They fasten red ... wool round a hook, and fit onto the wool two feathers which grow under a cock's wattles, and which in colour are like wax," wrote the Roman Claudius Aelianus of Macedonian fly fishermen on the Astraeus River near the end of the second century.

"Their rod is six feet long, and their line is the same length. Then they throw their snare, and the fish, attracted and maddened by the colour, comes straight at it, thinking from the pretty sight to gain a dainty mouthful. When, however, it opens its jaws, it is caught by the hook, and enjoys a bitter repast, a captive."

Millennia later, fly anglers still trick trout into thinking they'll "gain a dainty mouthful." Some of the earliest fly fishing in Pennsylvania, in the 17th and 18th centuries, was done with wet flies. Despite periodic episodes of marginal popularity, age old wet-fly tactics are seldom used by modern anglers.

Fishing guide Dave Allbaugh, of Mundy's Corner near Johnstown, says they're missing out on, "a great way to catch fish."

"It's pretty much a lost art," said Allbaugh, whose service specializes in wet-fly fishing (Wet Fly Waterguides, www.wetflywaterguides.com). "Not many guys are doing it today [but] it's a very productive way to take trout. Along with your dry flies and nymphs, this gives you something else to try on the stream."

Streamers, tied to imitate minnows, are generally fished against the current and sometimes imprecisely categorized as wet flies. Nymphs suggest the bottom-dwelling larval stage of several water-born insects, and dry flies imitate adult duns and spinners on the water's surface.

Wet flies, however, are tied to look like emergers -- mayflies, caddisflies or stoneflies that have broken free of their immature nymph bodies and are rising to the surface as adults seeking to breed. Allbaugh fishes them in a dead drift or with some movement, always 12-18 inches below the surface and never swum upstream.

Trout realize that the brief emerger stage is the most vulnerable moment in an insect's life, said Allbaugh, and they're excited to see them.

"More often than not the bigger fish will stay under the surface," he said. "I think you have a better chance of taking more big fish under the surface."

The trick to successful wet-fly fishing, said Allbaugh, is to get a long natural drift at the critical depth. He starts with a medium-action 8 1/2- or 9-foot rod. Split shot drop the flies too quickly, he said, and floating fly line holds them too close to the surface. Allbaugh uses an intermediate sinking line and a 9-foot leader that includes a 20-22 inch tippet. Two 4-6 inch droppers are tied to the leader using heavy 26-pound line.

"That's pretty heavy stuff," he said, "but the stiffness in those droppers keeps the flies from twisting around the terminal part of the leader. If you use anything lighter for the dropper, you're going to have trouble all day."

Some classic wet-fly patterns are hundreds of years old -- "The Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle," published in 1496, includes a dozen patterns that still work.

"I take the classic wet-fly patterns of old and tweak them a little, tying them with softer materials so they have a lot of movement in the water," said Allbaugh."

All of his patterns come in drab colors best suited for brown trout. His Picket Pins are tied on Nos. 10-14 hooks with tails that angle up to provide more movement; the Hare's Ears have softer wings and hackle.

"The whole idea about tying the wet flies is to make your patterns with as much movement in them as possible," he said. "

Cast downstream at a 45-degree angle. When the line hits the water, throw an upstream mend to eliminate drag and follow the line with the rod tip.

A second or third mend might be needed to extend the drift. When the line straightens and the fly begins to swing, give it a couple of shakes before lifting and casting again without a false cast to keep the wet fly wet.

"I'm not going to say it's the easiest kind of fly fishing -- there are techniques involved just like in fishing dries, nymphs or streamers," said Allbaugh. "You have to get out there and see what the fish want."

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.