help with nymph fishing

[catfish]

it's been 6-7 months since i've been able to post anything
and i've been trying to learn to nymph fish better.
who am i kidding i'm just trying to learn to nymph fish.
can anyone give me any info on videos or books that can help me along?
i like fishing shows as much as anybody but all of videos i've seen are more
about watching someone catch fish than how to catch them useing nymphs

[Kerry Pitt]

One resource you can use that many people overlook is YouTube. I have used it for many techniques I was not sure of and I suspect you will find some useful stuff there as well. Good fishing!

[MoscaPescador]

This is more of an infomercial for Mikey Wier's Hop-icator fly, but it discusses some hopper/dropper technique.

YouTube - Fly-Fishing Instruction Super Hopper Dropper

YouTube - Fly-Fishing Instruction Super Hopper Dropper

MP

[Diver Dan]

Originally Posted by catfish

i like fishing shows as much as anybody but all of videos i've seen are more
about watching someone catch fish than how to catch them useing nymphs

I hear ya there. I was recently asked (if last winter is recent) to be on a fishing show. I won't mention the name but I really haven't watched one since. If you knew how much was staged it would make you sick. Every fish was "caught" at least twice. They stressed and killed a 43" Northern.
The two biggest problems people have when learning to nymph is getting the drift right and strike detection. Both problems can helped in the beginning by using a strike indicator. Getting the drift right requires you 'Mend' the line. This is just moving the line between the nymph and yourself so that there is no drag on the nymph. If you can get the strike indicator to float as if it is not attached to the line, your nymph is dead drifting. This can usually be done by mending line upstream of the nymph. A downstream "belly" in the line will be pulled by the current and cause your strike indicator to skate sideways in the current, pulling the nymph along and up. Occasionally you may find you have a spot kinda far out and tight so you don't have a lot of time for a mend. In places like that I kind of pile the line. With your last haul, go high, stopping the rod tip high and then drop the tip to the water as the fly approaches the target. This makes the line do a bunch of little S's on the water and will give you short bit of drag free drift. Any time you see the strike indicator stop or do some odd jerk you have either had a strike or the bottom. It's better to set the hook on the bottom than wonder if it is the bottom as some fish spits the fly. As you get better you can opt to eliminate the indicator and watch the end of the fly line, and impart intentional movements in the nymph. As Kerry Pitt said and MoscaPescador showed, You Tube is a great resource. I just learned how to spey cast watching You Tube videos.

[Diver Dan]

By the way catfish, where in Colorado are you? I grew up there.

[nav]

Firts question for me about nymph fishing is : does the water allow you to spot the fish, or not ?

That question influences my leader / patterns / cast / drift.

[afishinado]

This should get you started:

http://www.flyfishinggear.info/how_t...c-methods.shtm

http://www.flydealflies.com/nymphing2.html

http://www.flyfishusa.com/newsletter/031807/

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/vi...ishing-279429/

http://www.midcurrent.com/video/clip...phfishing.aspx


HTH, good luck.

[randyflycaster]

Here's two interesting books on nymphing:

Nymph Fishing For Larger Trout by Charles E. Brooks - a classic, though it was written before the age of indicators.

Active Nymphing by Rich Osthoff. Rich thinks outside the box. Much of the book is about adding action (movement) to nymph fishing.

Randy

[catfish]

i live about 50 miles east of pueblo

[Biggie]

I don't know if it is on a DVD or not because it is an old video that SA used to put out. It is called the Anatomy of a Trout Stream with Rick Haffle. I adhere to the religion that reading water and understanding where fish are and why is far more important to angling success than any other aspect of fishing. In the video he uses a big orange cement fish, I believe he calls Henry, and he places him in spots and explains why the fish would be there. Learn to read the currents, depth of water and obstructions that will influence the way the currents flow and you will become a better fisherman no matter what presentation you are using.

Reading water is the thing that most anglers are the least proficient at. I have a few hundred anglers a year step into my boat and a very small minority of them really have much understanding of reading the currents and how they need to control their line to present the fly properly to the fish. Explaining to them how different currents will affect their presentation is what the majority of my day usually consist of. Master the art of reading the currents and you will see drastic improvements in your fishing.

The second thing that makes you a better angler is to learn to fish close, especially with nymphs. Far to often the art of casting over rides the art of catching because let's face it, it feels really good to see your fly line sail through the air with a perfect cast. Keep the length of line you are fishing with short and you will catch more fish. Most trout, especially ones feeding below the surface will allow you to approach much closer than you might imagine. I like to keep my cast under 20 feet when I am nymphing because it allows for much better control of your drift and your hook sets can be made without to much effort.

These are the two things that I see anglers from all walks of life and experience make mistakes with on a daily basis. Good luck with your fishing and if you can get a hold of the video it will be very helpful.