Flies To Strip At Bennett?

[trout newby]

I was at Bennett today and saw several fly fisherman stripping flies and doing well. Just curious on what flies people are using. Would like to try this technique next time i am down there but have never attempted. Any advise would be appreciated.

[Ill Trout Bum]

From my experience, most of them are probably stripping a crackleback. I have done this on several occasions and it can be extremely productive.

[Jack Jones]

I have a few cracklebacks in my box, but rarely found them productive. Could it be I am fishing them incorrectly? I tend to fish them as drys with a dead drift. Should I be putting a little Xink or split shot on the tippet, let them sink a little, and strip?

I'd love some advice on the best ways to fish this fly that I see mentioned often.

Thanks in advance.

[ozark trout fisher]

I have a few cracklebacks in my box, but rarely found them productive. Could it be I am fishing them incorrectly? I tend to fish them as drys with a dead drift. Should I be putting a little Xink or split shot on the tippet, let them sink a little, and strip?

I'd love some advice on the best ways to fish this fly that I see mentioned often.

Thanks in advance.

I've often wondered the same thing...Everyone talks about fishing Cracklebacks, I've never had much success with them for trout. Not to say they don't work, I also just use them as dries, and I don't think that's how everyone does it. I know a lot of people fish them on sinking lines.

Bluegill absolutely love them though. It may be the best bluegill dry fly I've ever come across actually.

[FlyFishinFool]

While I mainly fish with midges, I have been known to strip a few flies from time to time.

Best flies I have found to strip at BSSP are the cracklebacks (green, chartreuse, purple, blue holographic), woolys (yellow, green, olive) and woollybuggers (olive, green, black). A lot of folks fish them on full sinking lines, but if you do not have one, or prefer not to use one, I could try some of the following to get the fly down in the water - a sinking tip or at a minimum a flurocarbon leader, with fluorocarbon tippet, a weighted wooly or weighted woolybugger (or even a conehead woolybugger when the water is up a bit)or if absolutely necessary a small split shot,. Basically anything to help weight the fly down and get it down in the water.

I tend to switch back and forth between fishing methods, so I usually strip with a floating fly line, with a furled fluorocarbon leader and flurocarbon tippet, and then just attach the crackleback and cast it as a dry, then give it a jerk to pop it under the surface and then slowly strip it back - doesn't run deep but it does draw strikes! The weighted flies will get deeper, but definitely are harder to cast, so I usually use non-weighted cracklebacks and woolys.

[Bob A]

As far as stripping, wife and I both on ocassion will strip a crackleback OR a griffith's gnat on either a sink tip or full sinking line. 9 times out of 10, this has been very productive. Worth a try...works for us. We always fish Zone 1.

Bob A

[Wayne SW/MO]

Stripping wooly's has been a long time tradition at Bennett. Ginger, black and yellow grizzly have always been effective. There is nothing wrong with the Crackleback either, but don't give up if it doesn't work because there are other combinations that work. Soft hackles also work at times.

[trout newby]

thanks everyone for your knowledge on stripping flies. the people i saw had their rod tips under water. I am guessing they were doing this to help keep the fly down. will this be the technique to use for cracklebacks, wooleys, etc?

[FlyFishinFool]

People with the rods in the water are normally using full sinking lines. With a floating line or sinking tip attached to a floating line sticking the rod tip in the water serves no positive benefit.

[brittsnbirds]

Of all the fly's that I have in my box, the FC Crackleback is the most abundant!

Over the years I have found myself using only a select few combinations of CB's.

If I had to pick 5 flys only to fish, 3 out of the 5 would be the CB in various combinations. Besides the Griffith's gnat and the Renegade I think the Crackleback is the most versitle fly in my arsenal!! You can work it as a dry, emerger (sub surface), or down deep. However I do think that size matters. My previous preferred size was a 12, but nowadays I start with a 14 and go down to a 18.

Good luck.