who is a successful nymph fisherman?

[mutzinbaugh]

i have been flyfishing and tying flies since 5th grade but never got into nymphing. what advice do you guys have for me?
leader length? splitshot? strike indicator and placement? how far to cast upstream? do you let it "swing" at the end of your drift. any advise is appreciated. i want to try it out on the tully, little j, penns, and erie this fall.

 

[stevehalupka]

been rehashed dozens of times on here... for future reference use the search function.

*At least I didn't come out with UTFSF...

anyway, a lot of dudes swear by the curse of tapered leaders for nymphing and I tend to agree. You get a better sink if you attach say, 3 feet of 2x then 4 ft of your desired tipped to fly.

someone has a diagram to illustrate this.

shotting needs adjusted to water depth, color, and speed. I prefer blackbird micro until i'm ticking bottom. If I am highsticking, ON OCCASSION, I will use small section of sink tip in turbulent water and high stick as the stuff is hard as heck to mend. Not many do this but i have success with it. I keep the majority of the tip out of the water with just a few inches in the fastest part which would be the surface.

indicator is same thing, subjective to water. Learn to use a thingamabobber and you'll never go back to anything different

 

[pcray1231]

I'm not a top-notch nympher, but I catch my share.

High sticking in pocket water and narrow runs is my preferred method. I use a flat leader, adjust weight, make sure I'm ticking bottom. Thats really all there is to it, the trick is in keeping a good tight line so you don't miss the takes. I'm so-so at it.

The Tully is tough to nymph for me. Just too much slow water. If you go indicatorless, any weight at all pretty much just drops and sits there. No weight, and it floats. I almost have to use an indicator (same is true of some of the big long slow holes in Penns as well, but it has it's share of pocket water too). The saving grace for the Tully is that it has stockie bows, and they love egg patterns, even if it's not a perfect presentation.

Erie, indis are very popular, and I'm not sure why, as those streams are high stickable. In good conditions, it don't much matter. In low and clear conditions, the fish get ultra drag shy, so the perfect drift is important and I think a right angle indicator really helps with that.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Huh. The Tully is where I'm good at nymphing. I suck on limestoners and such, like Lititz Run. I want to work on nymphing (and swinging streamers). I just love dries though. Just something about a dry fly, even if I'm not catching anything.

 

[albatross]

I second the "Thingamabobber" to use as an indicator for nymphing.

You'll read many opinions on how far up the indicator should be, where the weight should be, and how much weight. Bottom line is you need to be ticking the bottom frequently without hanging up all the time, and however you achieve this is fine.

Cast so that your flies are upstream of your indicator and try to mend your line without disturbing the indicator to achieve a drag-free drift.

That's all there is to it!

 

[quillfly]

generally find yourself some fast water and use a flat leader ( i usually use a 6.5 foot piece of 6# floro)start your drift at around 10oclock and follow it down stream high stick style down to around 2 oclock no drag. lift and repeat. you want to be dragging bottom. I have also found that wrap on lead is better then BB shot lead as it does not crimp the line. lead around a foot above the fly. thats what i catch on most of the time . also dont be afraid to get close in fast water as the current will often obscure the fish's visability. the only time i use a float is nymphing slow deep water where high stick nymphing would get really boring.

 

[midgeman]

When I nymph, I try to study the water for minutes before I enter any holes or runs that I intend on fishing. I suggest looking for fish in holdeing areas. This involves a good pair of polarized sunglasses and a little fish location now how.

$50-300 can by you a nice pair of polarized shades. Good shades have given me the ability to see fish before I event set foot in the water. Get a pair if you don't already.

Trout like to find feeding lanes and positions in current seems. Look at a pool/run and image if you're a fish, where would be the best places to maximize you're diet? I've found that by imagining where trout will be actively feeding has made me a successful fisherman. Then cast at the places that look most promising to hold a feeding trout. Take your time and always move slow. You're a predator and they know you are too. Focus your casts on feeding lanes and the current seems that are closest to you. Slowly move to get into positions that will give you the best casts at those areas. Fish the closest areas to you and don't make unneeded long casts. Long casts will spook a trout faster than anything. Do your best to rig your leader with enough weight / weights (I use shot) to get your flies down quickly and that they BOUNCE THE BOTTEM. If you're getting hung up too often then reduce your weight. I normally fish a 2 fly rig and place a shot 4 inches above a lead fly. Leave 8 inches between your flies.

Fly fishing is more about your ability to image being a fish than your ability to fish. Don't worry about what flies to use! Just use a variety of nymphs in the 14-20 size. Those little guys will eat most flies if you get the flies in their face!!!

 

[wetnet]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
Huh. The Tully is where I'm good at nymphing. I suck on limestoners and such, like Lititz Run. I want to work on nymphing (and swinging streamers). I just love dries though. Just something about a dry fly, even if I'm not catching anything.

I nymph and suck in deep slow bobber fishing water..so there is something you've got that I don't..please share.

I do Bobber fish........as in a dry dropper in slower deeper water and also in water that changes alot. In more predictable waters when I started using an inline indicator..colored mono between the tippet and leader and then went to other things, but I'd stick to one thing and not be bopping all over the place with accessories.

