I'm trying to get this straight in my head so here is what I've deduced so far - please correct me where I'm wrong

You retrieve differently according to what type of fly you're fishing - trying to impart the most natural/take inducing movement you can.

Lures - are "stripped" which I think means a very fast retrieve so they act like the small fish they are imitating, darting about etc.

Traditional winged wets - can be thought of as lures, a fairly fast retrieve most dont necessarily imitate anything specific but are attractors and the movement helps draw the fishes attention.

Nymphs/buzzers - a much slower "figure eight" retrieve which is as much about getting them to rise and sink in the water to act like the stage of insect they represent as it is bringing them in and also it keeps the slack out of the line.

Dries - again the retrieve is slow and possibly a bit jerky, trying to generate movement in the surface film like an insect trying to get free.
I suspect there are types of dry retrieved fairly quickly as well - basing this on a bug I saw that really scooted across the surface film to get to the bank, generating a large wake. Wasn't close enough to see what it was though.


I'm coming from a mainly stillwater perpective so haven't included the effect of the current but the objective there as well as the above is to get the fly to act naturally in the current without the line causing it to act oddly.

There must be other things I'm missing here so please fill me in.

I don't think I could confidently say that for fly 'X' you haver to use retrieve 'Z' as it depends on what they fish are wanting.

I have had fish zip after little buzzers that I am stripping through the water because I fancied a change of fly so stripped my line back in only to see a bow wave rise up behind it. Thinking it might be worth a go I cast out again, ripped it back and sure enough up came the bow wave.
I've had days fishing where they just wanted the nymph fished static, the dry wet and the wet dry.

That is the beaty of this sport - it's a puzzle everytime you go and you haver to unlock the puzzle.

I have had red letter days on one particular fly, gone back the next day and not been touched on it. It's all about what gets them in the mood at the time.

The retrieves you have listed are what would be "text book" but I'd say just mess about with your retrieves and swap your flies until you figure out the puzzle.

Hi Euan

I think you may have generalized a bit as to the use of different retrieves for different flies and lures. The truth of the matter is that there are many types of retrieves and permutations of the same.

Lures can be retrieved slowly and stripped extreme fast or anywhere in between.

Wets/nymphs/buzzers can be fished static or retieved slowly or figure of eight

Dries are usually fished static or can be retieved slowly making a wake.

Again this is a very general guide and any of the above guide lines can be broken if this is how the fish want the artificial presented.

BK

Hi Euan,You have some of the retrievs correct.but it's a lot more complicated than that.You have to add in line type in use,boat or bank fishing,and what you are trying to achieve.Take dries.many folk fish them static,rather than retrieve them,but if you were fishing a sedge imitation then you would pull it to cause a wake.
Lures can be fished fast,slow or erratic.as can buzzers.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I suppose its in the nature of this sort of question to have to generalise a bit.

So although the ways I listed are "textbook" they should be thought of as a starting point rather than the only or right way to do it?

Hutch when you had the bow wave after your buzzer was it acting more as an attractor than an imitator?

3lb grayling if that is how sedges are fished I guess that makes it likely that it was a sedge I saw scooting over the surface of the loch? Looked about that sort of size.

All helpful stuff its a very steep learning curve and I'm trying to identify and work on as many things as I can! I may think of myself as returning to ffing but in a lot of ways its much more like being a complete beginner who happens to have a lot of kit!

Yes. IF you don't get any interest with one retrieve after exploring the dpths etc then try varying it. The hardest part is when your mind drifts off to some far away place for two secs and you connect with a fish, you then have to try and remember what the chuff you were doing as far as retrieve speed, pattern of pulls and depth goes.

With the buzzer thing - I only wish I knew. I only had the one fly on so it could've been representing small insects whizzing about or just generating general interest.

If you're fishing buzzers and you're moving them at all you're fishing too fast. All they need to do is to trundle around on the breeze with you retrieving just enough to keep in touch.

For dries on stillwater moving them CAN provoke a take, but I've had far more refusals doing it. Sling it out, leave it no more than 20 seconds, then re-cast to a different spot.

Lures can be fished fast, slow or in between. I find that the best retreive pattern for me is the FTA, or F*ck Them About. It goes something like this:-
Chuck it out then count down so you can repeat if necessary. Then two or three steady 2' draws on the line followed by a series of fast and slow figure 8's. Stop for 10 seconds, then one or two 2' draws followed by more figure 8's, pause, pull, lift and re-cast. Remember to count down your sink times as this will enable you to repeat when you get into fish. If you've discovered that you hit fish at 15 seconds, then you can do that as often as needs be. If you don't time it you can be above or below the fish and not catch other than the odd times you get it right. Depth is the key.