I suck at all fishing, nymph fishing included. What I've found with the indicators is that I like to go as small as I can go and still see it, that way there is less resistance when the fish sucks in the nymph. This usually puts me in closer, but so far that has not been a problem and my hooksets have buried in jaws more than before when fishing a larger more visible indicator.

 

That is actually a good point: A smaller indicator would have less resistance- therefor an angler would be able to sense/see when the fish first shows it's initial interest in the fly and can then set the hook sooner and more shallow. A larger more resistant indicator would need more pull/force for us to notice and the fly, in turn, would be deeper in the fish before we notice it.

 

Growing up being a highstick nympher I can only guess how easy indi nymphing would be. high sticking is all about wading in the best position to present the fly deep with upstream casts and lots of mends up stream and down. now that I have used indi's in lakes for a couple years I can only guess what I could do on the big deschutes river here in oregon with the indi set-up. being able to blast casts out to mid river with an indi and mending from 70 and 80 feet away for a dead drift in mid river where redsides are usually not bothered would be a whole different world for me.

If you have high stick nymphed I would think this would be very easy to do. wading would not be as dangerous (I used to risk my life wading to high stick) since you would not have to get so close to your target, in fact most of the river would be a good target with an indi and nymph set-up. release indi and fluoro tippets and hang on!

 

Well I nymph in the winter time and to do so, this is what I do. First I try to figure out how deep the flow is in front of me. Then I set it up like so. My indicator, then about 6ft down I add a "BB" shot, below that I tie on my first fly, usually something beaded, to help with the weight. Then my bottom fly, something small like a Zebra Nymph

I try to keep my distances below my BB shot to first fly about 6" and to my bottom fly about 18 to 20 inches. My tippet sizes are about a 4x. Lots of rocks and wood on the river bottoms.

Oh and you don't have to fish on the other side of the river with this set up. Short casts work the best. You can control you line better with short casts.

Plus being that I can't see small things on the river I use a 1" dia. bobber.

 

Well I nymph in the winter time and to do so, this is what I do. First I try to figure out how deep the flow is in front of me. Then I set it up like so. My indicator, then about 6ft down I add a "BB" shot, below that I tie on my first fly, usually something beaded, to help with the weight. Then my bottom fly, something small like a Zebra Nymph

I try to keep my distances below my BB shot to first fly about 6" and to my bottom fly about 18 to 20 inches. My tippet sizes are about a 4x. Lots of rocks and wood on the river bottoms.

Oh and you don't have to fish on the other side of the river with this set up. Short casts work the best. You can control you line better with short casts.

Plus being that I can't see small things on the river I use a 1" dia. bobber.

Well said. Just make sure to mend your cast right away so that your slack line isnt pulling the indicator downstream. Its ALWAYS presentation over imitation and I highstick to keep that indicator on a solid un-molested drift. I probably catch 80-90% of my fish nymphing.

 

I'm no nymphing expert. I think the most important starter advice is not to cast too far. key is dead drifting and if the nymph is moving too fast, you don't have the best presentation. Surface current will always be faster than current near the bottom. Short casts enough to get it to the bottom and mending to control drift down. If your fly line is downstream of your indicator, your presentation is not optimal. People accomplish this by "hook casts" with hard pull backs to carry the nymph rig back and down instead of a straight out. They also throw stack mends and adjust as the nymph line drifts closer.

Just because your indicator is floating down at the same pace as the surface water doesn't mean you have optimal drift

Joe

 

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com...shing.com/forum/index.php?threads/advanced-nymphing-techniques.2426/#post-14976

I found this old post to be extremely useful. Scroll down to about the middle of the page and look at the information from Worldanglr (Ryan Davey).

 

After some sage advice from a fishing friend, I don't like to put my second fly more than 16" (typically at about 12") from my first. The longer leader makes some strikes harder to detect. I've been much more likely to hook up/notice when I have a "bump" this way. Just my experience.

And smaller indicators are great, so long as they can handle the current/the junk you're throwing. On the Spokane, when I'm throwing big Pat's and tungsten weighted droppers, I sometimes have to use a bigger Thing-a-ma-bobber so it will stay afloat with the heavy flows and big flies. On smaller water though, I go as small as possible!

Tight Lines

 

We run 6'-8' to the shot(of whatever size the current and depth require), then about 8"-12" to the first fly, 16"-18" to the second. I'll use a good size indicator and enough weight to keep the bugs down where they need to be(I usually fish med/large rivers). You should be ticking the bottom every once in a while usually. Learn how to do a good stack mend, it's imperative for wade nymphing. Start your casts close in and work across, don't want to push fish that are close out and put them off. Also there are a few types of indicators that will give you an idea of whats going on, unlike the thingamabobbers that just bob up and down. Check out the Insta-set indicators or Boles indicators(only used the insta-set myself), they have a post that will let you know if you have a dead drift, or if your nymphs are moving faster/slower than your line. Also if you need to get deep fast, as soon as your cast lands throw a hard stack mend, tossing the indi a few feet in the air will shoot your rig straight down.

