Fly Fishing

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

So i have been watching this blizzard rip through NYC...pretty impressive. 8 inches on the balcony, haven't left the apt since yesterday. It got me to thinking of how much I miss the days in Utah when I could get out for a morning session of pow skiing and then head down to the river for an afternoon BWO hatch. The timing would always be perfect and it made for some of the best days of the year. How can it get any better than floating through sugar light Utah powder for a few hours in the morning and sticking 18 inch Browns on dry flies all afternoon! Add in a few barley pops and a steak dinner and I am not sure life could be any better.... I would ski in the morning until about 11:30 when all the prime stuff was skied out and head to the river. As I got there around 1, the bugs had just started to hatch and fish would be poking their noses up slurping em down. If it was still snowing or later in the season raining and snowing in the lower elevation then the fishing was that much better.

There are a myriad of reasons for this and some of them may be true and others may be bs but i thought it would be interesting to mention what i and some of my friends over the years have concluded makes the fishing (specifically dry fly fishing) better when it is raining or snowing:
1. Wet weather in general makes it more difficult for bugs to dry their wings, so they are on the water longer making it easier for fish to eat them
2. Cold weather and snow makes it harder for them to move and therefore easier to eat so more fish eat them
3. Overcast weather in general makes fish feel more comfortable because it is more difficult for them to be seen by predators
4. Rain drops break the surface tension of the water making it easier for bugs to hatch
5. Lower barometric pressure makes the meniscus (surface skin on water) less rigid making it easier for bugs to penetrate it

Curious what anyone else thinks or if anyone has any back up to any of these theories. Any other reasons you guys think that the dry fly fishing is better during rainy, snowy wet weather.

AvidDavid · Location: Long Island, NY

Kory,

It's always interesting to try and analyze fishing observations using scientific principles. One thing that I believe is that when a fish is looking up at the surface, it also has us in its field of view (if we're close enough that the water-air interface doesn't provide total internal reflection. Remember the general rule... if you can see the fish, then the fish can see you). With precipitation disturbing the surface, it can't see us as well. May not be as important with long gentle casts (when we are so far away that the fish cant see us), but surface disturbance may be helpful for clutzy casters like me who don't cast long distances in little streams. Also, I have spent a fair amount of time swimming, I know that the sound of rain hitting the water during a downpour can be deafening! So, surface disturbance of visual cues and distracting background noise may help to increase my stealth. (May not matter for someone who is really quiet and casts really well, like you.)

I'm not so sure about the barometric pressure vs. surface tension argument; however, I'll throw a different one out there... higher humidity (100% during precipitation) may have effects on the surface tension.

Dave

rustayy · Location: Islamorada,FL

Kory,
I am with your theory. I have seen some of the best BWO hatches of my life in light snow showers. I don't know what it is out here, but the worse the weather is the better the baetis and midge hatches are (unless it is blowing gail force which might blow the bugs to the East Coast). Cloud cover seems to be the common denominator out here and will set the hatches off when it happens, but, in California, cloud cover is hard to come by. So when the clouds are coming you can without a doubt find me on the water, and who am I kidding, when it is sunny you will find me on the water as well. I have heard stories of BWO's coming off by the thousands out here on the Little Truckee River while the Forest Service is conducting controlled burns. As soon as the smoke was over the water the bugs started popping! If that doesn't solidify your theory I don't know what will. I personally haven't really come up with many reasons why bugs like to hatch in crappy weather, but I think you are on the right track with your theories. We have always thought that the cloud cover makes it harder for fish to see , thus making it a better time to for the bugs to try to make it to the surface.

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

Interesting perspective Dave, definitely agree about the surface disturbance and perspective. I have had countless reinforcements of that one.

As far as the humidity and how it effects surface tension, never had heard or thought of it but it sounds pretty reasonable. I know also that the high humidity makes it more difficult for mayflies to dry their wings so they stay on the water longer.

Rustay, cool that you have seen some of these same things in your waters. BWO hatches are always associated with poor weather and I have experienced it countless times myself. I don't often hear about why though and always wanted to develop conclusions and I think all of what we have said has some validity.

This makes me think about another thing that I don't as frequently hear mentioned. Stronger and better BWO hatches always get associated with poor weather, but not a lot is mentioned about all of the other mayflies that are influenced by these same factors. PMDs, Hendricksons, March Browns, Green Drakes, Flavs and on and are all mayflies and in my experience are all also influenced by these same things. Now most of these bugs don't hatch early enough for snow (although out west snow can come well into the summer) but it defnitely rains and I have had some epic hatch fishing in rainstorms and nasty weather with all of them as well and all of these same factors have influenced it.

To me, these are just little bits of knowledge to always keep in mind when you go out in order to decide when and where to fish. If you can only fish one day during the time of the year when a mayfly is hatching on your favorite piece of water and you have to choose between wet, cool or cold weather and warm and sunny I would choose wet, cool any day.

Now this discussion is largely surrounding mayflies. When it comes to caddis, stoneflies and some others that is another discussion.

I personally love this kind of stuff and love to hear anybody's theory on why or why not they agree or disagree with any of it or if there are any other things that come to mind. You can never know everything or learn too much Very Happy