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[fish2much]

I've finally started to seriously get going on my fly rod (actually i'm addicted).   The one problem I am having however is a lot of missed hook ups both dry and wet fly.  I fish the skagit about once a month and do well but probably miss about 50% of my hits (all dry fly).   Lake fishing (mostly rolley and mike lake)  I troll flies and again probably only capitilize on 50% of my hits.  Lake fishing I use a full sinking line and don't use an indicator.  I don't know if I should set the hook differently based upon wet or dry fly.Advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Every Day]

I have found with dry flies you have to be really quick.. as soon as they come up for it I slam the rod back as fast as I can. You could use that approach or the other one where I wait for like 3 seconds after they take it and then set the hook, both work but the second option I find you miss more fish than setting right away.

[drivel]

When trolling flies in a lake, make sure your rod is pointed directly at your fly.  I usually have the rod tip in the water if i'm in a float tube.  This ensures that you have the most direct connection with the fly and can then set the hook as soon as you feel a bump on the line.  Having said that, some days, the fish are just not commiting to the fly and are definitely harder to hook.

d

[mojoman]

when fishing a lake subsurface try a hand-set...leave the rod where it is and set the hook via a sharp tug on the line with your retrieve hand...just a thought..



mojo

[UFC]

I agree with both mojoman and drivel. Either way will work for better hook sets.
When trolling subsurface, the quicker, and firmer, the strike the better. If you have the rod out to the side or up high, you won't have a firm set when striking, and if you don't strike right away, quite often they've felt the hook and spit the fly already.

[marmot]

you have to remember that many times when a fly is "hitting" a dry many times it is not necessarily committing to eating it, so don't feel bad about missing them.  For this reason yarding a fly up and away is not always the best reaction on a suspected hit.  Your line should be under control if you're drifting a dry (even more so on still waters) so a small hand set once a fish has committed is all it should take.  Try going a size down too on your fly, or up if they are taking terrestrials ... works for me anyways.

[glx]

Most experianced dry flyers will tell you not to set the hook when you see the initial rise but to wait a second or two. 

Everydays tactics of the instant hook sets wont get you far when fishing dries.

[adriaticum]

Most experianced dry flyers will tell you not to set the hook when you see the initial rise but to wait a second or two. 

Everydays tactics of the instant hook sets wont get you far when fishing dries.

Agreed.

I am not an experienced fly fishermen, but I found that if you set the hook instantly when you see a rise, you will not hook anything most of the time.
Sometimes trout will rise to the fly and make a splash but not actually take the fly. They will rise to the fly and then at the last second decide, no no, that ain't a fly. 
They just make the splash because of inertia and it easier to breach and let the gravity take them down, then to make a sudden turn below the surface.
Try to keep an eye on the leader movement.
Wait a second and a half and then set the hook.

You do have to set the hook anyway because when they rise even if the don't take the fly, the splash will wet your fly and you will have to re-cast to dry it.

My 7 and 3/4 cents.

[Sir Snag-A-Lot]

When fishing big dries like caddises on lakes I sometimes won't even set the hook unless I see the fly taken under water.  This allows the fish to make a second attempt after they think that they have wounded their prey.  This method has put me into plenty of fish.  That being said, these strikes are often so violent that the fish has already set the hook before you can react anyway.

I use a similar method with some types of wet flies.  Rainbows often hit leeches and damsels by sucking them in from behind.  If you feel a TAP -TAP but not a decisive bite when fishing these flies this is probably the cause.  Don't try to set the hook, but instead do a quick, short, hand strip retrieve, and hold on tight for the fish to smash your fly!

[Todd Oishi]

fish2much, I have found that often missed strikes have more to do with the presentation and the reaction time of the angler, rather than you the type of fly itself. One tip for lake fishing is to try using a shorter amount of fly line and a stiffer leader. And as you mentioned that you are using a sinking line, I'd suggest that you consider using fluorocarbon tippet material as it tends to possess less stretch than monofilament and thus enables a quicker and more efficient hook-set when a fish takes or strikes at your fly. A "low-stretch" fly line is also HUGE help, and often helps to set the hook with less effort on the angler's part.

As for the river fishing... use a shorter amount of fly line as well, and stay in direct contact with your fly by using a shorter leader (nine feet is usually sufficient). By using a longer amount of fly line, you will have more difficulty managing your fly line and fly, as the varying surface currents will cause drag and reduce your chances of a quick hook-set and/or contact with your fly. Striking too slowly will cause many misses as some the best dry fly fishermen will strike quickly when river fishing and simply drop the fly back at the same location if they fail to connect (lakes are a different scenerio). My theory is that if the fish fails to feel the sting of the fly, you have a chance that it will return a second time, but if it has a chance to taste the fly and refuses it, rarely - if ever - will it rise a second time...

Good-luck and good angling...

Todd

[fish2much]

Thanks to all for the great tips, greatly appreciated.