(Note: Photo for this article will appear at a later date.)
In the middle of the previous century, when a gallon of gasoline sold for 32 cents, hardware stores were our primary sources of fishing tackle. Early spring found the eldest of us with nose firmly pressed against the display case glass fascinated by cards of brightly colored flies. A rummage-sale purchased fiberglass fly rod and several carefully chosen flies were regularly offered to bluegills on nearby waters.
A decade passed before a Field & Stream article announced that those old fly patterns were actually classic wet flies tied especially for trout. Yet another 10 years elapsed before recreating those elegant patterns and once again offering them to bluegills. Initially the old classic patterns were envisioned as a way of connecting with the past masters of fly tying and fly fishing. However, over the years, we’ve continued to fish the classic wet flies for a very different reason. Plain and simple, they really catch bluegills.
While the origins of some individual patterns can be traced through the works of J. Edson Leonard in his classic book titled Flies (1950) and others, the history of wet fly tying and fishing becomes obscure as it easily predates the 17th century’s Izaak Walton.
Early anglers noticed that when their insect-matching dry patterns became waterlogged and sank that they were still taken regularly by the fish. Initially the wet fly was presumed to replicate a drowned surface insect, and at times they are probably taken ¥ such. But upon closer examination it would seem logical that they might also be taken as pupae emerging at the water’s surface, an adult insect submerging to deposit eggs, a small crustacean, a sow bug, a nymph, or perhaps even a tiny minnow hatchling.
By definition a wet fly is any pattern that is fished beneath the surface. Although streamers and nymphs fit that description, they are different and not included in any modern classification of wet flies. Generally “wets” are tied on hooks of standard length as opposed to nymphs and streamers that are tied on a longer hook that is often heavy enough to ensure that the fly sinks. Other wet fly characteristics include sparseness, absorption and profile. Sparsely dressed flies enter the water with little commotion while their hackle, tail and wings move in a natural manner during manipulation or pressure from the current. Materials that absorb water and thereby aid the fly’s sinking ability further enhance its purpose as does a profile that resembles the insect or creature being simulated.
In our book Bluegill Fly Fishing and Flies (1999), we described big bluegills, those exceeding 8 inches, as freshwater’s most selective fish. Anglers who have examined the stomach contents of many fish including trout, bass, crappies and other species, recognize that all frequently swallow an assortment of debris such as pebbles or small pieces of sticks. Bluegills did not. Those who have observed feeding bluegills know that they nearly always hesitate behind their prospective meals to evaluate them before the morsels are eaten. Perhaps the bluegills heightened selectivity is actually a great recommendation for using classic wet flies to catch bluegills, due mainly to the fly’s subtle movements in the water and suggestive shapes.
On one wet fly outing, we were float tubing a small town’s water supply lake when a young mother brought a car full of neighborhood children to the picnic area above our position. We were still experimenting with various patterns when a brutish 9-inch bluegill grabbed a size 10 McGinty and raced for a nearby brush pile. The action brought excitement and a few shouts of joy from our audience at the picnic tables a few yards away. Observing our half submerged position in the water, the young mother grabbed the picnic basket, herded her brood back into the car and drove off in a cloud of dust. Exactly what danger Mom thought we posed is still a mystery to us.
Fishing these colorful patterns can often be as simple as using any of the infinite variations of the strip-and-pause retrieve. Keeping in mind the life-form the chosen fly represents can easily dictate the length of the strip and the length of the pause. If, for example, the fly represents a young minnow the stripping should be frequent and erratic, whereas an insect imitation might only be manipulated to keep it in the fish zone or to activate the materials in the wings and hackle. In the final analysis though, it’s important to experiment with the strip-and-pause retrieve; the fish will definitely indicate what their preference might be.
