An Overview of Nymph Fly Fishing Technique

What are nymphs and the best nymphs to use for nymph fly fishing

What is Nymph Fly Fishing

Nymph fly fishing is a more difficult fly fishing technique than dry fly fishing, as the nymph is under the water’s surface, and cannot be seen by the angler. When starting out, most anglers learn dry fly fishing techniques first, and then move onto nymph fly fishing when they have gained some experience. If there is no insect surface activity (or hatch), or when fishing in deeper water, nymph fly fishing can be more productive than dry fly fishing.

A nymph is an aquatic insect still in the underwater, or adolescence stage of development. Generally, the insects you see on top of the water are adult insects that have grown out of the adolescence stage. When nymph fishing, the flies that are used imitate insects in the adolescence (or underwater) stage of that insect development.

Why is Nymph Fly Fishing Difficult?

With dry fly fishing, the angler can see the fish strike the fly. With nymph fly fishing it’s a lot more tricky, as the nymph is underwater, and you cannot see the fish strike. The beginner fisherman may not know when to set the hook as it is tougher to detect a strike on the nymph. Also, quite often the novice angler cannot tell the difference between a fish striking the nymph, and the nymph bumping against underwater obstructions such as logs and rocks. Its always frustrating for any angler if the nymph gets hooked onto any underwater obstruction, such as a rock or log.

As nymph fishing is three dimensional (as opposed to two dimensional dry fly fishing), the angler needs to determine the correct depth the nymph needs to be at in order to catch fish, and change the line configuration to achieve this required depth. Also fish don’t tend to strike a nymphs as hard as they do dry flies on the water’s surface, so it’s more difficult to know the exact time to set the hook.

Equipment Required for Nymph Fishing

For successful nymph fishing, you will need a strike indicator. A strike indicator  is a brightly coloured object that floats on top of the water, and when this indicator bobs in an unnatural manner that means you have a strike. The strike indicator is normally attached to the fly line, or is tied onto the leader a suitable distance away from the nymph.

Next, you will need some small weights to put on your floating fly line or leader to get your nymph to the correct depth. Alternatively, you can use a sink-tip fly line instead of a floating line with weights. Another useful item for nymph fly fishing is a good pair of polarized sunglasses which will reduce the glare reflected from the water and enable you to see the strike indicator clearly. The type of fly fishing rod you use will depend on the size of the river or stream being fished - generally, the smaller the river or stream, the shorter the rod required.

Dead Drift Fishing Technique

The most common nymph fly fishing technique that even a beginner can master is the “dead drift” fishing technique. This involves casting directly across the river, and letting the fly line drift downriver whilst keeping any slack out of the line. If the nymph is drifting too quickly, perform a upstream mend. If the nymph is drifting too slowly, perform a downstream mend. In the event of a strike, the angler just points the rod at the fly, and lifts the rod to set the hook. This method of fly fishing requires that the angler head downstream.