Adrian Grose-Hodge

Choice of equipment: Rods, Reels, fly lines, fly floatant, clothes, glasses and other useful items.

Rods: This needs to be subjective, although marketing would have you think otherwise. You should choose a rod with the following factors in mind: the size of the water you intend to cast on, the size of the fish you intend to cast to, and the size of the flies you intend to cast with.

Another consideration is the rod’s action and feel, the latter will depend on an individual’s favoured casting style and the former on their needs. Although most rods today are pretty darn good, there are some rods out there that make the experience that little bit more pleasurable. Once you have determined that fly fishing is for you, buy the best you can, as it is just another factor that completes the whole experience.

Personally, I generally use slower, mid to tip actioned rods here in the UK, as fishing for me is about feel, and just like the chalk streams I normally fish on, I’m more often than not lazy and in no rush. That said, when abroad and time constrained, or on more exposed mid to large sized rivers or on windier days, or if I’m casting larger or bushier flies, I’ll go for a tippy, fast actioned rod, as tighter loops are required to get my fly to where I want it.

I normally head out with a rod between 8’ to 9’ long, in a 3/4/5w, but use rods from 6’ to 10’ plus depending on the water, conditions and fish size. My go-to rods would be a 9’ 5w Thomas & Thomas Paradigm and an old Loomis Streamdance 8’ 4” 3w, another of my favourites is a Sage TXL 7’,6” 0w, that is perfect for fishing for 6 inch trout under a canopy.

If you travel to distant places you’ll need a greater number of rods. For example, if fishing alpine streams a longer rod of 10’+ allows me to keep line off the water for as long as possible, giving me a better drag free drift. If in Argentina or Iceland, I mainly fish a fast actioned 9 to 10’, 5 or 7w, and if on the salt, it’ll be a 9’ 7-12w depending on species.

The bottom line is that my rods need to handle the requirements ‘du jour’, while complementing my favoured casting style. I strongly recommend researching and trying a rod out before purchasing it.

Reels: 85% of my fishing requires my reel to be a line holder, nothing else, as I play the fish by hand, as these tend to be no more than 4lbs, the majority being half that. A click and pawl will suffice, although I’m not the greatest fan, as some spool themselves. When targeting larger fish, especially when destination fishing , you’ll need a reel with a smooth and decent drag system – I’m an Abel fan and use them and some Sage models from 7w upwards. I like the new Lamson Liquid with two spare spools that comes in at under £190, as it has a smooth and good drag system. When fishing for saltwater species an Abel SDS won’t let you down, the only problem is that Abel reels don’t come cheap, and if honest, there are many brands out there that I have not tried. If worried about ‘memory’ in the line a wide arbour reel diminishes this but doesn’t get rid of the problem. The bigger the fish you target the more you should invest in a quality reel, especially when targeting large trout or saltwater species using Bangers or Disco Shrimp for example. You don’t want too many memories of lost fish, so spend your money wisely. However, remember that it’s anglers and not their tools that catch the fish.

Fly Lines: Fly lines have developed a lot during my time and these days there is a line for most situations. As far as floating lines go, I am tactile and rely on feel, so I like to fish as thin a fly line as possible, as I believe it allows me to keep in contact with the fly better, and that it also helps to minimise drag – the scourge of dry fly fishing. It also reduces the possibility of scaring a fish upon landing or being seen – though I am not totally convinced of this and suggest that it’s best kept well away from a fish… if possible. On windier days I might beef things up and go with a heavier, punchier fly line. I like double tapered (DT) and weight forward (WF) lines. DTs as they are good value for money - 2 for the price of 1, and let’s face it, lines are not cheap these days, and WFs as they are the most versatile lines available (especially where different casts are required in tight spaces).

I should point out that here in the UK, the need for long casts is rare, due to the size of the majority of rivers, added to which I’m a firm believer in getting as close as possible to a fish before casting.

