Nymphing 101

Nymphing, like much of fly fishing, can be as simple or as complex as you would like to make it. Many times in the shop we get asked vario...

Nymphing, like much of fly fishing, can be as simple or as complex as you would like to make it. Many times in the shop we get asked various questions such as: which indicators to use, where to put the indicator, how to attach flies, which flies to use, etc etc. In this article we are going to break down some of the common methods used and answer some of those common questions. To start let’s discuss the purpose of nymphing.

Fish do the majority of their eating throughout the year subsurface. Fish that are eating are usually in “feeding zones”. These are typically found on eddy lines, slots, and pocket water. Basically anywhere a fish can expend little to no energy while it waits for a meal to float downstream. The purpose of nymphing is to find these feeding zones and present a fly to a fish that would replicate an insect “dead drifting” downstream. This is typically done in one of two forms Indicator and Non-Indicator nymphing.

The Tactics:

Indicator nymphing is nymphing with a strike indicator attached to your leader. When the indicator goes down or stops moving the angler sets the hook, hopefully resulting in fish on. Today there are many indicators on the market, for the purpose of this article we will stick to the main ones we sell at Big Y.

First off are what we would call high floating indicators these are indicators rarely, if ever, go down into the water column. They are usually made up of plastic air bubble, cork, or high density foam. If set properly they will keep your nymphs suspended in the water column typically 6” to 18” above the bottom of a river. They are typically very easy to move and can be slid up and down the leader depending on the depth of water being fished. However, they are usually quite clunky and cause quite a bit of surface disturbance when cast. They are great for prolonged drifts rather than quick shallow slots. High Floating Indicators also require a bit of mending skills to allow your nymphs to drift as naturally as possible. These include Thingamabobber, Corqs, and EZ indicators.

Second are wool or poly yarn indicators. These are indicators made primarily out of a synthetic yarn or wool material. They too can typically be slid up and down a leader with some ease allowing the angler to set them to a desired depth. These indicators will cut into the water column, however, due to their bulk they typically pull nymphs out of their drift when this happens. Many anglers use a dry fly floatant to help counteract this issue. They aren’t as clunky as the previously mentioned indicators and are great for when a subtle suspended presentation is key. These include New Zealand Strike Indicators and Big Y Small Poly Indicators.

Lastly are what we would consider stationary indicators. The main one that we sell and use quite often are Palsa or pinch on foam indicators. These are small pieces of foam that are sticky on one side and highly visible on the other. The angler pinches these indicators on to their leader and leaves them there for the remainder of the day or until they pull off the used indicator and replace it with a new one. They cut through the water column with ease and the subtlest out of the other types discussed. We typically use these when trout fishing in areas that are close to the angler as they can be used in high sticking situations without causing any “bow” in the leader (more on that later). They can also be used in deeper waters when the anglers want their nymphs to flow as freely as possible without a set depth.

Non-indicator nymphing is exactly how it sounds. This is the stuff folks did on a regular basis before indicators become as popular as they are today. Typically called high-stick, tightline, or now Czech/Euro nymphing, this tactic relies primarily on feel rather than sight. The goal is to allow your nymphs to drift as freely as possible in the water while still keeping enough tension on the line to detect a strike. This method is great for systematically covering a section of water close enough to the angler that they can let their flies dead drift while still keeping some tension on the line. Leaders used in this method are typically longer than in indicator methods; with Czech/Euro guys using leaders over 20 feet long on a regular basis. It can be a highly effective method and should be in every angler’s tool box.

With Czech/Euro nymphing being all the craze right now most anglers think they need a rod specifically designed for this style of fishing to complete the task, however, that is not always the case. While Czech/Euro rods are great for non-indicator tactics, a standard 9’ 5wt can be used to complete the task. Simply add a leader of necessary length, tie on your flies, and even add some split shot if need be to achieve the correct depth. You won’t quite get the reach allowed with a euro rod, but you can test out these methods before pulling the trigger on a new rod.

