# Swinging wet flies?



## Janus (Jul 26, 2006)

Not to experienced with swinging wet flies..I had a question: Do you keep tension in you line through the whole swing or do you have a belly? any tips on methods for steelhead appreciated. My cousin is coming over from P.A. to fish and wanted to have something new to try. Besides the usual cast and blankly staring into space trying to figure out when life became so complicated, or thinking, maybe if I wore my waders inside out I could just pee.
Janus


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## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

WARNING: Once you start swinging wets, its hard to fish any other way because it is just so darn effective! I started swinging wets early this past spring and kept at it all summer and fall and I can't get myself to tie on a dry and fish upstream any more!

You do NOT want a belly in the line as it drifts. This will pull the fly faster than a natural bug can really swim. You'll get good at mending your line when fishing wet. Plus, if you have the belly, you're less likely to see and/or feel the strike. I use a couple different techniques here. One, you can simply fish it like any nymph on a dead drift and that is really effective. Just cast it upstream on a slight angle, lift the rod tip as much as you can VS stripping to mend your line, and then lower your rod down the fly passes by you and into the swing. Or you can cast 90-45 degrees toward the opposite bank and then the start the "swing." I get almost all my strikes right the fly line becomes taught and the fly starts to rise toward the surface of the water. Many times you'll see the flash, most times you'll feel the strike too because you have a tight line. Let your fly just hang at the end of the swing if you want, maybe give it a little twitch or a few strips to entice them to hit it.

This method works really well for buggers and other streamer-type flies too. I've been catching smallies by the ton using a peacock chenille bugger and clousers with this method lately. You're supposed to get less hooks up this way, as you are usually setting the hook upstream and pulling fly out of the fish's mouth, but I have yet to have my hook up % drop this way. 

Note: I only use a floating line and I'm not sure if this works with a sinking line, but in theory it should. Just give it a shot, you'll love it.


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## jsalkas (Feb 18, 2005)

I agree with Utard, it's very hard to change techniques after getting the hang of wet fly swinging. I still throw poppers first for smallies, but I don't waste much time switching to a woolly bugger or conehead muddler and then going with the swing.

However, I do think there are times when I want the line to be taught from the very start of the swing, before I complete the drift. I'm thinking about some weedy or shallower rivers I fish for smallies where they don't care how fast their prey is moving away (I don't swing nymphs in this manner, however, usually just streamers). But I guess there are always exceptions to the rules.


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## Janus (Jul 26, 2006)

Thanks guys. I tried swinging some this weekend. Rocky river is so slow and low that it was hard to find any current to work with. I did see a steelhead facing upstream about 7feet out from me and I swung everything and tried to time it so it turned in front or off to the side/front of the fish.Even dead drifted egg patterns, stonefly's...the hole was very moving very slow and the fish was not interested in anything, seemed like he was immeresed in deep thought..just sitting there this whole dance went on for about 40 minutes...Utard you need to come up here and meet this fish.
Thanks again,
Janus


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## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

I think so. Sounds like the type of individual I'd love to shake hands with. If you head back to him before I get there, I'd try to change depths. Put a little split shot on the leader to make sure it gets down deep enough. That is one reason why I cast upstream sometimes, it gives the fly a chance to get down deeper so when the line gets tight the fly is "swimming" for the surface from way down deep and has a better chance of passing through the proper feeding channel.

Were you using regular nymphs on the swing or soft hackles? Or were you using buggers or skunks or someother kind of streamer on the swing?


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## Janus (Jul 26, 2006)

Swinging clousers, wollies, zonkers, then I switched to stonefly nymphs and gold ribbed nymphs, also single eggs....had a granola bar in my vest and was gonna try that as well. It's really uncomfortable to cast weighted flies for me some of the flies were but..I guess you gotta do it. Split shot indicator rigs are worse for me but it seems like that would be the way to go..so I gotta suck it up and give it a try...
Janus


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

I am not a fan of split shots at all. I realized this one day when my wet fly decided he wanted to be a dry fly . I now tie most of my stuff with beads. even the eggs and everything. but sometimes it just don't help either and u got to go to split shots. I never caught a fish using um yet tho


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