A fish feeding on the surface will have two distinct looks. The first is when it eats a bug sitting on top of the water surface. It will stick only its snout out of the water. You can often see a bug float into its range and anticipate the eat.
The second is when it eats an emerging bug. It will porpoise; you will see its back, dorsal fin and finally its tail come to the surface and submerge. Or it could be more subtle, you may only see a glimpse of its dorsal fin, or a push of water appear. This difference is crucial when choosing which dry fly you present. A fish eating bugs on top of the surface will take both a dry fly and an emerger. A fish eating emergers will not take a dry fly on the surface but will only take an emerger. If you are not getting a response out of a fish with a dry fly, or when in doubt, tie on an emerger. The Klinkhammer emerger has become a staple in mine and many of my fellow fishermen’s everyday box.