 

We run 6'-8' to the shot(of whatever size the current and depth require), then about 8"-12" to the first fly, 16"-18" to the second. I'll use a good size indicator and enough weight to keep the bugs down

What water depth works for your 6-8' reference. Assuming you as well are in the 1.5-2x depth. Current strength matters as well, but I find this range works well enough.

 

Big fan of Headhunters, here is a couple set up and technique tips. I like the set up details on distances, and then he talks a bit about the type of water to fish in high water, might be helpful.

I like second fly around 12" away from first, like the idea of top fly being the attractor. Also I use a bobber to fly distance of 1.5 times water depth as a starting point in an effort to get down low. I try to always nymph with unweighted second fly in hope of more natural movement.

 

Sorry, here is link.

 

I should also note that in BC you are only allowed to use one fly, so multiple nymph rigs are out of the question for us up here...
Thanks for everyone's input and tips/help so far!

 

I saw this method used by guides in Utah. They put the split shot on the very bottom, then added 6" droppers about 1' and 2' up the leader. I guess this is so the nymphs don't snag on the bottom, and one or two split shot aren't very likely to snag. I'm not really sure, and I don't remember if they gave a reason for this set up. But I think it makes a more direct connection between the nymph and the indicator, without having to pass through the split shot, when a trout grabs one of the nymphs.

That might not be allowed in WA regs, as it would put the weight below the hooks, which is too much like classic snagging gear, altho size 16 or 18 nymphs are hardly suitable for snagging fish.

Sg

 

I saw this method used by guides in Utah. They put the split shot on the very bottom, then added 6" droppers about 1' and 2' up the leader. I guess this is so the nymphs don't snag on the bottom, and one or two split shot aren't very likely to snag...

I have also heard of this style and it does make quite a bit of sense. I would probably use a blood or surgeons knot and attach a short bit of super fine tippet at the bottom to attach my split shot to in the case that I can't pull the split shot free should it get really snagged I can just break off that piece of tippet and not lose the whole rig.

 

I am no expert but this is what works for me. I use a nymphing indicator line with a high floating short front taper/long belly (I won in a club raffle, or I'd just be using a WF) and sometimes a small indie. I keep my casts short enough for effective mending and that means even if the fly pulls the inde under I can see it. If it stops or moves laterally I set the hook. Like Mark I typically rig for the length of my leader without an indie or the distance from the indie to fly be 1.5 to 2 times depth. I don't often fish a multi fly rig but again like Mark when I do I typically rig an unweighted or lightly weighted trailer about 14" to 18" behind a weighted point-fly. And I make quick adjustments for depth by varying how far and diagonally I cast upstream.

 

Wherever it lands let it ride as long as possible and set the hook on EVERY bobber drop. You'll never know if it's a fish or not unless you set the hook.

 

Anywhere from very shallow riffles up to about 10', maybe a little more(adjusting the bobber/shot if needed), the whole rig from indi to the last bug will be anything from 9'-12'.

 

Jordan:
My "indicator" is always an attractor. MadamX or Foam Hopper (Club Sandwich or Chernobyl). If the trout wants something up there, the attractor works. The nymph/ s, can be one or two...Bead head Prince or BH Peheasant Tail on sizes 10-12-14. Always flourocarbon, never mono below the attractor.
Good luck!

 

I have tried but never been able to accept using strike indicators.
In still water Chironomid fishing I watch for the slightest motion of the leader or end of the fly line when keeping slack at a minimum.
I also use a fast sinker with a very short leader and let them dangle just among or barely above the weeds and use a 4X for #16 weight fly because the fish are often
taking them fast which equates to a hard strike that can straighten out a #16 hook.

For starting out nymphers in streams I recommend first trying weighted soft hackles or sparkle caddis pupae on a floater or sink tip cast up and across, maybe a mend or two then let the flies swing. I always use a single fly whether in still or moving water.
I also fish large, #4, heavily weighted 3 XL rubber leg nymphs using a modified Charlie Brooks method, Charlie used full sinking lines but modern sink tips offer the best of both worlds, IMO. Start well ahead and upstream of where you expect to begin hitting larger fish.
Use shorter casts and gradually extend them but don't get too much line out....ever. You should rarely have more than 30 feet of fly line out at the greatest reach. The method does smack of worm dredging but it is undeniably effective. Take a few steps down stream and repeat. basically sweepingly dredge the entire run. The water along the bottom always flows slower than near the surface so inevitably you are dragging the fly along the bottom. If you aren't getting hung up occasionally then you are not in the zone. You do not normally feel the instant of the pick up but the current on the line drags the fly into the corner of the Trout's jaw and a hook up is felt then. You should set the hook pretty firmly at that earliest sign of a take as it will be a delayed extra dragging sensation and you will have slack. It would be best to look up the Brook's Method or buy one of his books. It is one of the best methods for catching nice sized fish and few tiddlers. Most of the fish will run between 14 and 22 inches on good streams using the modified Brooks Method. However they do it I'll never understand but I have caught all my 20 inch or larger Whitefish using this set up and the #4 weighted fly hardly fits into their small mouths.

