nymphs - weight or not?

[webrx]

Question for you tiers out there...

When you tie nymphs, do you weight them or do you add shot to them? Seems to me, for the fast water I fish that adding weight to the tie makes it easier to get them down in the water column, however, it also makes them not as versatile. What if you want them higher in the water, but not too close to your indicator.....

So, the question is, when you tie up your nymphs, PTNs, stoneflies, caddis, etc..do you add weight to the tie or just split shot to the tippett (12 or so inches up)

d

 

[FrankB2]

I do both. You can use a different color thread for the head to indicate
whether the fly is weighted or not.

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi webrx,

I prefer subsurface flies to have some level of weight. I like to incorporate the weight into the body. Cone heads and eyes work also. The reason I like to add to the body is it helps thicken the body. You can also use different numbers of wraps to reduce or increase the weight.

With a weighted fly you can assist how quick it gets to the bottom according to how far upstream you cast. If you cast directly up stream in most cases the currant will wash the fly right to the bottom. Of course in this case you will probably get hung up. But with a little experimentation you can determine how far up stream to cast and get the fly to the right depth with out hanging up. The currant speed and how far upstream you cast will impact the sinking fly.

Frank

 

[HuronRiverDan]

Depends on where and how I am fishing. A lot of the flies I use for Steelies will be tied with a beadhead only. I will tie flies with lead wraps also, they make for nice stonefly bodies that are very realistic. For fishing Czech style nymphing, the flies are weighted quite a bit with lead (boo) or lead substitute (yay, I'm green)...LOL Most of my ties will mainly be beadheads though.

Dan

 

[mcnerney]

I follow what Dan is doing. When I have a weighted nymph I find that it casts easier than having a nymph plus split shot configuration with less wind knots. But I also like to have nymphs that are unweighted which gives me more control while stream side to add or subtract weight as the situation dictates.

Larry

 

[webrx]

Thanks for all the responses, been toying with weighting or split shot. Been rough on the river the last few outings, water has been dirty, and running high and fast. Been skunked last 3 times out and have been wondering if it is just depth in the column that is killing me. Been fishing the seems, behind the rocks, in the pocket water, etc but no luck.

been concentrating on a good drift and it feels like the drift is good, but there are just no fish taking. Found some stoneflies on the rocks, and tried fishing SF nymphs, again, nothing. There are a couple spots spot that I know have fish in them, I have seen them rise to dries there, but I can't seem to get them to take at all.

Going to tie up some weighted stonefly nymphs, and try that. If that doesn't work, going to go back to streamers and see if they work. Failing that, I guess I will try a new location, maybe this one has been fished out.

d

 

[HuronRiverDan]

If the river is running high and fast the trout are not going to be in the usual spots. Look for cover in the areas that do not usually hold fish; they'll be there if they have protection from the current. If you have any small streams dumping into the river check them out also; the water may be a little clearer and more protected.

Dan

 

[GeorgeMcFly]

depends how fast I need to get um down. if I need to to get down fast to the bottom I will use a few split shots while drfiting. if not I will just add a beadhead or some lead to get it down.

 

[webrx]

Thanks HRD, I have been fishing the seems between the fast and slow water, no incoming streams, there is a spot further downstream that usually has a nice pool of real slow water, right next to the current maybe they all moved down that way while the river is up, going to give that a try and see if the fishing improves.

George, thanks for the input, been fishing one split shot on the seems, maybe need to go one more. I am occassionally snagging up on the weeds, but probably not bouncing off the bottom.

d

 

[webrx]

Well, got out for a couple hours today, thought it was gonna be another skunk, but then shifted over to a copper john after fishing a streamer for over an hour. Hooked into a nice bow, and got hits on a couple others. along with changing flies, I also moved my indicator so it was about 8 feet above the fly. Seems to have made a difference in the faster water. Pic was taken on a cell phone, and he was only out of the water a few seconds. He fought pretty good, made a few runs, and when I let him go, I held him in the water for a good 20 or 30 seconds before he suddenly just took off.

 

[HuronRiverDan]

When fishing higher water sometimes it helps to think outside the box...

Congrats on the fish...

Dan

 

[webrx]

Thanks Dan, water was only about 4 feet deep, but changing the indicator still didn't bounce the CJ off the bottom, I gotta figure the current was just to fast to get the fly down with 5 or 6 feet of space below the indicator.

 

[Eight Weight]

Hey Webrx...

I almost always will weight my nymphs, and almost always on the body of the nymph.
Every now and then I'll use a cone or bead tied in behind the eye, but not very often.
I've also fished with guys that seldom ever weight their nymphs.
I'd say it boils down to personal preference and what works best for you, and then stick with that method of "weighting or not".

