Throwing your weight around

I might float the local river in my WaterMaster tomorrow .... just too
nice of weather to sit around. Once launched I'm stuck for a few
hours so I better be prepared for reality,

and reality is

nymphing will be the only likely way available to catch the
fishies. I'm thinking of taking a 10ft 5wt and 'high sticking'
the riffles and WBugging the frog water sections. I've heard a lot
about fishing with multiple nymphs but have never really tried it, a
single one beneath a dry is as close as I remember trying to deal with
multiple fly rigging.

My question ... what is the best ( defined as least prone to tangle )
way to rig a couple nymphs and maybe a split shot ... i.e. droppers,
all in a line hook bend to hook .... other? WHERE DO YOU put the
heaviest fly so that tangles are minimized ? ... last one, first
one ...other ?

Any ideas on cool fast and efficient ways to switch back and forth
from a riffle rig to a frog water one? ... besides a second rod


TIA

Larry L wrote:
snip
My question ... what is the best ( defined as least prone to tangle )
way to rig a couple nymphs and maybe a split shot ... i.e. droppers,
all in a line hook bend to hook .... other? WHERE DO YOU put the
heaviest fly so that tangles are minimized ? ... last one, first
one ...other ? ...

See "Czech Rig". I used to "Czech Rig" before I became a purist.
In Czech rigging the heaviest fly is the anchor fly (furthest fly
from the fly line). Never did figure out how to avoid tangles.
Given my druthers, I'd just as soon play fetch with the dog as fish
with nymphs anymore.

http://flyfishingreporter.com/how-to...ymphing-leader

HTH

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
http://flyfishingreporter.com/how-to...ymphing-leader

HTH

One more thing. If you have to use split shot I think it's better
to use multiple small pieces of shot spaced evenly along the leader
rather than one larger piece of shot. Adjust the spacing of the shot
to taste.

Have fun out there. We've got nothing but an icy, muddy mess around
here.

--
Ken Fortenberry

On Mar 18, 1:51*pm, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
http://flyfishingreporter.com/how-to...ymphing-leader

HTH



Have fun out there. We've got nothing but an icy, muddy mess around
here.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Joe the Elder offers--don"t forget to use a large [ thing a mer jig ]
floating bobber and you might save one nymph when you catch a
rock ! one of the old Roffers called Bruiser use to throw a three fly
setup out into the madison and he could catch fish ! All I catch with
two flies is a mess of knots ! Have fun!

On Mar 18, 10:47*am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:


See "Czech Rig". I used to "Czech Rig" before I became a purist.
In Czech rigging the heaviest fly is the anchor fly (furthest fly
from the fly line). Never did figure out how to avoid tangles.
Given my druthers, I'd just as soon play fetch with the dog as fish
with nymphs anymore.


--
Ken Fortenberry


How's the dog coming along, Ken?

Playing with the pooch isn't as appealing, for me, as you, but still a
lot of fun. I've got two here now for LONG time customers in spite of
the fact that I'd rather be fully retired. I'm too much of a softy
( and probably too vain ) and when they call and beg me to take
another ... I give in. Both these guys belong to people that were
pro trainers themselves at one point and have many, many years of
experience. That makes it mentally much easier on me, since you
know the work won't be undermined.

Hope your dog is proving to be all you hoped ... and more.

Thanks for the Czech info and link ... I googled it a bit more and I'm
now leaning towards seeing if I can get a root canal scheduled, as
'more fun' than a bunch of tackle tending G Actually, I think I'll
just wade fish a spot or two instead of committing to the float. I
hooked 4 yesterday sipping something very tiny from the film, and I
may just go back there ... instead of the closest river. I didn't
get any of the 4 to hand, the situation required weird, round the
corner, lots-o-slack casts with #22 flies and good hook sets were not
managed. Hope your weather and waters clear up and drive you out
fishing real soon.

On Mar 18, 11:08*am, Injun Joe wrote:

*All I catch with
two flies is a mess of knots ! * Have fun!

Heah, if you ever filed a report on the 'yarn practice rod' from BRF,
I missed it. Did it prove to be of help? Ready for precise,
delicate, casts to those PHD trout this summer ?

On 2010-03-18 12:55:00 -0400, Larry L said:

My question ... what is the best ( defined as least prone to tangle )
way to rig a couple nymphs and maybe a split shot ... i.e. droppers,
all in a line hook bend to hook .... other? WHERE DO YOU put the
heaviest fly so that tangles are minimized ? ... last one, first
one ...other ?

Larry, when I first learned to ff in the 40s, dries, wets, and
streamers were the only kind of flies my parents and I used. However,
when I came back to ff, nymphs were the hot thing. So, I learned how
to nymph. I still prefer dries (with or without a hatch).

I have tried all the "gimmicks" over the years, including multiple
nymphs, the Czeck method, and other nefarious add-ons. I enjoyed
watching a fellow roffian who shall remain un-named fish with a 3 fly
rig which he untangled after each cast. Rule number 1: Keep your fly
in the water. You can't do that if you are constantly untangling your
rig.

