Short line nymphing has developed from an obscure and technical method used mostly by competition anglers to perhaps the most popular approach to fly fishing on rivers. So if you want to give it a go how do you get started? What equipment do you need to start with?
In fact not much specialised equipment is needed. A long lightweight rod is a great advantage, as is a light reel. However if you’ve got a conventional 9′ river rod and reel this will suffice for a start. Similarly one can use a regular fly line, though this will be used mostly as backing. The key component is the leader. French leaders are now readily available from many manufacturers. I’d recommend the Hends 9m Camou leader. As a beginner it’s useful to get it in a fluorescent colour as the improved visibility helps in mastering control of the leader. However you can also replace this leader with a length of thick monofilament. Something like 10m of 0.4mm is a good start, but it isn’t critical to start with.
You’ll also need an indicator to attach to the end of this leader. Special indicator monofilament is available in various colours and diameters. I favour the Hends 0.2mm bicolor indicator material. However, I’d advise a beginner to start with a thicker indicator, as it will be more visible. The ideal indicator is quite a personal choice and depends on both the environment and the quality of your eyesight. In clear water at short ranges if you’ve got great eyes then you might not use an indicator at all, but just watch the knots. Black is also a surprisingly good colour, especially against glare. White is good against a dark background. You can actually colour a length of mono with a marker pen or some whiteout. The point is that a specialised indicator isn’t a necessity – you can improvise in many ways. To start with I’d add 2 feet of 0.3mm mono as an indicator.
You can then add a tippet to the end of the indicator. I’d use a tippet ring for both of these connections, but you can use any decent knot. You can also use loops with the advantage that this gives a double length of indicator material that is more visible. For the tippet I’d start using 0.14mm copolymer monofilament. I’ll often use fluorocarbon mono in clear water in diameters down to 0.06mm; whilst 0.12mm fluorocarbon is a good standard. However copolymer is easier to work with and you’ll probably get hung up with a lot to start with, so a thicker mono is better and 0.14mm will catch a lot of fish.
Tippets can be of various lengths. 3 flies on a 9′ tippet is probably a good standard. However I’d start with 2 flies on a 5′ length; with a 6″ dropper halfway along.
Now you’ll need a couple of flies. Two copper bedhead hare’s ear nymphs are as good as anything. You could use these all the time and probably not catch much less than if you were using other patterns. Size 12 hooks and 3mm beads is a good basic size.
Now it’s really about the approach and tactics. In reality these are far more important than equipment. Location and timing are also important. Don’t start off in low, clear slack water. Or on a massive river with ferocious currents. The ideal place to start is a small river with good colour and flow where deeper flowing water is accessible from the bank. A typical small trout stream in fact. The short line method will allow you to fish a variety of water in a variety of ways, but the obvious, and easy, place to start is at the head of a decent sized pool with a good flow. It should be relatively simple to throw the flies into the fast water and the head of the pool and allow the current to carry the flies downstream whilst holding the indicator above the water. Keep the line off the water. The indicator should be suspended above the water and the line should go a straight to the rod tip as possible, and never touch the water. Keep the rod tip high – hold the rod at arms length trying to keep the rod tip as high as you possibly can. This is the essence of short line fishing. Don’t worry too much about the details at this stage. Fish are more stupid than you think. Whatever you do you’ll catch fish and then learn by catching.
When a fish takes you should see the indicator stop and/or move away. Don’t be distracted by subtle halts or twitches as the nymphs catch on the river bed or get caught in eddies. Then just lift into the fish.
This is where it gets complicated; and interesting. Short line flyfishing gives you a lot of control; but the flip side of that is that you have to take control and make decisions about how you are going to fish. So it allows you to fish up stream or downstream; short or long; high in the water or on the bottom, dead drift or moving the fly. You can swing the fly like a wet fly or a streamer. Best of all you can rapidly switch between all these approaches. However, this amount of control can also be confusing and daunting. It’s a journey and if you’re going to be good you have to enjoy the journey, the complexity and the subtlety.
Here are some key principles and mistakes that people make:
Fish short. It’s not called short line fishing for nothing! Have only as much line outside the rod as the rod is long. People think they’ll frighten the fish. Get used to standing up straight in thigh deep water and fishing under the rod tip. If the water is dark and has a good flow the fish will be there and they won’t be frightened and you’ll catch them.
Keep on the move. If you’re fishing short then you’ve little choice than to keep moving. If you’re not moving all the time then you’re probably not fishing short enough. Go to the fish , don’t cast to them.
Fish fast deep water. This is the ideal water where the technique is at its best and where most of the fish live. Thigh to waist deep water seems to be an optimum for trout. Lots of people have a bad habit of fishing flats where water is slow and fish are visible.
Fish downstream. Most fly anglers are conditioned to fish upstream. They think the fish will see them if they are above them. In the right water they won’t. Presentation is far easier and more effective fishing downstream. There are endless fish to be caught on the swing and on the hang.
Fish vertical. Try to keep the line vertical from the flies to the rod tip. This is the most effective presentation that gives most control. You can’t always fish like this, but if you’re trying you will be presenting the fly well. Keep the rod tip up as high as possible. Ideally you fish with the rod held raised at arms length
Go to the fish, don’t cast to the fish. Move, fish short, fish downstream and keep the rod tip up.
Don’t snatch at takes. people expect takes to be subtle and snatch at every bump. Then when they miss a few they get twitchy and snatch at real fish and bump them off. Lift into fish, don’t strike.
A lot of people are very temped to replace the top fly with some kind of high floating dry fly or indicator in place of the top fly or in addition to it. Fishing what is usually called a duo rig. Don’t. The trouble is that the duo works. It’s easy. The floating fly controls the nymph and provides ready indication of a take. It’s highly effective. So why not fish this way? You are sacrificing control and if you exercise control you’ll catch more in the end. People get addicted to the easy returns on the duo and then find it hard to switch to other methods as they are not catching as much. The duo becomes a bad habit that you can’t kick.
In addition learn to wade. Most people are terrible waders. The result is they become rooted to one spot; don’t cover enough water, fish too long in one spot and avoid the best water.
Recent Comments