One of my New Year's resolutions is to become a better nymph fisher. To be honest, I'm so lousy at it that it's kind of like aspiring to be the tallest midget but hey we can all strive to improve our fly fishing.
I came across this video and am anxious to try out this young man's technique. Seems simple enough that even I can do it (well maybe). Anyway, thought it might help out others in the club.
If you have any tips, tricks or techniques related to nymphing that you'd like to share send me an email!
Jack was very kind in sending me some additional tips that I thought should be shared with the membership. Check out his thoughts on nymphing below. I'm anxious to put this new knowledge to work!
Hi Steve. I know you are already a good fisherman so this is probably more than you asked for. But I wish I could get advice like this for fishing streamers and it was fun writing it up this morning.
The video is good. He did a good job showing how to set up the leader, use two flies, add the split shot, and position the strike indicator at one and a half times the depth of the water. The indicator he used is a Thingamabobber. They’re good but I’ve been using Air Lock indicators lately because they are a lot easier to adjust. Here are the most common mistakes that I see people make:
1. They slosh right into the water and start casting. A guide told me to think about nymphing as a combination of hunting and fishing. You need to sneak up close so you can make short accurate casts and then take a few minutes to rest the fish and read the water. Where are the seams and the bubble line? Can you see fish?
2. They splat the fly line onto the water and spook the fish. Make a few casts in close first and watch how that goes. If your cast makes noise or a splash, then remove or use smaller split shot, use a smaller indicator, or slow down and make more gentle casts. Then concentrate on making good casts to the seams and the bubble line.
3. They have too much fly line on the water. That will cause the flies to drag and a delay when you want to set the hook. I have the best luck “high sticking” when I keep all of the fly line off of the water.
4. They have poor line control. The flies should land upstream of the strike indicator and have a little time to sink before they get to the where the fish are. The strike indicator should float downstream a little slower than the bubbles around it or at least at the same pace. Set the hook if the indicator slows down or makes a sudden move.
5. They don’t make adjustments. It’s usually better to add or remove split shot or move the strike indicator up or down before you take the time to change flies. The flies need to tick the bottom once in a while. That’s where the fish are.
Have something you'd like to share with the club? It's easy! Just send me an email telling the story behind your post and if you have a couple of photos include them in your email. You can reach me at StephenCPlut@Gmail.com
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