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Sight Nymphing Part 1: Gearing up and Approach, March 2010
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Sight Nymphing Part 1: Gearing up and Approach
by Jeff Allen
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Yep ... sight nymphing. This brown was lazily feeding in 3 feet of water tight up against a grass lane. After 20 or so casts he took a #18 sow bug. Fact: big fish do eat small flies. (P.S. we apologize for the overuse of this photo ... but it is a ridiculous fish!)
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Of the many, subtle aspects there are to fly fishing, I would have to say that sight nymphing stands out as my favorite. For me, there is nothing like the thrill and exhilaration that comes from the start-to-finish process of sight nymphing. Some of my most nostalgic memories of fishing are of summer days in Pennsylvania.
These are the days when the warm sun is on your back and a gentle spring creek is flowing in front of you as you creep, ever so slowly, into a position where you can see the object of your desire, feeding gently between two swaths of cress grass: a brown trout, visible by the stark white lead-edge of his fins, and the bright red spots that adorn his sides. And then, you see it ... a slight fade to the right. That's when you know he's an actively feeding fish, just waiting to scrutinize every aspect of your fly, before deciding it's a food source he is keyed in on.
Really, the process begins even before you step into the water. With sight nymphing you don't take a guess at the most available food source, tie on your imitation, then begin searching deep currents. No - you start by observing: what is in the air, what is on the water, what is drifting through the water, what is living in that cress grass or under those rocks. Then, you have a science of what is going on and can make an educated guess, with high probability, of what that fish is feeding on. All the above statements just begin to prepare you, because realistically, you have to be ready to adapt on the spot to a new unknown variable. You have to be ready to notice subtleties and interpret what they are and how the affect the situation.
Sight nymphing is the highest form of fishing skill, requiring an intimate knowledge of your environment and how it works.
An all too familiar sight. In spring creeks the food available
will push fish into some amazingly shallow fishing situations.
It's times like these you need small flies and light tippet.
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Gear:
It begins with the off-water basics. You need to have confident, accurate casting. A good practical knowledge of a drop cast and how to perform it will help you wondrously (see our video instruction). An ideal setup for sight nymphing is a 9-foot, soft action, 2 wt. fly-rod. This rod will help provide you with the most delicate of presentations, and nothing protects your 7x tippet like a soft action 2 wt. If you can, stay away from weight-forward lines, as they don't lend themselves to a delicate presentation like a double tapered line does. Typically, you want to be fishing a 6x tapered leader that is a minimum of 9 feet (plus your 3 feet of 7x tippet section). The idea is stealth; the reasoning: if you can see them, they can see you. Long leaders and light tippet are the best ways to achieve your goal. In fact, if I'm fairly confident that my fly is a good choice, usually my first thought after being soundly rejected is to switch my tippet down a size, or check my rig and make sure my split-shot hasn't slid.
I know these seem like some pretty hefty requirements, and if you don't have any of the above equipment, don't let that discourage you, just know that the better equipped you are for the situation, the higher chance of success. At the same time, the thrill of seeing the fish react to your presentation is well worth the effort of trying on whatever gear you have.
The author, with a nice brown taken from a limestone spring
creek in PA. Notice, again, that the fish came out of some
pretty "skinny" water.
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Approach:
Your approach to the fish can be vital, depending on the situation. In the purest form of sight-nymphing - spring creeks - you want to approach with the utmost of caution. This is a patience sport; if you don't have patience, then think of it as a great way to build some into your life. A lot of times you may want to sit back and observe the area you want to fish. A soft boil, just below the surface, can tell you wonders about how the fish are feeding. You can also try getting back away from the river a bit - maybe up on an embankment, to get a better view of feeding lanes or to see where fish are parked, etc. In general, it's not rocket science: the closer you are to the fish and the louder you are, the more likely you are to spook it. When you know where your targets are you can start approaching them quietly and slowly. Staying low has some advantages, but it also has some disadvantages. Remember, the guy that is "army-crawling" up to the edge of the river doesn't have any height advantage. When you want to see "into" the water, height is good. The closer your eyes are to the surface of the water, the more distorted of an image you have, because of refraction.
The ultimate goal for approach is to be close enough to the fish that you can see its movements, and you can make a cast that will lead the fish by about 6 feet. Keep in mind, too, that you need to be able to get a good drift on the fish. If you have to cross three current lanes that are going to seriously affect your drift before the fly gets to the fish, you may need to rethink your approach.
Now that you're in position, it's time to select your flies and rig up. I personally like to wait until I'm in position before rigging up, because the 5 minutes it takes you to rig up is a great time to let the fish settle down if they are wary of your presence at all.
Sight nymphing is the Holy Grail of fly fishing, and when you begin to succeed at it, I can guarantee you will look for more and more opportunities to do it.
Stay tuned in and next month and we'll talk about fly selection, presentation, interpreting the fish's movements and the hook set.
Tight Lines,
-Jeff Allen
© 2010 Allen Brothers LLC
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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