Clothes: Your best chances of catching a fish is if they don’t detect you, therefore blend into the environment rather than stick out. Remember it is about reducing risk! As seasons or locations change, so does my wardrobe. I’m fortunate to be on the Patagonia Pro Team and therefore can kit myself out with good quality clothing - as long as they come in sand, stone, earth or leaf colours. I like Simms and the Patagonia Stealth vests – this latter is lightweight and fine for those hot summer months. I’m happy to recommend Simms G4 waders, although waders and wading boots are the bane of my life as I get through them quickly. The G4s have lasted more than any other pair I’ve had, though Simms appear to be bought out, so watch this space. I’d struggle to recommend any wading boots in particular as they all tend to fall apart after a season or two of heavy use (and over differing terrains). Noise is a big factor when it comes to stealth, which is why I have always liked felt. These days I have to disinfect them regularly, and so only use them on rocky river beds/ banks. If moving from river to river, travelling abroad or fishing from the bank, l tend to use a pair of modern rubber soled boots. As an interesting alternative, look at Bestard Canyon boots, which are similarly priced to some wading boots, but are also lighter and grip better.

I started out using vests, then toyed with sling and hip bags, chest and back packs, but am now back to mainly using vests, as they don’t get in the way as much, they don’t get caught on branches as much, they hold all I need most of the time, and I can organise and access things more easily. The exception is if I need to take extra clothing, food or equipment, and that is when a large sling bag or backpack gets thrown into the mix. Again, go with what you feel most comfortable with, and which suits your needs.

Polaroid Glasses: Are a necessity as they protect the eyes. They also cut out glare and allow you to see through the water column, and therefore are an item that one shouldn’t cut corners or expense on. I mostly sight fish, so being able to see fish (or rise forms) and not spook fish, is central to being successful or not. There are a number of quality brands out there, but when buying do consider light, as different colour lenses (typically but not solely amber, grey or brown) will facilitate fish spotting at different times of the day (height of the sun). My go-to pair are amber, but I travel with all three.

Other useful items: For the past 15 years or so, I have worn gel-filled knee pads – not only to protect my waders but my knees, as I spend a fair amount of time crawling about in the undergrowth or on rocky mountainous streams - these can be bought cheaply online. On the subject of nets, my preferences correlate with my preferred type of fishing – I love either fishing in lilliput for diminutive yet perfectly formed, coloured and spotted trout or large open spaces for potentially large trout. So, I prefer small handmade nets or large weigh nets – the former as it doesn’t get in the way as much and the latter because if you don’t believe, you don’t achieve! When bank fishing, I prefer long handled nets, but when wading (deep) larger nets can be more of a hinderance… I think I just covered all the nets on the market! Desiccants, Amadou, CDC oil all work, some better than others, but although I carry most on me, I still pull out the (indispensable) toilet paper to dry my flies. The good thing with foam and Ginked up deer hair is that they require little drying - unless on tumbling mountain streams. CDC I dry with toilet paper or a good desiccant.

Dry fly leader material, build up, length and knots

For me, the leader is more important than the fly line as it’s the business end of my presentation and although both fly line and leader affect drift, it is the latter that I can manipulate/ control more. What’s more, it’s my leader that might be seen by a fish and not my fly line. I like my leader and tippet to be as thin and strong as possible – the manufacturer’s conundrum - mainly to get as much slack into that line as possible to ensure as good a drift as possible.

As for construction, I normally tie my own and sometimes buy tapered leaders. The truth is that tapered leaders didn’t exist when I started out, so I’m used to tying my own and still prefer knotted leaders over tapered as I also find them more versatile. That said, I’d just as happily use a tapered leader down to a tippet ring (or not) of 2-3mm, followed by a 3 foot or so tippet down to 5/6/7x - depending on fish size, weather conditions etc.

My dry fly leaders tend to be anywhere between 9 feet and 20 feet, depending on where I’m fishing. On tumbling mountainous pocket water, I’ll use a short 9 foot leader, as often there might not be a conventional cast, rather a catapult, flick, dap or roll might be in order. That said, I normally start with a 13 foot leader and get longer the more finickity the fish or fishing get. I nail knot onto the fly line and normally have 3 tapered sections, before adding my tippet section. I might use a tippet ring, or droppers, or I might vary my knots depending on the size of the fish I’m targeting, but I generally try to keep things as simple as possible. When fishing dry for barbel, carp, dace etc. I often only have two sections of mono.

For the butt and tapering I more often than not use Maxima Chameleon as it is reliable, stiff enough to aid fly turn over and cost effective, or Trout Hunter. I then usually use Stroft or Trout Hunter for my tippet material depending on the size of fish I’m after, the flies I’m using or how tricky the fishing is.

