Some think of streamer anglers as the “nose tackles” of fly fishing. Short on finesse, these bestial trout hunters use heavy rods, sinking lines, and flies that cast about as well as a dirty diaper, all in the name of fooling big trout, immovable muskies, or massive king salmon in moving water.

One of the most common mistakes I ran across back in my days as a fly fishing guide on the Henry’s Fork, the Yellowstone and the Madison — as well as one of the more regular problems I see when I’m teaching at the School of Trout — is that most anglers have no idea how far to lead a rising fish with their dry fly. So why does that matter, and how can we increase our odds for success?’’

The first question is the easy one. If your fly lands too close to a rising trout, it might not have time to react to your fly before your offering drifts past. Or even worse, your fly might spook the fish when it hits the water.

On the other end of the spectrum, the further upstream you cast your fly, the more likely it is that your fly will drag before it gets to your target. Drag, of course, is an absolute killer for dry fly presentations. At the same time, leading the fish by too much also diminishes the accuracy of your presentation. Even if you get a good drift, you still need to put the fly in front of the fish. The further upstream you cast, the less likely it is that your fly will float down into the trout’s feeding lane and elicit a positive response.