I've guided hundreds and hundreds of clients over the last few years and very few of them had the tool that we call the nymphing rod in their arsenal, very few. Now, did they use the techniques that we now label as nymphing? Yes, when the circumstances called for it. Were they hampered by using the wrong equipment? No, not really. I will make this statement: the average well designed graphite fly rod of around 9 feet for a 4 or 5 weight line that is moderate to medium fast will be able to do everything that you want it to do, including all forms of nymphing, and will only be restricted by your ability to use the rod correctly.
As Tom Dorsey said, this sport is about fly casting and your garden variety nymph rod is not a good casting machine. A stiff butt and mid section married to a soft tip section gives an awkward, hinged feel when you need to make a long cast instead of just "flipping and mending". I have a 10ft, 4wt nymph rod given to me as a gift. If all that I wanted to do was nymph I'm ok but longer casts to rising trout felt like shooting a bow with an arrow of the wrong spine. There was less control over the placement of the fly as my casts got longer.
My other graphite rods of between 8 to 9 ft can do EVERYTHING that my 10 ft nymph rod can do PLUS make long accurate casts with a dry fly. Am I hampered by a shorter rod?? I can bounce nymphs on the Swift, the EB, the Millers and the Ware and I can position myself to cover all of the water correctly (sometimes nymphing) with a generalist rod of 8 to 9 feet. Am I hampered by not having the softer tip section for strike detection? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? There's something wrong if you can't detect a strike while nymphing with a generalist graphite rod. John Gierach, the great writer, once said you could nymph fish with a broom handle and another sage said that it's not the arrow but the archer. Get the point??
I read recently that instead of shelling out $700 for a new fly rod the angler should buy one for $250 and spend the rest of the money on casting lessons. Good advice I think!!
The Rivers This Weekend
Yes, that's the PIPE on the Swift. Legend had it that it was washed down to the Connecticut River during the Winter BUT it has reemerged. The flow is at 303 cfs as I write (6am on 6/13) and fish are being caught there and in the Tree Pool so go fish!!! The flow on the Swift will continue to fall even with the expected rain late in the weekend. Try to time your Y Pool visits to when the OVERFLOW ARM has just a trickle of water coming over. That arm will be loaded with trout. P.S. read the comment by Joe C. regarding the Y Pool - KEN
The Millers and the Ware - It feels great to FINALLY dump the streamers and buggers and swing my soft hackles in these calmer currents. The Millers is at 463 and the Ware is at 98. Hit the Ware about 6:00 pm and stay through dusk = good action!!! BTW, my old friend, the Light Cahill, seems to be hatching in abundance this season. This is a good mid afternoon to dusk fly!!!
The EB - Soft Hackles again are getting it done. The water temperature on this river at 10 am was 58 degrees = perfect!! I spied an old bed of Iris while on the EB. Probably the remnants of an old 19th century garden and something good to see on this early Summer Morning. - Ken
25 comments:
Fished the Swift yesterday afternoon for a few hours in the run by the gauge. Water was fast, but quite wadable. Used a streamer with a PT off the back and hooked up two nice browns and a 12” brookie. One brown was on the PT, while the other fish hit a Kreelex streamer. The fish were really chasing that streamer from there holding areas along the bank. Didn’t see any rainbows in the run but with the fast water I easily could have missed seeing them. Several people were in the pipe area so I moved down to the Cady Lane section and caught a nice rainbow also on the Kreelex streamer. Lots of sulphurs and some caddis, but nothing much rising. While I didn’t fish above Rt 9, I walked around up there. Saw some fish but the real site was all of the mountain laurel in bloom on the west side of the river above the bridge.
Chuck
Agreed on the rods Ken. I have a #4 11foot nymph rod that I do love, and fish happily with drys, streamers etc... but it seems an exception v the rule from what I've seen.
Or perhaps, most rods will do most things well, and the specialization is less valuable than we all like to think, in the purchase validation area :)
Will
Half of the nymphing setups that guys use on the Farmington wouldn't even be allowed in the fly fishing only section of the Salmon River in NY. Most of them are using spy line, to 40-50 feet of mono, sighters, tippet rings and then like 10 feet of 5x/6x on an 11 foot 3wt rod. It def catches fish but just dunk worms on a spinning rod at that point. I out fished a friend using that setup a week ago and his only catch was foul hooked. While I twitched buggers and landed two nice browns. Its fishing but not fly fishing, IMO...and I'm off my soap box.
