Sometimes ya just need a change. Sometimes, ya just can’t bare to fish with the same old flies and go through the motions. So, this afternoon, I decided to change things up. I am going to catch trout with a mix of methods. So, here is what I did. I tied on a piece of 9 ft leader, then spliced a 3-5 foot section of tippet. I tied a cone head leach/wooly pattern to the end of the tippet. Then I tied 20″ of tippet to the hook of the leach/wooly and attached a wet fly (hare’s ear) to the other end. (Sometimes I will even tie on another samller wet fly to the first wet fly about 14 inches apart). Then I tied of a 4″ tag (for split shots) immediately above the splice from leader to tippet. Why The Tag? Well, it just seems so unnatural to put a split shot on the actually leader or tippet. When the split shots are attached to a tag, i get a much better drift because the split shots bounce on the bottom independantly. I fished this rig just like I fish for Steelhead. I cast 1/4 upstream, no need to mend because my flyline is never in the water. I move my arm as the weights TICK across the bottom. I make sure that I feel the tick of the weight, because that is a sure sign that my flies are near the bottom and I am getting a good drift. The wet fly works good as a trailing fly and I prefer it over a bead head because I want it to drift in the lower/middle water column. I feel that it looks more like an emerger. I prefer this method over a strike indicator. I can feel what is going on rather than relying on sight. I casted on top of a nice shelf and as this rig dropped into the deaper section, WHAM! a beautiful Rainbow. He jumped straight out of the water and put up a fantastic battle. I got a few fish on this rig and I adjusted the split shots accordingly for various water flow conditions. Less weight with slower flow and more weight for a faster flow. The key to fishing this rig is feeling the ticks. Also, my flyline is never in the water. My flyline is usually suspended just above the water and I raise and lower my arm accordingly. This provides for a drag free drift and the tip of the flyline acts as my indicator. I can see every little twitch. Give this setup a try if you ever want to try something new. It is kind of a blend of things I have learned from Steelhead fishing and Czech nymphing tactics. Apply your own creativity and maybe you can even make it better. Either way, you will get some good practice for your Steelhead fishing adventures.