Learn How to Nymph Fish with a Strike Indicator.
Learning how to nymph fish with a strike indicator will increase your catch rates. Since trout spend about 85% of their time feeding subsurface it would be advantageous to feed them where they are eating most of the time. There are several types of strike indicators some better than others. In my opinion the size and flow of the river should determine choice of indicator.
Why You Should Fly-Fish With a Strike Indicator?
Use of a strike indicator will help detect the subtle takes that can occur with nymph fishing. Using a strike indicator will allow the nymph angler to have more control of the drift of the flies. With the use of high sticking and mending your flies hopefully will drift drag free. A drag free drift allows your nymphs to look more natural. A natural drift will get you more takes. Most important of all the use of a strike indicator while nymph fishing will dramatically increase your catch rates…enough said.
How To Fish Nymphs Using Strike Indicators:
- 9ft to 7.5ft leaders work well. A lot of anglers will suggest using the shorter of the two for ease of casting. I personally think you can get away with 9ft 4x leader just fine, just taper it down with 6x tippett. The butt section on the 4x turns over most weighted flies just fine.
- In order to high stick and mend you should always use a floating fly line. Which if you think about it, that makes sense because you are using a strike indicator. Scientific Anglers and Rio make some slick fly lines that are a half size heavier which will help with casting your nymph rig.
- There is an old saying or maybe I just made it up, I am not sure, but it goes like this “The difference between a good day of nymph fishing and a bad day is one more piece of split shot”. Add your shot above the double surgeons knot you used to attach your tippet. That way it does not slip down to you fly. Stay away from big shot. I will use micro shot #8 or #6. It is easier to add more if you need it and subtract when you don’t. The heavy stuff is harder to adjust to the right weight.
- Place the indicator about 1 1/2 times the depth of water that you are fishing in.
- Here is where I tell the kids to “get off my lawn”. What is the deal with fishing those big plastic indicators on small water? “Now get off my lawn”. I will generally use those types of thingys on bigger water such as the Big Horn, but not on the little stuff like the RMNP, Big Thompson and the Cache La Poudre. On small to medium water I prefer the sticky foam 3m indicators. They are easy to cast and don’t kink up my leader which makes the transition to dry fly fishing a cinch.
How To Nymph Fish With A Double Nymph Rig.
Two flies are always better than one when it comes to nymph fishing. I am real picky about this piece. From your cinch knot you should have a piece of tippet no longer than 12 inches. Yes, I know that goes against what your buddy told you. Less is more here. Its all about the drift and line control. So at the end of the piece of tippet attach your first fly. This nymph pattern generally should be the bigger of the two. From the first fly attach another piece of tippet to the bend of the hook. Again this should be no longer than 12 inches. Attach your second nymph and get after it. My final tip for you is, if you are not hanging up on the bottom every once in a while you are not deep enough. Either adjust the depth of your indicator or add more split shot or do both.
Learn How To Nymph Fish With Liarflies.
Our Colorado Beginner Nymph Fishing Class is a great class to take and learn all about the nuances that go into nymph fishing with an indicator. This class is 4 hours in length. It truly pays of off for the angler looking to increase their catch rates.
