New member...I'm a beginner for the second time

[tddeangelo]

Greetings all,

Brand spankin' new member...1st post.

I've been perusing the beginners forum and starting to (re)learn.

Quick background... I got into flyfishing in the mid-1990's and fished lots of cool places in the west (including Yellowstone). I did fairly well.

Each year for a while, I've been meaning to get back to it. I always had something keep me from it.

I'm currently in western PA hunting turkeys on a friend's farm and brought my trusty old Browning Diana 8'0" (not a typo) 5 wt to fish at the Neshannock. I reside in Northern Berks County (near Cabela's, if you're familiar with that store's location).

Had a ball on the first time out, no fish and not much was going on at the surface. I realized I have forgotten.....EVERYTHING.... about sub-surface fishing. Like...all of it. Wow. So here I am, a beginner, take 2. Maybe I'll get it right this time...

So, what do you recommend for resources targeting that aspect of the sport (admittedly quite broad)? I found that casting has been like riding a bike. I'm no artist with a flyrod, but I'm functional. Fishing dries, I feel pretty good at presentation, selection, etc.

Anything that doesn't float...I get like a deer in the headlights. What? Where? How? Ugh.

Oh, and that old Browning...? It's been with me on many adventures and has caught fish from the Little Schuylkill to the Susquehanna to Sylvan Lake in Yellowstone. On Monday (5/3), I felt a "crunnnnnch" on a back cast. The ferrule crushed when the rod flexed.

My old friend is now retired.

Since I'm near the Neshannock Creek Fly Shop, I spent a couple afternoons there and now am the happy owner of an Orvis Recon 9' 5wt. And OH MY GOSH is that a lovely rod to cast!

Now I just need to learn how to catch fish again....

Any suggested books, youtube, etc, on nymphs, streamers, and emergers? I've been scrolling, reading, etc, and getting lots of info...just not quite hitting those topics too well, and that's definitely my weak spot.

To be honest, though, it's kinda fun getting to be a beginner a second time!

 

[kobalt335]

Dynamic Nymphing written by George Daniel is one of the best nymping books in my opinion. He covers a lot of techniques and goes pretty in depth over each one.

A good video is the Joe Humphreys Nymping Techniques on Youtube.

I'd say the two are different however. George Daniel covers what I would classify as newer techniques, where as the video is more "old school".

 

[tddeangelo]

Thank you!

The recent rains have the Neshannock kinda messy, but I have a new rod and it hasn't gone fishing yet.....

 

[BrookieChaser]

Just fish nymphs like a dry fly.

Throw 45° upstream above the run you want to fish, on the seam you want to fish. I usually use a tuck cast. Throw a quick upstream mend into the line, and let the flies drift through the strike zone. Watch the lower bend of the "s" your line makes on the water. It's that simple.

 

[tddeangelo]

Selection of fly is roughly based on hatch charts with a dose of pragmatism based on actual conditions/weather?

 

[kobalt335]

tddeangelo wrote:
Selection of fly is roughly based on hatch charts with a dose of pragmatism based on actual conditions/weather?

Yes and no. I know people who fish nymphs that match specific species exactly. I fish flies that look more generic and could be multiple things, but may not be an exact match to really anything. Also there are attractors, which are normally a brighter color just trying to draw a reaction.

 

[Dave_W]

tddeangelo,
Welcome to our online community and welcome (back) to fly fishing (FFing).

I'll second Daniel's book Dynamic Nymphing.

Another favorite of mine is Nymph Fishing Rivers and Streams by Hafele. I believe both Daniels and Hafele's books are published by Stackpole.

As others have mentioned, there's a ton of FFing stuff on Youtube and the internet that can speed up the learning curve.

 

[Kevin82]

https://youtu.be/kwmM9xaRLho