[Chiefly Fly'n]

Hmmm...seems like that was popular line on an old TV show....but it's also true of your drift in fly fishing at this time of year.
Standard advice is deep and slow...but the placement of the drift can also be the key. If your line of drift is off by a few inches from where the trout are lying in the stream, that may mean no fish. A couple of us were discussing this the other day. In the cold winter months, trout will often seem to cluster together in the deepest, most narrow part of a pool or run. If you can drift or bounce a fly right in front of them, they just may be inclined to take it. If, however, it is off to the side...even by just a few inches....they may remain motionless.... Refusing to expend just a little more energy for a nymph that only means meager calories.

So, if you are not finding fish...try to make sure you are deep enough and covering every inch of a good spot. Otherwise you may have "just missed it..."

 

[Reelpure]

Question
When nymph fishing should the nymph be hitting and drifting along on the bottom?

thanks

 

[wademaster]

Question
When nymph fishing should the nymph be hitting and drifting along on the bottom?

thanks

That's the way I try to do it. Like Richard said, this way you'll drift it right by their face while they're hangin out together on the bottom. This is why people position their indicator where it'll drift the nymph just off the bottom.


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[Chiefly Fly'n]

should the nymph be hitting and drifting along on the bottom?

There are always exceptions to the "rule" ...and sometimes those exceptions produce fish. But, as a general rule, I think it's important to have them bouncing on or near the bottom....especially at this time of year. Getting down deep enough is often the challenge and thus the reasons for adding split shot or tying your flies with more lead wire weight or double tungsten bead as Brush Creek mentioned. The popular guidance is "if you aren't occassionally getting hung on the bottom, you aren't deep enough." For me, the advantage of using a bright, yarn egg "fly" in front of a nymph....is that I can usually see it in the water and gauge how deep I am getting the nymph....and often I can see I need to be deeper due to speed of currents etc. (and of course the fish like those yarn eggs too...)

But, but, but...at some point those real nymphs try to make their way to the surface. So....occasionally stopping the drift along the bottom so your flies start to swing to the surface....or stopping the drift and twitching the fly or flies toward the surface...will be just what's needed to entice a take.

 

[wademaster]

But, but, but...at some point those real nymphs try to make their way to the surface. So....occasionally stopping the drift along the bottom so your flies start to swing to the surface....or stopping the drift and twitching the fly or flies toward the surface...will be just what's needed to entice a take.

Dynamic nymphing? It works. The usual routine is to perform a "water haul" to place your fly back upstream for another drift after the original drift has been completed and drag has set in. As Richard says though if you let the fly keep drifting even after its at an unnatural pace it'll start to rise toward the surface like an "emerger"....this will entice trout as well.....its a total different presentation. Sometimes even after the fly is on the surface they'll get hit.


Sent from my kayak...

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

I was googling information on a fly pattern....and stumbled on to this:

One of nymph fishing’s greatest tenants is that you must fish your flies on the stream bottom if you want to consistently catch fish. And if you heed that rule, you’re going to lose a lot of flies to subsurface rocks and debris. So why not use a fly that is quick, easy, and cheap to tie, and one that the fish love? Tie and fish some Walt’s Worms and you’ll quickly learn to love them too.

I post this because of the technique/strategy for nymph fishing.

But the fly pattern seems kinda interesting and simple also. If you google it you'll find a number of tying videos etc

 

[Mechanic Bob]

Great word of wisdom and I like reference even better, Maxwell!

 

[RouseD]

Thanks for the tips Richard. I rarely get to stream trout fish. Hopefully I'll do it at lease once this year.