Emergers Flies are an import part of a fish’s diet. The insect is high up in the water column, exposed without the ability to escape….easy target! Emergers represent insects as the emerge from the bottom of the water to the surface - as they emerge they are vulnerable to fish. Common mergers are Caddis Flies, May Flies and Midges. Match the hatch correctly and you're going to have a field day with emerger flies. ⻥
Emerger fly patterns are lightweight flies designed to drift effortlessly with the current and hang just below the surface. As a general rule, emergers are typically tied on a straight eye hook. The wings are one to three-fifths the height of the hook shank length, and when hackle is used, it is half the hook gap. Emergers are a simple concept, they imitate emerging insect larvae and pupae making their way to the surface to molt into their next life cycle.⻥
Knowing how to rig up and fly fish with wet flies (aka soft hackles or spiders) is a versatile skill to have while on the river. It is the oldest and arguably easiest method of fly fishing, and it can help you avoid a tough day and getting skunked. Wet fly fishing is an efficient way to cover water when there is little surface activity, no hatch, or when you're unsure of what the trout are feeding on. Wet flies imitate a range of trout food, such as aquatic insects, baitfish, sculpin, and small crayfish. They're also great for targeting the front side of boulders, where some of the larger trout hang out in pocket water.
A standard 9-foot fly rod works, and I prefer to use a five weight or smaller when fishing with wet flies. A 10-11 foot rod, 2-4 weight, can be better at times. The longer length helps manage the fly line and leader, improving drifts/swings and imparting more subtle action into the wet flies. For most situations, a floating line will do, but an intermediate line might be necessary on larger rivers to get the flies deeper into the water column.⻥
<aside> <img src="/icons/calendar-month_gray.svg" alt="/icons/calendar-month_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Fly Patterns Organized by Season
</aside>
<aside> <img src="/icons/fish_orange.svg" alt="/icons/fish_orange.svg" width="40px" /> General Attractors | When buying or tying emerger patterns, either choose one to imitate the hatches you expect to see on your next trip, or get an assortment in a variety of colors and sizes. If you aren’t sure what to expect, make sure to have some mayfly patterns in tan in sizes 12 and 14; cream or yellow in sizes 16, 18, and 20; olive in sizes 16, 18, and 20. For caddis hatches, drab brown-and-yellow and brown-and -green or just drab gray-brown in sizes 14, 16, and 18 will cover almost all hatches. For midges, carry cream, black, olive, and gray in sizes 20 and 24.
</aside>
<aside> <img src="/icons/downward_red.svg" alt="/icons/downward_red.svg" width="40px" /> Check out my Top-5 patterns or Use the Tabs / Tab dropdown ▾ below to toggle between types of flies
</aside>
<aside> <img src="/icons/fish_orange.svg" alt="/icons/fish_orange.svg" width="40px" /> Midge Flies | Midge Emergers imitate the transitional stage between the midge pupa and adult midge fly. Midge Emergers are a relatively new category of fishing flies but as the importance of midges, also known as buzzers and mosquitos, as trout food has been realized several very effective Midge Emerger patterns have been developed that are quite effective on both rivers and lakes, especially on tailwater fisheries where midges are abundant. ⻥
</aside>
<aside> <img src="/icons/fish_orange.svg" alt="/icons/fish_orange.svg" width="40px" /> Mayflies | Mayfly Emergers imitate the mayfly in its transitional stage between nymph and adult mayfly or dun. Emergers are some of the very most effective patterns to use during mayfly hatches. Many fish that look like they are eating adult mayflies are actually keying on mayfly emergers just below the water's surface. Mayfly Emergers can be fished by themselves or as part of a dry dropper rig. ⻥
</aside>