A second retrieve that has been very effective for us is the Leisenring Lift. It’s easily executed by first allowing the wet fly to settle to the bottom in still water or to cast upstream and allow the fly to acquire depth before “you raise your rod tip with a slow, gradual motion that causes the fly to rise naturally toward the surface.” This quote is according to Vernon S. Hidy in Sports Illustrated Book of Wet-Fly Fishing (1960). In that book, Hidy discusses the techniques of master wet fly angler James Leisenring who was the namesake of the technique he pioneered. The Leisenring Lift causes the wet fly to behave like a nymph rising to the surface to hatch. Of course Leisenring’s intent was that the lift be executed at the end of a dead drift in moving water, but the technique is equally effective in still water for bluegills. Short casts to relatively shallow water with long leaders enable the angler to completely control all aspects of the lift. Wet insect patterns such as Black Gnat, Cowdung and Light Cahill, for example, are best suited to this task.
A third method is an adaptation of an old English trout tactic called “clapping.” With only the leader extending from the rod tip, the angler places the fly gently on the overhanging bank grass and allows it to fall softly into the water and be swept into undercut banks. Our modification involves casting onto emergent vegetation such as coontail or milfoil. Then we gently pull the fly into the water and allow it to sink along the edges of the weeds or into pockets in the weeds before imparting action.
Finally, when fishing from a boat, canoe, kayak or float tube, the angler can utilize the wind to push them in a controlled drift to help locate feeding bluegills. We find a brightly colored attractor pattern such as Yellow Sally, Royal Coachman or Scarlet Ibis is best for this type of “searching presentation.” Recently at the “Smallmouth Rendezvous” held annually in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, we had a conversation with fellow Federation member and talented demonstration fly tier Toby Vaughn of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Our visit centered on our mutual passion for bluegills and our shared love of the classic wet fly patterns. Vaughn tied the flies pictured above.
There are literally hundreds of classic wet flies from which to choose. Good literary sources include the aforementioned “Flies” by Leonard that lists the recipes for virtually all of the classic wets that predate 1950; McClane’s Standard Fishing Encyclopedia edited by A. J. McClane contains color photographs and lists the recipe for 48 classic wet flies in the 1965 edition; and Wet Flies: Tying and Fishing Soft Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs by Dave Hughes, (1995) is a good source as well .
RECIPES FOR SUCCESS
Here are the recipes for a dozen of our favorite classic wet flies. Each of them is tied similarly to those in the photograph. Our thanks to Toby Vaughn for providing the flies pictured here.
PROFESSOR
Tail: Strip of red duck quill
Body: Yellow silk floss ribbed with flat gold tinsel
Hackle: Dark ginger
Wing: Speckled gray mallard flank
YELLOW SALLY
Tail: Strip of yellow duck quill
Body: Yellow silk floss ribbed with flat gold tinsel
Hackle: Yellow
Wing: Yellow duck quill
BLACK GNAT
Tail: None
Body: Black chenille
Hackle: Black
Wing: Gray duck quill
SCARLET IBIS
Tail: Strip of red duck quill
Body: Red silk floss ribbed with oval gold tinsel
Hackle: Red
Wing: Red duck quill
ARKANSAS RED BUTT SOFT HACKLE
Tail: None
Tag: Red thread
Body: Twisted peacock herl
Hackle: Dun
COWDUNG
Tail: None
Tag: Flat gold tinsel
Body: Olive wool dubbing
Hackle: Dark ginger
Wing: Gray duck quill
GRIZZLY KING
Tail: Red duck quill
Body: Green silk floss ribbed with flat gold tinsel
Hackle: Light tipped badger
Wing: Speckled gray mallard flank
LIGHT CAHILL
Tail: Lemon wood duck flank
Body: Cream fox fur dubbing
Hackle: Pale ginger
Wing: Lemon wood duck flank
ALEXANDRA
Tail: Red duck quill
Body: Flat silver tinsel
Hackle: Black
Wing: Peacock sword herl strands with slip of red duck quill on the sides
MCGINTY
Tail: Red hackle fibers mixed with barred teal flank
Body: Alternate banks of black and yellow chenille
Hackle: Red-brown
Wings: White tipped blue mallard sections
ROYAL COACHMAN
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet
Body: Divided in equal thirds; first third peacock herl, next red floss, followed by peacock herl
Hackle: Red-brown
Wings: White duck quill
PINK LADY
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet
Body: Pink silk floss ribbed with flat gold tinsel
Hackle: Ginger
Wing: Gray duck quill
Published in The Flyfisher, Sandpoint, Idaho, Keokee Co. Publishing, Inc., Spring-Summer 2011.