Nymphing Strategies

[Lou Bruno]

I add a section of tippet, about 8in to my main tippet using a blood knot.
At the tag end of that tippet I tie a basic overhand knot. I attach my split shot, knot prevents the split shot from sliding off.

Hi Lou,
that's how I used to fish for mullets at times.
Then I realized the relatively long side arm supporting to miss a lot of takes (be feeling them) and only used it when seeing both the fly and the fish.
Drop shot anglers position their jigs/lures above the weight as well. But they hang it directly on the main line. I was wondering, if we might have room to improve by doing this as well?
Regards and thanks
Bernd

Bernd

Certainly...I often change my set up based on current, time of day, color of water, water depth.
I'll change the location of my split shot, sometimes between two nymphs. I change how I tie them to my tippet...from hook eye, from bend of hook.
But, my favorite is the method I initially described. I'll add a smaller wet fly from the bend of the hook, using lighter tippet.

I don't use a separate floating indicator...it's built into my line.
I've used it so much that I'm confident.

And being casting instructors who fish, I use as many casts or mends to achieve the desired drift/presentation.

Changing the set up makes fly fishing fun.

I'm reading about Joe Brooks Broadside Float.


http://www.garyborger.com/2014/04/17/br ... ide-float/

Lou

[Bernd Ziesche]

http://www.garyborger.com/2014/04/17/br ... ide-float/

Good stuff to read!
Thanks,
Bernd

[Lou Bruno]

Has anyone tried using weighted flattened nymphs? I would tie my nymphs "in the round." Supposedly, flattening the weight prevents the nymph from tumbling.

Lou

[Viking Lars]

I've tied and fished Oliver Edwards' Heptagenid Nymph a lot. Weighted and flat as the real insect, but I've never noticed that it should tumble any less - not that I have paid particular attention to that particular nuance :-).

Lars

[Lou Bruno]

Bought this book years ago, a must read, for nymphing.

Joe Humphreys's Trout Tactics: Updated & Expanded

Lou

[Viking Lars]

Oh no... I think my wife might kill me (or sell all my rods) if I buy more books. None the less, thanks! I’ll see if I can dig up a copy.

Lars

[Boisker]

If you don’t mind spending a couple of $ then I found Devin Olsen and Lance Egan’s 2 vids- Modern Nymphing and Modern Nymphing elevated really useful.
Based on 20-30 nylon leaders, used for 1-3 nymph rigs, dry dropper, dry, streamer... the subtle changes in controlling the sighter, angle, cast etc were a real eye opener. I spent much of last autumn grayling fishing and trying to develop some of the skills/technique. It’s definitely getting there, early trout season know and I am catching fishing BT in shallow runs I rarely caught anything from before.... usual nymph rigs, dry dropper just weren’t subtle enough. It’s quite impressive that by changing a number of factors allows you to manipulate the sink rate and fish very different water speeds /depths with the same weight nymphs...
It’s taken me 10 yrs to make the effort to develop the technique, still early days for me, but already wish i’s done it sooner... it’s really technical, you ‘just’ control the slack/presentation, angle of sighted to get the required drift through the water column at the required depth...

[Paul Arden]

I don’t think that there is any aspect of fly fishing that can’t be taken to the nth degree. I enjoyed Lance’s Euro Nymphing strategies video. Nice chap. I knew him from the 5WT Best of the West days and we fished a little bit together. I remember the drive back more than the fishing. For some reason Lance decided it would be a good idea to try to keep up with an ambulance that was flashing its red lights. It was certainly a fast return home

[Boisker]

There’s a number of good resources out there, George Daniels book is very good and the troutbitten website has a wealth of info ( https://troutbitten.com/the-mono-rig/ ) which I keep delving back into and finding more and more to think about.
But Lance and Devin’s vid is the most helpful I have found... probably just because as a medium you can see what is actually happening... it’s very well filmed and you can see the changes in indicator angle, casting stroke etc for different situations.
For me very good vids in certain situations can help make things click better than any text can.... same with the casting vid from your app Paul, there were certain casts I still hadn’t managed to nail, particularly the curve cast, your vid was the first I found where it was filmed with close enough footage of the hand so I could see the slight pull back... it fell into place immediately after that.

But for all the talk of nymphing.... it’s nearly May and I am getting excited at the thought of some killer dry fly action

[Paul Arden]

For sure. I’ve been very lucky having based myself close to the Balkans for a few years. Some very technical nymphing to be found in Croatia and Bosnia and some true masters. Sasha Puskadjia from Zagreb and Zeljko from the Pliva. 20 years of NZ Nymphing actually taught me very little by comparison to fishing with these and other friends. French Nymphing and some of the Collapsed Cast downstream casts completely changed my nymphing. If I wasn’t so tied up with the Jungle Fishing I’d devote a few seasons to working on these techniques. Maybe when I’m older; it just feels a bit tame at the moment!

In fact it’s been fishing with the competition anglers that has changed my approach. Whatever you may think about the technique some of these guys can really fish!

Cheers, Paul