Fly Fishing Emerger Patterns
- Bob Wyatt's Flies

" Find a feeding fish. Our first consideration is whether the trout are feeding - if at all. If they aren’t feeding, or at least watching for food, you may as well throw stones at them. It’s easy to mistake a non-feeding trout for one that is “refusing” your offerings, when in fact its just ignoring them, or asleep. When there is little food in the water column, trout often go into a semi-dormant state. A hatch of mayflies or drift of nymphs will wake them up in short order. "
Fly Fishing Emerger Patterns <br> - Bob Wyatt's Flies

TROUT AMMO: Generalist “Prey Image”flies and how to fish them.

Not dry, not wet, but designed to be fished ‘damp’ or partially submerged, these are ‘generalist’ surface flies. The idea behind them is that most of the trout’s surface food is largely emerging insects, or bugs otherwise compromised in the surface film.  I’ve also found these flies to be great attractor, or searching, flies. That is, flies you use when there is no obvious hatch of insects that the trout are feeding on. In low nutrient streams, or between hatches, trout aren’t as ‘selective’ as they are cracked up to be.

best flies for New Zealand Fly Fishing Emerger Patterns Bob Wyatt's Flies

Find a feeding fish. Our first consideration is whether the trout are feeding - if at all. If they aren’t feeding, or at least watching for food, you may as well throw stones at them. It’s easy to mistake a non-feeding trout for one that is “refusing” your offerings, when in fact its just ignoring them, or asleep. When there is little food in the water column, trout often go into a semi-dormant state. A hatch of mayflies or drift of nymphs will wake them up in short order. 

The DHE, DHS, and SHE are tied with all-natural hair and fur, and are designed to be fished in - not on - the surface.  I usually just wet the body or abdomen of the fly with saliva after I tie it on - be careful to not hook your tongue. Then, after the body is good and wet, I apply floatant to the wing - only the wing. 

Don’t get floatant on the body of the fly. This is important. For some years after I first wrote about the DHE I received a few complaints that the fly floated on the surface on its side. The reason for this is that the angler put floatant on the body as if it was a normal dry fly, not an emerger.  

best flies for New Zealand Fly Fishing Emerger Patterns Bob Wyatt's Flies

 

The DHE and snowshoe hare winged version, the SHE, both fish best with just the wing above the surface. The natural hare fur body soaks up water readily and ensures the bulk of the body is hanging beneath the surface film.  This makes these flies far more visible to a feeding trout, at far greater distance.  Some anglers have complained that the flies sink, or float so low in the water they are hard to see - as if it was a problem - when in fact sinking is precisely what they’re designed to do.  The wing is primarily a sighter or indicator, and supports the fly in the surface.

On broken water or low light the snowshoe hare wing of the SHE is very visible. Snowshoe hare foot fur has great natural floatability, having a structure similar in some respects to CDC.  It also seems to have a natural brightness, showing up well  in low light.  A tiny size 18 shows well even at forty feet or more, with just a tiny tuft of snowshoe hare showing above the surface.

The DHS is a great all round attractor and searching fly. I use it in all sizes for all sorts of situations, from mayfly hatches to cicada and grasshopper falls. In small sizes, a skinny DHS even does great duty in a spinner fall. It floats flatter in the surface, supported by the splayed çaddis’style deer hair wing. The lack of body hackle, unlike that of Al Troth’s  well known Elk Hair Caddis, rides well down or even under the surface, allowing trout to see it easily. I find it far more effective than a full body-hackled caddis pattern. In larger, full bodied versions it makes a first class cicada pattern. In very large sizes I use it for big stonefly hatches, such the western Golden Stonefly.

Use these flies with confidence. Except for a few specific prey items like the willow grub or adult damsel fly, where you might feel better using a different shape, these flies in appropriate sizes will meet most surface trout fishing  situations. Having said that, I’ve done just as well with a small SHE for the willow grub as I have with a more imitative pattern. As usual, it’s mostly about presentation.

Bob's Books "What Trout Want" and "Trout Hunting: The Pursuit of Happiness" are available on Amazon

