Nymphing weight ?

[GrayFox]

How far from the fly do you put your weight normally,or how close is too close to the fly, and how much weight do you use ? I use removeable split shot in size b, how many is too many?

 

[MKern]

I usually place mine from 4 -- 6" from the fly, and usually between two flies (that way, if it gets hung up, you don't loos the whole rig).

I have a shot wheel that ranges from 1 - 6 (all smaller than B.

The easiest way to answer the "how much".... enough to hook the bottom every once in awhile. That's what's nice about the smaller weight, just keep adding little by little.

 

[jmh159]

I'd say 4-6" is a good bet.

I like to use small shot as well. Enough to get it to what ever depth I need. I fish alot of limestone streams with gin clear water and I can usually watch my fly to see the depth it is riding. Someone once told me to try and find the balance between how much weight to use and how far above the fish to cast to get the fly to ride level at the depth the fish is holding.

A few months ago while fishing I spotted a very large brown (25+ inches). I was using a bead head fly and made about a dozen or so really good drifts right by him. I then added one small split shot and within 3 casts I got him (although he eventually broke me off).

 

[Fishidiot]

Good advice from the previous posters. Many FFers feel that, the smaller the fly, the closer the shot, esp since very small flies are often fished with much smaller split shot. Anyway, for a typical #14 nymph and a split shot of about BB size, I'll put the shot about 8" up from the fly. I might put it higher if I anticipate changing flies frequently as this will allow some extra length for cutting and re-tying flies.

 

[MKern]

I would like to add that a fly fisher should never be worried about shot scaring fish.

They see thousands of rocks swirl around them every day.



Leader raking their skin is a different story.

 

[afishinado]

All good advice. I would keep it simple. A single fly rig with an indicator and split shot 6-8” above you fly will catch a ton of fish (see illustration). Although, unlike the illustration, I would recommend the distance from the indicator to the fly be 11/2 – 2x the water depth.

Here are a few tips and some variations on your rig that you can try:

In fast and deep water instead of pinching all your shot together, spread out a few small split shot between the fly and the indy. This sinks the tippet and leader at a more uniform rate since the current is nearly always faster on the surface. The rig will end up being more vertical and run deeper. Also spreading out the shot is easier to cast and aids in strike detection. It ends up being similar to a Centerpin rig.

Instead of using micro (very small) split shot, which is hard to put on your line and sometimes impossible to get off, try rolling a pinch of tungsten putty on your line for a little added weight. It works especially well for weighting small flies. It is easy to apply and take off and allow a limitless amount of weight adjustment. Here is a link to show you one of the brands available: http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=83GGs

Consider fishing some weighted flies, both with and without beadheads. Weighted flies help you get down to the strike zone faster without using split shot, and usually makes casting easier. As well, it allows a more direct connection with the fly without and added weight in between you and the fish which aids in strike detection. You can also add split shot for more weight if needed.

Good luck.

Link to source for illustration: http://stevenojai.tripod.com/nymph.htm

 

[rudeone]

Jonas (from the Feathered Hook for those of you who have not met him yet) showed me a cool little trick for fishing Penns and not getting hung up so much on the bottom. Put the weight at the very bottom, below the fly or flies. That way your weight goes all the way to the bottom but allows your fly to stay above the bottom enough to prevent losing so many flys. You're not dragging the fly over rocks and sticks as much and due the the shape of the weight vs that of a hook hang-ups are fewer. The only bad aspect is that you have to cut the weight off if you change flies often.

 

[1stfly]

rudeone wrote:
Jonas (from the Feathered Hook for those of you who have not met him yet) showed me a cool little trick for fishing Penns and not getting hung up so much on the bottom. Put the weight at the very bottom, below the fly or flies. That way your weight goes all the way to the bottom but allows your fly to stay above the bottom enough to prevent losing so many flys. You're not dragging the fly over rocks and sticks as much and due the the shape of the weight vs that of a hook hang-ups are fewer. The only bad aspect is that you have to cut the weight off if you change flies often.

I like this idea and have used a similar setup fishing a very rocky saltwater inlet.

How do you think tying a dropper to just hold the shot would work? Then you wouldn't have to worry about all the cutting/retying when you change flies. Also if the shot gets hung up, you will just break off the shot leaving the flies.

 

[afishinado]

1stfly wrote:

rudeone wrote:
Jonas (from the Feathered Hook for those of you who have not met him yet) showed me a cool little trick for fishing Penns and not getting hung up so much on the bottom. Put the weight at the very bottom, below the fly or flies. That way your weight goes all the way to the bottom but allows your fly to stay above the bottom enough to prevent losing so many flys. You're not dragging the fly over rocks and sticks as much and due the the shape of the weight vs that of a hook hang-ups are fewer. The only bad aspect is that you have to cut the weight off if you change flies often.

I like this idea and have used a similar setup fishing a very rocky saltwater inlet.

[color=CC0066]How do you think tying a dropper to just hold the shot would work? Then you wouldn't have to worry about all the cutting/retying when you change flies. Also if the shot gets hung up, you will just break off the shot leaving the flies.[/color]

I've been rigging that way for a long time when I need to fish dredge the bottom. Tie my fly on a dropper and use shot at the point, usually 12-18" to the point. Tie an overhand knot on the end so the shot doesn't slip off too easily and fish!!

 

[PennKev]

This question is a lot like "How much tippet should I use?" or "What size fly should I use?"

It depends on the situation. I will put the shot anywhere from 4" to 15" from the fly depending on what I want to achieve. In calmer pools or slower runs, I might put my shot pretty far away from the fly as I want some slack between the fly and shot. I believe that weight put to close to the fly can make the fly behave unnaturally in many situations because any tick or hang up instantly stops the drift of the fly. Sometimes I even stagger the split shot so that they are spread out over several feet of the leader. (This works great for getting a right-angle orientation in deeper runs and pools.)

On the other hand, while high-sticking in faster water, I might put a lot of weight only 4-6" from a fly that also has weight in the form of a beadhead or lead wire.

I have had many instances were simply adjusting the distance between the weight and fly has produced strikes. I've never undersood how some people refuse to adjust their weight, indicator, leaders, etc., and would rather fish the same rig in all conditions. It just doesn't work as well as if a minute or two is taken to re-evaluate and make adjustments for every different spot you fish.

Kev