Fishing - snowshoe hare feet

On 7/31/06 9:33 AM, in article
, "Scott Seidman"
wrote:

My advice--if you really want to learn the technique-- is to go to the
nymph a few times under perfect conditions, then force yourself to the
nymph in all cases except where a dry fly is perfect.

For example, if you see a very sporadic riser, like every 15 minutes or
so, and you just can't take it with a dry, tie on a nymph and thank the
fish for telling you where she is so you can take it was a very potent
technique without prospecting.

Use an indicator, at least until you've got things down well enough that
you want to abandon it.

Make sure you know how to get a dead drift, and how you need to mend to
get it. A powerful indicator is motion of the end of the line with
respect to the bobber.

Make sure you're deep enough, but not too deep. You should be ticking
bottom every now and again, and you'll lose plenty of flies on the
bottom. Good nymphing is hard work, and you'll always be messing around
with the indicator, fly, split shot positions until you get it right.
Then, you'll wade a bit, and have to go through it all again. Pick a
strike indicator that's easy to move around. If you want an easy
technique, go to a wet fly!

Set the hook, even if you just have a feeling that there might have been
a take.

If you're not successful, and you think you should be, go down a tippet
size. This isn't for visibility, but to enhance a dead drift. The
thinner the tippet, the less the current will have its way with your fly.

If you're feeling adventurous, tie a second fly about 18" off the hook
bend of the first fly. You'll double the chance of the fly being in the
right place (as well as the chances of really snarling things up should
you actually catch a fish). I like using a beadhead as my top fly, and
the same fly as a nonbeadhead as my trailer.

After you pop a few fish in this situation, you'll have more confidence.
When this starts to happen, you'll find yourself holding onto dry flies
for just when the hatch is really going--or maybe not even then. I know
one guy who just loves taking fish with scuds

Thanks for the pointers Scott, but could you repeat the above while standing
next to me on a stream somewhere between Rochester and Cleveland? :-)

I wouldn't call myself a beginner, and have heard most of the above advise
before, it's just a matter of following your very first point. I'm a
creature of habit!

I have been fishing wet flies quite a bit this season, and am enjoying it
thoroughly. Although the last month or so has been exclusively poppers and
warm water :-)

Bill