The Setups:

While nymphing setups are relatively similar between indicator and non-indicator nymphing there are some key points to be made about both. We will start at the fly line and work our way forward on both styles.

Indicator nymphing:

Typically done with a 9’ leader, although plenty of folks use a 7.5’ for shallow water, or a 12’ leader for deeper water. Starting from the loop to loop connection at the fly line run your indicator anywhere from 12” to 36” down the leader. You are looking for the distance between your indicator and your flies to be roughly a foot longer than your estimated depth of water. I.E. if you think the spot you are is 6ft deep you would want your indicator set 7ft from the flies. If you are finding you are fishing water deeper or shallower than the 12” to 36” will allow you might want to consider changing leader.

We give that 12” to 36” range for a couple of reasons: 1) if the indicator is running closer to the fly line, mending becomes a tad more difficult. A 12” gap acts as a nice buffer zone between your fly line and the indicator. An indicator ran closer to the fly line is more likely to be pulled out of the water when a bad mend is made. 2) Once you start getting past 36” in a leader the taper of the leader begins to thin fairly rapidly resulting in an indicator that is more likely to slip down the leader.

Once your indicator is attached work your way to the end of the leader and then run about 16” back up the leader and place your split shot if necessary. Typically 16” gives the angler a good placement to achieve the maximum use of the shot, without being close enough to the flies to deter a strike. Whether or not you use split shot and how many you want to use will depend on the weight of the flies, and the depth/speed of water. Obviously the deeper and faster the water means the more weight needed to get your flies down.

After split shot comes the fun part picking out flies! Anglers typically run two flies on a nymphing setup a larger one and a smaller one. Fly selection greatly depends on the time of year and the water you are fishing so we will save that for a later date. So once you pick out your two flies it is time to add them to the leader. This is a question we get quite often, should I attach the smaller lighter fly first, or the larger heavier one. And that entirely depends on how you want to present the flies. The larger/heavier fly will sink quicker than a lighter smaller fly. I typically but my split shot and larger fly together when I want to insure that the small fly is as close to the bottom as possible. This also results in a slower drift making it great for dirty water or lethargic fish. If I want my smaller lighter fly suspended further up from the water column I will attach this fly first (typically with less split shot) then attach the heavier fly below it. The thought here is that heavier fly will be just off the bottom of the river with the smaller fly about a foot above it. This usually results in a quicker moving setup as well.

Non-Indicator Nymphing:

Now there is a few ways to do this but here we will discuss the two main ideas behind it. One is high-sticking, the other is the Czech/Euro styled.

High-Sticking:

When high-sticking the angler typically takes a 9’-12’ leader and attaches flies and split shot similar to the how you would on an indicator rig. The main difference here is the angler will determine the depth of the flies by using weight and feel. If you feel your flies ticking across the bottom time to lift the rod tip up a bit. If you can’t feel the bottom, try lowering your rod tip. If you still don’t think you’re getting close to the bottom it may be time to get some more line in the water. You can do this by either letting out more fly line or by making your leader longer. One thing we have found to be quite effective when high-sticking is adding a palsa indicator to your leader which will act as a sighter letting you know when your either hitting bottom or have a strike.

Czech/Euro:

The key to this setup is all about fly weight. While some guys will add split shot to get the flies down, the main advantage of Czech/Euro is to get your flies get down without doing so. Making it a great tactic for clear waters and finicky fish. Leaders are typically handmade (although there are some companies making them) and in the 12’-20’ plus range. The idea behind this is that the fly line never exits the tip of the rod. That allows the angler to drift those flies as far out as they can reach without the bow of the fly line pulling them back towards them. Additionally, the smaller diameter of the leader makes it less likely to be effected by wind. Guys will typically start the leader off with 20lb maxima making up the majority of the leader. A sighter can then be added by using a small section of indicator tippet, after the indicator tippet comes 4-6 feet of tippet material. The main difference here is fly placement. When Czech/Euro nymphing the flies and smaller tippet diameters are what sinks the flies without the aid of split shot. Therefore, you want your heaviest fly on the bottom with your lighter fly on top. This will get your main fly on or near the bottom of the river while the lighter fly is suspended about a foot above it.

