Become a Better Dry Fly Angler from a Moving Drift Boat

The video pretty much tells all, but keep this in mind. We put this together for DIY and Guided guests. Whether you own, rent, or hire a guide this video will help you dial up your downstream dry fly game and make the most out of your float trips.

After 20+ years of guiding, one trend rings true EVERY single year. All of us guides want to see better dry fly anglers show up in our boats. Nymphing out of a boat is relatively easy, and quick short cut to success. I don't mean to dismiss the value, or skills but dry fly fishing is the HEART and SOUL of our sport. It's more challenging however as you don't have the weight of a fly, shot, or strike indicator to mitigate drag and fish under the surface are easier to fool. Trout on pressured rivers that rise to a dry fly are brought up for 1 of 2 reasons. First, the fish is crazy hungry and aggressive.... the problem here is that you're at the mercy of the trout's attitude. Second reason is that we put in a presentation that was so good the trout has no reason NOT to be fooled. That's what we want to do. Study now, catch later. 

A few tips to Supplement the Video:

1. Cast downstream unless you are anchored or casting backup an inside seam.
2. Be quick, keep your hands tight to your body so that you can make quick adjustments and handle the line well.
3. Short casting strokes. These casts are often the "golf equivalent" of chips, putts, and the occasional 9 iron. Most modern 5 weight rods can cast in upwards of 100'. You need to cast 30'. Use 30% of the rod to do these jobs. Short strokes.
4. Practice your line handling. Learn to make quick exchanges, strip the line properly, and pinch that line off in your rod hand if you aren't changing distance.
5. Fish the future. See tip #1 haha. So important.
6. Have a "snag" strategy. If you land in the sticks, don't yank back. Gingerly shake it out, if you land in the grass but your rod tip down on the water quickly and strip the fly into the river. By day's end you'll find a couple of trout this way because the fly won't jump 10' back off the shore. It will often slide right into the water making even a Caddis look very natural.

About This Video:

If you are first seeing this on the blog, keep in mind that it is shot in 4K and shows very well on your TV. SmartCast it from your phone or use the App, it's so much better on a big screen so you can see some of the finer details during the head camera sections.