Dave LaCourse wrote:
I would add to everything George has said:

You are trying to catch fish below the surface where the currents are
slower than the surface current. If you are nymphing (and it sounds
like you are) you would want a dead drift, and that is possible only
by weights on your leader.

If your leader/line junction (or your strike indicator) is movig the
same speed as the top current, then so is the fly. To slow it, add
split shot (preferable the non-toxic stuff). If you have a tight line
you will have drag. At the end of the drift the line should tighten
up as the nymph swings in the current. Strikes during this swing are
quite possible, especially with salmon and brook trout.

If you have lots of line out, get as much of it as possible off the
surface - it will cause drag. If you are nymphing at a distance with
lots of line on the water, mending is the only way to defeat drag.
Learn how to throw a mend in your line *during* your cast, and how to
stack mend as soon as the lure hits the water.

Finally, you should not *feel* the take. If you do feel it, you are
probably too late to set the hook, or the fish has hooked himself.
Watch your leader/line or strike indicator for any hesitation. If it
hesitates, stops, or even moves in another direction, set the hook.

And, practice, practice, pratice..........

Dave


Hi Dave,

I got my work done early yesterday and got a chance to
go to my favorite fishing hole. The water is down about
a foot and the water's clarity has cleared up from the
run off. I am now able to get to my favorite
rock, which I sit on. I was able to fish for about and
hour and a half before I had to go home and do the adult
thing. All in all I caught ten Rainbows about eight
to nine inches in length. All were sent back to there
mommies.

So, sitting on my rock, I tied on my favorite customer
nymph and stuck a single BB sized split shot about a
foot above my fly (lure?). I promptly caught one
Rainbow and that ended that. So, I put a second
split shot right next to the first (I have to put
them next to each other or I get tangles). I caught
four more fish. And, they wised up again. So I
took off the two BB sized split shots and replaced
them with a single large pea sized split shot. I
spaced it about 18 inches from the nymph. I
promptly caught four more.

As Dave stated, the trick it to learn the minimum
needed to keep contact with your fly. The current
determines this for a large extend as well as the
wind. I even used the wind on my line as a strike
indicator.

All my fish were supremely hooked in their lips.
(No gut hooks!) Before Dave's advice, my fly
hooked trout were poorly hooked, which means they
probably hooked themselves. And, i didn't loose
any tackle. My hooks have smashed barbs.

A little off topic but still fishing, all of my
trout jumps about a foot and several times. One
jumped about four feet in the air twice. Red
and silver flashing everywhere. It was spectacular!

To release my fish, I have a little shallow area
on the back side on my rock. It is about an inch
deep. That way I can get the hooks out with out
pulling them out of the water or having to touch the
too much or at all. After being released, one of my trout
decided it would hide its head between two small
rocks in the shallow. Mind you only an inch
of his head would fit. He could not see me, so he
though he was safe, even though the other seven inches
was still sticking out. Usually a little tap with
my rod tip will send them running, but not this
one. So I when back to fishing, figuring he'd
figure it out eventually.

Minutes laster when I had another fish to release,
he was still there, so I reached my hand into the
water and gave his tail a tug. It took two attempts
before he took off to deep water. Hysterical!

I do believe I almost spent as much time with fish on
as with fish off.

Excellent instructions. Thank you! And thank
everyone else for their advice too.

-T