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Food For Thought
#21
[center]Weight

[left]Once your flies hit the water, they need time to sink to the Depth of the fish. During any given drift, your flies are in the strike zone for only a short period of time. The deeper and faster the water, the shorter the window will be. This is especially true when wading, as you don't have the advantage of drifting along with your flies in a boat. If your rig doesn't have enough weight to sink your flies quickly, much of your drift is wasted while the flies are out of the strike zone, slowly sinking into position.
A properly weighted nymph rig minimizes the time needed to get your flies into the strike zone, increasing the amount of time they are in front of fish on each drift. Common misconception is that bead-head flies are heavy enough on their own to reach bottom quickly, but depending on the depth and speed of the water, they generally are not. Only the largest tungsten-bead nymphs are of sufficient weight to sink a rig in more than two or three feet of water. These patterns usually imitate only large bugs (such as stoneflies) and are usually not found in the bins of your local fly shop. Typically, brass bead heads are hollow, while tungsten beads are usually solid, combining the advantage of more and denser metal.
Many commercially available flies that are weighted are not weighted sufficiently. With this in mind, if you are targeting trout in more than two feet of water (and probably even less), you will need to add additional weight to your leader to be effective. This is especially true if you are relying on a tapered leader for a nymph rig, which will sink much slower because of it's larger diameter monofilament. With added weight needed to get to the bottom, you will probably have to give up the cute little foam indicator and step up to a more serious yarn or balloon style bobber to adequately float the rig.
When it comes to weighting a nymph rig, there are two predominant philosophies. The first philosophy relies on the flies to provide the primary weight. There's an argument to be made that adding split shot to the leader reduces the sensitivity of the presentation, adds a hinge point, and reduces your ability to detect strikes. Using sufficiently heavy flies with no weight on the leader is a more direct connection to the strike indicator, and many anglers believe such a setup leads to more hookups.
If you're a proponent of this first philosophy and you're fishing an in-line multi-fly rig, you'll want the top fly to be the heavy weight. The first fly in the setup is tied directly to tippet and usually features lead wire, tungsten bead, or both to get it and the trailing patterns down in the water column. Heavily weighted attractor patterns are common flies for this sort of rig. The point fly, and the fly at the end of the rig, is something much smaller and lighter, intended to entice fish the refused the heavily weighted flies.
The second philosophy revolves around unweighted flies and using split shot crimped to the leader to provide the weight. The idea is the unweighted flies (with lower density) will drift along more naturally in the current, pivoting off the split shot that keeps them near the bottom. However, the split shot creates a hinge point on the leader that can make detecting strikes more difficult. Whether the advantage of unweighted flies can overcome the hinge point of the split shot remains debatable. Such a rig usually needs at least 16" of tippet between the point fly and the weight to achieve a natural-appearing drift.
Additionally, lighter flies can never be too heavy, giving the angler more flexibility to adjust the weight with various sizes of shot. If you mainly rely on commercially tied flies that aren't tied with tungsten beads, add split shot to the tippet when needed to match conditions.
In either case, a versatile angler should be familiar with both approaches and employ the method that seems to be working, given the conditions to get the flies near the bottom.
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#22
lastly:
[center]DRAG

[left]Maintaining a natural drift is as important as having your flies in front of the fish.
Drag impedes the natural drift of a nymph pattern, especially since water speeds change from the surface down to the bottom. Drag is much more obvious on a dry fly than it is on a nymph. Water is fastest near the surface
and slows the closer it gets to the bottom----a natural phenomenon called velocity gradient. Fish and insects often live in near zero-velocity area along the bottom called the boundary layer. Living near the bottom allows them to expend less energy fighting the current while collecting food. You want your nymph to drift at the speed of the water down deep, not at the speed of the water on the surface.
Knowing this you need to adjust your presentation to counter the velocity gradient through the water column. It's not as simple as just mending your line to get your bobber to drift naturally. You must mend the strike indicator itself to adjust the angle of the leader below it. A small roll cast or large mend upstream of the flies, preventing the indicator from pulling the flies downstream. With the indicator upstream of the flies, you remove tension on the leader, allowing your flies to sink much more quickly. Without moving the indicator upstream of the flies, it will almost always be downstream of the flies, pulling them along. While your indicator may be floating at a dead drift, your flies are likely off the bottom and moving along at the speed of the surface, which is much faster than insects near the bottom. This relationship will only get more pronounced with deeper presentations, making regular mends more critical.
Knowing how to balance the three dimensions of presenting nymphs will help you catch trout more consistently. Understanding the interaction of depth, weight, and drag is the key to making more effective nymph presentations---even if you don't use indicators.
Adjusting your leader length, managing weight, and learning to mend consistently will keep your flies in the strike zone longer, leading to more hookups

Quote:Martin Koenig is an obsessive angler with a master's degree in fisheries. He is currently working as a biologist in Boise, Idaho.
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#23
Thanks for posting the newest installments.

I had a couple of free hours today and gave high sticking a try up on the Lower Provo. I got rained out after about an hour but I think I got the hang of the drift without too much difficulty. A couple of questions however.

1. I found as I lifted the rod tip to tighten the line, it shortened the overall drift length/distance. I presume that was normal?

2. I initially used size 18 bead head copper johns and hares ears with no additional weight. I didn't feel I was getting it to the bottom. I then put on a tiny split shot 6 inches or so above the fly. This seemed to work better and I got a couple of hits but I still wasn't sure that was ideal. I was using floating line on a tapered leader. The "weight" posting stated that bead head nymphs are not heavy enough by themselves to get the fly into the ideal strike zone. Would I need to switch to a sinking line, weighted putty, and only bigger tungsten flies?

