Nymphing without indicators

thedude1534

thedude1534

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Jan 31, 2007
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As of now, I either use a yarn indicator, or a little indicator puddy when nymphing. I would like to start nymphing without an indicator, and was wondering if anyone had good tips on how to do that.

The one problem that I can instantly forsee is getting a line tight enough to sense a strike, but not destroy my drift. Ya'll got any tips?

Also, I assume that one of the best ways to nymph without an indicator is to czech nymph. In order to do this, do you just put a ton of weight on the line, so that you can drag the weight across the bottom, keeping a tight line, and your flies will dangle behind them?

Thanks in advance.
 
The easy answer is to shorten your leader considerably and use the end of the fly line as your indicator. There are many other techniques which you will we reading soon. But shortening your leader is the easiest.
 
Start by highsticking and using the end of the fly line as Tom said. If you high stick you do not need to shorten the leader.
 
Dude,

An indicator is sometimes the best way to fish nymphs, especially if you need to fish across stream through multiple current speeds. You can mend to get a drag free float with an indicator. Fishing without an indicator really shines when deep wading or in smaller streams where you can fish upstream in the same current lane.

Czech nymphing actually involves no added weight, the flies (usually 3 flies on droppers) are heavily weighted with the heaviest fly usually tied in the middle. A short cast (flip) is made upstream, and the flies are followed with the tip keeping the rod tip kept fairly low, but in contact (feel) with your flies. It’s a very short line method fishing right under the rod tip. When the flies drift parallel to your position, you recast. Not a good method for Valley where you fish – close wading would put those fish down.

High sticking is similar, casting upstream and lifting your rod to keep most of the line and leader off the water while remaining in touch with your flies. As the flies pass by you lower your rod to maintain slight contact. Again a short-line method.

With either method it makes it easier if you have some sort of visible line or bright marker on your line for visibility. As Wulffman posted, with a shorter leader you can use your fly line for visibility.

Joe Humphries has some good books and videos on the subject, just don't pay attention to him when he says you should never use an indicator - never say never!........hope that helps.
 
I already do quite a bit of high sticking, but using an indicator I can get away with slack in the line. I also think along with a shorter leader (I typically use 9-12 ft leaders now) I will need to shorten my casting. Sometimes I like to throw out 40 ft casts upstream and drift until the fly gets back to me. I do this simply because I can get a real long drift through one promising area, and if nothing takes I move on. It helps me cover more groud on unfamiliar streams. Once the nymph gets in range, I'll high stick directly over it, but before that my stick is "high" but I'm not really high sticking. I'm more just keeping it elevated to help with mending and keeping enough slack on the line so that I'm not creating drag.

I think that if I shorten my cast to only cover the area where I actually high stick, it will help. However, I still like throwing out those 40 ft casts, especially if I'm on a wild stream, cause I'll stand less chance of spooking fish. In that case, I can keep my stick high, but not really high stick. This is where I think Czech nymphing would come into play.

Your thoughts?
 
Afishinado,

Thanks for your post, I wrote the one above before I saw yours. You have educated me on what Czech nymphing is, I thought it was what Humphries tended to do. I've seen his nymphing video, and he throws really long (for nymphing standards) upstream casts and has really good line control, but he keeps the rod tip high. Based on his explaination, it seemed that he acheived this by putting a lot of weight on so that even though you are placing a decent amount of tension on the line, the weight will keep you from pulling it off the bottom. It looked like he was essentially dragging the weights across the bottom. I'm probably wrong about that part, but thats what it looks like he's doing.
 
Dude,

For long casts across stream use an indicator and mend to the indicator to get a good drift. 40' may be too long of a cast, even with an indicator. The shorter the cast the easier it is to get a good drift. Instead of standing in one spot to cover an entire pool or run, you probably would have more success carefully wading into position and shortening up on your casts. With Czech nymphing, you get very close to the fish, a rod length away, and lead the flies through the drift.
 
