Heretical post here - beware

[plecain]

I've tried to like nymphing, but I find that I don't.

I agree that nymphing can be an effective technique, but so can fishing with bait. I don't find the methods I use while nymphing are different in any significant way from bait fishing.

I don't really feel like I'm fly fishing unless there's some casting involved - a lot more than in nymphing.

I like dry fly fishing, wet fly fishing, and using streamers. I'd even use a nymph fly and cast it like a wet fly. Fishing a fly like I would fish a worm just doesn't do it for me.

Anyone else feel like this?

 

[s fontinalis]

i fish all my nymphs on the swing. I guess you're referring to high sticking nymphing...

 

[fly_guy12955]

Love nymphing myself.

 

[mikel]

Yes...although I don't think of it as equal to bait dunking.

I continue to nymph when conditions dictate, but prefer dries, swinging wets/soft hackles or fishing streamers....in that order.

Don't do it if you don't want to.

 

[williamhj]

It isn't my favorite either, but I fish nymphs. My favorite is dries flies because of the visual nature of it as well as delicate casting. That is followed by swinging soft hackles and streamers because I often feel the take. After that is hoppers, again visual and can get some nice fish but the casting isn't as fun for me as smaller dries. Dead drift nymphing under an indicator falls below these but if it is how I can catch fish I'll do it. Some challenges I enjoy about nymphing include casting without spooking fish when the rig hits the water and figuring out depth and current lanes for a good drift.

Sometimes it lets me catch some fish until fish start rising. Remember the first time I fished Cheesman Canyon. Caught some fish on small nymphs working my way up the canyon until I saw a few fish rising. Switched to a small parachute adams and caught some beautiful trout on dries. In the end it is about doing what you enjoy.

 

[fichy]

The only time I seem to tolerate it is when winter GL steelheading. It's almost a must in the real cold , unless you want to use egg sacks. I must admit to using single hand Spey casts and fishing farther away than most would. I like to swing softhackles and small streamers for trout, and many times they are very effective. I may get outfished by nymph fisherman, but I'm not in a competition. I respect those that learn to rig and fish nymphs, but I choose to fish different methods. I also enjoy casting, so flipping upstream and throwing a few mends doesn't seem as fun. You're hardly alone, plecain. I will not insult or degrade those who nymph, though- it's an art in itself and a separate discipline.

Charlie

 

[plecain]

Just so we're clear on this - I don't say that anyone else shouldn't go nymphing if he likes it.

I just find that I don't enjoy it much and wondered if I'm all alone in that.

 

[dabluz]

I like nymph fishing. 99.9% of my fishing is in lakes. I do a lot of bait fishing but when I compare the two, my fishing technique is the same.

As for detecting the fish biting, I guess the brook trout in my region are voracious because they hook themselves when nymph fishing.

Yes, most of my fly fishing is with dry flies because there are always trout activity at the surface. The only lakes where surface activity is slow are the lakes that have minnows. I use streamers when fishing in these lakes.

 

[chechem]

It isn't my favorite either, but I fish nymphs. My favorite is dries flies because of the visual nature of it as well as delicate casting. ...
Sometimes it lets me catch some fish until fish start rising. ...

That's where I am: catching fish until the waters warm enough for rising trout. Dry flies are exciting; nymphing isn't, but it produces trout.

You'll feel better about nymphing if you fish where bait is banned!

 

[Ard]

If I read correctly you ask, "Anyone else feel like this?"

I do hope we can respect the question and not have the thread digress into a nymph vs. others debate.

I learned how to catch trout and other species using the nymph patterns about 35 years ago. I took the time to learn because I wanted to know how to fly fish in all circumstances. Once I was proficient I felt the way you have expressed that you feel. It has been many years since I dead drifted a nymph. For me there is nothing in my whole life that seems as rewarding as believing that I have mastered the art of line & fly control which are the foundation blocks of catching fish on feather wing streamers and salmon flies.

Ard

 

[planettrout]

The Most Important Water Column Positions to Fish Aquatic Insects, in order of effectiveness:

1. Fly one to six inches above stream bottom.

2. Fly moving upward (emerging) from bottom to surface.

3. Fly resting just under the surface film.

4. Fly resting on the surface film.

5. Fly actively twitching or skittering over the surface film.

From Dave Whitlock:"Water Entomology to Fly-Fish By" - Flyfishing & Tying Journal - ppgs. #.16 - #.21 - Winter 2013


...my experience as well - for INSECTS


PT/TB

 

[random user]

I guess I am doing something wrong. I grease the hell out of my line and wipe the leader down with an alcohol pad. Then fish the nymph as it were a submerged dry fly, watching where the line/leader enters the water to detect strikes. Often, I am monkey-ing with leader length to adjust depth.

Then again, I use a slightly-tensioned-dead-drift (like a little creature trying to fight through the current) as a second choice, or trad quartering down stream / swing.

The high stick thing had never worked well for me, so I stopped trying it.

I don't see nymphs as a special class of flies - to me there are just a different style of wet fly, not so different from trad wets, modern wets, soft hackles, or mirco streamers.

 

[fyshstykr]

While I don't discourage others from fishing nymphs below an indicator, it's not the preferred method for myself. Now, if I can 'sight fish' a nymph to a feeding fish.....that's a whole 'nother story and it's game on!!

If it takes fishing a nymph below an indicator to get a new fly fisher interested in the game, so be it.:thumbup:

 

[caseywise]

i've been into czech style nymphing with long rods and heavy nymphs for a while now.
i know it's not for everybody, but i enjoy it

 

[Ard]

If I read correctly you ask, "Anyone else feel like this?"

I do hope we can respect the question and not have the thread digress into a nymph vs. others debate.

It would appear that not everyone took time to read through the various replies. This may be judged to be a bit preemptive on my part but I'm going to close the thread.

I wish we could all simply look at a topic and choose whether or not we want to join into a discussion more in concurrence with the thread starter rather than to present our own positions.

I don't believe the thread was meant to stir the pot. It reads like one persons personal preference and it ask a question. The question ask who agreed with him, not who disagreed with him.

Once we start using bold & all uppercase font, (we all know what that represents I think), the next thing will be hard feelings possibly.

Ard