Help nymphing

[Jessed]

I've been fishing a 9 foot 5x leader with a heavy #14 caddis and then 1.5-2 feet of 6x to my next fly which is usually smaller with a small split shot in between the two flys. I've been using thingamabobers and the stick on indactores and haven't been finding any luck. I make sure I'm not dragging and mending. I make sure I'm getting the flys deep enough as I get hung up on rocks a lot but still haven't been catching fish. It just gets a little frustrating watching another angler go into the same section I just fished and pull 8-14 fish out! Any tips ??

 

[ryansheehan]

Is your indicator moving the same speed as the surface water?

 

[nomad_archer]

Where are you fishing and are there still fish there? I dont ask that to be a jerk. I spent about a month last year fishing a stream that had very little fish left after being hammered by the catch and keep crowd before I went to a different stream. You can be doing everything right but if there are not fish there well you get the drift.

Next thing. I dont mess with 6x tippet. I use 5x or heavier and use the same tippet from fly to fly. If i was doing what you are I would go 4x to first fly then 5x to second.

I would put my shot above the first fly and that will get them both down but that is personal preference. You should be adjusting your weight and depth often as you move from spot to spot. You shouldn't be constantly hanging up. I like to adjust my indicator until I am hanging up then adjust it so my flies are just off the bottom and not hanging up. That way I can get a clean drift most of the time.

Keep you fly selection simple and generic. I would go with a hares ear and beadhead pheasant tail combo in size 14 or 16 until you start catching fish. Those patterns look like everything and nothing and just flat out work.

 

[MKern]

My guess, without watching you fish, would be one of a couple things or any combination of these things:
1. Fishing where the fish aren't, not picking the right lies where the fish are holding.
2. You are having drag that you don't see.
3. You have too much line out and aren't detecting the strikes you are getting.

 

[MKern]

So ways to switch it:

Fish areas where there are breaks in the current.
Fish with as little line on the water (solves the drag and too much line)

 

[Jessed]

I've been fishing the Tully a lot and I know there's fish in there. I can see fish rise here and there where I'm fishing. And my indactor is dragging at the same speed. I might have it too deep because I find the indator dipping and am setting the hook on rocks. Also I find that double rig is a mess when it gets tangled here and there

 

[Jessed]

I forgot to mention I did catch one fish in the 3 times I've been there.

 

[dc410]

You may want to just try fishing a single nymph until you start catching some fish and gain that confidence. The tangles that can come with a tandem rig can be very frustrating particularly if you aren't catching many fish. Keep adjusting - weight, length of leader, amount of line out, until you find a system that works for you. Too many folks set up their leader to fish nymphs and never make any changes continuing to fish that same set up the whole time even though it isn't producing. Take the time to make those changes and experiment. Good luck with your nymphing.

 

[nomad_archer]

Alright you are fishing the tully... there are plenty of fish in there and they are very pressured right now. So that can make things a bit more challenging. For they tully a caddis nymph is a safe bet add another generic pattern and as dc410 says keep adjusting. You will find the right combination.

I have found the tully to be extremely frustrating some days and other days it just keeps giving up fish. My advice is to walk up/down stream from the access points and try to get away from some of the other fisherman and pressure. Good luck.

 

[McSneek]

Never really encountered a lot of good nymphing water on the Tully. That being said, some sort of tan or olive caddis pupa with a turn of soft hackle usually produces some fish for me in the few riffle sections. Also just swinging a lightly weighted tan pupa, not really bottom bouncing, will usually get a couple when the fish are really on the caddis.

I would not go 2' between flies - more like 8" - 10." Also wouldn't nymph with 6X tippet.

The Tully can be easy one day and really tough the next. Lot of pressure.

 

[NewSal]

McSneek wrote:
Never really encountered a lot of good nymphing water on the Tully. That being said, some sort of tan or olive caddis pupa with a turn of soft hackle usually produces some fish for me in the few riffle sections. Also just swinging a lightly weighted tan pupa, not really bottom bouncing, will usually get a couple when the fish are really on the caddis.

I would not go 2' between flies - more like 8" - 10." Also wouldn't nymph with 6X tippet.

The Tully can be easy one day and really tough the next. Lot of pressure.

I dont know if saying not to go 2' and not to use 6x is solid advice. It all depends on conditions... Also I fish nymphs almost exclusively, and hardly ever fish them as close as 8". Mainly just because if they are that close together I tend to get the trailing hook stuck in the fish when netting/fighting, 18" is my go to.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Fish a streamer

 

[nomad_archer]

NewSal wrote:

McSneek wrote:
Never really encountered a lot of good nymphing water on the Tully. That being said, some sort of tan or olive caddis pupa with a turn of soft hackle usually produces some fish for me in the few riffle sections. Also just swinging a lightly weighted tan pupa, not really bottom bouncing, will usually get a couple when the fish are really on the caddis.

I would not go 2' between flies - more like 8" - 10." Also wouldn't nymph with 6X tippet.

The Tully can be easy one day and really tough the next. Lot of pressure.

I dont know if saying not to go 2' and not to use 6x is solid advice. It all depends on conditions... Also I fish nymphs almost exclusively, and hardly ever fish them as close as 8". Mainly just because if they are that close together I tend to get the trailing hook stuck in the fish when netting/fighting, 18" is my go to.

