As a fly fishing guide, I lose flies all the time. Of course, I try to limit the damage as much as possible, but if nothing else, big fish break us off from time to time. Maybe, more accurately, my clients lose flies all of the time. I don't fish as much as I used to. That's not because I don't like to fish, I'm simply too busy to fish very frequently. In general, losing flies is just part of it. That said, there is one scenario that I try very hard to get my flies back.
In the Smokies and more rarely our tailwaters, the trees catch their fair share of flies. When possible, I always try and get my flies back and will go to great lengths to do so. Unfortunately, birds or bats will often mistake flies hanging from trees for the real thing. The result is tragic.
Not long ago, Chris Bean who is one of my other guides sent me a picture. It was the very thing I've been telling people about for years now.
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| A bat that ate someone's fly hanging from a tree. Photo courtesy of Chris Bean ©2026 |
Just days after he sent me that picture, I was on a guide trip when I found a tree branch full of flies. The crazy thing was how accessible they were. It didn't take me any effort to go get the flies. If you are scared to wade in the stream, then get a wading staff. It isn't that hard to retrieve most flies. If you need more assistance, here is a quick tip to get them back easily.
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| Easily accessible branch with Royal Wulff I found stuck to it. ©2026 David Knapp Photography |
I always carry a variety of tippet sizes with me. A spool of 0x and a heavy 1/8 ounce jig work wonders. Simply cut off a length of 0x, tie on the heavy jig, and toss it around the branch you lost your flies on. The heavy material won't break like your 5x will when pulling the branch down, and you can get most of your flies back this way. I always joke that you can pull a whole tree down with 0x, and while that is probably a little extreme, the point is that it won't break easily. Only do it with branches that are reasonable to pull down, however, or else you'll have lost two flies instead of one.
Try to get those flies back, at least when they are on trees.
