ft above this we add two number 4 shot or maybe one number 1.

Here is the comparison chart for lead shot size and weight. You can figure out the same weight additions, with use of more than one shot. 4 x 1 #6 = 1BB.
AAA    .8g
BB       .4 g
1          .3 g
4          .2g
6          .1g
8          .06 g

Many of these lessons l learned when l was a competition match fisherman in the UK. We use very special float fishing techniques that will allow for ultra sensitivity to the indicator. Trout are no different at the end of the day when they take a fly, bait is no different, other than trout will as a rule take a natural bait with great confidence and not try to eject it as fast as our fly. Bottom line is that you need instant recognition that the fish has taken the fly. By comparison many of the methods deployed by FF when indicator fishing are very crude.

One other tip l will give you is the finer the x factor you use percentage  wise the more fish you will catch, and the longer that is the better.

Something for you guys to think about here. You may well have the right fly, but it is rigged wrong.  There is no standard set formula; you got to figure it out given the prevailing conditions you are fishing.

Next article l will write some of the rigs l use here for the White River system.   Both high and low water situations.

Davy