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ANGLES OF DRAG

IF YOR REMINDED MOST OF THE ANGLERS on the stream of the need in dry-fly fishing for the much-touted "drag-free drift," they would say, "Yeah, yeah - I know all about that." Which makes me wonder why they so often and unncessarily cast across a current to reach their target water, which is just about the worst angle of reach their target water, which is just about the worst angle of presentation they could make. It must be that they really don't understand drag dynamics very well. Not have they grasped a simple rule that can mean the difference between a great day of catching trout and a long day of merely pounding out flyline.

Probably most of these fisherman are aware of this fundamental idea: to appear natural and edible, an artificial fly must (with some exceptions to be noted later) drift freely along the surface jusst like a real bug. And any current pull by the flyline or leader causes the fly to drag, however slightly, on the surfaceand effect repellent to most trout. But that's only the begining. Any stream, evn an apparently placid one, consists not just of a single broad flow of many hands or lines of current (sometimes called micro-currents) running more or less parallel, but at varying speeds. Most fisherman could change their skill level and dry-fly sucess overnight if they'd simply think in terms of minimizing their casting angle to the current. In other words, the idea is to drop the line across as few micro-currents as possible. Try to position yourself for a direct or tightly angled cast usptream or downstream to the target water. As long as adequate slack is presented in the line and leader this type of cast will provide the best and longest drag-free drift - the one most likely to fool a mature and perhaps fly-wise trout.

MORE CASTS AND PRESENTATIONS

TIGHT-ANGLE UPSTREAM and downstream approaches aren't always feasible or possible, of course. Sometimes you have no choice but to make broad, quartering or cross-stream casts. For these presentations to be effective there has to be enough slack in the leader and line to manage some drag-free drift. Yet I don't see that many good slack-line deliveries on Plunge Creek, or anywhere else for that matter. Not many efficient mends, or reach casts, or left and right curves. (Or parachute, puddle, or S-casts.) These may sound technical and esoteric, but anyone can Team them quickly with the aid of a flycasting video and some lawn practice, or by taking a few casting lessons from an instructor. The payoff can be dramatic.

"Shorten your casts, lengthen your tippets," would be a good rule for more dry-fly fishermen to remember. Many anglers use properly tapered leaders, but for some reason are stingy with their tippet sections. I like a dry-fly tippet to be anywhere from twenty inches to four or even five feet long, depending on the leader's overall length and taper and the size of the fly. The tippet-material should be light and supple, so it falls to the water with ample waves and curves that give the fly plenty of freedom to drift like a natural bug. (Note: A tippet that fails to turn the fly over and puddles up around the fly is too long, an needs trimming.)

WHICH FLY?

WHAT MOST DRY FLY FISHERMEN really want to know about, and all too often fatally believe in, is the "deadly" new fly that will turn normally hesitant trout into careless binge feeders. This fixation keeps many anglers staggering under the weight of flyboxes and prone to changing flies whimsically, without a fundamental sense of strategy.

As an aid to practical fly selection, it's helpful to think in two basic categories: search flies and hatch-watchers. Search flies are the ones to use when there's no significant insect activity and no trout are visibly rising, which accounts for most hours astream. Pure search flies are those that imitate no one type of bug, but present that semblance of insecthood that turns trout on. The Madame X is one of the best examples-and one of the best pure search flies. Its oblong shape is suggestive of a caddis, or a stonefly, or a hopper, or even a hatching mayfly trailing its shuck; though how exactly the white rubber legs fit into any representation is a question better left unasked.

Suggestiveness is apparently enough, also, for the Royal Wulff, Ugly Rudumus and Bivisible (which can be tied in traditional brown and white but also, for better visibility, in orange and white; the trout don't often seem to care), in sizes 8-16. Imitative search flies do, more or less, represent a specific type of insect, but because they have such general trout appeal, serve well as exploration patterns, too. The Parachute Adams is the preeminent example here. Another is the Elk Hair Caddis. Humpies, Goofus Bugs and Stimulators, in assorted colors, sizes 12-16, help fill out the search-fly box.

Hatch-matching flies must be more carefully selected. Many fishermen simply glance at a drifting or hovering insect before tying on an approximate dupe. I suggest carrying a folding screen or dip-net in your vest to capture the natural for close inspection. The most important details to mimic are size, shape, and color-in that order. A tendency in size-perception is to grab an artificial that's larger than the real bug, but it's better, actually, to err on the side of a smaller match. If you must pick between an accurate imitation of the fly's shape or its color, go with the shape. If your ability to match the natural color is imperfect, and the choice is either a lighter or darker pattern, try the darker one first.

Basic hatch-matching patterns everyone should carry, in addition to those realistic flies already mentioned, include: Comparadun, Parachute Light Cahill, and Brown Spinner (# 14-20), and the Blue Wing Olive, and Griffin's Gnat (# 1822). Don't forget to bring some terrestrial, both to match naturals (especially on windy days) and as search flies: red and black ant patterns (#14-22); the big, ungainly but very effective Chernobyl Ant, and a variety of hoppers (#6-14). I'm never shy about stopping at local flyshops to take advantage of regional expertise and hatch information. This is also a good way to find specifically tied local and seasonal patterns that can outproduce more generic fare.

I've seen a lot of worked-up fishermen cast directly to the risering of a feeding trout, which is a mistake that can put the fish down permanently. The better approach is to first note the beat or rhythm of the trout's rises, timing the delivery to coincide with its next lift. At the right moment, cast three or four feet above the previous ring, letting the fly drift into the take zone. If you're getting good drag-free drifts over a feeding lane-but no action-don't stay with the same fly too long. Change patterns until something works.

And if nothing does work, after careful and repeated efforts? Most fishermen vainly continue to struggle with matching the hatch, even after they've gone through everything in the box. But in such cases I suggest trying something completely different-or even weird. Put a #12 Adams over a trout that resolutely refuses your midge-imitations; or throw a big hopper (in season), or a Royal Wulff or leggy Madame X. If standard dragfree drifts fail to elicit strikes (and this applies equally to slow fishing in no-hatch situations) shake things up even more. Move the fly rather than dead-drift it. Skip it an inch or two over the surface, dap it up and down, skate it back upstream or across the current. There's nothing to lose at this point, and many times I've seen such oddball tactics bring up the biggest trout of the day.