Dry Flies

Dry Fly Patterns

Dry flies represent the purest form of fly fishing for trout. Dry fly patterns are tied out of any material that floats. The feathers of them will come from animals like ducks and chickens, while the main bodies of them will be composed from things like fur and foam. All of these materials are designed to make dry flies float, which makes them a visually enticing way to fly fish.

Dry fly fishing for some, is the only way that they will fly fish. Most of these people will consider themselves to be “purists” as this is the original form of fly fishing. There is nothing like seeing a trout in a beautiful mountain stream, rise up to eat a dry fly from the surface of the water. It is a sight to behold and causes your adrenaline to rush. As a matter of fact, many dude ranches and spring creeks, pride themselves upon being “dry fly only” fisheries. Obviously when fishing at one of these locations, a fly angler will need to have a variety of dry flies to suit the occasion.

Popular dry flies for fly fishing include the Dry Caddis flies, Dry Midges and Dry Stoneflies. These are just a few of thousands upon thousands of dry fly patterns that exist. When fishing dry flies, fly anglers need to make sure they carry a variety of different floatant on them. You will first place a drop or two of a liquid type of floatant on the fly. Something like Aquel from Loon. This makes dry flies have a waterproof characteristic to them, and keeps them floating for a while. Once they start to get wet, and start to sink, or a fish chews on them and gets them all slimy, you will then want to clean the fly off in the water, dry it by blowing on it or false casting it, or even better yet, use a samadou patch to soak up the water, then reapply a powder floatant to it. The idea behind this is the powder will then bond to the liquid that was previously applied, and will continue to make the dry fly float. Some dry fly patterns are made out of mostly all foam, and therefore it is not necessary to apply any sort of additional floatant to them.

While fishing with dry flies requires a bit more skill, it is arguably one of the most entertaining ways to catch a fish on a fly rod. Seeing a fish come up and eat your offering is something you will never forget!