Nymphing isn't just high sticking.. it's long lining, it's mending the same as dries. Some call it spot fishing but to be honest I have never had the pleasure to see a fish hit my fly, but I visualize it from the top watching the current, my line and I am certain that what I thought was a snag on a rock was at some point was probably a fish I missed that was worthy of a story had I caught it.

If you want it plain and simple sink the nymph fast and deep. Not Unlike dries don't let the nymph drag behind you..move that puppy forward. Just keep the depth with weight. As was posted catch up too much lose weight it it you don't feel drag add to it.

If You're working bigger water and you're done with nymphs I'd move on and swing streamers.

 

[JohnnyUtah]

I recommend your read anything by Joe Brooks, Eric leiser, Gary Borger, and of coarse G. E. M. Skues "father of nymph fishing"

Nymph fishing is more complicated than dry flying and it is not something one can easily master. But its a fun road to fly on the way to mastery, with many larger than average trout along the way.

 

[NCPAtrtbum]

I recommend reading "The Fly Fisher’s Playbook, A Systematic Approach to Nymphing" by Duane Redford. It took him five years to piece together and the guy is a hardcore nympher. One of the best books I've read, IMO.

It's like 15 bucks on amazon.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

wetnet wrote:

The_Sasquatch wrote:
Huh. The Tully is where I'm good at nymphing. I suck on limestoners and such, like Lititz Run. I want to work on nymphing (and swinging streamers). I just love dries though. Just something about a dry fly, even if I'm not catching anything.

I nymph and suck in deep slow bobber fishing water..so there is something you've got that I don't..please share.

I learned to nymph on streams like Pine. Big, deep water. The Tully in the fall reminds me of this kind of stuff. Might just be what I'm used to, but I don't do anything fancy. When I'm nymphing there, I usually just put a size 14 beadhead prince, run it deep, nothing fancy for strike indicator (puddy or foam or whatever I got with me), it works well. I like that water 'cause I can bomb out some long casts and get nice long drifts.

I don't know. I'm just able to catch fish there. Its when I get on little streams w/ moving currents that I have problems getting good drifts and stuff. Especially spring creeks w/ their whacky currents and stuff.

 

[troutbert]

I don't claim to be a great nymph fisherman.

But if you want to try it, don't be intimidated by all the "systems" out there.

You can nymph fish and catch some fish using VERY simple techniques:

Take off the dry fly. Put on some popular pattern, such as a beadhead pheasant tail, or beadhead Walts Worm, or beadhead green caddis larvae. You don't need to change to a special nymphing leader.

Fish where fast, broken water flows into holding water, i.e. pockets and pools.

Cast it up and across, let it drift down though, and watch for strikes. When you get a strike, set the hook.

There are far more complicated techniques, but you can also catch plenty of trout doing it as simply as described above.

 

[zenherper]

troutbert wrote:
I don't claim to be a great nymph fisherman.

But if you want to try it, don't be intimidated by all the "systems" out there.

You can nymph fish and catch some fish using VERY simple techniques:

Take off the dry fly. Put on some popular pattern, such as a beadhead pheasant tail, or beadhead Walts Worm, or beadhead green caddis larvae. You don't need to change to a special nymphing leader.

Fish where fast, broken water flows into holding water, i.e. pockets and pools.

Cast it up and across, let it drift down though, and watch for strikes. When you get a strike, set the hook.

There are far more complicated techniques, but you can also catch plenty of trout doing it as simply as described above.

I am fairly new to the sport, but I had a couple experienced guys teach me some helpful nymphing techniques. And, while I'm sure I could learn more to catch a lot more fish, I have gotten to the point where I can consistently catch fish on most days. What Troutbert says above is exactly what I do. I will add that at a certain point I got to where I could almost tell when I was going to get a strike based on the drift of my indicator and the seam I was drifting through. I feel that, while fly choice can make a difference, it is more about getting a good, natural drift bouncing off the bottom, thus having the right leader/tippet length from indicator to fly, the right weight, etc...

In summary, I try to break it down to the following:
1 - Reading the water to find the fish (I personally do not need to see them, I just try to envision where they are/should be).
2 - Getting the right approach to the fish so I don't spook them, yet still be able to get a good cast to drift through them (Anytime I can get an across and upstream cast, I do).
3 - Rig my leader, indicator, and fly to get the best drift through the seams (working away from me) while bouncing off the bottom.

The last thing I will add is that I find myself changing the distance of my indicator from my fly a lot to get it right according to the depth and flow of the stream. I keep it between 1.5 and 2x the depth of the water, depending on the flow. I find that longer is better, but too long leads to missed sets.

These are generally the keys to my success, but I too have a lot to learn...

 

[Foxgap239]

IMHO the best to learn nymph fishing is to go with someone who knows what they are doing and watch them and then have them watch you. I read quite a few books and could never translate into action what I read on the page. However when someone stood behind me and said "get the line off the water before it drags" just when it starts to drag is worth more than trying to figure out what you read while trying to actaully do it. I had that done to me and I became a pretty solid nymph guy. I have also done that with a few guys and they catch fish. The smile on their face is all I need to know, It works!

