Wet flies aren’t cool, but they’re easy to use and catch fish like crazy

WHAT YOU NEED

Wet-fly fishing uses the simplest of all gear: an outfit sized for the river you’re fishing (usually a 4- to 6-weight), a floating line, a seven- to 10-foot leader and a few flies. Because traditional wets are generically lifelike, you don’t need many. I literally use the same wet fly box all across Canada, with a mix of dark and light soft hackles and winged flies, in sizes 10 and 12, plus a couple of 8s and 14s just in case. My faves are the Leadwing Coachman, Brown Hackle, Partridge and Orange, Light Cahill and the Sparkle Soft Hackle, but many others are just as good.