Nymphing Strategies

[Carlos]

Hi,

How do you define french nymphing? I relate FN to sight fishing, long leaders, micro nymphs. Quite different from CN.

But i am not sure about how casting looks like on a purist approach to FN. Would the french men still consider tô be FN if line is cast, or must it be just the leader?

Br
Carlos

[Paul Arden]

That’s a very good question Carlos. I’m not even sure that the technique is French in origin and it might be like the Belgian Cast which is really Austrian! I’ve certainly heard a few different things but because everyone calls it French then there must be a connection somewhere!

Obviously the two techniques are very similar, in as much as the fly line loop is not carrying the fly.

As I’ve learned them, Czech style is quite a short leader, heavy flies, cast up across and down, and particularly useful for catching fish feeding downstream of your shuffling feet.

FN on the other hand is a much longer leader. They changed the rules in the championships restricting leaders to less than twice the rod length. For me a FN leader is 30 ft long or more of thin diameter mono (.10/.12). With this set up it’s possible to cast quite respectable distances, even with a small lightweight nymph.

The difference in technique for me is a) the leader - FN is a much longer leader and b) where the fish are being targeted. Czech is usually downstream close to feet and FN up/out/down and longer distances.

I never really got into the Czech style. I wish I had known about FN when I was gorge fishing NZ. The number of really big fish that I would have caught with this method doesn’t bear thinking about!

As soon as too much fly line is outside the tip you lose the sensitivity that watching the suspended mono gives. I don’t know if there are any purist FNers but I would love the irony of it if there are

Cheers, Paul

[Carlos]

So,

in my experience, I came to the result that some very nice loops can be cast with leaders alone, particularly with a light long soft rod, provided the leader is well designed and the fly is light enough. If carried out this way, FN is in the fly fishing category, from my POV. The application scenario being shallow, clear water.

But the topic is about nymph tactics, right? I personally fish nymphs preferably in dead drift, up stream, using a variety of casts. To cover water, I might cast across the stream, and even down stream. But I have no confidence in down stream dead drift, for lack of contact with the fly. So usually down stream I will try a Leisenring lift whe I believe fish might be standing and then swing the nymph.

For up stream nymphing, I think fly lines can be quite efficient, and really the only alternative for spooky fish in not so shallow water.

Did you mention you fish nymphs down stream, Paul? Could you describe how you do that? Thanks in advance.

br
Carlos

[Paul Arden]

Did you mention you fish nymphs down stream, Paul? Could you describe how you do that?

Hi Carlos,

I use two methods. The first is FN where the fly is cast upstream to acquire depth and then fed down through a seam to either a visible fish or to where I think a fish is laying. If it's visible I try to watch the fly, if I lose sight of the fly I watch the fish, if I can't see the fish I watch the swing of the leader. I don't like indicators, instead I try to get as low as possible where I can usually see the suspended leader. If the fish hasn't taken, like you, I give it a small lift. https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/french-nymphing

The other method is the collapsed nymph method. I've learned this from a couple of different places. My friend Sasha in Zagreb is a master of this method. The line is cast slightly upstream with a collapsed leader, everything is allowed to sink sink sink and then just as the fly approaches the fish everything tightens up. This lifts the fly up and away from the fish. Once again I prefer this method while sight fishing - who doesn't? - but because the line can be stack mended you can actually fish a very long way downstream. In the case the fly line becomes the indicator (give me a white fly line for this!) and then of course when you stop the drift everything comes tight and this induces the take.

With the collapsed cast method, on the downward drift I make a mend to put a U-shape in the line. The way I've been taught is the faster the flow the tighter the U, which makes sense to me. Here is a front page from John Field on Sasha in Croatia https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/ ... ightenment

When I was fishing NZ I would say 99% of my nymphing was upstream. After moving to Hungary and fishing the Balkans probably 80% of my nymphing is downstream nowadays. Quite frankly I had to completely re-evaluate what I was doing because what I was doing wasn't working!

Cheers, Paul

[Carlos]

Hi,

I prefer the tuck cast, but also use the parachute and a variation of the collapse, for which I don't have a name: cast forwards low and fast in an angle that makes the fly to hit the water first, the line tip will land on the same spot as the fly piling the leader and part of itself forming slack.

why not tuck?

br
Carlos

[Paul Arden]

Hi Carlos,

You certainly can! I find it easier to underpower instead of overpower especially with a long leader. More often than not I’m using a roll cast as well. That all lends itself more to collapsing being the easier option.

Cheers, Paul

[Carlos]

Hi Paul,

I see, it was not clear to me that the collapse cast is under powered. I will try it.

br
Carlos

[Paul Arden]

Hi Carlos,

It's usually underpowered, but you can get the same result by altering trajectories. With the Overhead I personally find it easier to use the second method. https://www.sexyloops.com/flycast/the-collapsed-cast/ Another advantage of this method over the Tuck Cast is that it's much easier to do if you have to make a longer cast.

Having said that, the results are very similar, and it might also be a case of what I'm used to. I do use the Tuck Cast but nothing like as much as I've thrown the Collapsed Cast.

Cheers, Paul