Good Morning
I have recently had a go at fishing the dry fly with mimimal success & am now looking for a few tips to improve my catch rate.
I have been using a silicone spray on the fly & that seems to work ok but not sure what I should do with the leader should it be greased up so it will float or de-greased to sink ?.
If its the later would this not sink the fly ?.

The fish are rising all around my fly but most of them seem to be avoiding it I have even seen one or two swim up to the fly then turn away.

Any advice would be appriciated.

Rob.

I'm pretty poor at dry fly fishing.But you want your leader near the fly to be sunk. and try going smaller if they refuse your fly.

Jim

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

Would agree, new to fly fishing but have lots of experience fishing the surface for carp, and that last bit of line near the hook must look like a crack on a mirror if lying on the surface. You with want it sunk, or off the water. The latter is not practical with fly fishing so sink the last few inches and you will spook less fish.

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Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine,
No blood of living insect stain my line;
Let me, less cruel, cast feather'd hook,
With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray,
And with fur-wrought fly delude the prey

You need to degrease you leader and drop the weight of it ,try 4lb but not flourocarbon as it can sink your dry sometimes ,shy fish spot your thick mono no problem especially in a flat calm,try and match the fly thats hatching or at least something of the same size and colour this should pick some of them off,what mono are you using i use stroft which you can get on ebay ,quality stuff and not expensive a lot of river guys use it,better to fish a single fly when targeting rising fish as well

Hi Rob,
If the fish are taking a look at your fly and turning away; then your doing something right!

Are you fishing River or Lake? River dry fly will depend on the "Presentation" of your fly, also the type, size and colour, grease your fly; and DE-grease the tippet about 6-10ins, from the fly towards the leader, when casting you need to pull back on the line to allow some slack, for a perfect drift (NO Drag Required) of your fly, if you still not getting any offers, try changing your fly, or try to improve on presentation, match the hatch as closely as possible; but if your presentation is right! - Sooner or later you'll be rewarded for your efforts!

If you are lake fishing in the South of England or the Midlands, I see you are based in Herts, it's maybe a tad early in the season to be catching reliably on the dry fly. From midsummer into the early autumn is prime time for dries. With a few exceptions, as ever....

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"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Hi Guys
Fishing at Clavering lakes in essex.
The fishing are rising like mad in the evenings & seem to be feeding on small black gnats although I took one on a large daddie (only dry I had at the time) about 3lb & then got broken off by something much larger & lost the daddie.
I am now keen to get back there with a secection of dries & a bit more knowlege.

Cheers

Are they feeding on adults on the surface or hatching insects ?

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Hi
I think they are hatching insects because it all sems to take off in the evening.
I have caught on buzzers & nymphs earlier in the day but it all starts to happen on the surface about 4:30pm its just very frustrating when the fish are rising all over the place & I can't seen to catch them!

Try some black shuttlecock buzzers in sizes 16, 18, 20,!! Fished dry!