Dry Fly

QUICK GUIDE

In terms of fly fishing, a dry fly is one of the four main categories of fly_lures. It resembles an insect floating on the water surface. Dry flies can also imitate mice, frogs, and snakes. A dry fly is often tied on a light hook so it can float easily.

Dry flies can be tied to imitate insects on the water, such as Pale Morning Duns, or to attract fish to rise, such as a Royal Wulff dry fly. Traditional dry flies have a few basic parts, tail, body, wing, hackle, and head. Floatation of the fly can be achieved by a variety of ways.

Traditional dry flies use the surface tention of water to float. The fly will ride on the hackle and tail, and in some cases the hook point will not break through the surface. Closed-cell foam can be used in the construction or sometimes a CDC feathers, to hold molecules of air. Some sorts of dry flies have to be oiled before presentation to further ease the floating.

Technique

Fishing technique with dry flies is what makes fly fishing so easily distinguishable. In order for the dry fly to float unobstructed, it has to be dried, after it's pulled out of water for another round of presentation. This is accomplished by several rapid strokes or whips of the airborne fly line against the air.

Another method is squishing the dry fly in amadou to have the absorbed water sucked out.

Dry flies can be fished upstream or downstream. Casting upstream generally keeps the angler out of the view of the fish while casting downstream may be easier to get at productive holes.