Got to the EB 7:30 this morning to get in a little fishing before the forecasted rain. Fished the pockets, boulders, and runs around the 1 mile marker. Fished for 3 hours and only found 1 brook trout willing to ignore the barometric pressure. I fooled him with a #10 olive bugger of my own design, made with synthetic materials and casted at a 45 degree angle across and downstream. He hit on the retrieve, which was slow and animated. He was released back into the river, hung at my feet for a minute then sped back to his lie. Oh caught with a 5 wt. which is about all I ever use, except maybe a 4 for dries and low water later in the season.
I fished the Ware last Thursday night from 6 till dark. Despite a mixed hatch of 5 or so different types of mayflies and some caddis I did not see one rise. The only fish I got were a few rainbows on black wooly buggers. I sometimes wonder why I use anything else.
Lunasea,
Because the black WB works!!
Gary,
Seems we are catching more brook trout in the EB this year. I'm not complaining!!
Pat,
You are right. It's not REALLY flyfishing but a type of fishing that uses a fly that could be done with a long spinning rod. I've seen it done!!!
Will,
The more we specialize the more we we run into one-trick-ponies!
Chuck,
I guess it's still streamer season on the Swift.That high water will do it!!
Ken
Ken,
The EB has been good but the Millers has been great over the past three weeks.
Luke
Ken,
I like the 7 foot Fenwick I fish with, but feel I need a longer all purpose rod at certain times. Can you recommend something to me?
Stream report wise I fished Bondsville Tuesday evening and caught a small brook trout at the end of the drift on a hare's ear nymph. Had a couple of other small tugs that didn't connect. Still fast in places, but definitely getting more wadeable.
Thanks, Sam
Got back from Florida Sunday. After reading your blog all winter I was ready to go fishing. Wednesday morning I grabbed my 25+ year old Sage 9’ 5wt and hit the Chicopee River for some shad fishing. I was able to catch five then decided it was time to head up the Swift to see all the changes that have occurred. I brought my, wait for it, my 11’ 3wt to fish. I walked up to the Y pool amazed at how much structure was missing. There were only three people there spread out so I entered where the bubbler arm dumps into the Y. I tied on a size 16 bead head nymph I’ve been tying for years. It’s just a black bead with dubbing made from a squirrel skin, guard hairs and under fur run through a blender. I add a counter wrap of gold wire for durability.
I added eighteen inches of 5X to my 9’ 4X leader and started fishing. I don’t use an indicators preferring to feel the take. I started by fishing close watching to see the fish move to the fly. I continued to add more distance covering the water farther out. The size of the fish was amazing. I started out catching a couple of real nice rainbows then I started getting browns. Then came the surprise fish, a smallmouth that went a solid 18 inches. It pained me to release that fish. I fished for 2-1/2 hours covering only fifty feet and landed seven rainbows and five browns plus the smallmouth. It was a good first day of fishing back home. Joe
Sam,
Try a Redington Trout Classic at 8.5 ft. This is a GREAT Rod and it is very reasonably priced. Mine is a 3wt. I do most of my Swift fishing with it unless I'm using bamboo. I also use a Redington 9ft 5wt that's a 6 piece rod. I've been using it on the Millers. You can't go wrong with these rods.
BTW, met a guy named Nate who speaks very highly of you!!!
Joe C,
WELCOME BACK STRANGER and how do you like the Y Pool now??? If you catch a smallie, a pickerel and a perch you get the Y Pool Triple Crown!!! Seriously, it's been a crazy winter/spring.
Ken
Hi Ken,
I was enjoying those Irises myself while fishing the Bliss Pool at dusk on Saturday. (Assuming they are the same patch.) Fishing was great -- brookies were eager to hit a small stimulator, and the rainbows were keying in on the last of the hendricksons and some march browns. Even picked up a tiger on a small olive softie
Ken,
Thanks for the advice on the fly rod. I will go get one per your specs.
I'm glad you met Nate. I run into him in Bondsville once in a while and he seems like a fine fellow and is a good angler.
Best, Sam
Just returned from morning visit to the Millers. Caddis all over the river at 12 noon and the fish got after them. 3 rainbows, 2 gorgeous browns and 2 ten inch smallmouth in 45 minutes on #12 deer hair caddis. I was at the Orange treatment plant
YellowstoneBound,
No doubt the same small patch of iris!! A good morning for you on the Bliss Pool!!
Sam,
I think Nate is a good judge of character!!
Jim,
I was going to the Millers but went somewhere else today. Maybe a mistake on my part.