I should probably clarify on the 40 footers, I only throw those sometimes, and its when I'm using a long leader in a deeper, slow moving, long run. In typical pockets and riffles I will not do this, but rather stick to a more traditional short roll cast. It's more of a prospecting cast than anything else, and I probably only throw it about 15% of the time while nymphing. I'm sure this approch is consisdered stupid by many, but I get a lot of fish with it, so there has to be some validity. However, its heavely dependant on a lot of mending and an indicator to show the drift, and I don't think I could pull it off without the indicator.
 
I've made it a point to do 95% of my nymphing indie free so far this year.

All I can say, is go ahead out there and putz around with it. You'll find yourself just setting the hook for seemingly no reason at all... but theres usually a flash and some weight at the other end. spooky stuff.

I do concentrate on handling line alot more without an indicator, Try to keep it semi tight to the best of your ability and be on the lookout for anything unnatural.
 
CaptMatt wrote:
Start by highsticking and using the end of the fly line as Tom said. If you high stick you do not need to shorten the leader.


The reason for shortening the leader is that when you high stick the flyline isn't always touching the water (unless you're fishing 9ft deep) and you are left only with feel as an indicator. (Some people have a problem detecting strikes that way) Shortening the leader puts the end of the fly line on the water as the indicator would be and you can see the strike when the fly line either pauses or moves.
 
Yes and that makes sense. A longer leader is a personal preference for me. I can manipulate my fly in deeper water and shallow water and when fishing spots where depth changes from shallow to deep quickly. This is more a feel type of nymphing for me and I mostly set the hook just becasue it feels right or when my leader tightens for a split second.
 
CaptMatt wrote:
I mostly set the hook just becasue it feels right or when my leader tightens for a split second.

That's what I like to do..But I keep hearing and reading posts from people who just don't have that "sixth sense" though. My suggestion is geared more toward the person who made the original post. When I started fishing nymphs, shortening the leader really helped me get that feel. Once I had it I rarely use a shorter leader now, but for a beginner, it helps.
 
Yes it does. I actually meditate before I nymph fish. :-D
 
So did Fredo on the God Father. He swore by it.
 
CaptMatt wrote:
So did Fredo on the God Father. He swore by it.

And where did that get him? A bed next to Lucco.
 
For all types of indicator-free fishing, I like using a piece of colored mono somewhere in the leader. Preferably it's up about 4 feet from where the fly would be so I can always see it when I'm high sticking. It really helps you locate your leader quickly and notice those tiny little tugs.

Flyfisher's Paradise in State College sells (or used to at least) some leaders with an opaque yellow mono tied in, but I haven't found any of that stuff anywhere else. I use fluorescent green mono but it's not ideal. Black mono might be the best. If you go into a big shop that sells spinning gear for saltwater, there will be a whole lot of choices.

I think Dave Rothrock published an article in Fly Fisherman about 5 years ago that had recipes for leaders with several colors of Stren tied into them. Could be wrong on that.
 
I like to use long fluoro leaders, 9 to 12', and add 8 to 10" of red Amnesia as a butt section between my flyline and leader forming an indicator of sorts. Using this system I keep all of my flyline of the water, which allows me to have only the leader on the water. I then watch the lower end of the Amnesia for strikes. I am not saying this is the best method, but I feel that by having only the fluoro leader and not the floating line onthe water my nymphs reach optimum depth faster and the drift is easier to control not battling any belly in the floating line. I can't take credit for the idea as it is my version of Mr. Humphry's no flyline, mono line only nymphing.
 
It can also be effective to let the fly line nearly touch the water. It is easier to detect a tug on the fly line than it is on the leader line.

Jack, they all slept with the fishes.
 
Matt,

I agree at times it can be. The reason the are so many techniques. No 1 technique is right for every situation. The most effective weapon in the arsenal is the ability to adapt, try new things and avoid preconceived ideas.

Nymphing is very effective if one is willing to experiment. Long leaders, short leaders, inidicator(foam, pinch on, putty, yarn), no indicator, mono, fluoro, split shot, weight putty, one fly, multiple flies, how to rig multi-fly rigs, rod length and the various combinations. Great mental stimulation!
 
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