How to match the underwater current

[Dave Neal]

Sammy you bring up a good question.

I like what the others have added as well…

Regarding how to match speed of the water where the fish holding - while indicator nymphing:

Generally, I like to see the indicator drift slower than the foam line around it. And I like my leader set-up so there’s nothing but tippet (or thin line anyway) below my indicator.

If it’s deep and/or fast water – I’m a fan of the “turn-over” and “stack” mends early on to set up a good drag free drift – sometimes you don’t need as much weight as you think.

One reason tight-line/high sticking/indicatorless nymphing (I’m resisting calling it Czech Nymphing out of respect to old time Nor Cal Anglers) Whew… is so deadly, is a heavily weighted leader, of a thin diameter, can effectively “slice” through water current with less drag while sufficient weight on the leader (or flies) will slow down the drift speed – hopefully in the realm of the current speed where the fish are feeding! It’s easier to demonstrate than explain – and I’m already wordy…

This last point should not raise debate about indicator vs. indicatorless nymphing, that really should be a decision based on the TYPE of water you are fishing (how far away the fish are, how long a drift you need etc etc) not whether or not one technique is better or more sporting than other. Both techniques have valid points, and disadvantages.

Happy fishing...

[YEM]

The slower the current, the finer the substrate. In still water the bottom is silt or sand and in fast water the bottom is cobbles or boulders. Look for abrupt changes in the color or size of stuff on the river bed. This is a FAR better indicator of what the river is doing down there than looking for seams, eddies, etc on the surface.

Very interesting. I'll keep it in mind, thanks!

[Sammy]

Somebody is a Phish fan. @YEM

[Terry Imai]

It's funny when I hear some people state that dry fly fishing is "the most difficult" of all forms of fly fishing because to see a top nymph fisherman operate especially without an indicator is a true art form. Nymph fishing is a "numbers" game which means the person who can present their bugs in the correct zone for an extended time will generally have more hookups than someone who cannot control their flies. A beginning nymph fisherman may only get a decent drift of a 1-3' with their cast while an expert may extend their perfect drift for 15-20'. If you do the math of being able to keep their flies in the "zone" over the course of a day of fishing will reflect in the number of hookups. Another important factor is being able to read the fish's subtle takes. I have seen a beginning nymph fisherman literally have their indicator go underwater and actually surge upstream and then argue with me that it wasn't a "take" while a real pro will just notice something twitchy or nervous in the water column and hook a fish.

There was a story of Ralph Cutter was in his scuba at the bottom of a river and observing Lisa upstream casting into a section of the river. After a finite number of cast, Ralph came to the shore and asked her of how many takes did she have? She said that she had around 4-6 takes out of 20 casts but Ralph actually saw around 12 fish take her bugs and expel them before she noticed the take and could set the hook.

Bottom line is no one becomes a top nymph fisherman overnight and you only get good by paying your dues and fish on some water that has good trout populations where you can miss a few shots during the course of the day but still get into some fish. The East Walker is an awesome fishery to get your nymphing skills down.

Good luck...

[Sammy]

Funny, that's where I'm heading next @Terry

Something I will be focused on for sure.