8 Helpful Hints For Phenomenal Fishing

7 April 2022 | Sarah

With it being early season some might have forgotten some of the basics and some might not know them.
So we decided that it would be handy to remind everyone and have 8 amazing tips and reminders for River Dry Fly Fishing.

Don't Forget the biggest tip we can offer you is our FREE HATCH CHART which is released on a monthly basis during the fishing season. This is invaluable to all anglers around the UK, see the bottom of this email for how to access this months hatch chart!

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#1 Construct leaders to suit the conditions

Anglers can get sucked-in to the mindset that longer leaders (approx 18ft) are superior when fishing rivers. Granted there are occasions when longer leaders are beneficial.

Two instances here would be when:

Using smaller flies as less drag occurs
Rivers are rendered low and clear.

Obviously now the more distance you have between the tip of your fly line and fly the better. That said, super long leaders are difficult to turn over in niggling breezes.

Now, you should crop your leader back to 12ft, or even 10ft in a raging gale.

We specially designed our own range of co-polymer tapered leaders with a long and heavy butt for turnover power and a supple front taper for delicate presentation. They are an excellent choice for fishing with small and mid-sized flies on spooky fish and ideal for even underhand casting.

At 12 feet long you can use the leader at full length or cut down to your ideal length making it versatile for all fishing conditions.

Wychwood Connect Series Nylon 12ft Tapered Leader Ghost Mode Triple Pack 4lb are very high quality nylon tapered leaders. Ghost mode is clear and a good choice no matter where you fish.

Low refractive index
Superb linear strength
High abrasion resistance
Extremely supple
Colour Clear

#2 Land your fly well upstream of rise forms

A common mistake when river fishing is to land your fly in the rings of a rise form.

Sure the Trout is likely to see your best efforts, but will have little time to respond as the fly is continually drifting away from the Trout’s feeding station.

Instead, land your fly several feet upstream of any rise form so the Trout sees the fly drifting towards and has plenty of time to respond.

#3 Throw false casts to one side

After lifting off to represent, those initial false casts we make flick beads of water off the line and onto the surface. If these are carried out over the head of a rising fish, chances are this disturbance (no matter how insignificant) is bound to alert the Trout.
Instead, be sure to aim any false casts several feet to one side of a feeding fish before directing the final cast on target.

#4 Aim your forward cast high

Generally speaking, we want our dry flies to alight with a degree of delicacy.
Where breezes allow, it’s vital then our finally delivery should be aimed well above the surface so our fly lands softly.

We reccomend the Wychwood Connect Series Feather Down Floater for perfect presentation as it has been constructed to ensure that you are able to deliver a fly, with ease and supreme delicacy to spooky fish feeding on or near the surface of the water.

#5 Land terrestrials with a ‘plop’

Admittedly, a contradiction to delicate presentation, but natural terrestrials like beetles and daddy long legs often land on the surface with a resounding ‘plop’.

We should strive to mimic this by landing our terrestrial patterns in similar fashion.

It’s like ringing the dinner bell for hungry Trout..!

#6 Keep false casts to a minimum

Movement is one of the principal things that spooks fish. Where possible we should endeavor to keep any casting to a minimum, by reducing the number of false casts used.

Typically, no more than a couple of false casts are recommended when targeting feeding Trout.

#7 Don’t tear line off water

Tearing line off the surface when lifting to re-cast is one of the best (worst in truth) ways to send your prize scurry for cover.

Avoid this ‘ripping’ noise by gently lifting to free the line from the surface’s grip before accelerating into the back cast proper.

#8 Allow your fly adequate drift

Many anglers are all too eager to lift their line / fly from the water immediately after it’s passed over the head of a rising Trout.

Instead, allow your fly ample time to drift an adequate distance away before lifting it clear.

Not only does this provide time for any undecided Trout to chase and seize your fly, but it also prevents disturbing the fish if you happen to make a clumsy lift.

New Products added daily!
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Free Hatch Chart! Yes Free!

Our hatch charts are full of wonderful rich information timed for the coming month, giving you time to prepare accordingly.

They are offered free of charge to registered customers only as a thank you.

They offer a reference chart by way of a guide as to what should be hatching in normal weather conditions.

More information is below - please check the access instructions.

Accessing The Hatch Chart

Go to www.theessentialfly.com
FIRST login to your account using your own email address and personal account password
From the main menu bar across the top of the screen look for the Hatch Chart link
Hover over this link and from the sub menu that appears the relevant months Hatchchart link will appear
Open up the hatch chart and use it to identify relevant flies for your UK trip be it river or stillwater anywhere in the UK!

CLICK HERE to shop now!

Hatch Chart T&Cs

We offer our hatch chart free of charge to registered customers only.
To access the hatch chart customers must be logged into your account to view the data.
Hatch charts are not available in a printed format.
Release of hatch charts are only available for the month(s) each chart covers, early release will not be available.
Some links might not work due to stock availability or changes in fly ranges pending updating of the hatch charts.