Approach and stealth

To reduce the risk of spooking a fish, a stealthy approach is fundamental. I like to get as close as possible to the fish without spooking it. The closer you get to your target fish the more you diminish the chance of something going wrong (i.e. micro drag). Here are some tips:

Plan your approach. A campaign without a plan is not likely to succeed.
Keep a low profile when the skyline is behind you.
Move slowly but deliberately – in fact all movement should be deliberate, including your casting (not too many false casts).
Use any cover you can.
Where possible, it’s better to cast from the bank than to wade, as there is a greater chance of disturbing water and alerting fish to your presence.
Always look around you before you cast to determine obstacles – in front, above and behind you
Always check what is at your feet and fan cast out if prospecting – there’s nothing worse than disturbing a large trout as you wade in, or more often than not, a small fish that then alerts all the others, as it runs upstream
Observe, observe and observe. Take your time, slow things down and make the first cast the right one.

Approach is something that needs to be determined before you make that first cast. It is part of the plan. Get it wrong and no tackle, casting ability, or fly selection can bring back the trout that is now heading to the horizon.

Reading the water

As alluded to above, the ability to read the water in front of you when you arrive at a venue, is a skill that comes naturally to some or has to be worked on by others – either way I’d say it is an area to develop for both. It involves ‘seeing’ a river, its in-river obstacles, scoured out or slack areas, feeding lanes, likely holding areas etc., and most importantly when fishing the dry fly it’s about noticing the currents at play, as these will determine the angle of your approach and presentation. It’s the reason why ‘home’ rivers are always fished best, as the angler will know these through the hours spent fishing it. Reading the water also involves an understanding of where trout will be – look for any seams or lanes that act as food conveyor belts, or undercuts, roots, bankside trees etc. that provide cover/ protection, and an understanding of likely areas that insects will be.

Casting ability. Which casts are essential.

I strongly recommend becoming as good a caster as possible, as the ability to use a range of casts will help with presentation and drift, reducing the risk of spooking the fish - either by lining it, or alerting it to your presence. The shorter a cast the greater the probability of things going right. I mainly employ an overhead cast - though use a variety of planes, and roll cast in tighter spots where there is no backcast. Curve and pile casts are often essential, and both aerial and water mends will aid presentation.

In order to reduce the risk of getting it wrong while developing a range of casts, get instruction, as the better a caster you are, the greater your chances of getting your fly to where you want it to go. Practice, practice, practice and then get some more instruction. I’ve booked myself some casting sessions this summer, to fine tune a couple of casts and hopefully learn something new.

Entomology, what should we know

A basic understanding of entomology is all you really need in order to catch fish, but the more you know, the more likely you are to pick out the right fly to match a hatch, especially in the warmer months when there might be multiple insect hatches going on. And don’t forget, there is so much more to fishing than catching – entomology being one of them!

Aquatic entomology is just another avenue many of us go down, and a fun one at that I might add. I was fortunate in that I rubbed shoulders with John Goddard and Cyril Bennet who in turn rubbed their enthusiasm for insects off on me. To have an understanding of not just the size, colour and profile of an aquatic insect, but also how it swims or moves and where in the river it inhabits, will certainly help catch rates… and your fly tying for that matter. Remember, it is all about diminishing risk or the likelihood of something going wrong.

Rise forms. Can they tell us something?

Yes. Five things. Where a trout is positioned (roughly), it’s size (misleading at times), where in the water column a trout is feeding, the stage the insect is being taken at, and finally, what type of insect the trout is feeding on, as this can be got from the amount of water a trout displaces (again misleading at times).

Fly selection, size, shape, materials, which flies are essential, favourite fly.

Fly selection: depends on where I am fishing and the time of year (I.e. what’s hatching that month). When fishing an upwinged fly l need to cover the following stages; emergers, crippled, spent and duns.

Something to consider is that fish expend the least amount of energy possible, so anything in the surface film makes a more interesting target than something that is about to take off, and so always note where the fly sits. Another aspect is the flies profile - I like skinny flies that are easy to tie (max 3 materials), simplicity being the name of the game here. A slim profile is generally more effective that a thicker one, and I am also a believer in size, as I believe that most anglers fish in sizes too big when compared to the naturals. Most of my flies are in sizes 14# - 20#.

