It was not so very long ago in the annals of American fly fishing history that dry fly fishing was not the preferred method of angling. In those days, which encompassed the 1930s into the ‘60s, anglers fished wet because it was the preferred technique; it worked; and a lot more trout were harvested than are today. 

Fly rods of the period tended to be on the soft side, were up to nine feet in length and came in three sections, made mostly of bamboo. It was more common than not for anglers to fish more than one fly—sometimes as many as three wet flies. Flies were cast across the stream, allowed to swing with the current. At the end of the swing, when the fly sped up, was when the trout would strike. Those strikes were often violent, sometimes resulting in a broken tippet.

As equipment improved, and anglers became more aware  of aquatic insect identification and behavior, dry fly fishing became more popular—and there are good reasons for that. Most of us who fish with dry flies fish when flies are hatching; the species is known; and if trout are rising, the fish’s location is known as well.

In theory, dry fly fishing should be the easiest way for decent anglers to catch trout. Frankly, that used to be the case, but in recent years, fly hatches on many rivers have changed dramatically, along with the trout’s feeding behavior. 

From our observations, we’re seeing trout feeding more on emerging mayflies rather than duns. 

What’s also changed in the last 20 years or so is the way anglers are fishing. Almost every angler these days, with the exception of euro-nymphers, fish exclusively with dry flies. In fact, many anglers who only fish with dry flies do not fish when, once at a river, they find no hatching flies or rising trout. I know that, because I’ve heard that some anglers either go to another river or head home if they don’t see any trout feeding on their first stop.

I find this type of angling behavior unfortunate, and think of these folks as “one-dimensional anglers.“ Even some of my friends, who are very good fishermen, stick with dry flies when there is no dry-fly fishing. For example, we were fishing out of West Yellowstone in early September. At that time of year, most of the major fly hatches were over, and it was still too early for the olive mayflies to begin. So rather than try and entice a trout or two, using other methods, my friends stayed with their dry flies. 

Once I realized that dry fly fishing was not going to be productive, I stopped in at Bob Jacquelin’s Fly Shop and picked up about a dozen Prince Nymphs in size 12 and 14. Back at the river, I decided to fish two nymphs, one of each size. I tied the size 14 to the end of the tippet (the tail fly), and the size 12 up the tippet about 18 inches as a dropper (the hand fly). Enough weight was added to allow the nymphs to fish close to the bottom. While my friends looked for hatching flies and rising trout, I fished my nymphs deep and hooked trout and white fish fairly regularly. 

I had very good results around 6 p.m. when I fished the Madison River just outside of West Yellowstone. I was fishing at the heads of nice-looking pools, “chucking” my flies upstream, letting them sink and float back towards me, controlling the line at the same time. If the line stopped, I set the hook. While I can’t say I caught a ton of trout and whitefish, I had steady action. 

Although there were several of us fishing on that trip, and even though I offered to show them how to fish nymphs and catch some trout, everyone refused.

Times have certainly changed for anglers as far as the way they fish. I remember as a teenager, waiting for the weekends with a great deal of anticipation and excitement for our next fishing trip. Fishing was our hobby, our passion, and we couldn’t wait to get on the water and hated to leave. Granted, we used bait and lures with light spinning rods, but our intent was to catch trout. And we adopted our fishing techniques and used whatever worked. For us, whether fishing a river or a brook, being on the water was an absolute joy. 

These days, it appears that fewer and fewer anglers who fish with flies use wet flies, nymphs or streamers if there is no surface activity. So instead of enjoying the pleasure of fishing—being out in nature, wading a river, swinging a pair of wet flies, a steamer or drifting nymphs—if there is no surface activity, some anglers just don’t fish. I find this change in fishing behavior very sad. Hopefully, some anglers who read these words will not take them as criticism, but instead adapt their fishing techniques to take what the river offers. That often means fishing with nymphs, wet flies or streamers when the trout don’t rise.