W7. The Dark Hendrickson Wet Fly
WET FLY PATTERNS. Hook size 12 14 - $US each
The dark and light Hendrickson flies are good general mayfly dun imitation patterns. Choose the hook size and color to match your local hatch. Back in 1915 Albert Everett Hendrickson of Scarsdale, NY, USA wrote to Roy Steenrod, about tying a fly to match the dark North American up-winged dun mayfly Ephemerella subvaria. Roy lived in Liberty, NY and fished the Beaver Kill, Esopus, Nerversink and Willowemoc rivers. Albert uwas invited to accompany Roy on some fishing trips. One day in 1916 whilst fishing on the Beaver Kill river below the junction pool at Roscoe, a hatch of flies came on. They had never seen the fish rise so freely for any fly as they did for this hatch. Roy caught one of the insects and put it in his fly box and tied a fly to match. They tried it out after lunch. they took fish after fish with this new fly pattern day after day. Two days after the fly was first tied the matter was brought up as to what to call this killer pattern. Roy named it after his new fishing friend and it has been known as the Hendrickson ever since. (Please note that there is a dispute over who originally tied them as some credit Art Flick though I favor the above story) These flies are used all over the USA but is not well known outside North America. This is a shame as I have found them both to be a very productive fly in British and European waters for imitating iron blue duns.
The Hendrickson is a great attracter pattern. It can be about as deadly as the all year around Adams Dry Fly. An attracter pattern is designed to stimulate a predatory fish's aggression. They do not try to imitate the fish's food. They just provoke a predatory attack response. Although these flies were designed to imitate a certain insect they can be used in areas and at times of the year when that fly is not present. Try a Hendrickson when all logic says it shouldn't work. Use it as an attractor, something different that will catch a trout's hungry eye. It is a fly that has saved the day for me many a time when the fish were not rising for anything I cast to them. This is a pattern that every fly box should not be without.
WET FLIES
A wet fly is designed to be fished below the water's surface.
They are tied as deceivers or attractors. The success of the wet fly often depends far more on its
action in the water than on its resemblance to a particular insect, but this is
not always the case. When fish are on the feed the actual pattern is generally
not important, but when the fish are preoccupied or need tempting the angler
must use ingenuity to discover what the fish are feeding on and what color they
are taking. When fishing wet flies, it is important to remember that the higher
the wave on the water the higher the fly hook size can be, but still take into
account the brightness and clarity of the water.
Trout do see subsurface insects with wings. Some flies begin to hatch below the water surface. The Baetis group of up-winged flies swim or crawl beneath the surface as adult spinners in order to lay egg. There are occasions when duns and spent spinners are swamped by the current and forced under the water surface. Emerging duns that have been unable to get rid of their nymphal case or at the time of emerging are drowned when they float under rough water that is flowing over a large rock or ledge are also hunted by the fish. The trout on purpose lurk in slack water near eddies and small plunge pools to look out for these type of snacks. Clearly a trout does see winged insects under the surface at certain times of the year so be prepared with a selection of different colored wet flies for when the fish are not taking from the surface.
FLY FISHING TACTICS FOR FISHING IN THE RAIN
I like to fish wet flies in the rain. If you are one of those
fine weather fishermen you are missing a lot of sport. On sunny days the fish
swim near the bottom of the river, lake or stream for a number of reasons. They
do not have eye lids and the sun can damage the eyes. More importantly the
warmer the water becomes the less oxygen it can hold. Fish find warm water
uncomfortable. The colder the water temperature the more oxygen the water can
hold. When it rains the disturbance caused on the water surface
increases the oxygen content of the upper levels of water because when the water
droplets force their way through the water surface air gets trapped behind it.
If it is raining it normally means the sky is overcast and therefore the
temperature of the water decreases. This cooling effect is also helped by the
rain drops which are normally cold and help cool the upper water levels of the
lake or river to a more pleasant fish friendly environment.
They feel safer as choppy water makes them invisible to birds of prey. Heavy rain will knock airborne and surface insects down and into the water. More fish than normal rise from their bottom feeding location to the surface to feed from this bounty of drowned insects. Heavy rain also washes terrestrial insects like ants, beetles and Hoppers into the water from the land, overhanging trees and shrubs. Summer storms are primetime for subsurface fishing with a wet fly. Further advantages of fishing in heavy rain is that perfect fly presentation is less important. A fish who is stimulated by the abundance of drowned insect food, whilst on the look out for predators, will not have time to consider such things.
When the all the fair-weather fishermen are hiding under trees, in fishing huts or in their cars to keep dry, you will reap the rewards of some exciting fishing if you stay out in the rain. Just cast out your fly and let the rain drown it, just like what is happening to the real insects. Do not add any floatant. It is best to cast frequently as you will cover more water and I have found that the fly is normally taken just after it has broken the water surface. Fishing in heavy rain is an ideal time to try out new patterns . Trout have learned to expect a variety of different foods, not normally available to them,
MOUNTAIN WHITEFISH
These game fish are very abundant throughout Alberta, British Columbia and many
of the western states of the USA. The most popular flies are beaded Prince's
Nymph, Gold Ribbed Hares Ears and wet flies like the Royal Coachman in size #12
to #16. Some of the more popular streams for mountain whitefish in Alberta are
the Athabasca, North Saskatchwan, Red Deer, Bow, Highwood, Sheep, Oldman,
Livingstone, Crowsnest, Castle, Waterton, Belly and St Mary rivers. Spawning
occurs from late September to early November over gravelbeds. The eggs are
broadcast not buried in s redd like salmoniods. They are a long lived species
with a 20 year old specimen being recorded in a reservoir and they can grow to
over 5lbs. Autumn fall period is the traditional time to catch mountain
whitefish, as after gathering to spawn in late August they move into over
wintering pools where they remain until spring breaks. Use a pair of polarized
sunglasses. They tend to move around a lot. Look for flashes of silver as they
jostle for position in the current. It is not uncommon to find over 50 fish hold
up in the same pool. During the summer Mountain whitefish tend to favour turbulent
pocket water as well as deep runs and large pool. Mountain whitefish are
popular as a table fish and fantastic when smoked - particularly the smaller
ones.
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