My favorite way to nymph is during the isonychia hatch here in the east. I fish it a specific way and do pretty well, but it occurs to me that I'm much less deliberate in matching my technique with other bugs.... This thread is my attempt to learn a bit about matching nymphing techniques with certain bugs. Tell me, what is your favorite way to nymph? Does it work best with certain insects? On a certain river? What are some of the variables that influence your choice of technique?

I'll start. Back when the esopus was fishing better, I spent a fair amount of time with an isonychia pattern casting across and down. I'd mend once to get fly down and the fish hit most often as line got taught on the swing, or at the end of the swing dead downstream. Isos are big bugs and they are swimmers, so you don't necessarily need to get deep with a drag free drift. In pocket water I focus on getting the fly down, in faster water I tend to pay more attention to the swing.

How about you?