Boxed sets of Bobs trout flies are available in our store here>

CUSTOMER FAVOURITES

GUIDES CHOICE

Epic Gift Card - Gifts For Fly Anglers
Epic Gift Card - Gifts For Fly Anglers from $50.00
Give the Gift of Choice No Delays, No Shipping. The Perfect Fly Fishing Gift On Time Every Time - Instant Delivery! Looking for the perfect gift for the Fly Angler in your life? Give them the gift of choice with a gift card. Gift cards are delivered by email from you directly from our website and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Gift cards are charged and redeemed on our stores base currency - $US For customers outside of the USA you can still shop and check-out in your native currency, our store does the conversion for you. Shopping for someone else (or yourself) but not sure exactly what to choose?Not sure what to get? Length, color or size?  It's very easy with an Epic Gift Card. You give - they choose! Schedule a Time to Send!You can even prescheduled  time / day / date that you would like your Gift Card delivered What is this?Gift Cards are delivered to you the purchaser by email and contain simple instructions to redeem them at checkout for products in our store. Each gift card features a unique code. Your gift card can also be printed out and gifted to the recipient, or it can be emailed to them immediately. Need Help? - drop us a line and we'll help you or your gift card recipient choose. How does it Work? Simple, you purchase the gift card you would like to give and check out just like you would for any online purchase. Our system will send you an email the recipient your gift card with your custom message. (That gift card has a unique voucher code on it) The recipient uses the voucher code to redeem against the purchase of their choice. Questions: Gift Cards work just like cash Any unspent balance can be used later Purchases can be topped up with cash, credit card or Paypal for larger purchases Customers can check their balance by visiting the unique gift card link sent via email Gift Cards have no additional processing fees. Purchase in your native currency to be redeemed at any time.Any questions or problems, just email us
Special
Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault Bag Epic Backcountry Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault Bag
Backcountry Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault $83.99 $119.95
Backcountry Double Fly Rod & Reel Vault Fish faster and smarter with the Backcountry Double Fly Rod Vault! This powerhouse of a storage solution is designed to carry two 9ft fly rods and reels, rigged up and ready to roll. Durably crafted from tough, water-resistant 600D Cordura material and reinforced by 210D Ripstop Polyester inner, you can rest assured your valuable fly rods and reels will be safe in all conditions. Waterproof YKK zippers keep moisture and dust out while the thickly padded interior protects your precious fly reels from being scratched. A hardshell outer helps look after your fly rods no matter what terrain awaits you. This is an unbeatable way to transport two complete setups. Save time and be ready to fish at a moment's notice!
Special
Best fly reel for fly fishing as voted by field and stream best of the best Best fly reel waterproof fly reel
Backcountry Fly Reel $295.99 $399.95
Large Arbor Backcountry Fly Reel II The best looking fly reel on the river. Our Backcountry fly reel features a smooth, sealed ceramic drag mechanism that boasts 3kg of drag and is easily swapped from left to right-hand wind. Super smooth sealed drag, lightweight large arbor, stealthy satin finish. Suitable for both fresh and saltwater use. CNC machined from cold-forged tempered 6061-T6 aluminum, High capacity large arbor spool Waterproof sealed stacked ceramic drag Type III military spec hard anodised finish Suitable for both fresh & saltwater use Large Arbor Spool The large arbor spool features a curved U shaped design that adds strength and assists in line levelling upon retrieval. The exposed reel edge makes for easy palming. A no-nonsense, tough, waterproof and lightweight fly reel. Epic in every way. Finished in a stealthy low sheen type III hard anodised satin finish available in any color as long as it's black.  Backcountry 3/4 Backcountry 5/6 Backcountry 7/8 Weight: 115g (4oz) Weight: 131g (4.6oz) Weight: 139g (4.9oz) Capacity: line + 50m  Capacity: line + 100m  Capacity: line + 150m  Dia:  84mm Dia: 94mm Dia: 104mm Got questions? - Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.
Special
Fly Tying Tool Kit by Epic Fly Tying Tool Kit by Epic
Backcountry Fly Tying Kit $138.99 $199.00
Backcountry Fly Tying Kit Equally at home on a trip or on your fly tying bench, our Backcountry Fly Tying kit features the very best Italian made tools by Stonfo and a pair of remarkable hand crafted fly tying scissors by Renomed of Poland. There are no finer fly tying tools made. We've taken the best of the best and presented them in a thoughtful waxed cotton canvas tool roll featuring genuine leather trim and straps fastened with classic brass catches. The hand stitched waterproof tool roll houses & protects these high quality tools and features two additional pouches to tuck away fly tying materials and hooks. The Renomed "Fly Tier" scissors feature a 'super cut' finely serrated blade that makes cutting deer hair and fur a breeze, and the larger scissor handles afford comfort and extraordinary durability and functionality. Tool Collection  Renomed Fly Tier Super Cut scissors (retail US$45) Stonfo Dubbing Twister Stonfo Hackle pliers Stonfo Elite Bodkin (Stainless Steel) Stonfo Dubbing Brush Stonfo Bobtec1  Adjustable Bobbin With Ceramic Insert (Stainless Steel) Stonfo Elite Bodkin (Stainless steel) Stonfo Elite Whip Finisher (Stainless Steel)
Special
Stainless steel Hip Flask Hip Flask
Good Libations Stainless Hip Flask $23.99 $34.95
The Good Libations Stainless Steel Hip Flask  Carry your favourite adult beverage in style with our Good Libations Stainless Steel Hip flask. About the size of a small fly box it's the perfect addition to your fly vest or bag. Smooth rounded corners make for quick extraction in times of celebration. Stainless steel and about as tough as they come, at a hearty 9oz ( 28 ml) there's plenty to share! Stainless Steel Silicon cap retainer Easy sippin' ergo design Bigger than most Cheers! Capacity: 9oz ( 266 ml) Dimensions: 127mm x 83mm x 29ml Material: Stainless Steel Positive Mood Adjustment
Stroft Tippet carry system Stroft Cutter and Carry System - 3 spool Set
Stroft Cutter and Carry System - 3 spool Set $27.95
3 Spool Stroft tippet system Three high quality German made Stroft Cutter & retaining rings - made to fit over standard Stroft tippet Spools. Spool Holder Stroft short strap - Vest strap & Carabiner The ideal system to hold, dispense and trim Stroft tippet A retainer rings and high quality cutter ring. Cutter is razor sharp, and coated in some magical stuff that is corrosion resistant. (We couldn't even spell the alloy) Fits all Stroft spools from 25m to 50m (ABR, GTM, FC!, FC2, Fluer) Includes colour coded easy peel labels  This is an incredibly well made tippet system! *does not include spools of tippet material - Stroft Tippet Spools available for purchase separately  Got questions? - Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.

The Epic Fly Rod Chooser

Find your perfect fly rod with our 10 second quiz

TAKE THE TEST
Lifetime Warranty
Lifetime Warranty

Love It or Return It

100% total satisfaction guarantee

5 Star Support

Industry leading support and service

Easy Returns

Hassle free returns

World Wide Shipping

Shipping worldwide daily
Experience the Epic® difference.