Everybody loves dry fly fishing and rising trout but 90% of a trout's diet comes from sub-aquatic food sources. Chief among them are insects in their larval stage which we call nymphs. If you want more success and more fish when you fly fish, learning how to nymph properly is your ticket.
Nymphing for trout, in a nutshell, is the technique where you add weight to your leader to submerge flies that mimic sub-aquatic bugs (or other creepy crawlies...but we'll discuss that in a second). Let's look at some basic ideas that will help you understand the nymphing techniques I'll discuss later.
I met a gentleman named Craig while I was flying back from British Colombia after shooting a show. He was the brother of a good friend and he admitted that he watched my fly fishing show all the time. Craig was returning from a steelhead trip. He had just fly fished the Babine River. A legendary piece of steelhead water running through Western Canada.
Craig is what you would call a purist. He only likes to swing flies (a traditional style of streamer fishing) for steelhead. I know anglers that only like fishing dry flies too. That's cool if that’s your jam. I, on the other hand, like to catch fish so I fish nymphs. Limiting myself to swinging flies for steelhead or any other species would limit the number of fish I could catch. He boldly stated swinging flies was just as effective as nymph fishing. I scoffed and told him it wasn't even close. At the end of the flight, we agreed to disagree and shook hands. He gave me some great tips on fishing the Babine and talked about going fishing together sometime to compare the success rate of nymphing vs. swinging.
Fast forward about a month. Fall was in full swing in northern California and the steelhead fishing was heating up. So I headed out to make some casts. We recently had a couple of days of rain so fish were on the move but the weather was beautiful as my fishing partner Steve and I rowed the Trinity River, one of my favorite steelhead rivers of all time. It’s a great river to fly fish, just big enough to produce some really good fishing days but small enough to still feel quaint.
Over the first 2 miles of a 7-mile drift, we made contact with several fish getting four of them to the boat. I was throwing my standard nymph rig with a stonefly imitation on top and a mayfly imitation for the bottom bug. I had an indicator about six feet up and a split shot on the drop to round it out.
The stretch I was fishing was one of my favorites. It's a great piece of water to nymph fish. As we rounded the bend into one of my favorite runs, I saw two fishermen wading about thigh deep and a raft on the shore with a guide from the local fly shop. It didn't shock me as the Trinity gets a lot of fishing pressure when the fish are in.
I was disappointed but I always try to be courteous to other anglers on the river and let guides do their work. So Steve put his fly rod down and I immediately rowed the boat toward the near bank where we could drift through the run without disturbing the two anglers already on station. That's when I heard, “Hey, Mike is that you?” It's pretty common for me to meet anglers on the stream who know me from my show. This time, however, when I responded in the positive Craig yelled back “it’s Craig from the plane last month.” We greeted each other while I beached the boat on the near bank. After about five minutes of banter, Craig and his fishing partner went back to swinging their flies.
Since it was lunchtime, and the weather was perfect we broke out the sandwiches and soda and I told Craig that I was gonna watch him do his thing. Craig was clearly a good fly fisherman. He was putting his fly in the right places, and he was covering every inch of water in this hole. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t buying what he was selling.
After 30 minutes of watching Craig and his partner fish, we decide to push off and move downstream. We were eager to get back to fishing. Trying not to disturb Craig and his fishing partner we started pushing down the inside bank. That’s when Craig said, “why don’t you fish it out?” Meaning fish on our way out of this run. I replied, “This is your run brother. We’re just going to push on through.” but Craig was persistent, “Let’s see if those nymphs can do any better.”
I didn’t want to be "that guy" but Craig insisted. So with my buddy Steve on the oars, I agreed to give it a whack.
I ran my first cast through the "A" position in this run with no response. Then I picked up and roll cast to the top of the chute to run it through that same slot again. This time I got a perfect dead drift and immediately got a grab! I set the hook fought and landed a gorgeous 5 lb. steelhead on a #14 mayfly nymph. From the same hole that Craig had scrubbed thoroughly swinging flies. I felt kinda bad at first. I invaded Craig’s territory, but he was smiling and laughing.
I figured one was enough. After I released that beautiful fish I was going to push on then start fishing downstream. But Craig told me to fish out the hole. “You sure?” I asked. And once again, he insisted. So I dropped my nymph rig in the water and made a couple more casts. As I hit the end of the run where Craig had just finished swinging his flies, my indicator jumped. I raised my fly rod to set the hook and came tight to another silver rocket. This time the fish went 8 lbs. and put on a show for everybody in attendance. Jumping, cartwheeling, and doing all of the crazy things steelhead do to throw a hook. The battle was close....but finally, I put that beautiful chromer in the net, revived him, and let them go.
