Beginner’s Guide to Fly Fishing With Nymphs-How To Improve Your Chances of Success

I’ll admit it – fly fishing with nymphs isn’t my favorite thing in the world. I prefer to watch a dry fly float downstream than an indicator, and subsurface eats don’t quite do it for me like dry fly eats do. That said, trout do the majority of their feeding below the surface, so it’s worth getting your nymphing game dialed in. Here’s where to begin.

Setting Up Your Nymph Rig

Successful nymphing starts with your setup. A two-fly nymph rig is often the way to go – it allows you to cover a wider range of the water column, and it adds variety to your patterns. I’ll typically tie my first fly onto 3x tippet and tie my dropper fly onto a length of 4x tippet.

Next is the strike indicator – the distance between your first bug and your strike indicator should be roughly double the depth of the water you’re fishing. For example, if you’re in about three feet of water, your indicator should be right around 6 feet from your first bug. This is a good place to start, but be ready to make some changes.

Make Regular Adjustments

Nymphing is a game of constant adjustments. Your goal is to get your fly at the correct depth in the water column to run it right past holding trout. When you’re not catching fish, it’s easy to think that you don’t have the right fly tied on. Maybe – but much more likely, you’re not getting it in the right spot. Words to live by: The wrong fly in the right spot is a hell of a lot better than the right fly in the wrong spot.

Add Weight!

This should be the first change you make. If you’re not catching fish, you’re probably not fishing deep enough. If you don’t have any splitshot on your tippet, get it on there. If you have one or two, make it three or four. Adding weight allows your flies to get down to the bottom of the stream more quickly – maximizing the time they spend in the feeding zone.

Change Your Depth

Until you can feel your fly bouncing on the bottom of the stream, you’re not fishing deep enough. Adding weight alone won’t do it – you’ll often have to slide your strike indicator up on your tippet. The higher up you position your indicator, the deeper in the water column you’ll be fishing your flies.

Fly Selection

Your flies are getting down quickly and bouncing the bottom of the stream, but you can’t buy a strike. It’s time to switch your fly. Turn over a rock, and it’ll tell you a great deal about which insects are on the menu. Search your fly box for a good imitation, and give it a try. It often takes a good bit of trial and error, but it’ll click. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just close enough to what the fish are feeding on.

Give Yourself Grace

Nymph fishing can be frustrating – you can’t see your flies, so you can’t be sure what you’re doing wrong. With time, you’ll get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Until then, try to embrace the trial-and-error process that good nymph fishing requires.