Swinging Flies

[Guest bigbadbrent]

After my night excursion last night, thought i'd probably have to learn how to swing nymphs and drys a little more consistently, since rises are hard to frigging see, and when there are 100's of fish rising, hard to set just to sounds..

 

So really, a walk through would be great. If im nymphing i usually throw on my 3 flies (should these just be regular old nymphs, or should i be pulling out the wet flies). Do a cast 45 degrees upstream, mend upstream to let the flies sink. Then i just hold my line till it tightens, and then i raise the tip to 'entice the hit'...but yet, i get very very few fish when im doing this, many more when im just dead drifting..so any help would be appreciated

 

same with drys, had one on last night as a fluke swing cause i didnt know where my fly was, and by the time i realised he was on, he was pretty much gone. Tried to reproduce the same thing with no success

 

help!

[dryfly]

Here's how I do it.

 

Get above the risers and cast down to them quartering downstream at about 45° or so--maybe a bit higher. Try to get the fly to swing through the general area of the rises. Since it is dark, I'd advise some 6-, 8- or even 10-pound fluoro tippet as the hits can (not necessarily) be wicked. So you are swinging a tight line. You can pay out line and mend to get the fly to sink. You don't want it swing too fast in front of the fish. You can figure that stuff out. If the fish are hugging the bank, this can be difficult to impossible. You then may have to fish from below the risers and strip toward you -- near the bank. Depends.

 

Flies? It's dark, so pattern is not likely going to matter too much: bead Prince, caddis pupa, EW-like critters or soft hackles.

 

I've had some decent success swinging a caddis pupa in this manner--both in daytime in evenings. I've fished this way on the Crow at near dark. Sometimes fussy fish -- that would not look at anything 20 minutes ago --will hit just about anything on the swing. Works well in slick water in daytime when approach is difficult and the fish fussy for dries. In daytime you'll want some extra leader...12 feet or so.

 

This caddis pupa is one of my best friends--works well on the swing. SIMPLE TIE ... and effective.

 

Just ask Miss Piggy here ...

 

From TEGTFF ...

[Hawgstoppah]

well said.. well said. The only thing i'd add to this, is that you can high stick like daytime contact nymphing, and at the end of the drift, bring your rod up slowly and toward the bank. A lot of times they'll smack it right there. (provided your standing on the bank)... honestly for night fish, unless your on a very shallow mid river bar, stay on the bank. Most of the fish are 5 feet or less from it.

 

Clives caddis looks deadly btw............. Im gonna have to crack some of those off the vice..

[toolman]

Great post Dryfly...excellent advice/info. and illustration. Hawgstoppahs tip about staying out of the water, is critical for success at night. I often let my flys swing right to the bank and hang for a couple of seconds on the dangle. You can sometimes get savage strikes if you give it a short couple of strips before recasting.

After the cast, 45 degrees down and across, throw an upstream mend to get the leader running straight in line with the current. Hold the rod tip low and pointing directly at the flys on a tight line. Follow them through the swing, untill they stop downstream below you along the bank and on the dangle.

[Weedy1]

I'm a little confused with respect to this whole principle. Does this not go against the mentality of trying to ensure a drag free drift or is the intent to imitate something that is emerging hoping to get a strike?

 

Someone please fill me in, I'm freaking out.

[Guest bigbadbrent]

I'm a little confused with respect to this whole principle. Does this not go against the mentality of trying to ensure a drag free drift or is the intent to imitate something that is emerging hoping to get a strike?

 

Someone please fill me in, I'm freaking out.

 

 

emerging insects, or washed under dries, etc..

[mditel]

When swinging nymphs, since most of the hits are at the end of the drift and close to the bank, do you find it is better to move upstream or downstream for night fishing?If I move upstream the hits will be occurring in the area that I will be moving away from. But if I move downstream I will be swinging the nymph into new water. I have always tended to move upstream and have wondered if I have spooked fish (even when I stay out of the water). Which method works best? I did catch my first night brown-22 incher at midnight two nights ago, a few feet from shore but I couldn't get any others. What a rush in the dark!!!! Thanks to all the tips from this board.

