Mutilate your fly. Flyfishermen have often marveled at the strange effectiveness of scraggly, bedraggled flies. When trout refuse standard imitations, take your fly to the barber. Slice the hackle of a dry fly at an angle to make it ride low and on its side, cut off the tail to make its abdomen sink, remove one wing, or cut them both to stubs to imitate an insect stuck in its nymphal shuck. Anticipate the hatch.
Smart trout are easier to fool when they're feeding actively.
On most fertile trout streams, insects begin to hatch at predictable times-as a general rule during the most pleasant part of the day. So, stake out a favorite pool an hour or so before the duns appear on the surface of the water. Trout begin feeding selectively on nymphs as they rise from the bottom. If you know what species to expect, you can tie on an accurate nymph imitation and take fish. 9. Fish at night.