Dead Fall: The dead fall is what I call it when you cast out your fly and either let it start sinking unhindered immediately or when you strip it in to a likely holding spot and at that point let it sink. This technique works best with unweighted or lightly weighted flies in still water situations, flies with rubber legs and buggy dubbing seem to work very well with this method. The slow rate of descent seems to drive the gills crazy and often times you will see them slowly come up from below towards the fly. As they rise they are inspecting the offering and more often then not by the time they are underneath it they have committed and you will soon see the white flash as they inhale the fly. This method works best when sight fishing because when you are allowing the fly to free fall you do not have any connection with the line to feel strikes or nips.In murkier water or under low light conditions if you see the fly disappear or act unnaturally set the hook. You can set the hook using your rod tip, but what I usually end up doing is a combination of setting the hook by moving my rod tip up or to the side coupled with a sharp strip of the fly line.
Strip: When fishing small bait fish patterns that are weighted in the front with lead eyes or a bead the strip retrieve works wonders. Cast out and allow your fly to sink for a few seconds and then begin to slowly strip the fly back towards you. Target weed beds and structure to bring your fly through and vary the timing and length of your strip. Sometimes they want short quick erratic strips and other times long slow strips will be the key. Like any retrieve do not be afraid to play around and try something different.
Jig: Depending on the area you are fishing sometimes you are able to present the fly vertically. Be it from a bridge, standing on deadfall or a log (be careful!) or from shore jigging down to crappie around structure or weeds this technique can be very effective. Buggy flies with rubber legs create lots of motion and are great for this method. Simply allow your fly to sink down vertically to whatever level you want, above weeds, beside structure etc and with your rod tip jig the fly up and down. I have had a lot of success using this method from a bridge at the local pond.
Sweep: The sweep is a technique that I have been playing around with for both trout and pan fish. Cast your fly out past likely holding areas and allow it to sink for a few seconds. Next with your rod tip pointing towards your fly slowly sweep it back pivoting your body. This will pull the fly at a steady speed right through fishy water while allowing you to control how fast or slow it is traveling. I find that this retrieve can get finicky trout and pan fish fired up. As we all know most prey does not stop when pursued so the consistent speed and movement of the fly seems to incite aggressive takes.While sweeping be sure to hold onto your line with the other hand to strip when a fish takes the fly. You can also speed up the fly even more by sweeping and pulling line at the same time. I find that often times the larger more aggressive fish will be most interested in this method. My personal best crappie was caught using a bead head mirage back scud and this retrieve.
Dry Fly: Dry fly fishing for gills and other pan fish is a very fun and exciting way to catch fish. By using small/medium sized trout style dry flies and poppers you can have a fun filled day/night on the pond.
In the dog days of summer when lots of insect activity is happening towards dusk sometimes just casting a dry fly onto the water is enough to get every fish's attention within 10 feet. Often times simply casting out and leaving the fly stationary works wonders, usually ending up in a blow up or hooked fish within the first 10-20 seconds. Skating and popping bugs near weed lines and structure is also very effective.
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