Fishing - Two Flies are Better then One
Two Are Better Than One
By Sean Stevens
Fly-fishing has always been divided into two categories, Dry and Wet. They are both distinctive ways of fishing, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Dry flies are used primarily when a hatch is occurring or, trout are actively feeding on the surface. Opposite to this type of situation, when there is an absence of feeding activity on the surface, wet flies and nymphs are typically the way to go. Depending on the situation you might face, you have the choice to use either method. Fly-fishermen know both methods of fishing are advantageous, but only under the circumstances that allow them to catch fish. But, what if one could fish both methods at the same time? It may sound unconventional, but using a dry and nymph at same time can actually double your chances of success.
Today, Fly-fishermen are breaking both traditions and breeding the two into one fishing method, which I like to call Drymphing. This entails combining a dry fly followed by nymph as a dropper. With this combination you can get the best of two Worlds covering both the surface and below. It appears unorthodox by some fishermens standards, but it could mean the difference between a one fish day and a fifteen fish day. This method does not necessarily suggest your success will be guaranteed, but it will concretely guarantee you will be fishing more effectively, providing your presentation is up to standards with the trouts.
One day , in mid July while fishing on the Green river below Flaming Gorge, I experimented using this type of Drymph rig. Having never fished this river before, I of course went to the local shop for some advice as to what flies were producing. I was told hoppers and big cicadas were doing the job on the top, and scuds were working well on the bottom. Using this friendly fellows information, I headed to the river with the idea of using both the cicada and scud on one line. I figured the cicada would act not only as a good dry, but because of its great big size, the cicada could double its function and be used as an indicator for the #20 size tiny scud tied about ten inches below the cicada on 6x tippet. That Drymph rig produced one of best fishing days I can remember. On some sections of the river, the cicada was taken aggressively, while on other sections, fish were ignoring the cicada and inhaling the scud just ten inches below the surface. There were moments when I was expecting a splashy rise to my cicada and then only to see it submerge slowly with a trout hooked. I caught seven fish on the cicada and caught ten on the scud totaling a seventeen fish day all from fifteen to twenty inch browns and rainbows. The point being without the dropper, I would have caught less than half as many fish.
If you are happy with catching one or three fish, that is great, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. But you could possibly double your catch ratio by simply adding on a nymph to your dry. Give it a try and you'll have more successful days on the river.
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