What is high stick nymphing?

[Alastair]

I'm sure someone here can tell me what this means. I also could stand to know more about nymph fishing. Is there a standard way to do this? How do you know how much weight to put on the line? How do you know how deep to go? Maybe there's a website out there that would explain this stuff? Thanks for any help.

[Tracy Chimenti]

First is flipping an apx. 2- rod's length of line and leader upstream and pointing the rod high enough so there is no slack in the line. With or without an indicator, you can detect the strikes quickly and react quickly as well. just let that little bug dead-drift with the current back to you and keep the stick high, but lower it as the fly swings past, keeping the slack out of the line. can be deadly for steelies in the Feather, or trout in the McCloud and Pitt!

Second is when my dog hi-sticks my kid when he's eating an ice cream bar. Dogs know this is a deadly tactic and will grin like no tomorrow when your kid pulls back on the stick, leaving a sweet, creamy blob inside his trap.

Third is when you're fishing at dusk on a dense river edge, fighting mosquitos and gnats. You snag your felt sole with your "rubber-legs", stoop to pull it out, raise up, and Voila... "Hi, Stick!!" (right in the face). Done it many times.

Hope this helps.

[Darian]

Alastair,.... There is another method of high sticking that was made famous by the late Ted Fay of Dunsmuir. Still practiced by Joe Kimsey and some others up there, today.....

This method uses a two fly cast of very heavy, compact nymphs in size 8 (usually tied on a hook like Mustad 7948 or 7957BX. Not sure they're even made anymore. ) The cast is short (Not much more than the length of the rod) with nothing much more than the leader/flies in the water. No indicators necessary.... The flies are a specialized style and design originated by a native american named Ted Towendolly who introduced Ted Fay to the method, according to all of the reading materials I'm aware of. If the flies are weighted correctly, there is no need to add weight to the leader....

Hey Alaster
High sticking is mainly a pocket water method that is deadly. I learned this system from Bill Carnazzo and Ron Rabun Many years ago. It took me from a person catching six to ten fish a day to many days over 40.
These guys are both guides on the upper Sacramento river. A day on the river with one of them will up your catch rate big time.I believe Bill posts on this site and I belive he even wrote an article on the method on this site onetime,but it may have been before the change in the site?
Anyway it is just another method. Water conditions dictate the method to best use. It will take years to perfect them all.
Good luck.

[Gregg Machel]

We transfered all the old articles from the old site here: http://www.kiene.com/articles/index.shtm

Let me know if the one you are referring to isn't here and then I'll dig it up from the archives.

Gregg
It looks like Bill Carnazo wrote on the American in the article on this site.
The one on nymphing must have been in the Calif.Fly Fisher mag.
Thanks anyway. I enjoyed Bill Kiene's Swinging for steelies old article.