Luc Pierssens packed his spiders and headed to Montana to swing some wet flies down and across. Did they work? Read on:
I started to develop an interest in wet fly fishing early in my fly fishing apprenticeship, more than 30 years ago, because it has always been a well proven early-season fish catching method on the rivers of the Ardennes, south-east Belgium. Two decades later I became interested in the classical literature devoted to the history of North Country flies (T.E. Pritt, Edmonds and Lee, W.C. Stewart, etc.,) as well as their dressing and associated fishing methods. Their elegant sparseness in the dressing, use of natural fur and feather materials as well as realistic resemblance to the natural insect larvae has always fascinated me. I cannot help boasting to my fishing pals about the fact that a Dark Spanish Needle, which produces fish after fish on my local river, is about 150 years old... One of them branded me a "fly fishing antiquarian" the other day.
A strong catalyst to my affection for wet fly fishing arose on the occasion of my first fishing expedition to the Mecca of fly fishing, the rivers in and around Yellowstone national park, Montana. This experience came as an accident since the most effective methods on these rivers are either nymph fishing or dry fly. On my last day on the Bighorn river, fishing during a very quiet mid-afternoon session when little was hatching on the river and no surface activity was to be seen, I resorted to try a classical terrestrial pattern, a Coch-y-Bondhu fished on the surface. I soon started to chat to an angler from New Jersey fishing from the other bank of the same side channel. I lost track of the drag-free drift of my beetle pattern and still talking to my friendly opposite neighbour my offering, now on the dangle, was savagely hit by a very powerful brown trout. Thinking, my god was that a fluke, the next cast went flying a quarter downstream followed by a couple of mends, a short section of drag-free drift and then a slow figure of eight retrieve. Bang! Another fish on, this time a very powerful rainbow that made a nice run taking my line well into the backing. After netting and releasing this fine wild rainbow, I crossed over to the other side to brief my very surprised fellow fisherman and offered him a copy of the successful pattern. To cut a nice story short, we both hooked and landed a few more fish, lost a few as well...until I ran out of flies and decided to rejoin my Belgian friends further up the river.
Since sport was pretty slow on the nymph, and psyched up with my agitated recollection of earlier adventures downstream, they both had a go with the wet fly. Fishing now with a team of wet Hare's Ear patterns, March Brown style, we had some hectic sport... nearing indecency since by then it was a much more crowded river and our success was much envied.
Now, how much luck or discerning fishing strategy played a part in this successful experience? Most anglers fishing the Bighorn as well as other rivers in Montana use the double nymph rig system with a strike indicator, aka a bobber. This very effective method enables even the novice fisherman to be successful when aided by a guide who manages to adjust to the adequate drifting speed for the boat. The richness of fly life in these tail waters makes these fish predominantly bottom feeders moving closer to the surface only during a substantial hatch or spinner fall. Anglers capable of a perfect drag-free drift presentation will also catch fish from the surface using up-wing dries or emerging patterns. Another factor to consider is also the fact that these are the fishing methods used by the majority and that fish are getting used to that. Fishing a not so practiced method (e.g. wet fly) from a different position in the river can make the difference. As I have experienced, when caddis are hatching and emerging pupae are ascending to the surface, fish will chase them in mid-water or just below the surface. In these circumstances spiders or traditional north country wets can out-fish the usually more efficient nymphs.
My next fishing trip to the US, a couple of summers ago, gave me an opportunity to put this theory to the test and evaluate the efficiency of spider patterns. Having gained more experience in the technique as well as having now a wide range of proven patterns filling a devoted fly box, my confidence was strong.
On the Bighorn river again, fishing the evening rise between Yellowtail Afterbay dam and Three Mile access, I found myself in the middle of a nice Little Black caddis hatch (Amiocentrus aspilus). Plenty of insects flying around, skating on the surface but hardly any trout chasing them in the surface or rising. Fishing a tandem of spiders, switching from patterns to patterns, produced a few tugs and an occasional fish. Frustration started to creep in. Gazing puzzled into my fly box, I suddenly remembered some advice given by a regular during one of our pleasant encounters in the car park at Three Mile Access: "When black caddis are hatching purple seems to be very attractive...". Off went the dropper, on went a size 14 Snipe and Purple. First cast, fish on. Second cast fish on, all on the Snipe and Purple. Now fishing a tandem of purple spiders, what followed was one of the most frantic fishing sessions with at least a dozen fish, mainly rainbows, all in the 40 to 55 cm range. The majority of them making powerful runs taking the line well into the backing. A magic moment on the river, this time on my own but armed with my camera to capture some glimpses of this memorable experience. Back to the lodge, my fellow anglers were not so cheerful, a normal evening session... but rather quiet. North Country spiders one point.
Change of venue, a few days later we continued our pilgrimage to the rivers and lakes around West-Yellowstone. The upper Madison river, flowing out of Hebgen Lake via Quake lake, is a fast white water river with powerful runs interrupted by large boulders. One of the most scenic as well. It is not every day that you get the chance to fish along white tailed eagles and several pairs of ospreys diving into the river a few hundred yards from you. The Madison is famous for its salmon fly and skwala hatches (stoneflies) but is, according to the local guides a very good caddis river with hydropsyche and a grannom species represented. On the first morning session there weren't many insects on the water. Nymph fishing and a short session with the wet fly produced only a few trout mainly from the margins. Before leaving the river for the lunch break I turned a few stones over and what I saw confirmed the theory: very large stone flies and one of my favorite caddis species with a square section casing, brachycentrus (grannom). During the car journey into town I thought of the two wet grannom pattern I use on my local river in the spring. Surely, I had to give them a swim later.
In the afternoon it looked like dropping nymphs in the quieter water behind large boulders was the key to hook nice trout and large white fish. As time progressed towards the evening and insect hatches started to develop I started to hook fish more regularly. Some took a green butt Brassie pattern but the majority went for a size 10 Partridge and Green with black ribbing. Fishing the pools formed by the junctions of side channels with the main river seemed to produce the best fish. The last half hour of daylight saw me hooking and landing some really nice fish, which took a lot of effort to bring in because of the powerful currents. My best fish of the evening was not a monster but one of the most beautiful cock rainbows I have ever caught. Nicely marked, broad shouldered and a magnificent head, well worth a picture.
On my return to the car park, well in the shimmering light and after a treacherous crossing of this powerful river, I was welcomed by two American anglers that were fishing from the opposite side of the river. Having witnessed the brisk action I had been in, they were keen to learn what had brought this frantic activity. I showed them the grannom spider pattern that caught the fish. Looking at the somewhat surprised and suspicious gaze on their face I started a lengthy explanation: "Have you heard of North Country flies or spiders? They originated in Yorkshire and are more than 100 years old...You heard of the river Warfe?"
Don't be fooled. In most fishing conditions nymph fishing will reach and catch the best fish in the pools. Imitating the swift and somewhat erratic rise to the surface of hatching caddis can be done with spiders fished in a traditional "across and down" method. Follow the progress of the leader to line junction, strike at any forward jump, and expect a savage strike when the flies start to lift... Tail water trout in Montana are not used to this kind of presentation.
Luc PIERSSENS. Self-confessed trout bum from Resteigne, south-east Belgium. My local river is the Lesse (http://peche-resteigne.blogspot.be/) and as a regular UK visitor you will find me on the Eden, Ehen and Tweed. Member of the WTT, I have become a bit of a "trout whisperer" and spend a lot of time restoring the spawning tributaries of my local river (http://truite-resteigne.blogspot.be/), dreaming of a better world where catch and release would be the norm and not the exception.