As I left the run Craig and I exchanged our pleasantries. Everybody was smiling and laughing but deep down I know it chapped Craig a little that I just landed two beautiful steelhead in five casts, fishing nymphs through a run that he covered thoroughly swinging flies.
I didn’t gloat but the point was pretty clear when you’re fly fishing for trout or steelhead nymph fishing is incredibly effective. I know some people think of fly fishing with nymphs as cheating but I think it's a fantastic way to fool fish at their game. Besides, you still have to get good presentations to catch fish with a nymph rig.
The #1 goal when you're nymphing for trout or any other species in moving water is to replicate nymph behavior as closely as possible. Though some species of nymphs can be pretty active in the water the vast majority of trout food is being washed along by the current in what we call a dead drift. This is the most important concept you need to understand.
Trout, like most living things, are trying to get maximum reward from minimum effort. So they'll find a comfortable spot near the bottom or behind a current break and wait for Mother Nature to bring food to them. They’re used to seeing bugs along with any number of other things in the drift. So, a dead drifted fly is what you want to feed them.
Trout have a strong survival instinct. They've survived this far by eating food in the drift. So, make it easy for fish to eat by dead drifting your bugs.
When it comes to nymph flies there's a massive assortment of patterns in fly shops for anglers to choose from. I'm gonna discuss the big 3 natural nymphs here to get you started. This will cover a large portion of the trout's menu. I never hit a stream or river without a selection of all 3 types these bugs in my box.
Stoneflies probably cover the biggest size variation of the flies you'll have in your box. I've seen Little Yellow Sallies in the wild as small as a size #18 and Pteronarcys californica, the fabled giant black Stonefly or Salmonfly, in a size #1 or #2 that were as long as my finger. We're talking about the kind of bug that would make a "mean girl" shriek!
Where mayfly nymphs are generally streamlined and elegant, Stonefly nymphs resemble the military arm of the insect population. Bulky and blocky they look like mayfly nymphs with body armor on.
Stoneflies also vary widely in color from yellow to black with every shade of green, tan, brown, gold, and rust in between. Stones for short, love cold, clean water and freestone rivers.
There are several species that matter to fly fishermen. It pays to know them and when to use them. Get a better understanding of stoneflies here.
This is an important bug to understand and use in your nymphing arsenal when it's happening.
Caddis have a wide geographical range. They also vary in size, though not as much as the stonefly nymph. Some rivers have caddis hatches you can set your watch to that make for excellent fly fishing.
Caddis are worm-like in appearance and vary in color through a broad spectrum. The 3 main colors you'll find are green, tan, and orange.
Hatches of caddis nymphs come and go throughout the warmer months. Nymphing with a caddis nymph imitation for your fly is a great idea when caddis are present in your stream.
Trout love eating caddis as they emerge or hatch. This is called the pupal stage. When caddis pupae are in the drift trout get goofy! The old wet fly patterns did a nice job of imitating caddis emergers. Nowadays we have specialized patterns. When I'm nymphing for trout or steelhead I always carry an assortment of caddis nymphs no matter where I fish.
Now we're talking! When people think of dry flies the adult Mayfly is the image that pops up in their head.
Mayfly nymphs cover the widest variation of species and patterns you can choose from as an angler.
Where caddis larva are worm-like, mayfly nymphs are elegant and distinctly segmented. The three segments of a mayfly's body consist of the head, thorax, and abdomen. Mayflies also vary in color which is dependent upon species. There are unlimited species of mayflies. As a result, there is no shortage of patterns to choose from when fishing mayfly nymphs.
Mayflies are present year-round. They offer nymphing opportunities aplenty. Mayfly nymphs can look very different depending on the species. They can also vary in size from a size 8 to 24.
The three nymph families I already mentioned make up a huge portion of the trout's diet but trout also forage on other sub-aquatic species that may not necessarily fall into those categories.
When most people think of crawdads as bait they’re talking about bass fishing. Trout also actively pursue a crawdad pattern, and nymphing with a crawdad fly is awesome during high water flows when crawdads tend to be more active. Click here to see an epic fishing day catching giant trout on crawdad nymphs.
Midge larvae for short, chironomids have a place in fishing moving water but really hit their stride when you fish them in lakes. They are an important part of most freshwater ecosystems.