Ken
Don't knowwhat happened to my comment yesterday,so I'll try again. My favorite rods are an Orvis 8' 4wt western and a 2 wt 7'9" Orvis ultrafine.Two sweet sticks. Cheers,Chet
Chet,
I think your comment got lost in the ozone. Thanks for resubmitting and the Orvis Western is a good rod.
Ken
I agree that you shouldn't be a one trick pony Ken but I do disagree on a couple points you make. First is that I find a nymphing rod to be almost superior in every way for our streams out here where most casts are relatively short. You have way more line control to reduce drag, mend etc and I find it easy to cast dries accurately and far. I use a 10' 6" Cortland Comp Euro Rod and broke a section of it this week and had to go to my Scott 9' 5 wt which is a fantastic rod but it was so inferior in almost every way that I really had to work at it. Most of the evolution in nymphing comes from world Fly Fishing Competitions like Fly Fishing Team USA where they utilize an entire variety of techniques like euro nymphing for fishing waters from stillwater to pocketwater because it catches fish better than any other system . What really makes it stand out is that it teaches you about currents, hydrology, approach and where fish are located in a stream and most important how to get a good drift and detect a strike which you can't do anywhere close as well with a strike indicator or watching your fly line. George Daniels book Dynamic Nymphing was a game changer for me and increased my catch rate 100%, I urge anyone interested to get it. Its not just about nymphs but using techniques for dries, streamers etc based on conditions (so no one trick pony). Euro nymphing takes a lot of skill to learn and requires a tremendous amount of focus but it makes you a much better all around fly fisherman and you will catch a ton of fish and like I said I use a euro rod for everything and it just works. Most people are resistant to change but I embrace it and like to catch fish, so urge people out there to not listen to the nay sayers and get outside your comfort zone buy a nymph rod learn how to euronymph, catch a bunch of fish and never look back except to show your 100th fish to the dry fly fisherman who's been making the perfect cast to the same riser for the last hour.
Tom W.
A nymphing rod is an inferior dry fly rod but a dry fly rod can be used for nymphing and really well.
I read a lot about nymph rods breaking especially from the brand that you mentioned. The same with other brands of nymph rods.I've never broken a standard fly rod in the act of casting or playing a fish.
Fly fishing competitions seem, since the tight line craze was born, to be placed in streams that lend themselves to this technique. I know of euro folks that don't fish sections of the Swift because the sections don't lend themselves to this style. I can fish ALL sections of ANY river with basic fly fishing gear and disciplines.
Euro nymphing does not take a lot of skill. Neither does tenkara or or those long, whippy midwest steelhead Noodle spinning rods that mimic fly conventional fly fishing, poorly I might add. IT'S NOT REALLY FLYFISHING. If it was it would be legal in the fly fishing zone of the lower Salmon River in NY WHICH IT ISN'T!
As you see, I disagree.
Ken
Ware River.... Major disappointment this year. That is all.
mattk,
Actually I did pretty well on the Ware this Spring considering the high water. Can't say the same for the WB of the Westfield River.
Ken
Oh. Ive caught some fish on streamers and swinging. The dry fly action has been way off this year.
mattk,
I agree on the dry fly action this Spring although the Millers has had some surface action when it behaves itself!!!
Ken
Ken,
I bought the Redington rod you recommended and fished it for the first time tonight. I loved it and look forward to fishing it on the Yellow Breeches next week with a customer who knows the stream. Thanks so much for the recommendation, and the cost was darned reasonable.
Bondsville tonight yield three connections on soft hackles, though nothing brought to net. One was a big rainbow in soft water as I added movement to the fly as it swung below me. A very aggressive hit and it surprised me it didn't stay on. A fun way to Christen the new rod.
Best, Sam
Ah, the annual "Euro nymphing does not take a lot of skill" pronouncement! I have to call BS on that statement. You have to deal with subsurface micro drag just like a dry fly fisherman does, and light tippets and those long rods are very good at that.
Casting #16/18 nymphs on my 5wt is not fun just like drys on my 3wt nymph rod are doable not fun! And I fish to have fun!
Anonymous,
"You have to deal with mico drag just like a dry fly fisherman does". Are you for real or just aping the industry line??? Micro drag for the subsurface fly DOESN'T amount to S--T!!
Your last sentence about casting #16-18 nymphs "on a 5wt is not fun just like drys on on my 3wt nymph rod are doable not fun": What are you talking about?????????? Granted, a standard issue nymph rod is a POS for dry fly fishing. Try a standard fly rod if you want to have fun.
Ken
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