I agree I go 18"-24" between flies. Also dont be afraid to nymph the spots that aren't your traditional pocket water riffle situations. You will be surprised at the number of fish you can catch.

 

[Jessed]

I was using 6x because I thought it would give me a better shot at catching pressured fish. So just stick with 5x for nymphing?

 

[NewSal]

Jessed wrote:
I was using 6x because I thought it would give me a better shot at catching pressured fish. So just stick with 5x for nymphing?

I dont think you should worry to much about tippet size, going from 5 to 6 or 6 to 5 isnt going to make a dramatic difference in catch ratio. I would say fish 5 or 4, that way you have less of a chance of break off, the smaller the tippet diameter the less drag your going to induce on the fly when underwater, making the fly look more realistic you could say. The larger the diameter the more surface area you have underwater which in turn induces more drag, the larger diameter the stiffer the tippet is as well, which when combined, the larger diameter you go the more drag you will get, and the stiffer material will not let the nymph present "naturally". In theory. Fish can see all sizes of tippet, the smaller the diameter doesn't necessarily make the tippet less visible, just allows the fly to be presented in a better fashion.

Ive experimented fishing 3x this year fishing nymphs during the sulpher hatch and I can honestly say I did just as good as I think I would have fishing a smaller diameter. The sulpher nymphs were active during this time so I dont think having a complete dead drift on a light tippet was all that necessary, it was a blast to not have to worry about break offs on large fish with the 3x, I'm going to start using heavy tippets more often, atleast when I start out, if I dont catch anything then Ill step down the diameter but I must say that not worrying about breakoffs so much was enjoyable.

 

[ryansheehan]

If you're indicator is moving at the same speed as the surface water you have a big presentation problem. The water at the bottom of the river(where your flies are)is moving much slower than the water on top(where your indicator is). If your flies are moving at surface speed while down deep you are dragging really bad. Your indicator should be moving considerably slower than the surface water if it isn't add some shot. In fast water I would rather start with too much weight and take some off. In slow water I would rather start with too little and then add some. I probably average 50 weight changes a day.

As far as distance between your two flies I keep it real short, between four and six inches. The longer the distance the less connection you have with the fly, this is a strike detection killer imo. Most days I don't change flies so having a short dropper line isn't a pain for me. Most of the time nymphing comes down to 2 things for me, speed and strike detection, just my thoughts on my own system, lots of good advice from others so far.

 

[3oh4]

I will add that the biggest issue I see with poor indicator fisherman is they don't move the indicator according to the hole/pocket they are fishing, they just keep casting. My leader looks like an acordian by the day's end almost every trip. Also - you can't indicator fish every run - on really fast shoots you have to take the indicator off and high stick or the indicator will create to much drag and rip your flies through.

Also to add madness to your fly set up is also dictated by what type of system your running - are you drop shotting, euro-style, I myself do it the worst way - split shot followed by my nymphs.

It's really chaotic to explain how every situation calls for a different scenario. I could go on for hours.

 

[Jessed]

I went to a local creek yesterday after school for a hour and did catch a fish! But thank you guys so much for the tips. Nymph fishing has been a struggle for me! I can fish streamers and drys very well but struggle with nymph

 

[NewSal]

ryansheehan wrote:
If you're indicator is moving at the same speed as the surface water you have a big presentation problem. The water at the bottom of the river(where your flies are)is moving much slower than the water on top(where your indicator is). If your flies are moving at surface speed while down deep you are dragging really bad. Your indicator should be moving considerably slower than the surface water if it isn't add some shot. In fast water I would rather start with too much weight and take some off. In slow water I would rather start with too little and then add some. I probably average 50 weight changes a day.

As far as distance between your two flies I keep it real short, between four and six inches. The longer the distance the less connection you have with the fly, this is a strike detection killer imo. Most days I don't change flies so having a short dropper line isn't a pain for me. Most of the time nymphing comes down to 2 things for me, speed and strike detection, just my thoughts on my own system, lots of good advice from others so far.

I agree with you 100% on weight changes, weight is vital, I tinker with weight every time I move my feet, some guys think this is optional and that there weight is "close enough" for all spots. Weight changing isnt optional, its imperative. As Humphreys would say, the difference between a good and great nymph fisherman is a split shot. For anyone new at nymphing, this cant be stressed enough, jam it into your head that you have to concentrate on where your flies are and your weight, behind strike detection and line control its the most important factor in a solid nymph game.

Your choice to fish flies only 6" apart is really interesting, I only fish this way when I want an attractor to grab fish attention and another drab fly as a feed trigger.
How in the world do you get around not getting the second fly stuck in the fish? This is highly annoying to me when I fish flies close together, seems like no matter what I get the second fly stuck in the fish, and if your having a good day and getting into some fish this can make you go crazy untangling tippet and flies from a fish. I must admit that fishing barbless flies reduces the annoyance but it still is a little annoying.

 

[ryansheehan]

I have alot more problems foul hooking with the dropper being longer than shorter. I just measured one of my droppers I had rigged up and it was just under 4 inches away. I think when the second fly is close it doesn't get much of an angle to snag the fish's body. Just my guess, but it works well for me.