[dryfly]

1) You want the fly to drag...just not too goofy fast.

2) Fish downstream of possible into new water. Plan your attack.

 

Clive

[Hawgstoppah]

If your swinging... fish downstream.

If your stalking rising fish you can see.. fish upstream.

[toolman]

I'm a little confused with respect to this whole principle. Does this not go against the mentality of trying to ensure a drag free drift or is the intent to imitate something that is emerging hoping to get a strike?

 

Someone please fill me in, I'm freaking out.

 

 

Swinging techniques are used to "Swim" the fly. There are many presentations possible with this method, using a wide variety of aquatic insect and bait fish immitations. Sometimes flys are simple attractor patterns that may not necessarily represent anything swimming in the river and the strikes are a matter of territory and survival, through the elimination of a threat.

Many fly patterns are effective at different times and matching the hatch and the behavior/feeding patterns of the fish, will ultimately lead to more success, as is the case with all flyfishing techniques.

Combining swinging tactics, strategies and techniques, with Speycasting methods, is an awesome way to flyfish.

Once you feel an explosive grab and run type of strike on the swing, you will love this type of fishing for life.

[Weedy1]

Thanks guys, it makes more sense now.

[Guest rusty]

A really fun way to fish like that is to rig a nymph with a streamer below it. Lob upstream, highstick in front of you, then just tighten up and swing below you into the bank. Like Clive says - this is no place for light tippets.

 

You can have some very good days fishing that way when there's not a lot else going on.

[SilverDoctor]

Just to add because of the nature of the savage strikes with swinging wets and streamers it's a good idea to hold 8 - 12 inches of line as a shock stopper. You can loose a tippet quite easily if there is no "give", The other thing is to be sure you have your drag set right and not too loose. Small things that make a difference after the strike.

 

Even with these I've had a brown leave me with miles of fly line wrapped around my head.

[clarki]

as silver doctor said "Small things that make a difference after the strike."

 

this has to be the toughest part for newbies and for trying to explain these things to newbies also. night fishng or not, its those words that help you to land the fish. later

 

M

[Hawgstoppah]

Hey also, if your holding rod tip pointing at the line, etc and some of the takes can be savage, and this will be hard as HELL to do, but do not try to lift your rod to set the hook. They will hook themselves as they turn to run on you. Just hold 'er steady and wait for the blast. Most times it's immediate (like it's part of the take) but sometimes you'll feel a tap tap tap, then ZiIIiiiIIIIIIIIIing goes your line. I've snapped off a LOT of bigguns becuase of my inability at times to listen to my own advice

 

And having a foot or a couple feet of line out is a plus... but it can be a negative too. Can't say how many fish I've lost with line out on the take too, as they hit and run and the line is wrapped around my reel, my fly holder on the rod... a small tree branch... etc. So I guess what I'm saying is... find your comfort zone. At night try NOT to have a lot of loose line laying at your feet. I try to have none on the ground ever...

[Crogg]

I was swingin a wet fly on Tues evening on the Bow and got a good strike from a good sized fish. I lifted the rod tip up to set the hook, and after a few good head shakes the fish was off. Now I know...Thanks for the tips guys...

[reevesr1]

A really fun way to fish like that is to rig a nymph with a streamer below it. Lob upstream, highstick in front of you, then just tighten up and swing below you into the bank. Like Clive says - this is no place for light tippets.

 

You can have some very good days fishing that way when there's not a lot else going on.

Rusty,

I have had some utterly explosive stikes in the early morning using the above method. Its pretty exciting going from the very subtle pickup of the nymph when drifting toward you to them nuking the streamer on the swing. YeeHaaww! Its also interesting how many will hit the streamer on the high stick. That is usually not so subtle!

 

My son hooked his first really big rainbow this way on the swing. Didn't catch him but it left us both breathless.

[birchy]

A couple weeks back I tried swinging nymphs in the dark but really had no idea how to go about it.

 

So I tied on a small streamer.. casted it straight out, let the current take it down to the bank, and then slowly stripped it back up the bank towards me where I new there was a big riser. He nailed it on the 3rd cast and broke off my 6lb. fluoro almost immediately!