3. Lastly, the "weight" posting says to put the weight 16 inches above the fly. If you add weight, is that how far away you put it when tight lining?
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#24
[quote doggonefishin]Thanks for posting the newest installments.

I had a couple of free hours today and gave high sticking a try up on the Lower Provo. I got rained out after about an hour but I think I got the hang of the drift without too much difficulty. A couple of questions however.

1. I found as I lifted the rod tip to tighten the line, it shortened the overall drift length/distance. I presume that was normal?

[#FF0000]That is normal. You cast upstream and as it floats in front of you, there will be slack unless you lift the tip, then slowly drop the tip once it is past you.[/#FF0000]

2. I initially used size 18 bead head copper johns and hares ears with no additional weight. I didn't feel I was getting it to the bottom. I then put on a tiny split shot 6 inches or so above the fly. This seemed to work better and I got a couple of hits but I still wasn't sure that was ideal. I was using floating line on a tapered leader. The "weight" posting stated that bead head nymphs are not heavy enough by themselves to get the fly into the ideal strike zone. Would I need to switch to a sinking line, weighted putty, and only bigger tungsten flies?

[#FF0000]If is it a pool and the fly isn't moving, I think a bead head will work, but getting down quick you will need more weight. Even when I am stillwater deep nymphing, I will add split shot or sink putty, to get it down quick to where the fish are.
The idea is staying in the zone as long as you can, so the quicker you get there, the longer you can stay in the zone.
Floating line is common. Longer leaders for deeper runs. I like a full sink line on faster water, or a sink tip with a 30' weighted portion. I use a Type II or III for wet flies or softhackles[/#FF0000]

3. Lastly, the "weight" posting says to put the weight 16 inches above the fly. If you add weight, is that how far away you put it when tight lining?[/quote]

[#FF0000]I will go 12" to 24" but, 16" is a great starting point.

I was hoping Riverdog would answer this one. It sounds like his preferred method and I know I am leaving something out[/#FF0000]
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#25
We were tearing them up at our new "honey hole" down here in Southern UT with just your basic river nymphing set-up. There was a good deal of wind and the waves were perfect for moving it along the lake surface, just like it would on a slower moving river....then "ZIPPP" the indicator would disappear! Love that! The heavy cloud cover and chop really had the bows up and crusing around the shallows were they were easy pickings for a drifting bh brassie or bugger. Going back this Saturday to try and duplicate last weekend. I need to get out of the office and visit my "therapist"...[Wink] Can't wait!

-Rich
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#26
Thanks for the reply and all the info. I've got a bunch of new things to work on, technique wise.

Since we aren't getting any ice on the lakes to fish on, I might be doing a lot of this instead of ice fishing this winter.
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#27
You covered it well FG. The only thing I would add is you don't have to high stick to tight line nymph. You can just tighten up the line with your hand and then let more line out when it drifts past you.
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#28
I wanted to bump this thread to give a little update. I haven't been able to try high sticking again until today. (Too much ice fishing and mostly no fishing Sad this winter) Anyway, I had a couple hours and hit the LoPro again. I really started to get the hang of it and I have to admit I really like it. Had to go through a couple flies to find something they would hit, but once I did, I had a good 2 hours, including a very nice 16-18 inch rainbow. My technique is far from perfected, but I'll have to keep at it and I think it will serve me well.

Anyway thanks, FG and Riverdog for teaching me something new. Smile
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#29
Very interesting. I love using indicators. It's very use full for changing depth various where you want to fish as well how the nymph moves around then you slightly strip your line to make a nice movement too get the fish attention. With an indicator you can create so many type of movement too the nymph that can attract the fish and I've even tried different stripping technique that the fish like in the right depth for the ability too slay them [cool]. If you don't use the indicator you don't know where your nymph will be ha ha ha.

If you think this way the fly is sitting on the top and the fish can only see the bottom surface of the fly when a nymph is in the water for the fish to swim around it to see the great details on it that make it 3D.

No matter what fly fishing is just plain amazing and I'm glad that I started fly fishing at a young age. [Wink]

Thanks FG for an interesting subject.
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#30
Solid bump.

I hit the Jordan today for a few hours and I had an indicator on for the first three hours. I didn't get a bite, spook a fish, or even see a single sign of life during those three hours. I was getting frustrated and it almost boiled over when during a backcast, I ticked something and I watched as my last indicator went floating by -- not attached to my line. I was freaking bent. Rather than leave, I just kept on fishing without the indy. I was using a slow sink line, and wouldn't you know it, I caught a decent LMB two casts later. Over the next two hours I caught another dozen LMB. The only thing that changed was the darned indicator.

Food for thought, indeed.
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#31
You use an indicator on a sinking line??????
Indicators are for floating lines and long leaders. I do prefer the Clear Thingamabobber. Caught countless Carp and LM watching it stop, bounce a little, then set.
As pointed out in this article, indicator fishing is NOT the stick the worm on and watch it bounce, it does take some practice. That is why many DON'T like it. Because they do not know how to do it correctly.
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#32
In my small defense, I didn't know it was a sinking line until I started fishing. The line came on a reel I bought on KSL and I thought it was a floater. It is a very slow sink, if that matters? (Please say it does so I can save a little face)
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#33
Well, as you said, it didn't work.
Nothing wrong with using a sinking line if they are on the bottom and the water is moving a little faster. I use a Type II on the Provo. Idea is stay in the zone.
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