Nymph or streamer techniques
I have very limited experience with trout fishing. When I first bought my fly rod last year a guy was kind enough to show me how to fish a nymph on a indacator rig. I have also caught a few with a dry fly on top. I would like to add a few more tricks to my bag, so I began reading Basics 101 on the main page here. He was talking about stripping a nymph which surprised me because I thought you always dead drifted them. Anyway I have played a little with woolly boogers and clousers and have yet to catch anything so I was wondering if anyone had other techniques I could try that would be good for a beginner.
Re: Nymph or streamer techniques
Quote:
Originally Posted by slinger09
I have very limited experience with trout fishing. When I first bought my fly rod last year a guy was kind enough to show me how to fish a nymph on a indacator rig. I have also caught a few with a dry fly on top. I would like to add a few more tricks to my bag, so I began reading Basics 101 on the main page here. He was talking about stripping a nymph which surprised me because I thought you always dead drifted them. Anyway I have played a little with woolly boogers and clousers and have yet to catch anything so I was wondering if anyone had other techniques I could try that would be good for a beginner.
Slinger,
I just want to point out that the author of the nymphing chapter in Basics 101 was talking about stripping the nymph a bit after the fly was directly behind you, on the dangle, after the drift is completed. Presumably, this would help in your casting as well.
Probably, the most important thing I ever learned about nymphing came from one of the mags. If the nymph is on the bottom where it belongs, then the indicator, dry fly, line tip (whatever) will be moving more slowly than the current (bubble line) you're fishing.
If your nymph is on the bottom, it will be dragging across rocks, slowing the drift of your line. By definition, then, your indicator will be moving more slowly than the bubbles. Similarly, assuming you have a decent drift, if the indicator is moving at the same speed as the bubble line, then your nymph isn't dragging bottom.
If the indicator is moving at the same rate as the bubble line, move the indicator towards the line tip and/or add weight. If you get hung up on the bottom too often, move the indicator towards the fly and/or reduce weight.
Another tip to increase your take is to fish a tandem rig with a nymph/wet fly combo. Last month, I had a chance to fish the Lower Ruby River in Montana. Using a little yellow stone nymph on the point and a Starling & Herl as a dropper kept things interesting on a day when nothing was rising. The fish I caught were split evenly between taking the stone on the drift and the S&H on the sweep.
-Steven