The Art of Nymphing
I make no pretense to being an expert in the art of nymphing for trout. However, I have worked hard to become at least marginally proficient in that exotic art form.
To begin with, I must say I am foremost a dry-fly fisherman. Fishing with a dry fly is my first and greatest love. However, I realized early on that there were days when I was not going to be able to induce trout to take a fly on the surface, regardless of how well I presented the fly. Accordingly, I reluctantly concluded it was time to learn to become a successful nymph fisherman.
I read a couple of books on the subject, and then headed streamside. My first efforts were scarcely crowned with success. I missed countless strikes, and was strongly tempted to just forget it. However, my stubborn English temperament would not permit it. I’m glad, for nymphing has become a source of satisfaction rather than frustration for me. Moreover, it has put me in to a lot of nice fish--fish I would never have met if I hadn’t fished with a nymph.
The essential thing to remember in nymph fishing is the following: if your line does anything even slightly out of the ordinary--STRIKE! If the line hesitates for a nanosecond, strike; if there is a seeming abnormal twist to your line--strike! If you think the line should be moving faster downstream than it is--you got it, strike. Now I know there will be many instances when you strike, and there will be absolutely nothing on the line--and you will feel foolish. But you are doing the right thing! Sometimes you will strike and drive the hook in to a stick, and old boot, a sunken tire…whatever. Don’t worry yourself about it, for it is all just part of the game. (I refuse to publicly acknowledge some of the things I’ve hooked when I thought a trout might have softly inhaled my nymph, but the relevant fact is that I also began hooking lots of trout, which is, after all, the only thing that really does matter--right?)
And now I am going to confess something. I have spent enough time nymphing over the years that I have developed a sense that a fish has taken the fly even when there is no visible evidence present--no movement of the line, strike indicator, etc. I have had people go out with me who have stood at my shoulder and seen me strike and hook a trout when there appeared to be “no reason” for my setting the hook. “How did you know to strike?” they ask. “I sensed it,” I reply. They just shake their head, but, this is the important part; if they are persistent, they too will “get a feel” for when to strike.
Now there are some things you can do that will make this seem less like a black art. First of all: know your water. Know where the trout are likely to be. That will help immensely in knowing when a fish has your fly in his mouth.
Second, there are some tackle improvements which should maximize your detecting the invariably subtle strike. I use three feet of amnesia and three feet of bright green trilene at the top of my leader. Those are readily visible under different light conditions, and help indicate when a fish has grasped your nymph. Also I use tiny hollow orange strike indicators along the leader below my bright yellow fly line. All of those bright colors show up well, and help make it possible to detect the softest strike. I often use a dry fly as my strike indicator (trailing a #18 nymph behind), and enjoy that kind of fishing--especially since sometimes a trout will hit the dry fly! I do not like the large cork strike indicators, nor do I use yarn. I stick with the above method, and try to get as close to the fish as I can. Anything to help turn the odds in your favor!
Well, that is about all I have to say on the subject of the art of nymphing. I know that you will be frustrated by your low “hit ratio.” If you succeed in hooking 40% of the fish that take your nymph, you will be doing well! However, when you succeed in hooking a really nice trout on a nymph--one you otherwise would not have hooked--you will be grateful that you put up with the many frustrations attendant to learning nymph fishing! “Tight lines!”