I am usually open to new ideas but using strike indicators seems like bait fishing to me.The satisfaction of catching fish on nymphs without visual aids is more satisfying to me personally.
I know it can be deadly efficient method but I like to give the fish some chance that requires me to get better. I also don't use dropper flies because they cost me valuable fishing time untangling the two leaders/flies.
I am not trying to write an article but wanted to share some of my preferred methods for nymph fishing.

 

I am usually open to new ideas but using strike indicators seems like bait fishing to me.The satisfaction of catching fish on nymphs without visual aids is more satisfying to me personally.
I know it can be deadly efficient method but I like to give the fish some chance that requires me to get better. I also don't use dropper flies because they cost me valuable fishing time untangling the two leaders/flies.
I am not trying to write an article but wanted to share some of my preferred methods for nymph fishing.

Did not want to quote Apistmaster's complete post but I use the same method myself for all the same reasons he stated.

The way I see it, to each their own and for me it's about enoying my time on the water......numbers of fish have little to do with it.

 

Is a stack mend when you're shaking out line during a downstream drift or when you throw a sort of half roll cast upstream to get the fly line above the indicator?

All my fish caught on nymphs were caught in the senerio mentioned in the original post. My nymph drifts off of a drop off and I get a hook up in the bucket below. I regularly try fishing an indicator rig drifted in a seam but almost never get a hit. I have a feeling my mending or lack of mending what's screwing me up.

 

Jordan....Mark's video of the other Mark (he's from Mt. Vernon Washington) fishing the Missouri is right on. Iv'e fished with him a lot and he knows what he's doing. In BC you could substitute a split shot for the SJ worm and do just fine. The SJ worm he is using is what he calls the "zone fly". Its primary purppose is to get the smaller hot fly in the zone, although it does catch fish occasionally.....However, the main problem you are having is the "rifle" fishing", a lot of Canadians have gone to that after hand guns were banned, but it is unsportsmanlike and the noise scares the fish!!

 

Nymphing set-ups vary greatly. Distance between indicator and weight, tippit size, fluro vs. mono, etc. There are a ton of variables to deal with...current speed, water clarity and depth, fly size, etc. I usually always go with a white indicator that is as small as possible, I then run about a 3 foot butt section of fluro(you can use the begining portion of a fluro leader) with a tippet ring on the end so I can change my tippet size to whatever the conditions dictate without having to carry a bunch of different leaders. You can save alot of money when you just have to buy different fluro tippet rather than a bunch of different leaders. When you are wade fishing it is very import to make adjustments to your set up. You will have to change weight or the distance between your indicator and weight, or both. You might nymph a piece of water for 15 drifts with no takes...make a small adjustment and then get takes. Another huge issue is line control. There is always a balance of having enough slack to have a good drift, but not too much that you can't set the hook well. Meanding and feeding line is just as important while nymphing as it is with dry fly fishing. Becoming a good nympher requires practice just like any other kind of fly fishing. Don't let anyone tell you it is the easiest way to go...it takes skill and practice to do it well. One more thing, if the indicator moves, set the hook...if it wiggles, goes under, sideways, or winks at you, set it! Have fun.

 

Is a stack mend when you're shaking out line during a downstream drift or when you throw a sort of half roll cast upstream to get the fly line above the indicator?​

​

​

Thats the one....​

 

Thanks Joe. I think I need to start doing that. I'm also going to try those indicators that you recommend.

 

I just read the article which answers a lot of your beginning nymphing fishing questions here http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/advanced-nymph-techniques.77182/
One thing I would add is for every technique you wish to master you should dedicate days or better yet, weeks on just one style of nymph fly fishing. Don't leave yourself any other options so you only fish one method until you begin to be satisfied that you are catching as many fish that way as possible. That is one of the best ways to learn every fly fishing technique. The lessons learned are cumulative and in a few years you become a well rounded fly fisherman.

 

My experience is that most tend not to fish with enough weight. If you are not hanging up or picking off river bottom every few drifts you are not likely in the strike zone.
If you want a great lesson in nymphing, call The Fly Shop and go on a trip with Jim Pettis...that is if you can take a 10 hour day getting a big time lesson on indicator fishing for Lower Sacramento brutes.

 

The video is exactly how I nymph fish. I haven't fished with Mark but with a couple other guides from Heaadhunters and guides on the Yak, Methow, Big Horn, Big Hole etc and all of them fish a very similar method of nymphing. It's relatively easy, super productive and that is why I do it. I have high sticked (and Eurostyle nymphing) and it to is productive-just need a longer rod to cover some water. While I've tried bare line nymphing, I know I miss a lot of strikes. It works well on clear water where you can see the "white flash" when a fish takes your nymph. That video is all you need to catch a lot of fish nymphing IMO. Rick

 

Use weight. It sucks for casting but also slows it down just enough to get those strikes.