Have you ever thought about trying dry fly fishing for trout and didn't because it seemed so complicated? Actually it's not at all, and here are a few pointers to help you get started.

There are some inherent advantages to this type of fishing that are especially important to beginners.

For one thing, recognizing takes with a dry fly is no problem. When a fish comes to the surface and your fly disappears with a splash, it's pretty hard not to know you had a hit.

For another, when a trout takes a dry fly, the angler has a few seconds to collect his wits and set the hook. Because most of a trout's enemies are from above, after taking something from the surface, it instinctively dives back to the comparative safety of its original lie before even pausing to decide if what it took is edible. As a result the fish is swimming downward and away when the line is tightened which makes hooking it almost certain. This is the reason trout taken on a dry fly are usually hooked in the corner of the mouth or the upper jaw.

By contrast a sunken fly is often taken by a following fish that can examine and eject it instantly, and even if the angler tightens line in time, because the fish is facing him, it's easy to pull the fly out of its mouth.

As streams warm up, trout need more oxygen and move into the better aerated areas which means broken runs or rapids, and the holes just below these where the water swirls and mixes with even more air. So from mid June onward, expect to find good fish in this type water. They will be healthy, happy, and because adequate oxygen has speeded up their metabolism, hungry.

In quiet water dry fly angling places a premium on delicate and accurate presentation, but if the beginner fishes rough water, where the fish are from mid-summer on in Wisconsin streams, a sloppy cast isn't that critical, and fishing "fine and far-off" isn't necessary. Actually because most Wisconsin trout streams are small, casts of 15 to 20 feet are probably average, so accuracy is comparatively easy.

Because casts are short, any rod you feel comfortable with is O.K. If this is your first fly rod, it probably would be wise to get one that will work for all around fly fishing. An 8 or 8-1/2 foot fiber glass rod that calls for a number seven line should be fine and relatively inexpensive.

Later, if you decide to be a dry fly purist, will be time enough to get a specialized rod, and even then your ideas as to what is an ideal outfit will change with experience.

Use a floating line. A weight forward will work fine, and if the outfit is also used for lake fishing it wilI make long casts easier. For dry fly fishing, line color isn't important, but if the same outfit is to be used for sunken flies, then a light color for good visibility is best because the line is your hit indicator when fishing an underwater fly.

A store bought 9 foot leader tapered to 3X should be about right. These are of standard nylon which is comparatively stiff, so tie on a strand of .007 diameter limp nylon to which the fly is affixed. This strand is usually about 18 inches long, and is called a tippet. Stiff nylon makes the leader lay out properly while the limp tippet helps the fly drift or swim naturally.

The surgeons knot makes a good tippet-to-leader connection. It is simply half a granny knot with the leader end and tippet strand brought through the loop twice. Pull tight carefully. Saliva on the knot will help it tighten evenly. Then clip the free ends closely.

A reel that, loaded with line and installed on the reel seat, makes the rod balance at a point just ahead of the grip should work fine. One that's too heavy makes it hard to feel the line when casting, and one too light hastens casting fatigue.

Another necessity is a small container of dry fly flotant. This can be obtained at tackle stores under various brand names, but an old standby still widely used is made by dissolving paraffin in gasoline.

Working outside away from possible sparks or flame, simply warm some gasoline by setting it in the sunlight in a mason jar, then shave paraffin into it until it will absorb no more. (There will be some unabsorbed paraffin in the bottom.) Pour some of the clear fluid off the top into a small wide-mouthed container that can be carried in a pocket and place in a cool place. If the fluid jells and turns whitish, you have done it right. Carrying the container in an inside pocket next to your body will warm it and make it clear again. Put the mason jar containing the rest in a safe place and save to replenish the pocket container.

To use, dip the fly tied to the tippet into the solution. Then false cast a couple of times to dry it. If a fish takes the fly the process must be repeated because saliva is a wetting agent, or if the fly becomes drowned for any other reason, false cast to dry it, then apply more flotant.

Flies for rough water fishing should have stiff bushy, high floating hackle. Palmer tied flies such as the Beaverkill, Dean Hanson and Brown Bivisible are very good. The Adams and Irresistible are two conventional flies that are also very effective. They should be tied with hackle wound on a bias to give a sawbuck effect, which makes them dance along on their hackle tips over the broken water. These flies are all either gray or brown or gray-brown which are caddis colors, and this is caddis fly habitat. Number 14 and 16 are good hook sizes.

Cast the flies upstream and try to get a drag-free float even if only for a foot or two. Healthy trout in fast water are very accomplished at snatching food from the surface. Fish all the water. Repeated casts on broken water do not seem to disturb the fish, and many under water objects or bottom depressions that make holding areas for trout won't be discernable through the turbulent water.

If your fly is pulled under at the end of a drift, leave it in the water for a few seconds. Trout will often accept a drowned fly in fast water. They evidently are used to seeing flies sucked under by the current.

The screen of broken water lets an angler work close to trout without spooking them, so stay out of the water as much as possible, and keep casts short. They are more effective than a long line dragging over broken currents.

Beginner or expert, mid-summer is a good time for dry flying. The best trout are in the aerated areas, and broken water helps forgive mistakes in approach and presentation.

Incidentally, this is the time of the year when expert dry fliers take their largest fish, too.