 

[jdaddy]

Foxgap239 wrote:
IMHO the best to learn nymph fishing is to go with someone who knows what they are doing and watch them and then have them watch you. I read quite a few books and could never translate into action what I read on the page. However when someone stood behind me and said "get the line off the water before it drags" just when it starts to drag is worth more than trying to figure out what you read while trying to actaully do it. I had that done to me and I became a pretty solid nymph guy. I have also done that with a few guys and they catch fish. The smile on their face is all I need to know, It works!

Solid advice.

One of the keys is to think about the water column and all the complex currents that you have throughout the water column. An extreme example is Letort Spring Run. A lot of folks are amazed at the complexity of the surface currents there. However, this time of year just go stand on one of the nice new bridges at Bonnybrook. Watch leaves float down through the water column. Holy crap, right? Those complex currents continue throughout the water column, twisting and turning. It happens, though not to this degree, in all streams. You have to think about all these forces at work when nymphing. If you are using an indicator is it leading your flies and dragging them to fast? Is it moving too slow and impeding a natural drift? How much slower is the cushion on the bottom? Etc, etc.

 

[Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah]

Check out... R. Hafele " Nymph-Fishing Rivers & Streams"

 

[brookieaddict]

Correct methods taught by a nympher and time on the water will make anyone a better bottom dredger. Everyone touched on one or more issues to better nymphing, but until you gain confidence by catching fish you will continue, to think you cant do it. Go with three or four basic flies ,shorten up your leader to about six feet. Weight it if neccecary, I choose to use a bead threaded on the tippet to get the fly to the fishes level. There are so many variables in nymphing we could have a forum on the subject. Good luck

 

[wetnet]

brookieaddict wrote:
Correct methods taught by a nympher and time on the water will make anyone a better bottom dredger. Everyone touched on one or more issues to better nymphing, but until you gain confidence by catching fish you will continue, to think you cant do it. Go with three or four basic flies ,shorten up your leader to about six feet. Weight it if neccecary, I choose to use a bead threaded on the tippet to get the fly to the fishes level. There are so many variables in nymphing we could have a forum on the subject. Good luck

This is advice that should be taken seriously.

I'm a nympher no expert but I had a great teacher. My Son was on the Team USA Youth Fly Fishing team and while I could take a picture of his fly box he had about 4-5 go to nymphs. He gave me some simple advice. You need to find a nymph and stay with it. Sink it fast and deep, don't let it carry on top. Find a depth that you feel the bump, bump, bump without getting caught up all of the time. .... lose the leader thought, you don't need it until you go to deep water RIVERS. Keep your line in front of your drag without dragging it.

Start there. I love Beadheads for weight,

 

[Twofly]

I love nymphing. Im not an expert but I enjoy learning and getting better. 95% of fish landed this season for me were on nymphs. Good advice given by the other threads. Keep it simple. Start with 4 or 5 confidence patterns. I have found a good majority of the time presentation is more important than fly pattern. I would start with smallest indicators that will float your rig. I like the small thingabobbers or yarn. Fish with the longest rod you can get away with. Small streams I use a 7'11" and for bigger open water 9 or 10'. Their are many leader formulas and rigs. This is one that I use the most for small streams is. 3'-20lb,1.5'of-15lb I teminate this to a micro ring. from the micro ring I use 4x or 5x tippet (2x the depth of the water)for small streams this is normally around 3-5' for me.
Attached your indicator above the micro ring and put your split shot 8"-12" away from your fly.I start with (1)BB size shot. Adjust as neccessary. When you make your upstream cast your indictator should be leading your fly or flys downstream. Lift you rod tip as the indicator floats past your position and try to keep the flyline and the butt section of your leader off of the water to reduce drag.
Your indicator should be moving slightly slower than the current. If its moving faster than the current your flys are not near the bottom make adjustments by lengthing your tippet or adding more weight. Target seams and pocket water where fast water meets slower water. Watch your your indicator. if it slows down, stops jumps or twitches, set the hook.
Like I said their are many formulas and methods, Experiment and find out what works for you. Stick with it because it is the most effective way to flyfish.

 

[midnightangler]

Cast so that your flies are upstream of your indicator and try to mend your line without disturbing the indicator to achieve a drag-free drift.

Surface currents are basically always faster than bottom currents. If a surface indicator is not dragging, that means the nymphs below are being dragged along the bottom faster than the bottom currents. If you want your nymphs to travel at the speed of the flow, the flies need move at a speed slower than the surface current.

There is a trade-off here, which is that moving your nymphs at a speed closer to the bottom current (ie. the nymphs travel more slowly) means that you will be presenting your nymphs to fewer fish per unit time fished. Detecting strikes will also be harder, since it is generally easier detect strikes when the flies are traveling faster. As a result, even if more fish will fall for a drag free presentation, you won't necessarily improve your catch rates. Slowing your flies down to achieve a more "drag-free" drift is only worthwhile if this tradeoff allows you to hook more fish, which it won't always do. The only way to determine the optimum speed to fish nymphs on a particular day is to actively experiment on the stream.