These bugs tend to be tiny so bring your glasses. They are also the go-to bug on cold winter days when nothing else is working.
Nymphing flies vary in size shape and color. Everywhere there's a fly tier with an opinion you get a different variation on a pattern. That said, I break Nymph patterns down into 2 categories. Suggestive or realistic.
Realistic nymph flies try to mimic the natural aquatic insects perfectly. 6 legs, 3 tails on a mayfly, heavy wing cases on a stonefly. They can be sexy in a fly box.
Suggestive patterns resemble the natural bug in size, shape, and color, but may not capture the exact likeness. Some of my favorite nymphing patterns are suggestive including the Pheasant Tail (PT), the Hare's Ear Nymph, Pat's Rubber Legs (Stonefly), and the Prince Nymph. You will never find me on a stream or river without those 4 patterns in my box. I know they catch fish and it just makes me feel good.
Suggestive patterns are also easy for fly tiers to tie. In the time it takes to finish tying one realistic nymph pattern, with all the different pieces and materials you have to tie in to perfectly imitate the real-deal, a good tier can knock out half a dozen suggestive flies. A San Juan Worm is a good example of a suggestive fly pattern that's easy to tie.
Fish with what makes you happy. Trout have about a second to figure out whether it's food or not. If it suggests food and It's drifting properly in the trout's strike zone, they're likely to give it a whack.
Without getting into the weeds of every variation of fly fishing with nymphs there are basically 2 different styles of nymphing. Fly fishing nymphs under a strike indicator and tight-line nymphing.
Strike indicators come in many shapes but essentially, it’s a float of some kind attached to your leader just beyond your fly line. The indicator suspends in the surface film to help you detect strikes. When trout eat your nymph the indicator dunks to alert you that you. I prefer indicators that create a hinge in your line. They position your nymph rig for cleaner drifts and give you the ability to mend your fly line to get a perfect drag free drift.
The basic rule for leader length is that the distance between your indicator and the weight on your line, be it a split shot or a weighted nymph, should be a minimum of 1.5X the depth of the water. This distance is subjective. Deep water or fast currents call for a longer distance to help get your bugs at or near the bottom where trout feed in a river or stream.
The goal of fishing with a strike indicator is to cover more water and be alert to the indicator jumping stopping pausing or going under. Set the hook whenever you see any unnatural movement. Hook sets are free so you should be setting the hook often. If you’re hesitant because you think it might not be a fish, remember this, you miss 100% of the fish you don’t set the hook on. So set the hook early and often and you’ll come tight to a lot more fish.
Czech nymphing, Polish nymphing, European nymphing (or Euro nymphing), and good old-fashioned high-sticking are all a form of tight-line nymphing without a strike indicator.
When fishing this technique keep your rod tip high with as little line as possible on the water's surface and maintain contact with your nymph rig. Without an indicator you have to pay very close attention to your leader and the tip of your fly line. Often in the European styles, anglers prefer moving the nymphs downstream a little faster than the current. That way when a trout grabs the angler comes tight right away. For years the Polish fly fishing team dominated in international tournaments using this style. Using a short line and tight-line nymphing techniques they were incredibly difficult to beat.
This technique takes practice and a lot of focus. Working with shorter casts you are covering water at close range. It can be extremely effective when done properly.
Finally, Let's answer a couple of questions I hear all the time when I speak on nymphing.
This one always makes me laugh. We throw big streamers at Tarpon and Tuna and we call it fly fishing. We swing elegant, elaborate Spey flies for Salmon and Steelhead and we call it flyfishing. We cast delicate dries to sipping trout and we call it fly fishing. So YES casting the larval form of adult insects at feeding trout and steelhead is definitely flyfishing.
If you choose to limit yourself to one style or technique that's your choice... Whatever floats your boat as the saying goes. But as anglers, we should be respectful of all our brothers and sisters and give them the space to fish the style they choose as long as they are respectful of the fish, the law, and each other and they are doing their part to keep the fishing ecosystem healthy and thriving.
Read, watch videos, and by all means practice! Fish as often as possible and use the techniques you learn in your research. There's a lot of good fishermen out there. Many of them are willing to help a fellow angler on the stream. I can't count the times that I've given advice, help, and even given away a couple of flies on the water. If you don't know what's working don't be scared to ask.
Another great way to get up to speed on nymph fishing is to hire a guide. These guys make a living by putting their clients on fish. They are going to show you the most effective way to catch fish on their water and oftentimes that's with nymphs.
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Tight Lines!
Mike
