Wet Flies On The Bow?

[calgaryguy1977]

Hey folks,

Like many on here, I've fished the bow with some success in the past but I would hardly call my success consistent. The problem is I've never fished the bow this early in the year. What type of wet flies should I consider using? I went out yesterday without a bite after tying everything from a BWO to stimulator as well as SJW, hares ear and various other nymphs, wooly bugger. It could be early season rust with presentation but I really don't think that was the problem.

 

That said, I saw a few guides using wet flies and floats....anyone have an educated guess on what they could have been using?

Also will you get rises at dusk as you do later in the evening (dusk) on the bow this time of year?

 

I'm sure a lot of Bow River questions get asked on here and I wasn't sure I wanted to sift through 500 posts to find the answer to my specific inquiry!

Thanks in advance!

Cheers

[SimonB]

Hey,

 

Seems like you were using the right stuff there last night. I have only been skunked twice this year and i fished all of february, march and april all on nymphs. Chironomids in the small size and hares ears have done it for me using SWJ wire or big stone nymph to get down fast. As for rises, I have come across a few BWO hatches even mid day but didnt hook anything on dries yet...ill wait for the caddis to come out.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

[WyomingGeorge]

CG1977, did you means swinging a wet fly just below the surface, or dead-drifting nymphs? You stated wet flies but the technique described sounds like nymphing.

 

Anyway, swinging a wet fly in a riffle or tail-out can be very effective when the fish are on the prowl, which they tend to be in late spring, summer and early fall when there's something to chase (caddis or mayfly). Typical flies would be caddis sparkle pupae in sizes 12-16 and various classic soft-hackled patterns. A caddis behind a streamer swung through fast water can also work very well and grab some huge fish, making you wonder what was wrong with the bigger meal in front.

 

But the fish aren't active all day long, nor in the really cold months, so then you need to deep nymph. Some days the fish don't hit much, but if you are skunked regularly then, sorry to say, it is the "operator" and not the fish. You need to get to depth fast, you need to drift drag-free for the most part and if the big attractor-ish stuff doesn't work you might need to go all-small, i.e., 2-3 nymphs in size 16-20 in midge, baetis, other mayfly or caddis patterns. With an all-small rig you absolutely need split-shot.

 

Usually a good approach to start a typical day would be one nymph that's on the larger end (stonefly, prince, SJW or small leech) and one on the smaller end. If you get slashing hits to the big one, then you can go double-big (but that can end as soon real nymphs go on the move before a hatch). And if you get fish only on the small nymph, then go double-small. If a rig with a big nymph gets no hits at all, then also go double-small.

 

Remember to vary your location. In a large feature fish everything: the fast entry riffle, the guts of the run, the edges, the shelves/drop-offs, and the tail-out, and do so systematically and with patience. Whatever depth you fish at, you should be getting hung up on the bottom at least occasionally, or you're too high. That's assuming the fish aren't visibly active. If they are, you can shorten your leash in stages in case the fish are somewhere higher in the water column or are going after rising bugs.

 

That's it for now. Hope that helps and good luck.

[sldrose]

Usually a good approach to start a typical day would be one nymph that's on the larger end (stonefly, prince, SJW or small leech) and one on the smaller end. If you get slashing hits to the big one, then you can go double-big (but that can end as soon real nymphs go on the move before a hatch). And if you get fish only on the small nymph, then go double-small. If a rig with a big nymph gets no hits at all, then also go double-small.

 

Remember to vary your location. In a large feature fish everything: the fast entry riffle, the guts of the run, the edges, the shelves/drop-offs, and the tail-out, and do so systematically and with patience. Whatever depth you fish at, you should be getting hung up on the bottom at least occasionally, or you're too high. That's assuming the fish aren't visibly active. If they are, you can shorten your leash in stages in case the fish are somewhere higher in the water column or are going after rising bugs.

 

That's it for now. Hope that helps and good luck.

 

Similarly to calgaryguy1977, I've found the start to this season slow going despite the great weather which should be warming things up.

(I could swear that the caddis hatch was already going by this time last year.)

 

WyomingGeorge makes an interesting point about changing up the nymph rig till you find what's working.

 

This past weekend plumeja and I polaroided a few fish and they rejected the usual BH-pheasant tail, prince, copper johns, evil weevils, hare's ear, stonefly nymphs etc

 

We we're stumped.

 

In the end, a single san juan did the job.

 

We only got the one fish on the worm, but we had several shots at others and they all kept rejecting the usual nymph offerings.

 

my 2cents.

[calgaryguy1977]

I really appreciate the info folks!

That said, let say I wanted to use a single SJW....shoould i put a float on it with split shot?....dead drift?...strip? I never had much luck on them in the river although Ive landed a few with SJW on lakes.

[WyomingGeorge]

If it's a light chenille worm, then for sure it needs shot. Wire, depends on the water speed and depth. Some worms come with beadheads, but if you're fishing in deep and/or fast water, even those might need a shot.

 

I have to admit I never fish a single nymph, only double or triple-nymph rigs.