The art of understanding dry-fly hatches.

Dry-Fly fishing is a visual sport. The more observant one is, the easier it is to spot new hatches and see what the trout are feeding on. Being observant requires tact, stealth and good eyesight - the combination of which is often impossible to achieve. This said, knowing to identify the way trout take hatching flies is essential. Knowing whether the fly is sitting on the surface of the water, whether it is breaking through the water's protective film to lay eggs or whether it is just 'skimming' above the surface of the water are key parts of being a successful dry-fly fisherman.

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Dean Whaanga, New Zealand Fly Fishing Guide from Sharptail Media on Vimeo.

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Great video right? A special thanks to our friends from Sharptail Media for this video - it really highlights the beauty of dry-fly fishing! 
Anyways, did you notice the fly 'buzzing' above the water's surface at 0:23 seconds? This is an observation that indicates the flies are following stage 1 of the dry-fly hatch: skimming. Skimming occurs in the early stages of the hatch, the flies gather around the water basin waiting to accumulate in number before actually venturing onto the surface. As a result, you will most probably be able to observe flies in all sorts of areas close to the water basin, whether it be a cloud of flies close to the bank or a cloud of flies up high in the surrounding foliage. 
Either way, the key here is to observe the distance these 'clouds' have from the water. Trout will start 'jumping' to eat from these clouds of flies when they get within 15-20cm of the water surface. Once you have spotted a location with this situation, cast a fly similar to the ones skulking above the surface and cast straight into that cloud. Regardless of the quality of your cast, as long as the fly briefly touches the water surface close to the 'cloud' of flies - the trout will consider gobbling it up! Obviously, the quality of the water beneath this cloud of flies must be noted - do not attempt to cast under a cloud of flies skulking above a fast flowing area of the river, this will not get any results - rather attempt to find slow-medium flowing expanses of water. Be aware that this is not the optimal time to dry-fly fish as many trout will not be 'bothered' to jump for the hovering flies. This means only particularly active, small fish will eat and larger fish will tend to conserve their energy for the real hatch.

The traditional jumping distance is around 15-20cm

The second stage in dry fly fishing is called the filming stage. This is when a fly attempts to get rid of the protective 'film' that covers it by repeatedly hitting the water surface. This stage occurs after the 'skimming' stage and indicates the flies are preparing to hatch their eggs on the water surface. During this stage the fly 'clouds' will be very active and will be moving around at a very fast pace. In most cases the density of the clouds tends to decrease and the flies will spread around the water surface. At this moment in time the flies will be very visible to the fly-fisher. This phenomenon occurs mostly at dusk or at dawn in particularly humid days - or times when rain abruptly stops and gives way to daylight - and are the best times to witness this stage of the hatch. Here you need not attempt to imitate the active fly as best as possible - the chaos occurring on the waters' surface will probably not alert the trout to the fact you are using a size 10 fly instead of a size 8! Just cast gently in the midst of this minuscule chaos and try to follow the pattern the flies are taking as they hit the waters' surface. Make sure there is no drag in your line or the waters' surface will be disturbed and both fish and fly will be alerted to a third-party presence and will feel the water is insecure.

Flies 'hitting' the water in large quantities.

More on this coming soon! Stay tuned!