EW

 

[webrx]

Thanks,
I have been finding that Copper Johns, weighted with 4 wraps behind the bead head, seem to be able to get to the bottom on most seams I fish, but occasionally, even with this rig I need to add an extra split shot if the river is running high or fast. Taking advice from others on this forum, I have been trying to find the "slower" water to fish in.

Basically, I have been drifting the CJ or GRHE down the seam, and if it does not hang up in the first couple drifts, then I add a split shot. then repeat as necessary.

When the river is up and fast, it is a challenge - thats for sure.

d

 

[randyflycaster]

I add a split shot about 8" to 12" above my nymph. I feel that if the nymph itself is not weighted it will have a less chance of getting hung up. (Also the nymph's movement will look natural.) I can also add a second shot above the first.

For an excellent perspective on adding weight to nymphs, I like Active Nymphing by Rich Osthoff.

Randy

 

[Steelhead Junkie]

On some I add beadheads, on others just leave 'em. I fiqure its easier to add a couple shot to the leader than to take it off the fly

 

[matt451]

With a weighted fly you can assist how quick it gets to the bottom according to how far upstream you cast. If you cast directly up stream in most cases the currant will wash the fly right to the bottom. Of course in this case you will probably get hung up. But with a little experimentation you can determine how far up stream to cast and get the fly to the right depth with out hanging up. The currant speed and how far upstream you cast will impact the sinking fly.

Frank

This is the frustration I am running into, I am very new to this and it seems the fish are feeding below the surface but when I try to use a copper john or something similar I am constantly getting stuck on rocks or something else on the bottom and spend more time dealing with stuff stuck to the fly or a fly hung up than fishing. I have been fishing in Tobyhanna Creek and Brodhead Creek in NEPA, the water is only about 30" inches deep in most areas with some deeper spots here and there. Is there a good option for getting it below the surface but off the bottom? I say they are feeding below the surface because of what a local "pro" told me, if the are jumping or splashing they are feeding below the surface, if they are slurping they are feeding on the surface. I am finding it a bit tricky but also a lot of fun. Sorry for the long ramble..

 

[flyguy66]

Question for you tiers out there...

When you tie nymphs, do you weight them or do you add shot to them? Seems to me, for the fast water I fish that adding weight to the tie makes it easier to get them down in the water column, however, it also makes them not as versatile. What if you want them higher in the water, but not too close to your indicator.....

So, the question is, when you tie up your nymphs, PTNs, stoneflies, caddis, etc..do you add weight to the tie or just split shot to the tippett (12 or so inches up)

d

u explained exactly why i always tie some weighted and some unweighted.

 

[troutdoorsman]

Since we fish the same waters I'll give you my perspective. I like my flies to look as natural and weightless as possible when floating down the river but I do weight some flies. With the winds we deal with it makes a more fluid cast when the fly is weighted as opposed to a big shot on the line but I don't get as natural of a drift with the fly. On less windy days I will use my unweighted flies for a better drift and throw some shot on. It seems to work well. Just don't plan on fishing anytime soon, the river was raging in the canon today.

 

[Frank Whiton]

This is the frustration I am running into, I am very new to this and it seems the fish are feeding below the surface but when I try to use a copper john or something similar I am constantly getting stuck on rocks or something else on the bottom and spend more time dealing with stuff stuck to the fly or a fly hung up than fishing. I have been fishing in Tobyhanna Creek and Brodhead Creek in NEPA, the water is only about 30" inches deep in most areas with some deeper spots here and there. Is there a good option for getting it below the surface but off the bottom? I say they are feeding below the surface because of what a local "pro" told me, if the are jumping or splashing they are feeding below the surface, if they are slurping they are feeding on the surface. I am finding it a bit tricky but also a lot of fun. Sorry for the long ramble..

Hi Matt,

There are several things you can do. Here are some suggestion.

1. You can use a strike indicator and place it above the fly so it will support it off of the bottom. The general rule is to put the indicator one and one half times the water depth above the bottom fly.

2. You can use a big dry fly as an indicator and drop your nymph off of the dry fly. My favorite fly for this is a size 10 Royal Wulff or a big Simulator. Adjust the dropper nymph for the depth of the water.

3. If you tie flies you can use some of the fine wire available. Some fly tiers buy their wire from the hardware store and in most cases it is too heavy.

4. When fishing Copper John's don't cast them so far up stream. You need to adjust your position and how for up stream to cast so your fly is at the right level when it approaches the fish. That is, if you know where the fish lies or are fishing a certain spot, adjust your drift so the fly is positioned correctly for that spot.

5. Catching the bottom is something we all do and epically for beginners. Just analyze what you are doing at the time and adjust your set up, your fly, your method, your position or anything that solves your problem. It is a learning situation and with experience it will get easier.

Frank

Royal Wulff

Kaufmann Stimulator