If you must use more than one, stick to two, and tie your rig as follows:

12 - 14 inches of tippet with a split shot at (above) the tippet/leader
knot. At the end of the tippet tie on a nymph you think may do well.
To the bend of that fly, tie another piece of tippet of about 14 - 16
inches. I use a simple clinch knot to do this. On the end of that tie
in your second fly. This method will not tangle if you are careful and
use what I call a circle cast. When your rig gets downstream from you
and you have lowered your rod, swing the rig up-stream in one motion -
no false casts.

There are a couple of dangers using more than one fly. If you hook a
fish on either fly, always remember **there is another fly on there**
and its hook is very shap and will puncture rough old pirate's fingers.
This extra fly or flies can also cause problems with your net,
tangling it it and causing you more work. Rule number 2: Keep you fly
in the water. Ya ain't catchin' much with it snagged in your net.

Another "method" is the keep the tag end of your tippet knot at least
eight inches long, and tie a second fly on the end. This medod works
well, but it too can get tangled during casting or landing a fish.

If I was to teach anyone nymphing, I would use but one fly at the end
of a 14 inch tippet, with a split shot at the tippet knot. The most
important thing you can learn about nymphing is how to achieve a dead
drift. That is where the split shot comes in.

If you notice that your leader/line connection (or strike indicator) is
moving faster or at the same speed as the current, you need more
weight. Add weight until your "indicator", be it the leader/line
connection or a strike indicator, are freely floating *slower than the
surface currect*. This is true if you are high-sticking it or casting
up and across. I have many big fish with the up and across after a 50
foot cast, so do not limit your nymphing to high-sticking the water
right in front of you.

Finally: Mend, mend, mend, mend.

And remember no tangles allows you to keep Rules #1 and 2 sacred.

Went out this morning and caught a few little ones on a size 20 pt soft
hackle. Water is warming up nicely and expect some hatches before too
long.

Dave

On Mar 18, 2:59*pm, David LaCourse wrote:


And remember no tangles allows you to keep Rules #1 and 2 sacred.

Went out this morning and caught a few little ones on a size 20 pt soft
hackle. *Water is warming up nicely and expect some hatches before too
long.

Dave


Thanks, Dave.

I like 'sight nymphing' a lot ... casting to a fish I can see, the
wink under water stuff and all. And I've done well with a single
nymph and indicator rig, when I've actually given it a fair chance.
Lastly, I really enjoy swinging a soft hackle at times, relaxing ya
know, and catches fish to boot.

I don't know why I got the multiple fly thing stuck in my head.
Well, no, I do know. This river ( I've seined it on several
occasions ) doesn't offer any clear choice of what should work.
None, for some reason, inspires faith in me. Confidence is a big
part of fishing, both in success and in enjoyment. I have a hard
time feeling confident blind nymphing ( even when I'm doing
well ! )

Really, that sums up my feeling about fishing the water in
general ... If I can see him, I EXPECT to catch him .... if I can't
see him I always feel as though I lucked into a fish when I do catch
one.( exception: well populated small streams with a fish behind
nearly every rock, and in every seam, where "knowing where he has to
be" inspires faith ) I've had days on this local water where I've
hooked fish on nymphs every few casts, others where I never got a
bump .. same water, same flies .... I enjoy feeling more in control
than that makes me feel.

Think I'll stick to wade fishing and a single fly ... maybe an Egg
Eating San Juan Worm g


Thanks for the suggestions

On Mar 18, 2:59*pm, David LaCourse wrote:


Larry, when I first learned to ff in the 40s, dries, wets, and
streamers were the only kind of flies my parents and I used. *However,


Way back when, when medium sized Sierra freestone streams were what I
fished most, I gradually moved from mostly fishing attractor dries to
mostly fishing a #14 primrose and partridge ( light phase ) soft
hackle on a heavy hook. It, imho, did a good job of suggesting
several clinger and crawler drowned duns as well as small stones
common on these waters. Fish that wouldn't rise would eat it
without hesitation. I fished it upstream, no indicator, sometimes
you could see it, often not.

Many, many times I've set the hook certain a fish would be there but
totally unable to say that I 'saw' anything to make me do so. It was
a magical feeling ... one that makes me think I'd really like
indicator-less nymphing, if I did it enough to develop confidence and
that sixth sense. But, life is short ( ain't it ) and I don't
drive a thousand miles to some great dry fly waters, to practice
nymphing G So I'll probably never really grow to like nymphing,
although I can sense it could have great appeal beyond just
effectiveness.

Pretty much the only double rig I use anymore is: larger fly direct to
main tippet, smaller fly on a piece of smaller tippet tied in onto the
eye of the larger fly. I've tried on the bend, tag end of tippet, et
al., but tying into the eye is for me the easiest and least prone to
tangle, and I think is better for hookups on the big fly.

YMMV.

BTW, the larger fly might not be big, on the San Juan I've used #20
and #22 rigs, and maybe even smaller. You can fit two 6x tippets into
a #20 eye. And catch fish on it.

Jon.