New Goal This Year- No Dries!

So I entered a photo contest on Facebook a month or so ago. It was all about rough fish. You know, my kind of fish. Big, ugly, the kind of thing fly anglers would not have been caught dead targeting 15 years ago when I started targeting them. One of my bowfin pictures took the winning place. Cool!  They emailed me to get my address to send the fly box and leaders to. I sent them the address and I said "Out of curiosity, which flybox would it be? (I generally don't do anything with dries- I like the big weird fish!)". I was told I would get a box for big weird fish (I am thinking streamers, big nymphs and the like).

I got the package on Wednesday. A couple of flouro leaders (I can always use those), a pile of Sci Anglers stickers (every fly guy loves stickers) and a dry fly box. Yes, a dry fly box. Bummer. A buddy of mine already has it coming his way.

Shocking, yes, but caught without a dry fly!

Now, not that I am appreciative of a freebie- I love free stuff- but I haven't put on a single dry fly this year. As I drove up to teach entomology at the first Vermont Trout Camp yesterday (more on this in a later post) I started thinking about dries and me. When you have to drive 2.5 hours in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont you have a lot of time to think. I was bummed about the box, but I made a decision. No dries this year. None. I have caught a bunch of fish already in 2011 without the use of dry flies, I have caught a lot of big fish in 2011 without the use of dry flies, and I actually dislike tying dry flies. Combine that with the fact that I am not guiding for trout this year and BOOM!!! 2011- no dries for Drew this year. 


So, let the hate mail fly!  Screw the dry flies! I made it halfway through the year without them and I think I will catch overall bigger average fish because of that!  Lookout Vermont- rogue fly angler on the loose!  SEMPER STREAMER!!