Materials: I favour CDC, deer hair and foam (beetles, ants and at the other end of the spectrum, flies such as Turks Tarantulas, though there is a good argument as to whether they actually float or sit in the surface film). I like using quill-bodied parachute patterns the most, with as visible a post as possible, as it aids my tracking of the fly, and supports my waning eyesight!

Which flies are essential: As a dry fly fisherman, you will need to cover your bases with upwinged flies, caddisflies, stoneflies, midges and terrestrials, and your fly box should cover these and include patterns you feel confident fishing with.

Favourite fly:

Difficult question as there are many flies out there that give a good account of themselves, or that cover a certain hatch, or stage of a hatch. The bottom line is that we fish with flies that we feel confident fishing, and this will boil down to what has brought us success in the past. However, here are a half dozen flies that can be found in my box:

Emerger: Olive AK (Best) Emerger – 14-18# (my go-to emerger pattern)

Dun: Olive quill bodied parachute with a hi-viz post – 20-12# (Highly visible and slim bodied)

Caddis: CDC and Elk – 14# (close call, as an elk hair caddis, F-fly, Adam’s Irresistible etc. are all good on their day)

Midge: Griffiths Gnat - 26# (a pain to tie if you are cack-handed like me, but gets the job done)

Attractor: Red Humpy – 10-12# (floats like a cork and great on broken water)

Terrestrial: Foam beetle – 16# (under trees, branches and along banks)

Saltwater: poppers of different types as seeing a large fish take from off top is something to behold.

Presentation and drifts

When I am fishing dry flies, the singular thing on my mind is (micro) drag avoidance. So the first thing to do is to study the water, its currents and then determine the cast and the angle from which I can best get my fly to the fish. The ability to do this regularly will depend on casting ability and one’s ability to read the water. Presentation is a very big part of this puzzle.

Accuracy and delicacy are part and parcel, not just so that the fly trundles nicely down the trout’s feeding lane, or to the left or right of it, but also in terms of lead-in times, as sometimes a fish will require a longer drift in order to inspect it, or when trying to land your fly less than a foot in front of it – often a terrestrial. By keeping the rod up on the forward stroke, I can extend the line better, allowing the fly to alight more gently, which when compared to a splashy cast will improve odds. That said, sometimes a splashy cast attracts a fish from 3 or 4 feet away that then snaffles up the fly – a tactic employed when fishing the dry for cyprinids. Remember you should be out there experimenting!

Upstream or downstream?

Here in the UK, it will depend on the rules of the club, fishery, or association on whose waters I find myself on.

Otherwise, I’m happy to use any approach, but it’ll depend on the fish’s position, obstacles, wind or the type of water I’m fishing. My preference is to fish across and slightly down from a fish’s position, as it reduces the risk of lining a fish and opens up options as to type of cast I can make. A downstream drift is effective as the trout encounters the fly first, the only drawback being the strike as you are pulling the fly away from the trout instead of towards the scissors of its mouth. You can in fact counter this by over or under compensating, thus making the fish move and take the fly at an angle, and by lifting in the opposite direction you’ll set the hook just fine. My least favoured option is directly upstream as often visibility is not as good, and there’s an increased risk of lining a fish. If in mountain streams, however, I position myself in the middle of the river!

Fish Fighting

Upon hooking a fish you want to keep a tight line on it, especially when using barbless hooks (recommended). Use the rod - use and alternate side strain but let a big fish run if need be. You should know the limitations of your tackle – i.e. you’ll play a large fish very differently if you are on 4x or 7x.

Bring a fish in as quickly as possible, treat it with respect - preferably keep it in the water with a minimum of handling (don’t ever squeeze or pinch them, cradle them instead if handling), and use an appropriate rubber meshed net. Also, ensure that it has the best chances of reviving by holding it in the water while it recovers and moves off on its own steam. A quick picture is OK, as long as it is just that. If you are taking one for the table, dispatch it quickly and cleanly.

After thought:

The above highlights key areas that a dry fly fisher should consider and develop in order to reduce ‘the risk of mucking things up’. To be the complete dry fly angler you’d need to excel in all the above, however, most of us are happy at being competent. Enjoy the journey!

Tight lines!