Terrestrial season is underway
Fly fishing big foam Stonefly and Grasshopper patterns is what every seasoned angler worships in the summer months. It’s that time of the year terrestrial fishing is at its best and every angler should endure while on the water.
While these hatches can be sporadic, trout are eager for a big meal. Get on the water, and try fishing a Chubby Chernobyl, Amy’s Ant, Morning Wood Hopper, or a terrestrial pattern of your choice.
Glossary
Single Terrestrial Dry Fly Fishing Tips
Single Terrestrial Dry Fly Fishing Tips
When fishing single Grasshopper or Stonefly adult patterns, trout can be very opportunistic to eat your fly from the first to fifth cast within the desired water you are fishing. Personally, when fishing single dries and terrestrial patterns, I fish 2-4x 9 foot leaders. I like the distance of this leader because you’re only throwing one fly, as opposed to throwing multiple. When fishing these patterns, always look upriver behind rocks, boulders, specifically targeting the banks of the river before you start fishing the deeper pocket water. Ultimately, try and fish closest to you, trout can eat grasshoppers even in three inches of water.
After taking your first few casts fishing single terrestrial patterns, work your way deeper across the river. Ideally, in very clear, low water mending can be challenging. The goal is to try and create a natural drift with that single dry. Try to limit the amount of mending you do when you’re fishing dries. Sometimes, this can create an un-natural drift towards the end of your drift. When the fly gets submerged underwater, pull the fly out, take a few back casts and re-cast. When you see trout rise, don’t throw the fly directly where it rose. Take a minute, inspect where the fish is nosing up and cast three to five feet above the fish.
When the fish eats your dry fly be patient. Sometimes little trout will be very eager and crush it on the top water. When fishing these patterns, larger trout will come up slower to eat that fly. Be patient, and set that hook!
Dry Dropper Fishing
In the summer months, sometimes you won’t get trout to eat single terrestrial or stonefly adult patterns by themselves. This can be from the veteran trout seeing these flies too many times, just looking up, flashing and rejecting your hopper pattern. Throwing a dropper below your dry fly will help bring fish to the net when they are seasoned.
When on the water fishing dry dropper, we can accomplish this by simply trying fluorocarbon tippet to the end of your hopper. For bigger rivers, I prefer fishing deep. This means, don’t be afraid of cutting twenty plus inches of tippet off of your spool when tying on to you hopper. Remember, your Chubby Chernobyl is your indicator fly when fishing a dry dropper rig. When it moves un-natural with the water surface or gets pulled down like a strike indicator, set that hook!
My go-to-rig when fishing dry dropper is to fish a 2-4x 7.5 foot leader. I like fishing shorter leaders when throwing dry droppers since you add twenty plus inches of tippet below your buoyant dry fly. This will improve your accuracy and power, while not being a pain to cast with a 9 foot leader.
How to tie a Chubby Chernobyl
Chubby Chernobyl Fly Recipe
- Hook: Firehole Sticks 618 Foam & Nymph – 4
- Thread: UTC Ultrathread 140 Denier – Tan
- Tail: Krystal Flash – UV Tan
- Body: Ice Dub – UV Tan
- Foam: Fly Tying Foam – 3mm – Tan
- Wing: EP Fibers – White
- Legs: Speckled Centipede Legs – Speckled Brown – Medium
Gear
Ross Reels Animas Fly Reel – $360
Airflo Superflo Universal Taper Fly Line – $100
Airflo Trout Polyleader 7.5ft-8ft – $14
Umpqua Phantom X Ultra Fluorocarbon Tippet 2-5x – $19.99
Chubby Chernobyl Tan #8-16 – $2.99
Loon Outdoors Fly Dip – $12.50
Loon Outdoors Top Ride Dry Shake – $11
Check out the article below for dry dropper and terrestrial fishing:
Article from Winter Park Flyfisher guide and Intern of Flylords Magazine Nelson Oxley, give him a follow on Instagram at @nelson_oxley.
