Choosing the flies

Most nymph anglers use a variety of flies that are based on four of the basic families of aquatic insects found in Midwestern rivers and streams—mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies and midges. Here are a few common nymph patterns:

Mayflies—Hare’s Ear, Pheasant Tail, Zug Bug and Red Squirrel, all in hook sizes 12 to 18.

Stoneflies—Kaufmann’s Black and Brown Stone, sizes 4-8; Tellico Nymph, sizes 6-12; Anderson’s Brown Rubberlegs, sizes 6-10; small winter black stonefly, sizes 14-18.

Caddisflies—Peeking Caddis, Green Rockworm, Deep Sparkle Pupa (Tan), and Olive Soft Hackle, all in sizes 12 to 16.

Midges—An assortment of black, olive, cream, red and orange larvae, sizes 12-20.

Contemporary tiers are adding beads just behind the eye of the hooks of many popular nymph patterns to cause the fly to sink quickly. These new “bead head” flies are very effective, especially for the beginning nymph fisher.

Above all, investigate the aquatic community of the stream or river you fish. Before you make the first cast to likely holding areas, turn over rocks and study aquatic vegetation to determine the dominant insect in that stretch of river. Experiment with different patterns, as well—for instance, a mayfly imitation with a caddisfly dropper—to increase your chances of success.

Once you are confident that you’ve got the correct leader system, fly rod and line, and understand what’s involved in fly selection, learn and practice the various techniques of presentation. The path to skilled nymph fishing is paved with good intentions: getting the fly to the fish where it is eating is the goal.

The upstream drift

The upstream drift is accomplished by casting upstream of likely trout holding lies (either directly upstream or slightly to the left or right) and watching the strike indicator intently as it drifts downstream towards you. Strip in line and if the indicator hesitates or stops, lift the tip of your rod to set the hook. The angler can “soften” the drift of the fly by creating S-curves in the line: wiggle the rod tip slightly just at the end of the forward cast. (Figure 2)

Across-stream drift

The across-stream drift allows the nymphing angler to deliver the fly to fish at or near the opposite bank of a river. The tactic may involve wading, or the across-stream drift can be made from the bank.

Cast across stream and several feet upstream of where you suspect there are fish, mend the line upstream to reduce the chances of drag. Drag occurs when the fly line is pulled downstream by the current, “dragging” the fly behind it at a speed that appears unnatural to feeding fish. Mending—flipping the line upstream of the strike indicator/fly during the float—should ensure that the fly drifts downstream at approximately the same speed as the current. It may be necessary to mend the line several times during a long drift. (Figure 3)

Down-and-across/downstream drifts

This section really involves two nymphing techniques: the down-and-across swing and the down-and-across downstream drift.

One of the simplest nymphing techniques is to cast the fly across stream and let the current carry it downstream until the fly line and leader are extended and the fly swings toward the near bank. The idea here is that the fly could be intercepted by trout on the unmolested downstream drift or as the fly swings in the current—appearing remarkably like an aquatic insect that is swimming towards the surface of the water to emerge.

When the angler needs to deliver the nymph directly downstream to nymphing trout, the task is trickier. Downstream, dead-drift nymphing is one of the most productive nymphing techniques because the fish will almost always see the fly first.

When casting to deliver a nymph directly downstream, you will need to concentrate on your target area. Cast your fly downstream but several feet upstream of the target area and mend your fly line upstream. Lower your rod tip and wiggle it back and forth and let out line. The slack line you release will allow your fly to drift downstream without interruption (once the slack line is used up, the fly starts to swing away from the target area).

Another technique is to cast downstream to the target area and lift the tip of your fly rod to “draw” the line, leader and fly back upstream. Align the fly with the target area, then drop your rod tip and let the fly drift downstream and over the target. Whichever technique you use, watch your strike indicator closely to be sure it is floating smoothly downstream. Lift your rod tip when a strike occurs. (Figure 4)

Learning the basic nymphing techniques discussed here is essential to successful fly angling, but it is only a beginning. Practiced nymph anglers do just that, they practice, and you’ll need to also, to the point that all of what you’ve learned becomes second nature. Once it does, you’ll be able to cast and prospect holding lies efficiently and catch trout often—and that’s the name of the game.