Over the last 50 years, little by little, wet flies have become less of a mainstay and more of a rarity in the fly boxes and on the leaders of modern trout fishermen. Just as the flintlock, the Henry, and even the venerable .30-30 of hunters past have given way to faster, flatter shooting, more powerful rifles and cartridges, streamers, nymphs, and dry flies have relegated wet-fly patterns into rarely carried, seldom-used artifacts.

This is a sad state of affairs, since properly casting and fishing a wet fly is an art unto itself, and more so because these patterns consistently produce fish, often larger than normal size. I speak from experience since I have remained a devotee of wet flies for more than four decades and they have always done well by me.

Of all the styles of flies, wet flies were the first, their life span measured in millenniums, rather than decades and centuries like many other types of flies. Well before the advent of metal hooks, early man used sharpened pieces of bone with a bird feather attached to attract and catch fish. Streamers, nymphs, muddlers, tandem streamers, aquatics, and leeches are just a handful of styles of flies which developed from the basic wet fly, and although each is fished below the surface, none are wet flies in the true sense of original patterns. Many of these variations are tied on 2X to 4X long-shank hooks, some are weighted to work along the stream bottom, and others are trolled rather than cast.

Authentic wet flies are tied on size 6- to 14-wet fly hooks, which are symmetrically shaped like a dry fly hook, but stouter and heavier to keep the fly swimming below the surface. Although short leaders in combination with full sinking or sinking tip lines will increase running depth, wet flies used on Maine brooks and streams are typically fished with floating lines and 7-9 feet of leader. Using normal cross-current casts and swinging with the downstream flow, these flies will run 2-6 inches below the water surface.

Two basic styles of wet-fly patterns prevail: one type, like the March brown or blue dun, is tied to specifically imitate a real insect in either the emerging nymph stage of life or as a drowned adult. Their effectiveness comes from mimicking natural food sources the trout readily and frequently feed on. Attractor patterns, such as a parmacheene belle or a silver doctor, are the second design of wet fly created from flashy, brightly colored feathers and materials that truly resemble no living creature. Oddly, attractor wet flies produce just as consistently as imitators, and it’s been my personal experience that they often produce larger fish.

Bill’s trusty twelve

My 12 favorite wet flies have proven themselves again and again over the years, and not just on brook trout either. I’ve taken bass, salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout, grayling, togue, cutthroat trout, and a few other odd species in more than a dozen states and several provinces. Many times over the years during these outings, at the request of other anglers, I’ve shown what fly I was casting and catching with, and frequently these sports were unfamiliar with the particular pattern. Sometimes they didn’t even recognize it as a true wet fly, which further illustrates, unfortunately, how outdated and overlooked this style of fly is becoming.

Going over my fly box, I find my selection is fairly evenly split between gaudy attractors and drab imitators, so I will offer my six preferred patterns in each category. Since my personal preference sways toward flashy wet flies, let’s begin there.

Red seems to appeal to native brookies as much as it does to my eye, so I often begin casting over a stretch of stream with either a parmacheene belle or a trout fin. Both are tied to look like the fin of a brook trout and draw strikes in either clear or murky water conditions. As proof that certain flies work then and now, the Parmacheene Belle was created in 1878 by Henry Wells, and named after a Maine lake, which got its name from the son of Indian chief Metalluk.

Another pattern from the 1800s is actually a variation of an Atlantic salmon fly of the same name, the silver doctor. A flashy silver body, red tag and head, and a rainbow spectrum of red, blue, and yellow wing feathers make it irresistible to brookies. My final three attractor wet flies feature light-colored wings, a touch of red and green or yellow bodies to work their magic. The trio includes the Royal Coachman, Professor, and Grizzly King, all created in the mid-1800s, but just as eye catching for fish and fishermen all these years later.

My select half-dozen imitator wet flies spurn the slick style of streamer patterns for a “buggy” appearance, which may well be the basis for their enduring success. Each also offers a bit of flash, with gold tinsel or yellow thread or chenille in the tag and body materials. Check out a hare’s ear, gray hackle, or an alder; they just look like they will catch fish. The final trio of wet flies I depend on are my M & M patterns, so called because each name begins with an M, and they are tasty to trout like their namesake candy. No well-stocked fly box is complete without a March brown, a Montreal, and a McGinty.

Resembling a bee, the McGinty works throughout the entire summer, especially on brooks and streams near fields and pastures where insects abound. A hare’s ear, with its long tail and short, swept-back wing, much resembles a submerged insect, especially when the body hackles are tweezed out to resemble legs.

Several of these 12 patterns may be difficult to find at area fly shops due to lack of wet-fly popularity in general, but keep searching and at least six should be located. Anglers who also tie flies can not only keep their fly box filled with all dozen patterns in various sizes, but make sure each is constructed by original guidelines.

When, where and how

If you need further persuasion to take up wet-fly fishing consider this: Although this style of fly has fallen out of favor with most trout anglers, Atlantic salmon fishermen, perhaps the most dedicated and devout breed of casting sportsmen around, rely on wet flies more than any other patterns to entice and hook the King of freshwater game fish. The very same, simple cross-current casts and downstream fly swings that draw strikes from wary salmon work even better on all species of trout.

From mid-May and throughout the month of June, wet flies will take trout on any brook, stream, or river. As long as cool weather and weekly rain persists in keeping waterways moderately high and chilly, wet flies will produce steady action. During July and August when no hatches are showing or when trout have moved into the smaller, cooler feeder brook, offer them a wet fly, too. Even during midday when the sun is bright, swimming a wet fly through current will lure trout into taking.

Any stretch of stream with a moderate to fast current and 1-3 feet of depth is perfect for wet fly fishing. An angler can wade along the shoreline and cast toward midstream or stand in the center of the river, depth permitting, and cast to both sides, covering twice as much water. Lay the cast out at 45 degrees and let the downstream flow do the rest. Once the line straightens out below the fisherman, let the fly sway in the current with a bit of rod-tip action for a few seconds, then use a hand twist retrieve to draw the fly upstream in short spurts until the leader is in sight.

For the next cast strip out another foot or two of line and repeat the process, and once a comfortable casting length is reached, take one step downstream before each cast to make sure the fly covers new water with each swing.

Make sure the fly works all bank undercuts, current lines near submerged rocks, and deeper run-outs below sets of rips. Other hot spots include creek inlets and the riffles and pools formed below sharp turns. On bright, sunny days, I’ve had my best luck with colorful flies, especially red feathered patterns, while darker colors seem to produce well from sunset to dark. If rain has raised and tinged the water, vividly colored patterns will show up better and produce faster action since they are below the surface and closer to the fish.

I’m not on a crusade to resurrect wet-fly fishing, but I am fully in favor of any pattern or style of fishing that makes an outing more enjoyable and productive. Anglers on western trout streams still depend heavily on wet flies, especially when drift boat fishing, but here in the East, these once prominent patterns are too often ignored. Buy or tie a couple of the wet flies I’ve suggested and give them a fair try this month, and I’ll bet more of these subsurface patterns will soon be in your arsenal. Perhaps you will have your own dependable dozen wet fly patterns within a couple of seasons, and most certainly this unique style of fly will provide consistent, dependable trout fishing each and every season.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com