#26 Learning to FlyFish with a Nymph, (Nymphing is Not a Dirty Word Part 1 of 2)

Learning to Fly Fish with a Nymph, part 1 of 2

FlyFishing with a Nymph, they come in all sizes

As many of you are traveling on this marathon of learning we call “how to fly-fish”, by now you have heard or read the word “Nymphing” we are going to talk about "learning to flyfish with a nymph". Nymphing is not a dirty word it refers to the Zoological terminology used for aquatic insects.

A forward from Gary A. Borger I think will help shed light on this,

“Quote, Nymphs are the underwater stages of aquatic insects that comprise up to ninety percent of the trout’s diet. Knowing how to properly identify nymphs and use a successful imitation to fish them correctly is an essential fly-fishing skill. Presenting the fly correctly and detecting the strike are particularly elusive skills, even to the veteran fly-fisherman”.

In a prior post I talked fondly of a Gentleman by the name of Bob Thornberg. As I spent many season fishing the streams and rivers of the Eastern Sierra’s I would run into Bob frequently. I was dragging nymphs one day and doing particularly well when Bob appeared on my shoulder, we exchanged pleasantries, when Bob say to me “You darn rock cod fisherman with your gangling full of hooks and weights”

I began to laugh at what I just heard, but I realized he was right, I had 3 flies, split shot, and indicator, all in the space of 4ft of line.

This might be an extreme example of what a nymph rig is, but the principal is the same. You have a fly, sometimes a small piece of weight to get the fly (sometimes as many as 3) downwards to the bottom of the river, and some sort of indicator to help you detect the strike when the fish finally take your fly.

I will break this down into two parts because there is such a large amount of information we are going to cover; I don’t want everyone falling asleep on me, since we are going to take a trip down the rabbit hole on this one.

To FlyFish with a Nymph, a rod and reel are the basic tool

Equipment:

Before we dive into the specifics of what makes the best fly rod, reel, and line for nymph fishing, a quick note of encouragement:

You can fish nymphs successfully with practically any fly rod, if you already own a rod, do not worry, because we’re getting into some of the technical aspects of nymph fishing gear, doesn’t mean you need to rush out and buy a specialized rod to perform the nymphing techniques covered in this series. “Unless you have accumulation sickness, lol”

Which rod is best for Nymphing? (Excluding Euro Nymphing)

If you are getting serious about nymphing you will read many articles that will talk about people using a 3-wt. rod to nymph with. Yes these rods are good due to the lightness of the rod. A light rod will be better for detecting a subtle strike, but there are some drawbacks. Since they are so light, you may have trouble throwing larger flies or adding weight on the line. Mending the line on the water will not be as easy as it would be with a heavier rod and line. Probably the most commonly used is a 5-wt rod for most nymphing. (I can hear the groans from the audience as I write this) You will be able to throw larger flies, along with additional weight, and 5-wt rods can handle swifter water as well, be able to mend line well. The 5-wt will have less sensitivity that a 3-wt rod, so the obvious choice would be then a 4-wt.

I personally us a 4-wt rod most of the time when I choose to throw nymphs, my rod of choice is a medium fast action. It is light enough to detect strikes, and heavy enough to handle bigger water, mending line is comfortable, (not as easy as 5-wt) but it gets the job done and can handle larger trout.

The Flex of a fly rod for nymph fishing will need to be a little different than say a traditional dry fly rod. There is volumes of material when it comes to rod flex patterns, but we are going to keep it simple for now.

Dry fly rods have a slower flex to them and a softer mid and tip section to better protect light tippets. Rods used for nymphing will generally have a quicker action, this quickness can aid you in mending line on the surface of the water and aid in longer casts or roll casting.

Stiff actions will help in overall casting and also aid in throwing larger flies and handle larger bodies of water much better. The key factor to take away is that a faster rod will give you better line control on the water, which is crucial in fishing with nymphs. Being able to mend your line from a distance will result in more overall hook ups. Typically rods used for nymphing at least 9Ft in length and as long 11Ft. With today’s uptick in Euro nymphing, rod manufactures have greatly improved the 10 to 11Ft rod performance, so these longer rods are more popular than ever.

Fly line for Nymphing: As a general rule of thumb when you are nymphing you will make shorter casts and maybe fishing in closer to you. Since you are fishing close you can get away with most of today’s weight forward floating fly lines, since the weighted portion of the line is more toward the front section of the line. The Drawbacks with a weight forward line is the lack of weight behind the head section of the line, which can make mending at distance more of a challenge. Companies Like “Rio” products are now producing fly lines specific to nymphing which are designed to better cast a nymph, weight and indicator. They do this by shortening the tapered sections which turns everything over much quicker and easier.

Matching your fly line to your rod is still important, (we talked about this in previous posts), you have to be able to load the rod correctly with the weight of the line, so the rod will throw the line and leader properly.

Reels for Nymphing: I can hear more groans from the audience, but I really feel that when nymphing, using a light and durable reel is very important. You do not want to sacrifice balance from a heavy reel, but you do not want a feather weight peanut reel either. When you hook a larger fish in fast water, having copious amounts of backing will be greatly appreciated right about now. Too little and you will just watch your line go down river until you hear that frightful “Ping sound” as everything breaks off because you are out of backing. Don’t be that person, get the right reel with the right weight and right amount of backing. Today’s large arbor reels do a great job of line pick up when reeling and come with far superior drag systems as opposed to the “Click Pawls” we had back in the stone ages.

Tools of the Trade to FlyFish with a nymph

 Leaders for nymphing: this is going to be a hot topic I can already tell as I write these words I hear my buddies screaming at me. Your leader for nymphing will need to be long enough to handle the depth of water you are planning to fish on. As a general rule of thumb your leader section from indicator to fly should be at least 2-3 times water depth. For example, if you are fishing a section that is about 2 ft. in depth, then the distance from your flies to indicator should be 4 to 4 1/2ft. in length. If your leader is too short you will not be able to adjust your indicator to accommodate the depth of water, and your flies will not be at or near the bottom of the river. Certain manufactures now produce nymphing specific leaders that greatly improve the “turn-over” capability of the nymph leader, by adjusting the length and degree of taper for that leaders length.

Indicators and split shot, Oh my!

While you are fishing with a nymph, depth of your fly and line control are key factors to being successful. To start off you might need a small piece of lead to weight your fly or even use a fly that has already been tied with weight inside of it. No matter which you choose, being able to detect a subtle take is so important, this is why you need to use a strike indicator. A strike indicator can be made from a simple piece of yarn, or some of the improved versions that use foam or cork to stay on the surface and telegraph a strike to you visually.

Conclusion, (it’s about time)

 We have talked about which types of rods are better to use while nymphing, as well as lines, reels, leaders and strike indicators. I hope that our trip down the rabbit hole was not too painful because next time we will talk about how to read nymphing waters and even what types of lies trout preferer.   

(Not ones like my dog ate my homework) but which types of water fish prefer.

Cheers till next time.

Gary, AKA LaMachine

Feel Free to hit me up with any questions or comments