Attaching Two Flies:

Another common question we get is how do I attach two flies to my leader? Well there are three main ways to do this and every angler has their personal preference.

The first method is what we would call eye to eye. This is done as follows:

1. Attach leader to the eye of the first fly using a clinch knot.
2. Spool off 12”-18” of tippet material and attach it to the eye of the same fly using a clinch knot.
3. Attach your bottom fly to the end of the tippet material and you are ready to fish.

The advantage of this method is it is easier to cast as flies are less likely to tangle up. You are attaching your line to the strongest part of the hook and there is no ability for the second fly to slip off the hook. Also the hook and bend of the fly are free from obstruction on both flies. The main disadvantages to this method are the upper fly has to have an eye on the hook large enough to allow for two knots to be attached to, i.e. this might not be possible for if you are using a smaller fly. The other main disadvantage to this method is the fly’s movement of the upper fly is restricted and dependent on the movement of the split shot and secondary fly. In other words, its drift can be greatly effective depending on what the others are doing. Finally, in order to change out your upper fly you have to re-tie on the bottom fly to do so.

The second method is what we would call bend to eye. This is done as follows:

1. Attach leader to the eye of the first fly.
2. Spool off 12”-18” of tippet and attach one end of the tippet to the bend in the hook of the first fly using a clinch knot. 
3. Attach bottom fly to the end of the tippet.

The advantages of this setup is it is by far the easiest to cast out of the three. Everything is in a straight line. You also don’t have to worry about the eye of the hook being large enough to thread the tippet material through it twice. The main disadvantages to this method are similar to those listed in eye to eye with a couple of additions. If you are fishing barbless flies, there is always the fear that the tippet on the bend of the hook may slip off. The other disadvantage is some believe that having the upper fly with tippet at the bend of the hook may hit the fish as they go to bite the fly, pushing the fly out of the fish’s mouth. While I have never seen nor had this happen to me on the river, this are the common reasons anglers do not like this method.

The third method is one of the more popular methods out there but can also lead to some frustrations and that is the dropper method.

1. Take the end of your leader and a piece of tippet material 18” or so long. Tie them together using either a triple surgeons or a blood knot. Make sure to leave one tag end around 3” long. 
2. Tie on fly to the tag end created by the knot.
3. Tie the second fly onto the additional tippet material.

The advantage to this setup is it allows both flies to drift fairly independently of each other and the split shot. It also makes changing out the upper fly much easier as you don’t have to re-tie the bottom fly. This is a harder setup to cast with the dropper line, tangling of line when casting is much more common, which is the biggest disadvantage to this setup. However, as long as everything is kept tight when casting this shouldn’t be an issue.

Is it better to nymph with or without an indicator?

I personally prefer non indicator nymphing when water is moving too fast to allow for an indicator to properly setup. Also in water that is closer to me and doesn't require a lot of mending to get a natural drift. I feel I catch more fish when I can feel the strike rather than reacting to the movement of an indicator, so when possible this tends to be my go to method. However, there are other times when a section of water is just out of reach, or is moving at a slower pace, or requires a lot of mending to achieve a natural drift. At these times a carefully placed indicator setup can be a live saver and catch fish in areas that couldn't be effectively fished using different tactic.

In other words both methods can be extremely productive and should be in every angler’s toolbox. Even if you’re not looking to purchase a Czech/Euro rod, an effective and efficient angler will be able to use those techniques when the water they are fishing dictates. The opposite is also true, if you are Euro/Czech nymphing machine, there will be times when an indicator and longer drifts will be key to produce fish. Neither method is necessarily better or worse, just more techniques an angler can master to lead to more productive days on the water AND more water available to the angler to fish.